English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

oilseed

noun

The seed of a plant grown commercially to produce vegetable oil.

oilskins

noun

Waterproof clothing made from oilskin, traditionally worn by sailors.

oily

adj

Covered with, containing, or resembling oil.

oink

noun

The grunting sound a pig makes.

oinker

noun

Something that makes an oinking sound.

ointment

noun

A thick, oily paste, often medicated, applied to the skin to treat or soothe it.

Oishi

name

A Japanese surname, literally "big stone."

oitava

noun

An old Portuguese unit for measuring dry goods, equal to roughly 1.6 to 2.4 litres, depending on the 19th-century context.

Ojai

name

A small city in Ventura County, California, known for its arts community.

OK

adj

All right; acceptable, permitted, or satisfactory.

oka

noun

An old unit of weight used historically in Turkey, Egypt, Hungary, and Romania, equal to a little more than a kilogram.

Okada

noun

A motorcycle used as a taxi, especially common in West African cities such as Lagos, Nigeria.

Okamoto

name

A Japanese surname.

okapi

noun

A shy, forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe from the Congo, with a short neck, a chestnut-brown body and striped legs and rump.

okayish

adj

Reasonably good, though not excellent; acceptable enough.

oker

noun

Money charged for lending; excessive interest; growth in an amount owed.

okey

noun

A Turkish tile game similar to rummy, played with numbered tiles.

Oki

name

A Japanese surname.

Okie

noun

Someone from Oklahoma, especially used historically for Dust Bowl-era migrants who left the state for California.

Okinawa

name

A prefecture and island chain of Japan, and the main island within it, notable as the site of a major World War II battle.

Oklahoma

name

A state in the south-central United States; its capital is Oklahoma City.

oklahoman

noun

A person born in, or living in, the US state of Oklahoma.

okra

noun

A green, ridged vegetable pod eaten cooked, known for its sticky texture when cut and used to thicken stews.

Oksana

name

A feminine given name, a transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian Оксана.

Oktoberfest

noun

A large beer festival held in Munich, Germany, each year in late September and early October, famous for its beer tents and traditional food.

Okuda

name

A Japanese surname.

OL

adj

Informal spelling of "old", used to imitate casual speech.

Ola

name

A given name of Yoruba or Scandinavian origin, also used as a surname.

Olaf

name

A masculine given name of Old Norse origin.

old

adj

Having existed for a long time; not new or young.

old-fashioned

adjective

Belonging to or suited to an earlier time, and no longer in style or common use. It can be mildly critical, suggesting something is out of date, or warm, suggesting it has the charm and solidity of the past.

oldbie

noun

Someone who has been involved in something for a long time and has plenty of experience.

olden

adj

Belonging to an earlier, often romanticized, era; used mainly in the phrase "olden days".

older

adj

Comparative form of "old"; greater in age or having existed longer.

oldest

noun

The person or thing that has existed longest among a group, especially the eldest child in a family.

oldie

noun

A song, film, or other piece of media from an earlier era, especially one still fondly remembered.

Oldman

name

An English surname.

oldridge

name

A surname that is a variant of Aldridge.

Olds

noun

Informal, plural term for one's parents.

oldster

noun

An older person.

oldtimer

noun

An old or elderly person.

ole

intj

An exclamation shouted to cheer on a performer, bullfighter, or sports team.

oleander

noun

Oleander is a highly poisonous evergreen shrub with leathery leaves and pink, red, or white flowers, often grown as an ornamental plant.

Oleg

name

A masculine given name common among Slavic-speaking peoples, derived ultimately from a Norse name meaning "holy."

oleo

noun

A shock-absorbing strut used in aircraft landing gear: as the strut is compressed or stretched, a piston pushes oil through a narrow opening, and this resistance absorbs the impact energy.

oleomargarine

noun

A fat produced by hardening purified beef fat and used as the base for margarine, the butter substitute; in the US, it can also mean the margarine itself.

olfaction

noun

The sense of smell, or the process of detecting airborne molecules.

olfactive

adj

Relating to the sense of smell.

olfactory

adj

Relating to the sense of smell.

