English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

tosser

noun

British slang, mildly vulgar: an annoying or contemptible person.

tossing

noun

The action of throwing something, or of moving restlessly back and forth.

tosspot

noun

(informal) A person who drinks alcohol far too often.

tot

noun

A small child.

totable

adj

Easy to pick up and carry around.

total

noun

The full amount reached by adding everything together.

totaled

adj

American spelling: describing a vehicle damaged beyond economical repair.

totalistic

adj

Relating to totalism.

totalitarian

adj

Describing a system of government in which the state has total control over public and private life, and opposition is not tolerated.

totalitarianism

noun

A form of government in which the state has complete control and ordinary people have almost no power, as under a dictator.

totality

noun

The whole amount or extent of something; completeness.

totally

adv

Completely; to the fullest extent.

totalness

noun

The state of being complete or whole.

tote

noun

A large bag with handles, used for carrying everyday items (short for tote bag).

totem

noun

An animal, plant, or natural object treated as a sacred emblem of a family, clan, or tribe, believed to have a spiritual connection to that group.

toter

noun

A person who carries something.

totes

adverb

Totally; completely (informal, often used for emphasis or humor).

Toth

name

A common Hungarian surname meaning "Slovak," historically used to denote someone from a Slavic background.

toto

noun

Used mainly in the fixed Latin phrase "in toto," meaning entirely or as a whole.

Tottenham

name

A district in north London, England, and the name of the football club Tottenham Hotspur.

totter

verb

To walk or stand in a shaky way, as if about to fall.

tottering

adj

Shaky and likely to fall.

tottersome

adj

Tending to shake or wobble unsteadily.

toucan

noun

A brightly coloured, fruit-eating bird native to Central and South America, known for its large, colourful beak.

touch

verb

To make physical contact with something using the hand, finger, or another part of the body.

touchable

adj

Able to be touched or felt.

touchdown

noun

In American football, a scoring play worth six points, made by getting the ball into the opponent's end zone.

touché

interjection

Said to acknowledge that someone has made a good point against you, or scored a hit in an argument.

touched

adjective

Emotionally moved, often with gratitude or tenderness.

touching

adjective

Causing feelings of sadness, sympathy, or tenderness.

touchstone

noun

A dark stone once used to test the purity of gold or silver by rubbing the metal on it and examining the streak left behind.

touchwood

noun

Soft, rotten wood that can be used to help start a fire.

touchy

adjective

Easily upset or offended; quick to take offense.

tough

adjective

Strong and resilient; not easily broken, worn out, or damaged.

toughen

verb

To make something stronger or more resistant to damage.

toughening

noun

The process by which something is made tougher.

toughie

noun

Something that is not easy to deal with.

toughness

noun

The quality of being resistant to breaking, wear, or damage.

toulmin

name

A family name that came from a first name.

Toulon

proper noun

A port city in southeastern France, capital of the Var department, known as a major French naval base.

Toulouse

proper noun

A city in southwestern France, capital of the Occitanie region, sometimes called "the Pink City" for its brick architecture.

Touma

name

A surname of Arabic origin, a form of Thomas, common among Arab Christian families.

toupe

noun

A small wig worn to hide a bald patch on the head.

toupee

noun

A hairpiece worn by a man to cover a bald spot or thinning hair.

tour

noun

A trip or visit through a place, often for sightseeing or inspection.

tourabout

noun

A touring car having two distinct rows of seats.

tourette

verb

To display the sudden, involuntary tics — movements or sounds — associated with Tourette syndrome.

touring

adjective

Relating to travel through a country or region, especially for sightseeing.

tourism

noun

The activity of traveling to and visiting places for pleasure, especially away from one's home area.

tourist

noun

A person who travels to a place for pleasure or sightseeing rather than for work.

tournament

noun

A series of games or contests played to determine an overall winner.

tourney

noun

A tournament, especially in informal or sporting contexts.

tourniquet

noun

A tight band or device wrapped around a limb to stop severe bleeding by cutting off blood flow.

Tours

proper noun

A city in central France, capital of the Indre-et-Loire department, known for its historic old town.

tout

verb

To promote or praise something enthusiastically, often to sell it.

TOV

noun

In Ukraine, the abbreviation used after a company name to show it is a limited liability company.

tovarish

noun

A friend or fellow worker, a word used mainly in the old Soviet Union.

tow

verb

To pull a vehicle or object behind another using a rope, chain, or line.

toward

preposition

In the direction of a place, person, or thing.

towards

preposition

In the direction of something or someone.

towboat

noun

A short, strongly built boat made for pushing barges along.

towel

noun

A piece of absorbent cloth used for drying the body or wiping surfaces.

towelhead

noun

(offensive) A Muslim or Sikh person.

towelling

noun

Any material suitable for making towels, for example huckaback or terry cloth.

tower

noun

A tall, narrow structure, either standing alone or forming part of a larger building.

towering

adjective

Extremely tall, especially compared to the surroundings.

Towers

name

An English surname, originally denoting someone who lived near a tower or worked as a tower guard.

towing

noun

The act of pulling a vehicle or object using another vehicle and a line or hitch.

Towler

name

An English surname, an occupational name for a tax collector or toll gatherer.

town

noun

A populated area with its own local government, shops, and services, generally smaller than a city.

Towne

name

An English surname, a variant spelling of "Town," originally denoting someone who lived in or near a settlement.

townend

name

A suburb of Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS4076).

towner

noun

Someone who comes from a particular town or part of a town.

townhouse

noun

A tall, narrow house that shares one or both side walls with the houses next to it, typically in a city or town.

townie

noun

A person who lives in a town or city, especially as opposed to someone from the university or the countryside.

