English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

tonality

noun

(music) The system of seven notes built around a home key, covering all the major and minor scales.

tone

noun

The quality or character of a sound, especially its pitch, timbre, or emotional colouring.

tone deaf

adjective

Badly out of touch with how other people feel, so that what you say or do lands as insensitive or oblivious.

toned

adj

Having a specified quality of sound or colour.

toneme

noun

(linguistics) A unit of pitch that changes meaning in a tone language.

toner

noun

A fine powder used in laser printers and photocopiers to form printed text and images.

tong

noun

A gripping tool with two hinged arms, used to pick up or hold something (usually hot or awkward) without touching it directly.

Tonga

name

A Pacific island kingdom in Polynesia, made up of more than 170 islands, with its capital at Nuku'alofa.

tongs

noun

A tool with two hinged arms used for gripping and lifting objects without touching them by hand.

tongue

noun

The flexible muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, moving food, and forming speech sounds.

tongue in cheek

adjective

Meant as a joke rather than seriously, while being delivered in a straight-faced or apparently sincere way.

tongueless

adj

Without a tongue.

Toni

name

A given name, commonly a short form of Antonia or Antonio.

Tonia

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Antonia.

tonic

noun

A drink or medicine believed to restore health, energy, or well-being.

tonicity

noun

The natural tension or firmness found in a muscle or organ.

tonight

adv

During the evening or night of the present day.

tonja

name

A female given name that is a variant of Tonya.

Tonkin

name

A historical name for the region of northern Vietnam, also the source of the name for the Gulf of Tonkin.

tonne

noun

A metric unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms.

tons

noun

Informal: a large quantity or number of something.

tonsil

noun

Short for palatine tonsil.

tonsillectomy

noun

A surgical operation to remove the tonsils, most often the palatine tonsils.

tonsillitis

noun

Inflammation of the tonsils.

tonsils

noun

The two small soft-tissue glands at the back of the throat.

tonto

noun

A foolish or stupid person (informal, especially British slang, borrowed from Spanish).

tonus

noun

Tonicity, or tone.

Tony

adj

Fashionable and upscale; high-toned.

Tonya

name

A diminutive of the female given names Antonina or Antonia, from Russian

too

adv

Also; in addition.

toodles

intj

A cheerful, old-fashioned way of saying goodbye.

took

verb

Past tense of "take."

tool

noun

A physical device used to carry out a task, especially one held in the hand.

toolbar

noun

A strip of icon-labelled buttons that gives one-click access to an app's or operating system's functions.

toolbox

noun

A case or box used to store and carry tools.

tooled

adj

Made or shaped using a tool.

tooling

noun

Decoration or work created on a surface using a tool.

toolkit

noun

A collection of tools kept together, usually all the ones needed for a particular job.

toolset

noun

A group of tools kept together for use.

toom

noun

An area of unused land where waste is dumped.

toon

noun

Informal: a cartoon, especially an animated show or character.

toona

noun

A tree also known as red cedar, from the genus Toona.

toot

noun

A short blast of sound from a horn or whistle.

tooter

noun

Someone or something that toots, such as a horn or the person playing it.

tooth

noun

A hard structure in the mouth used for biting and chewing.

toothache

noun

A pain in or around a tooth.

toothbrush

noun

A small brush with a long handle used with toothpaste to clean the teeth.

toothful

noun

A tiny quantity of something, often a small drink of alcohol.

toothless

adj

Having no teeth.

toothpaste

noun

A paste used with a toothbrush to clean the teeth.

toothpick

noun

A small pointed stick used to remove bits of food from between the teeth.

toothsome

adj

(informal) Physically attractive in a sexual way.

tootie

noun

A drug of the barbiturate class.

Tooting

noun

The act or sound of tooting, as of a horn.

toots

noun

An informal, affectionate way of addressing someone, often a woman ("babe" or "sweetheart").

tootsie

noun

An affectionate or informal word for a foot, especially a child's or woman's.

top

noun

The highest point or part of something.

top notch

adjective

Of the highest quality or standard.

Topanga

name

A canyon and community in the Santa Monica Mountains of California, also used as a feminine given name.

topaz

noun

A hard mineral often used as a gemstone, typically yellowish-brown but found in other colours too.

topcoat

noun

A lightweight coat worn over other clothes.

Topeka

name

The capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas.

toper

noun

(informal) A person who drinks a lot of alcohol regularly.

toph

noun

A type of sandstone rock.

Topher

name

A masculine given name, a short form of Christopher.

tophus

noun

A lump of urate crystals that forms in the body when there is too much uric acid in the blood.

topi

noun

A type of African antelope.

topic

noun

A subject that is being discussed, written about, or thought about.

topical

adj

Relating to a subject that is currently of interest or in the news.

topknot

noun

A knot of hair tied on top of the head, sometimes decorated with ribbons or feathers.

topless

adj

Not wearing anything covering the upper body; bare-chested.

topo

noun

A topographic map, especially one showing terrain features like hills, trails, and elevation.

topograph

noun

A marker set up on a high spot, such as a hilltop, that shows the direction and distance of landmarks visible from there.

topographer

noun

Someone who studies or maps the physical features of land.

topographic

adj

Connected with the study or mapping of land features.

topographically

adv

In a way that relates to topography.

topography

noun

The physical shape and features of an area of land, such as its hills, valleys, and rivers.

topology

noun

The area of mathematics that studies the properties of shapes which stay the same when stretched or bent, but not cut or joined.

topometry

noun

Any of various imaging or surveying techniques in which the three-dimensional positions of an array of points is recorded.

toponymy

noun

The study of the origins and meanings of place names.

topped

adj

Having a top or covering layer.