Olga

name

A feminine given name common in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, derived from a Norse word meaning "holy."

olha

name

A transliteration of the Ukrainian female given name О́льга (Ólʹha)

Oli

name

A diminutive of the masculine given name Oliver.

olibanum

noun

A resin taken from Boswellia trees; it used to serve as a medicine and today is burnt chiefly as incense.

oligarch

noun

A very rich businessman who wields political influence, especially one of those who acquired vast state assets in Russia and other post-Soviet countries after 1991.

oligarchic

adjective

Relating to or characteristic of oligarchy.

oligarchy

noun

A system of government in which power rests with a small group of people, typically the wealthy, rather than with the population as a whole.

oligoduplex

noun

A short strand of DNA or RNA that is paired with a complementary strand, forming a double helix.

oligopoly

noun

A market condition in which a small number of sellers have control over the supply of a product.

Olin

name

A masculine given name, and the name of a city in Iowa and a village in Poland.

olive

noun

A small oval fruit, usually eaten pickled or pressed for its oil, that grows on a Mediterranean tree.

Oliver

noun

A given name, historically also used as a common English male first name and surname.

Olivia

noun

A female given name, ultimately from Latin, and one of the most popular girls' names in English-speaking countries today.

Olivier

name

A French surname and given name, equivalent to the English Oliver.

ollie

noun

A skateboarding trick where the rider and board leap into the air together without using the hands.

Olly

name

A diminutive of the given names Oliver or Olivia.

Olmedo

name

A Spanish surname.

Olsen

name

A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning "son of Ole."

Olson

name

A Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Olaf," common among Scandinavian-Americans.

Olsson

name

A Swedish surname meaning "son of Olaf."

Olya

name

A feminine given name, a diminutive transliteration of the Russian or Ukrainian Оля, from Olga.

Olympia

name

An ancient Greek city that hosted the original Olympic Games; also the capital of Washington state and a feminine given name.

Olympiad

noun

The four-year period between one Olympic Games and the next, or, loosely, the Games themselves.

Olympian

adj

Godlike, majestic, or far above ordinary human concerns — originally describing the gods said to live on Mount Olympus.

Olympic

adj

Relating to the Olympic Games, or of a scale and standard associated with them.

olympically

adv

In a style typical of the Olympic Games.

Olympics

name

The Olympic Games, the major international multi-sport competition held every four years.

olympism

noun

The values and spirit behind the Olympic Games.

Olympus

name

The highest mountain in Greece, regarded in Greek mythology as the home of the gods.

om

noun

A sacred syllable chanted in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain meditation and prayer.

Oma

noun

An informal word for grandmother, used especially in German-influenced English.

Omaha

name

The largest city in Nebraska, United States.

Oman

name

A country on the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, whose capital is Muscat.

Omar

name

A male given name of Arabic origin, historically borne by the second caliph of Islam.

omasum

noun

The third chamber of a ruminant's stomach, or its lining when used as food.

ombudsman

noun

An official appointed to investigate complaints made by ordinary people against a company, a government department or another organisation, and to recommend a fair settlement.

ome

noun

The complete set of a particular kind of biological molecule or feature in an organism, as in "genome" or "proteome."

omega

noun

The final letter of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing an ending or the last in a series.

omelet

noun

A US standard spelling of omelette.

omelette

noun

A dish of beaten eggs cooked flat in a pan, often folded over a filling like cheese or vegetables.

omen

noun

A sign believed to foretell a future event, whether good or bad.

omenic

adj

Seeming to warn of something that is going to happen, often something bad.

omer

noun

An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure, roughly equal to 2.3 liters, historically used for grain.

OMG

intj

An exclamation of surprise, shock, or excitement — short for "oh my God."

omi

noun

A man (informal/slang term, historically used in Polari and some British underworld slang).

omicron

noun

The 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

omigod

intj

An eye dialect spelling of oh my God.

omigosh

intj

An eye dialect spelling of oh my gosh.

ominous

adj

Suggesting that something bad is about to happen; threatening or foreboding.

omission

noun

The act of leaving something out, or something that has been left out.

omit

verb

To leave something out or exclude it.

omitted

adj

Left out; not included, whether by accident or on purpose.

