English dictionary — definitions & meanings

tryzub

noun

A trident emblem representing Ukraine.

TSA

abbreviation

The Transportation Security Administration, the United States government agency responsible for screening passengers and baggage at airports.

Tsai

name

A Chinese surname, romanized from a character meaning "vegetable" in one of its historical senses; also spelled Cai.

Tsang

name

A Chinese surname, a Cantonese romanization of the surname written as Zeng in Mandarin pinyin.

Tsao

name

A Chinese surname, a romanization of the surname written as Cao in Mandarin pinyin.

tsar

noun

A historical emperor of Russia, or of certain other Slavic states.

tsarevich

noun

A son of a tsar, a prince in Russia or Bulgaria.

tsarina

noun

An empress of several Eastern European countries, especially Russia, or the wife of a tsar.

tse

noun

The Cyrillic letter Ц, ц.

Tseng

name

A Chinese surname, a Wade-Giles romanization of the surname written as Zeng in pinyin.

tsk

intj

A clicking sound made with the tongue to show disapproval or annoyance.

Tso

name

A Chinese surname, a romanization of a character also written as Zuo or Cao depending on dialect.

tsoi

name

A surname from Cantonese.

Tsu

name

A city in Japan, the capital of Mie Prefecture, and a component in various Japanese names.

Tsubaki

name

A Japanese surname and given name meaning "camellia flower."

Tsuchiya

name

A Japanese surname meaning "earth house" or "clay dwelling."

Tsui

name

A Chinese surname, a Cantonese romanization of a character meaning "high" or "lofty."

Tsukamoto

name

A Japanese surname meaning "mound base" or "hill foundation."

tsuna

noun

The thick ceremonial rope belt with zigzag paper streamers worn by a yokozuna, sumo wrestling's highest-ranked champion.

tsunami

noun

A huge, destructive sea wave usually caused by an underwater earthquake or eruption.

tsurugi

noun

A traditional Japanese sword with two cutting edges, unlike the single-edged katana.

Tt

noun

A traditional book-size classification, roughly one thirty-second of a full printed sheet.

TTC

abbreviation

Trying to conceive, used in fertility and pregnancy forums to describe actively attempting to get pregnant.

TTM

abbreviation

Trailing twelve months, in finance: a company's performance over the most recent twelve-month period rather than its official financial year.

TTS

abbreviation

Text to speech: technology that converts written text into spoken audio, used in screen readers, satnavs, voice assistants and video narration.

TTY

noun

A text terminal on a computer, especially the terminal device or console session that a Unix or Linux system uses for keyboard input and text output.

TTYL

interjection

Used to end a text message or chat, meaning 'talk to you later'.

Tu

name

A Chinese and Vietnamese surname, corresponding to different characters in each language.

tuan

noun

A small carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, also called the brush-tailed phascogale.

tub

noun

A round, open container, usually wider than it is tall, used for holding or washing things.

tuba

noun

A large brass instrument, usually the lowest-pitched in the brass section, played by buzzing the lips into a mouthpiece and pressing valves.

Tubbs

name

An English surname, derived from a medieval nickname for a short, stout person, or from the given name Tubb.

tubby

adj

Short and round in build; plump.

tube

noun

A hollow cylinder used to carry liquid, gas, or other material.

tubelight

noun

Synonym of fluorescent lamp (“a gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light, especially one consisting of a tube filled with mercury vapour which emits ultraviolet radiation when an electric current is passed through it, causing fluorescence when the radiation hits a phosphor coating on the interior of the tube”); also, a light fixture containing one or more fluorescent lamp

tuber

noun

A fleshy, thickened underground stem of a plant, usually containing stored starch, for example a potato or arrowroot.

tuberculosis

noun

A serious infectious disease, usually affecting the lungs, caused by a bacterium and marked by coughing, fever, and weight loss.

tubiform

adj

Having the form of a tube.

tubing

noun

Tubes collectively, or a length or system of connected tubes.

tubman

noun

One of the two most experienced barristers in the Exchequer of Pleas (the other being the postman).

tubocurarine

noun

The cation portion of tubocurarine chloride.

tuboid

adj

Resembling or taking the form of a tube.

tubular

adj

Shaped like a tube; hollow and cylindrical.

Tucci

name

An Italian surname, notably borne by actor Stanley Tucci.

tuck

verb

To push, fold, or fit the loose edge of something neatly into place.

tucker

verb

(informal) To wear someone out; usually used as "tucker out."

tuckered

adj

(informal) Worn out; exhausted. Almost always used as "tuckered out."

tucket

noun

A fanfare played on one or more trumpets, bugles or similar.

tucking

noun

The act of folding or pushing something neatly into place.

tuco

noun

(South American cuisine) A rich tomato-based pasta sauce, similar to a Bolognese or ragout.

Tucson

name

A city in southern Arizona, United States, and the seat of Pima County.

Tudor

noun

A member of the English royal family that ruled from 1485 to 1603, including Henry VII, Henry VIII, and their children.

Tuesday

noun

The day of the week between Monday and Wednesday.

Tuesdays

adv

On Tuesday, or every Tuesday, as a regular habit.

tufa

noun

Calcareous lime deposited by precipitation from a body of water, such as a hot spring.

tuff

noun

A light, porous rock formed from compacted volcanic ash.

tuft

noun

A small bunch of hair, grass, feathers, or similar strands bunched together at the base.

tug

verb

To pull at something with a sharp or sustained effort.

tugboat

noun

A small, powerful boat used to tow or push larger ships, especially in harbours.

tugging

noun

The action of pulling at something.

tuggy

noun

A game played by a person with a dog, in which they both take hold of a toy or other object and attempt to pull it away from the other.

tui

noun

A glossy, black, nectar-feeding bird native to New Zealand, known for its distinctive white throat tuft and complex song.

tuition

noun

Teaching or instruction, especially given individually or in small groups.