Topper

noun

Something that goes on top of something else, especially as a finishing touch.

topping

noun

Food added on top of a dish for flavour or decoration.

toppingly

adv

(informal, old-fashioned) In a splendid or wonderful way.

topple

verb

To fall over, or to cause something to fall over, especially from being top-heavy or unstable.

toppling

noun

The action of making something fall over.

tops

adv

At the most; as an upper limit (informal).

topside

noun

The upper part or side of something, especially the part of a ship's hull above the waterline.

topsoil

noun

The uppermost, most fertile layer of soil.

Topsy

noun

Something (or someone) that seems to grow, spread, or develop on its own, without any real plan behind it.

toque

noun

A brimless hat of a particular kind.

tor

noun

A rocky hill or a craggy rock outcrop on a hilltop, formed by erosion.

tora

noun

Another name for the tora hartebeest.

Torah

name

The five books traditionally attributed to Moses at the start of the Hebrew Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

torat

verb

To rip apart or tear to pieces.

torch

noun

A small portable light powered by a battery (British usage); in American English, a stick with a flaming end used as a light source.

torching

noun

An act of deliberately setting fire to something.

torchwood

noun

Wood from certain resin-rich trees or shrubs that burns readily and was traditionally used to make torches.

tore

verb

Past tense of "tear" — pulled something apart or ripped it.

toreador

noun

A person who fights bulls, often while riding a horse.

tori

noun

In martial arts practice, the partner who performs the technique on the training partner (the uke).

Tories

name

A common nickname for the British Conservative Party and its members.

torment

noun

Severe physical or mental suffering.

tormented

adj

Suffering great mental or physical distress, often from guilt, grief, or anxiety.

tormenting

adj

Causing severe distress or suffering.

tormentor

noun

A person, animal, or thing that causes ongoing suffering or distress.

tormentous

adj

Causing great suffering, like torture.

tormentrix

noun

A woman who causes someone great suffering.

torn

adj

Unable to choose between two or more options because you feel pulled in different directions.

tornado

noun

A violently spinning column of air that reaches down from a storm cloud to touch the ground, capable of destroying almost everything in its path.

toro

noun

A traditional Japanese stone or wooden lantern, often seen in gardens and at shrines.

toroid

noun

A curved surface made by spinning a closed shape, such as a circle, around a line it does not touch.

Toronto

name

The largest city in Canada, capital of the province of Ontario.

torontonian

adj

Relating to the Canadian city of Toronto.

torpedinous

adj

Causing a dull, sleepy feeling.

torpedo

noun

A self-propelled underwater explosive weapon fired from a ship, submarine, or aircraft to strike another vessel.

torpid

adj

In a sleep-like state and not active.

torpor

noun

A state of being still and not active, almost like being half asleep.

Torquay

name

A seaside town in Devon, England, part of the area known as the English Riviera.

torque

noun

A twisting or rotational force that makes something turn around an axis.

Torre

name

A surname of Italian and Spanish origin meaning "tower."

Torrence

name

A surname and given name, a variant of Torrance, of Scottish place-name origin.

torrent

noun

A violent, fast-moving stream of water or other liquid.

torrential

adj

Falling or flowing extremely heavily, like a torrent.

Torres

name

A common Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "towers."

Torrey

name

A surname and given name, a variant of Torrance or Torre.

torrid

adj

Extremely hot and dry.

torso

noun

The main part of the body, not counting the head, arms, and legs.

tort

noun

In law, a wrongful act (other than breaking a contract) that harms someone and can be addressed through a civil lawsuit.

torta

noun

A Mexican-style sandwich made with a long white bread roll, eaten hot or cold.

torte

noun

A heavy, rich cake made with lots of eggs but very little flour.

tortellini

noun

Small ring-shaped pasta parcels stuffed with meat, cheese, or vegetables, usually served in broth or with a sauce.

tortfeasance

noun

(law) The act of committing a civil wrong against someone.

tortfeasor

noun

(law) A person who commits a civil wrong against someone else.

tortilla

noun

A thin, round flatbread made from corn or wheat flour, popular in Mexican cooking and used to wrap fillings.

tortious

adj

Causing harm, or done in a wrongful way.

tortoise

noun

A land-dwelling reptile with a hard domed shell into which it can withdraw its head and legs for protection.

tortuous

adjective

Having many twists and turns, or, figuratively, needlessly long and complicated.

torture

noun

The deliberate infliction of severe pain, especially to punish someone or force information out of them.

tortured

adj

Showing the effects of great suffering or inner turmoil.

torturer

noun

A person who tortures someone else.

torturing

noun

The act of subjecting someone to torture.

torturous

adj

Extremely painful or agonizing.

torus

noun

A ring-shaped surface or solid made by turning a closed curve, often a circle, around a line beside it, like the shape of a doughnut.

Tory

noun

A member or supporter of Britain's Conservative Party.

tosa

noun

A large Japanese breed of dog originally bred for fighting.

Tosca

noun

A variety of pear.

tosh

noun

British informal: nonsense or rubbish.

Toshiko

name

A Japanese female given name.

toss

verb

To throw something lightly or carelessly, usually with an upward motion.