English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Prabhakar

name

A masculine given name of Indian origin, meaning "the sun" or "maker of light".

Prabhu

noun

A term of respect meaning "lord" or "master", used in Hindu religious and cultural contexts.

practic

noun

Someone who focuses on doing things rather than on theory.

practicability

noun

How possible or realistic something is to do.

practicable

adj

Able to be done; realistic and workable.

practical

adj

Concerned with actual practice and results rather than theory.

practical joke

noun

A trick played on someone to make them look foolish and to amuse everyone else, carried out through actions or objects rather than words.

practical joker

noun

Someone who plays tricks on other people that involve doing something rather than saying something — hiding a possession, rigging a chair, sending a fake message — in order to startle them and get a laugh.

practicality

noun

The quality of being useful, sensible, and workable in real situations.

practically

adv

Almost entirely; nearly.

practicalness

noun

The fact of being sensible and useful rather than theoretical.

practice

noun

Repeated exercise of an activity in order to improve a skill.

practiced

adj

Skilled or experienced as a result of repeated practice.

practicing

adj

Actively working in a profession or actively following the customs of a religion.

practise

verb

To repeat an activity regularly in order to improve at it.

practising

adj

Actively engaged in a profession or actively following the customs of a religion.

practitioner

noun

Someone who actively works in a profession or skilled field, especially medicine or law.

Pradesh

noun

A state or administrative territory within India (used as part of names like Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh).

pradhan

noun

A local government official or headman in parts of India, roughly equivalent to a chief minister or chairman.

Prado

name

A Spanish and Portuguese surname, also the name of the famous Prado Museum in Madrid.

Prager

name

A German surname denoting someone from Prague.

pragma

noun

(computing) A note written into code to tell a compiler how to treat it.

pragmatic

adj

Focused on practical results and workable solutions rather than theory or ideals.

pragmatical

adj

Connected with the running of government.

pragmatism

noun

Caring more about what works than about looks, feelings or ideals.

pragmatist

noun

A person who deals with things in a sensible, down-to-earth way.

pragmatize

verb

To treat something imaginary as if it were real or solid.

Prague

name

The capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.

prairie

noun

A large stretch of flat or gently rolling grassland with very few trees, especially in North America.

Prairies

noun

The vast grassland region of central North America, or specifically the grassland provinces of western Canada.

praise

noun

Words expressing approval or admiration for someone or something.

praiseworthily

adv

In a way that deserves praise.

praiseworthy

adj

Deserving a lot of praise.

praising

noun

The act of giving praise to someone.

Prakash

name

A masculine given name of Indian origin, meaning "light".

pram

noun

A small wheeled carriage used to push a baby around while lying down, called a baby carriage in American English.

prana

noun

(yoga) Breath, thought of as the force that gives life.

prance

verb

To move about with high, springy steps, often showing off.

prancer

noun

Someone or something (often a horse) that prances.

prancing

adj

Moving with showy, high, springy steps.

prank

noun

A playful trick or joke played on someone, usually harmless.

prank call

noun

A telephone call made to a stranger or a friend purely to trick, tease or annoy them, usually with a false story or a scripted joke.

prank war

noun

An escalating run of practical jokes between two people or groups, each answering the last one with something bigger.

pranking

noun

The activity of playing pranks or tricks on people.

prankishness

noun

A liking for playing tricks; mischievousness.

pranksomeness

noun

The quality of enjoying pranks and mischief.

prankster

noun

Someone who enjoys playing pranks on people.

prasad

noun

Food that has been offered to a deity and is then distributed and eaten as a blessing, in Hindu and related traditions.

praseodymium

noun

A soft, silvery rare earth metal, with the chemical symbol Pr and atomic number 59.

prashant

noun

A humorous or mistaken alteration of "croissant," used informally to describe the pastry.

prat

noun

A foolish or contemptible person (British informal).

Pratap

name

A masculine given name of Indian origin, meaning "dignity" or "majesty".

prate

noun

Chatter that has no real point or meaning.

prater

noun

Someone who chatters on without much point.

pratfall

noun

A fall landing on your bottom.

PRATT

noun

An argument or talking point that has already been debunked but keeps getting repeated, from the acronym "point refuted a thousand times."

prattle

verb

To talk on and on about unimportant things, in a childish or silly way.

prattler

noun

Someone who chatters a lot, especially in a childish way.

prattling

noun

Silly or childish chatter; the act of prattling.

pratty

name

A nickname given to those surnamed Pratt.

pravity

noun

(formal) Moral corruption or wickedness.

prawn

noun

A shrimp-like shellfish, often eaten as seafood.

praxis

noun

The putting of a subject's ideas into real practice.

pray

verb

To speak to God or a higher power, whether to give thanks, ask for help, or express devotion.

prayer

noun

Words or thoughts directed to a god or higher power, as thanks, request, or worship.

prayers

noun

Words addressed to God, a god or another sacred figure, whether asking for something, giving thanks, confessing or praising.

praying

noun

The act of saying a prayer.

pre

prep

Before a particular event or point in time (informal shorthand).

pre-order

verb

To order and often pay for a product before it has been released, so that it is sent or made available as soon as it comes out.

pre-owned

adjective

Previously owned by someone else — second-hand — used especially by sellers of cars, watches and other goods where the word 'used' would sound off-putting.

preach

verb

To deliver a religious message or sermon, usually in public.

preacher

noun

Someone, especially a member of the clergy, who delivers religious sermons.

