English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

stokes

noun

A unit of kinematic viscosity used in physics, measuring how thick or resistant a fluid is to flow.

stole

noun

A long scarf-like garment, often made of fur or fabric, worn draped over the shoulders.

stolen

adj

Taken from someone without permission or right.

stolid

adj

Showing very little emotion or feeling.

stolidity

noun

The quality of being stolid; a lack of emotion.

Stoller

name

A surname of German origin.

stoma

noun

One of the tiny openings in the surface of a leaf or stem that let gases and water vapour pass through.

stomach

noun

The organ in the body where food is stored and begins to be digested.

stomachable

adj

Bearable enough to accept, not so unpleasant that it cannot be tolerated.

stomachache

noun

A pain in the belly, often from indigestion or eating something disagreeable.

stomachal

adj

Relating to the stomach; gastric.

stomachic

adj

Relating to the stomach.

stomp

verb

To step down heavily and forcefully, often out of anger.

stomper

noun

A person who stomps.

stomping

noun

The act of stepping down heavily and repeatedly.

stone

noun

A hard natural material, or a piece of it, such as rock or a pebble.

Stonebridge

name

An English surname and place name, originally denoting someone who lived near a stone bridge.

stonecraft

noun

The skill of working with stone.

stonecutter

noun

A person who cuts, shapes or finishes stone.

stoned

adj

Under the influence of a drug, especially cannabis.

Stonehenge

noun

The famous prehistoric circle of huge standing stones on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England.

stonemason

noun

A person whose trade is shaping and building with stone.

stoner

noun

Someone who smokes cannabis regularly, especially as part of their lifestyle or identity.

Stones

noun

(vulgar, slang) The testicles.

stonewall

verb

To deliberately block progress by refusing to answer questions, give information, or cooperate.

stonewalling

noun

A refusal to cooperate or give a straight answer, used to block progress on an issue.

stoneware

noun

A kind of pottery fired at a high heat, which is dense, opaque and does not let liquid through.

stonework

noun

Structures built from stone.

Stoney

noun

A member of the Nakoda people, a First Nation related to the Sioux, traditionally living in what is now southern Alberta, Canada.

stonify

verb

To turn to stone, as a mineral hardens.

stoning

noun

The act of executing or punishing someone by having a crowd throw stones at them until they die.

stonkered

adj

(informal) Defeated, or extremely tired.

stonking

adj

(informal) Very impressive in size, or thrilling.

Stony

adj

Covered with or full of stones.

stonyhearted

adj

Cruel and without any sympathy for others, as though your heart were made of stone.

stooge

noun

Someone who lets themselves be used by others, usually to take the blame or do the dirty work.

stook

noun

A heap or bundle of things, often straw.

stool

noun

A simple seat for one person with no back or armrests.

stoop

verb

To bend the body forward and down.

stooped

adj

Bent forward at the shoulders, often from age or long habit.

stooshie

noun

(informal) A fuss or commotion caused by an argument or mix-up.

stop

verb

To cease moving or to bring something to a halt.

stopcock

noun

A valve that controls how much liquid or gas flows through a pipe.

stopgap

noun

Something used to fill or block a gap.

stoplight

noun

A traffic signal that uses red, amber, and green lights to control traffic.

stopover

noun

A short stop or break during a longer journey.

stoppable

adj

Able to be stopped.

stoppage

noun

A time when an activity stops or pauses.

stopped

adj

No longer moving; having come to a halt.

stopper

noun

A plug or cork used to close the opening of a bottle or container.

stopping

noun

The act of bringing something to a halt.

stopple

noun

An object used to plug an opening; a stopper.

stopwatch

noun

A handheld or wearable timer used to measure exactly how long something takes.

storage

noun

The act of keeping something in a place until it is needed, or the space used for this.

store

verb

To keep something in a particular place for future use.

storefront

noun

The street-facing front of a shop, including its windows and entrance.

storehouse

noun

A building used to keep goods or supplies.

storekeeper

noun

The owner or manager of a shop.

storeroom

noun

A room set aside for storing things.

storey

noun

A level or floor of a building.

storied

adj

Widely talked or written about.

storing

noun

The activity of keeping something put away until it is needed.

stork

noun

A large long-legged wading bird with a long straight bill.

storksbill

noun

A plant in the genus Pelargonium.

storm

noun

A period of violent weather with strong winds and often rain, thunder, or snow.

storming

noun

A violent assault made to seize a place by force.

Storms

name

A surname of Dutch origin.

stormy

adj

Marked by storms or violent weather.

story

noun

An account, true or invented, of events told for information or entertainment.

storybook

noun

A book of stories, typically written for children.

storyland

noun

An imaginary world that stories take place in.

storyline

noun

The plot of a story, film, or show.

storyteller

noun

Someone skilled at telling stories.

storytelling

noun

The craft of telling stories.

stoss

adj

(geology) Facing the direction that a glacier or fluid moves from.

stound

noun

A tide, or a season of the year.

stour

adj

Tall, large or sturdily built.

stout

adj

Solidly built; somewhat fat.

stouthearted

adj

Brave, courageous and full of spirit.

stove

noun

An appliance used for cooking food, usually with hotplates or burners.

stovepipe

noun

A metal pipe that carries smoke away from a stove or furnace.

stow

verb

To pack or put something away neatly, especially in a compact space.

stowable

adj

Able to be stowed away.

stowage

noun

The action of stowing something.

stowaway

noun

Someone who hides aboard a ship, plane, or train to travel without paying or being noticed.