Townsend

name

An English surname meaning "end of the town," originally a place name.

townsfolk

noun

The ordinary people who live in a particular town.

Townshend

name

An English surname, a variant spelling of Townsend, notably borne by musician Pete Townshend of The Who.

township

noun

A small administrative division of a county or district, often rural.

townsman

noun

A man who lives in a town, especially his own town.

townswoman

noun

A woman who lives in a town, especially her own town.

towny

adj

Typical of, or relating to, towns.

tox

adj

Under the influence of a drug or poison; showing signs of toxicity.

toxic

adjective

Poisonous; capable of causing illness or death if it enters the body.

toxicity

noun

The degree to which a substance is poisonous or harmful.

toxicology

noun

The scientific study of poisons and how they affect living things.

toxin

noun

A poisonous substance, especially one produced naturally by a living organism such as bacteria, a plant, or an animal.

toxophilite

noun

A person who is very skilled at, or keen on, archery.

toxotes

noun

A fish belonging to the genus Toxotes, known as archerfish.

toy

noun

An object made for a child (or sometimes an adult) to play with.

Toya

name

A feminine given name, often a short form of Latoya.

Toyama

name

A city and prefecture in Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan.

toying

noun

The act of playing with something idly, or of treating a person or idea carelessly rather than seriously.

toyo

noun

Soy sauce, especially in Filipino cooking and English.

Toyota

noun

A car made by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota.

Toyotomi

name

A Japanese surname, borne by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful 16th-century daimyo who unified Japan.

tp

verb

To pelt a house, tree, or yard with rolls of toilet paper as a prank.

TPE

abbreviation

Thermoplastic elastomer, a class of rubber-like plastics that can be softened by heat and remoulded, used for phone cases, watch straps, cable sheathing, tool grips and shoe soles.

tra

noun

A large freshwater catfish farmed widely in Southeast Asia, also called the iridescent shark or pangasius.

trace

noun

A small mark, sign, or amount left behind that shows something existed or happened.

traceable

adjective

Able to be traced back to its origin or source.

tracer

noun

A substance, such as a radioactive isotope or dye, used to track how something moves or changes through a system.

Tracey

name

A given name, a variant spelling of Tracy, ultimately from a Norman surname.

trachea

noun

The windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat down to the lungs.

tracheole

noun

A tiny branching tube inside an insect's breathing system that carries oxygen into its body tissues.

tracheostomy

noun

An operation that cuts an opening in the neck into the windpipe and fits a tube, to help someone breathe.

tracheotomy

noun

A surgical operation that cuts an opening into the windpipe through the neck, usually to help a patient breathe.

Traci

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Tracy.

tracing

noun

A copy of a drawing made by following its outlines through transparent paper.

track

noun

A rough path or trail, often left by repeated use.

trackable

adj

Capable of being tracked, or deserving to be tracked.

tracked

adjective

Moving on continuous belt tracks rather than wheels.

tracker

noun

Someone or something that tracks or follows something else, such as a person or dog following an animal.

tracking

noun

The act or system of following and monitoring the progress or location of something.

tracklaying

noun

The job of laying track, for example for a railway.

tracklist

noun

A list showing the songs included on an album or recording.

tracksuit

noun

A loose, matching set of a jacket and trousers worn for sport, exercise, or casual comfort.

tract

noun

A large stretch or area of land.

tractable

adj

Easy to control, teach or guide.

traction

noun

The grip a wheel, tyre, or foot has on a surface, preventing it from slipping.

tractor

noun

A powerful farm vehicle used to pull ploughs, trailers, and other heavy equipment.

Tracy

name

A given name and surname of Norman origin, from a place name in France, used for both men and women.

trade

verb

To buy and sell goods, services, or securities.

trademark

noun

A registered word, symbol, or phrase that legally identifies a company's product and sets it apart from competitors.

trademarked

adj

Officially registered as a trademark.

trader

noun

A person who buys and sells goods, currencies, or financial instruments for a living.

tradesman

noun

A person skilled in a manual craft or trade, such as a plumber, electrician, or carpenter.

tradeswoman

noun

A woman who works in a skilled manual trade.

tradfi

noun

A syllabic abbreviation of traditional finance.

trading

noun

The activity of buying and selling goods, currency, or financial assets.

tradition

noun

A custom, belief, or practice passed down within a family, community, or culture over generations.

traditional

adj

Relating to or based on tradition; customary.

traditionalist

noun

Someone who follows and values traditional customs, especially in culture or religion.

traditionally

adv

In a way that follows established custom.

traditionary

adj

Connected with or based on tradition.

traduce

verb

To malign a person or entity by making malicious and false or defamatory statements.

traducement

noun

The act of harming someone's reputation with false statements.

Trafalgar

name

A cape in southern Spain, site of the famous 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar, and namesake of Trafalgar Square in London.

traffic

noun

Vehicles or pedestrians moving along a road, or the general flow of such movement.

trafficator

noun

A flashing light fitted to a vehicle to show which way it is turning.

trafficked

adj

Illegally transported or traded, especially referring to people or goods.

trafficker

noun

A person who illegally trades in goods or people.

trafficking

noun

The illegal trade of goods or people.

Trafford

name

An English place name and surname, also the name of Old Trafford, home stadium of Manchester United.

tragedy

noun

A serious play or story in which the main character comes to ruin, often through a personal flaw or fate.

Trager

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, an occupational name for a porter or carrier.

tragic

adj

Causing great sadness, suffering, or loss.

tragically

adv

In a way that causes great sadness; sadly and disastrously.

trail

verb

To follow closely behind someone or something.

trailblazer

noun

A person who is the first to do something important, opening the way for others to follow.