preaching

noun

The act of delivering sermons or moral instruction.

preachy

adj

Inclined to lecture people about right and wrong too much.

preamble

noun

An introductory statement placed at the start of a document, law or constitution that explains its purpose and the reasoning behind it.

precarious

adj

Not safe or stable; likely to fail or collapse at any moment.

precariousness

noun

The quality of being unsafe or likely to change suddenly.

precation

noun

(formal) A prayer, or a serious request made to someone.

precatory

adj

Showing a hope or desire for something.

precaution

noun

An action taken in advance to prevent a problem or reduce a risk.

precautionary

adj

Done as a precaution, to prevent a possible problem.

precede

verb

To come before something else in time, order, or position.

precedence

noun

The condition of being more important or coming first in priority.

precedency

noun

The right to come before others in rank or order.

precedent

noun

An earlier case, decision, or action used as a guide or justification for a similar one later.

preceding

adjective

Coming right before something else in time, order, or position.

precellence

noun

Great excellence or superiority.

precellency

noun

Great excellence or superiority.

precentor

noun

A person who leads the singing or prayers during a religious service.

precept

noun

A rule that guides how someone should behave.

preceptor

noun

Someone who teaches or trains others.

precepts

noun

Rules or principles that guide how a person should behave or how something should be done, especially ones drawn from a moral, religious or professional tradition.

precessor

noun

A person or thing that came before another.

precinct

noun

A defined area or district, often one with a specific administrative or official purpose.

precious

adjective

Of great value or worth.

precipice

noun

A very steep cliff or drop.

precipitant

adj

Tending to act too quickly, without thinking things through.

precipitate

verb

To cause something to happen suddenly, often before it is ready to.

precipitation

noun

Rain, snow, hail, or any other form of water falling from the sky.

precipitous

adj

Very steep, like the edge of a cliff.

precise

adjective

Exact and accurate, with no vagueness or error.

precisely

adverb

In an exact way; exactly.

preciseness

noun

The quality of being exact and accurate.

precision

noun

The quality of being exact and accurate.

preclude

verb

To make something impossible or rule it out in advance.

preclusion

noun

The act of stopping something from happening.

precocious

adjective

Showing skills, knowledge, or maturity unusually early for one's age.

precocity

noun

The quality of showing skills or maturity much earlier than usual.

precog

noun

(informal) Someone who can supposedly foresee the future.

precognition

noun

Knowledge of the future; understanding of something in advance, especially as a form of supernatural or extrasensory perception.

precognitive

adj

Relating to being able to know about future events before they happen.

preconceived

adjective

Formed as an opinion or idea before having real evidence or experience.

preconception

noun

A belief or opinion formed too early, before there is enough evidence to support it.

precondition

noun

Something that must be true or happen before something else can go ahead.

precontact

adj

Describes the time before two peoples, especially indigenous groups, first met.

precursor

noun

Something or someone that comes before and leads to, or signals, what follows.

predaceous

adj

Living by hunting and eating other animals.

predate

verb

To give something an earlier date than the true one, or move it to an earlier time.

predation

noun

The hunting and eating of one animal by another.

predator

noun

An animal that survives by hunting and eating other animals.

predatory

adjective

Living by hunting and killing other animals for food.

predecease

noun

The dying of one person or thing earlier than another.

predecessor

noun

A person who held a job, role, or position before the current person.

predella

noun

A raised platform at the bottom of a Christian altar.

predestination

noun

The Christian doctrine that God has decided in advance who will be saved, so that a person's eternal fate is settled by divine choice rather than earned by their own actions.

predestine

verb

To decide in advance what will happen to someone or something; to preordain.

predetermined

adjective

Decided or fixed in advance, before the event actually happens.

prediabetes

noun

(medicine) A condition where blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diabetes.

predicament

noun

A difficult, awkward, or unpleasant situation.

predicate

noun

The part of a sentence that says something about the subject, containing the verb and anything that goes with it.

predicative

adjective

In grammar, describing an adjective or noun phrase that modifies its subject from within the predicate, rather than sitting directly before the noun.

predict

verb

To say what will happen in the future, based on knowledge, evidence, or reasoning.

predictable

adjective

Able to be known or expected in advance.

predictably

adv

In a way that you would expect to happen.

predicted

verb

Past tense and past participle of predict: said in advance that something would happen, on the basis of evidence, reasoning or experience.

predicting

verb

Making a statement about what will happen in the future, based on reasoning or evidence.

prediction

noun

A statement about something expected to happen in the future.

predictive

adjective

Able to be used for, or useful in, forecasting future outcomes.

predictor

noun

Something that shows what is likely to happen next.

predilection

noun

A strong preference or liking for something in particular.

predisposed

adjective

Naturally inclined toward something, or more likely to develop it.

predisposition

noun

A natural tendency or higher likelihood toward a certain behavior, trait, or condition.

prednisone

noun

A steroid medication used to reduce inflammation and treat conditions like severe allergies, arthritis, and certain autoimmune diseases.

predominance

noun

The state of being the strongest, most important, or most common.

predominant

adj

Very common, or found almost everywhere.

predominantly

adverb

Mostly or mainly; more than anything else.

predominate

verb

To have the most power or control, often because of greater numbers or size.

preeminence

noun

The state of being clearly more important or powerful than others.

preeminent

adj

Better than all others in quality or rank; outstandingly excellent.

preempt

verb

To take or claim something before anyone else can.