Stowe

name

An English surname and place name; also the surname of writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

stowing

noun

(mining) A method where waste material is packed back into the space left after digging out ore.

Stoy

name

A surname of German or Czech origin.

straddle

verb

To sit or stand with one leg on each side of something.

Stradivarius

noun

A violin or other stringed instrument crafted by the Stradivari family, especially the master luthier Antonio Stradivari.

straggle

verb

To wander away from the usual path and from others of the same kind.

straggler

noun

A person who strays from the right path, or who leaves the group they belong to.

straggling

noun

Untidy or disorderly movement or arrangement.

straggot

noun

(informal) A heterosexual person.

straight

adjective

Extending in one direction without bending or curving.

straightaway

noun

A straight, unbending section of a road or racetrack.

straighten

verb

To make something straight, or to become straight.

straightening

noun

The process of making something straight.

straighter

adjective

More straight; the comparative form of "straight."

straightforward

adjective

Simple and easy to understand or do, without unnecessary complication.

straightness

noun

Something that comes from being straight.

strain

verb

To injure a muscle or tendon by overstretching or overusing it.

strained

adjective

Tense, forced, or lacking in ease, especially describing a relationship or expression.

strainer

noun

A tool, such as a screen or cloth, used to separate solid bits from a liquid.

straining

noun

The act of exerting great effort, especially with the muscles.

strainingly

adv

In a straining way.

strait

noun

A narrow stretch of water that connects two larger seas or bodies of water.

straiten

verb

To make something narrower, or squeeze it into a smaller space.

straitjacket

noun

A restrictive garment with long sleeves that bind the arms across the body, used to stop someone from hurting themselves or others.

Straker

name

An English surname, historically an occupational name for a person who managed a stud farm or bred horses.

strand

noun

One of the individual threads or wires twisted together to make a rope, cable, or cord.

stranded

adjective

Left in a place with no way to leave or continue; abandoned somewhere without help.

Strang

name

A Scottish surname, a variant of "Strong," historically a nickname for a powerful person.

strange

adjective

Unusual, odd, or surprising, and not what you would expect.

strangeling

noun

A person who is odd, foreign or unfamiliar.

strangely

adverb

In an odd or unusual way.

strangeness

noun

The quality of being odd, unusual, or hard to place.

stranger

noun

A person you do not know.

strangle

verb

To kill or injure someone by squeezing their throat and cutting off their air.

stranglehold

noun

A grip or level of control so tight that it chokes off any freedom of movement or action.

strangler

noun

A person who kills by strangling.

strangles

noun

A contagious bacterial infection in horses that causes swollen lymph nodes and breathing difficulty.

strangling

noun

The act of killing someone by choking off their air supply.

strangulate

verb

To strangle.

strangulation

noun

The act, or the resulting state, of being choked to death by pressure on the throat.

strap

noun

A narrow strip of leather, fabric, or similar material used to fasten, carry, or hold something in place.

strapless

adjective

Having no shoulder straps, especially describing a dress or top.

strapped

adjective

Short of money.

strapper

noun

A big, strong, sturdy person, usually a man.

strapping

adjective

Tall, strong, and physically robust.

Strasbourg

name

A city in eastern France, capital of the Alsace region and seat of the European Parliament.

Strasser

name

A surname of German origin, denoting someone from a place called Strass or living on a street.

strata

noun

In Australian and some other legal systems, a form of ownership covering individual units within a larger building, such as an apartment complex.

stratagem

noun

A clever plan or trick, especially one meant to outwit an opponent.

strategic

adjective

Relating to a carefully thought-out plan aimed at achieving a long-term goal.

strategically

adverb

In a manner that reflects careful, goal-driven planning.

strategist

noun

Someone skilled at planning how to achieve a long-term goal, especially in business, politics, or the military.

strategize

verb

To work out a plan for achieving a goal.

strategy

noun

A carefully worked-out plan for reaching a particular goal, especially over the long term.

Stratford

name

An English place name and surname, most famously Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

strathallan

name

A valley in Stirling council area and Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NN80).

stratification

noun

The process that forms layers, especially in sedimentary rock.

stratified

adj

Arranged in layers, one on top of another.

stratosphere

noun

The layer of the atmosphere above the one we live in, where temperature actually rises with altitude because ozone absorbs UV radiation.

Stratton

name

An English surname and place name, originally meaning "settlement on a Roman road."

stratum

noun

One of a number of flat layers of material stacked on top of each other.

Strauss

name

A German surname meaning "ostrich" or "bouquet," notably borne by composer Johann Strauss and jeans founder Levi Strauss.

Stravinsky

name

A Russian surname, most famously borne by composer Igor Stravinsky.

straw

noun

Dried stalks left over from cereal crops like wheat, used for bedding, fodder, or thatch.

strawberry

noun

A soft, red, juicy fruit covered in tiny seeds, or the low plant it grows on.