OML

abbreviation

Short for 'oh my Lord' or 'oh my life', used in messages and social posts to express shock, exasperation or excitement.

omni

noun

Informal shorthand for "omnivore" — someone who eats both plant and animal foods, as opposed to a vegan or vegetarian.

omnibus

noun

A large public bus, especially historically.

omniform

adj

Capable of taking on any form or shape.

omnigamy

noun

A marriage system in which every man in a community is married to every woman, and every woman to every man.

omnipotence

noun

Having unlimited power, usually used to describe a god.

omnipotent

adj

Having unlimited power or authority; all-powerful.

omnipresence

noun

The quality of being present everywhere at once, usually said of God.

omnipresent

adj

Present everywhere at the same time.

omniscient

adj

Knowing everything; having complete or unlimited knowledge.

omnispective

adj

Seeing or perceiving absolutely everything; all-seeing.

omnivert

noun

Someone whose personality shifts between being very outgoing and very reserved.

omnivore

noun

An animal that eats both plant and animal food rather than being restricted to one or the other.

omophorion

noun

A strip of brocade, originally made of wool and decorated with crosses, worn around the neck and shoulders as the vestment that marks out a bishop and represents his spiritual and church authority within Eastern Christian liturgy; it corresponds to the archiepiscopal pallium of the Western Church.

omphalos

noun

An ancient sacred stone, also called a baetylus, believed to mark the centre of the world.

on

prep

Positioned at, upon, or touching the surface of something.

on the contrary

phrase

Used to reject what has just been said and assert the opposite. It signals not merely disagreement but that the truth runs the other way.

on the rocks

phrase

Of a drink, served poured over ice cubes rather than chilled, neat or mixed.

on time

phrase

At the arranged or expected time, neither early nor late.

on top of that

phrase

Used to add a further fact to what has already been said, usually one that makes the situation more extreme. It most often introduces an additional problem or an additional cost.

Ona

name

A Spanish surname; also the name of an indigenous language spoken in Tierra del Fuego.

onager

noun

A wild ass native to Asia, related to the horse; the Persian type is also called the Persian wild ass.

onanism

noun

The act of masturbating.

onanist

noun

Someone, usually a man, who masturbates.

onboard

adv

On or inside a ship, aircraft, train, or other vehicle.

onboarding

noun

The process of taking on a new employee and getting them settled, trained and productive, covering paperwork, introductions, systems access and early training.

once

adv

On one occasion only; a single time.

once again

phrase

One more time, especially when the same thing has happened before. It often carries a note of weariness or of pointed recognition that a pattern is repeating.

oncologist

noun

A doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer.

oncology

noun

The branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis, treatment, and study of cancer.

oncoming

adj

Approaching or coming closer, especially traffic moving toward you.

one

num

The number 1; the first positive whole number.

one love

phrase

A greeting or sign-off expressing unity, goodwill and shared humanity, rooted in Jamaican speech and Rastafarian belief and spread worldwide through reggae music, most famously the Bob Marley song of that name.

one-liner

noun

A joke told in a single sentence, with the setup and the punchline packed into one line.

one-night stand

noun

A single sexual encounter with someone, with no intention on either side of seeing each other again.

onefold

adj

Relating to or showing only one single idea or theme.

oneirism

noun

A dreamlike quality or feeling.

oneness

noun

The state of being unified or whole; a sense of complete togetherness.

onerous

adj

Needing a lot of effort to deal with; heavy or demanding.

onerousness

noun

The quality of being onerous; burdensomeness.

ones

noun

A team's first-choice or senior squad, as opposed to reserves.

oneship

noun

The state of being united as one.

onesie

noun

A one-piece garment, especially a snap-up outfit for a baby worn over a diaper.

onfall

noun

A sudden attack on someone or something.

Ong

name

A Chinese surname common among Hokkien, Taishanese, and Vietnamese speakers.

ongoing

adj

Currently happening or still in progress; not yet finished.

ongoingness

noun

The fact of continuing to happen without stopping.

oni

noun

A demon or ogre-like spirit from Japanese folklore, often shown with horns and a fearsome face.

Onion

noun

An informal term for someone from Bermuda, referencing the island's once-famous onion crop.