Tula

name

A feminine given name of various origins, and a city in Russia known for its historic arms industry.

tulip

noun

A cup-shaped spring flower grown from a bulb, popular in gardens and famous for the varieties grown in the Netherlands.

tulipwood

noun

The striped, variegated wood of the tulip tree.

tulle

noun

A fine, lightweight netting fabric used for veils, ballet skirts, and wedding dresses.

Tulley

name

An Irish surname, a variant spelling of Tully, derived from the Gaelic word for "hill" or "mound."

Tully

name

An Irish surname and given name, derived from the Gaelic "tulach," meaning "hill" or "mound."

tulpa

noun

A magical creature that attains corporeal reality, having been originally merely imaginary.

Tulsa

name

A city in Oklahoma, USA, historically an important center of the oil industry.

tulsi

noun

Holy basil, a fragrant herb native to South Asia that is grown both as a culinary seasoning and as a sacred plant in Hindu tradition.

tum

noun

An informal, childish shortening of "tummy" — the stomach or belly.

tumble

verb

To fall suddenly, often rolling or turning over as it happens.

tumbler

noun

A flat-bottomed drinking glass without a stem, foot, or handle.

tumbleweed

noun

A plant that breaks off from its roots once dry and rolls across the ground in the wind, scattering its seeds.

tumbling

noun

The act of falling, rolling, or performing acrobatic moves such as somersaults.

tumbril

noun

A kind of medieval torture device, later associated with a ducking stool.

tumescence

noun

A swelling due to the presence of fluid.

tumid

adj

Swollen, enlarged, bulging.

tummy

noun

(informal, especially with children) The stomach or belly.

tumor

noun

(American spelling) An abnormal mass of tissue that grows in the body, which may be benign or cancerous.

tumour

noun

(British spelling) An abnormal mass of tissue that grows in the body, which may be benign or cancerous.

tumult

noun

Loud, confused noise made by an excited or angry crowd.

tumultuary

adj

Attended by, or producing, a tumult; disorderly; confused; tumultuous.

tumultuous

adj

Loud, chaotic, and full of noisy excitement.

tumulus

noun

A mound of earth, especially one placed over a prehistoric tomb; a barrow.

tun

noun

A large cask or barrel, especially one used for wine or beer.

tuna

noun

A large, fast-swimming saltwater fish prized as food.

tunable

adj

Harmonious, melodic, tuneful.

tundish

noun

A kind of funnel used in brewing fitting into the bung-hole of a tun or cask.

tundra

noun

A flat, treeless Arctic landscape with permanently frozen subsoil.

tune

noun

A short, memorable melody or piece of music.

tuned

adj

Adjusted so that pitch, resonance, or performance is correct.

tuneful

adj

Having or producing a pleasing tune; melodic or melodious

tuner

noun

A person whose job is tuning pianos or other instruments.

tung

noun

The tung tree, an East Asian tree whose seeds are pressed for tung oil, a fast-drying oil used in wood finishing and varnish.

tungsten

noun

A hard, dense metallic element (symbol W) with an extremely high melting point.

tunic

noun

A loose garment covering the torso, reaching from the hips to around the knees or lower.

tunica

noun

Synonym of tunic (“garment”).

Tunis

name

The capital and largest city of Tunisia.

Tunisia

name

A country in North Africa, on the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Algeria and Libya.

Tunisian

noun

A person who is from Tunisia or has Tunisian heritage.

tunnel

noun

An underground or underwater passage, often built for travel.

tunneling

noun

The act or process of digging a tunnel.

Tunney

name

An Irish surname, notably borne by boxer Gene Tunney, world heavyweight champion in the 1920s.

tup

noun

A male sheep, a ram.

tuppence

noun

Two pence (in pre- or post-decimalisation currency).

Tupper

name

An English surname, historically an occupational name for a maker of rope or a herder.

Tupperware

noun

A brand of plastic food-storage containers, often used generically for any similar container.

turban

noun

A headdress made by winding a long strip of cloth around the head.

turbid

adj

Having the lees or sediment disturbed; not clear. (of a liquid)

turbine

noun

A rotary engine driven by a flow of liquid or gas, used to generate power or propulsion.

turbo

adj

Relating to or producing increased speed or power, especially via a turbocharger.

turbot

noun

A large, diamond-shaped flatfish found in European waters, prized as a food fish.

turbulence

noun

Violent or unpredictable movement in air or fluid.

turbulent

adj

Marked by violent disturbance or constant unrest.

turd

noun

A piece of solid excrement.

turf

noun

Grass-covered ground, or a section of it cut as sod.

turgid

adj

Distended beyond the natural state by some internal agent, especially fluid, or expansive force.

turgidity

noun

The state or quality of being turgid.

turgidness

noun

The condition of being turgid; turgidity

Turin

name

A city in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, known for its industry and the Shroud of Turin.

Turing

name

An English surname, most famously borne by Alan Turing, the mathematician and codebreaker considered a father of computer science.

Turk

noun

A member of the Turkic-speaking peoples, or specifically an ethnic Turk from Anatolia.

turkey

noun

A large North American bird with a fan-shaped tail, farmed for its meat.

Turkish

adj

Of or relating to Turkey, its people, culture, or language.

turlough

noun

A seasonal lake in a limestone area that fills with groundwater during the rainy season and dries out in summer.

turmeric

noun

A yellow-flowered plant related to ginger, grown for its aromatic underground stem.

turmoil

noun

A state of great confusion, disorder, or emotional upheaval.

turn

verb

To move or rotate around an axis, or to change direction.

turnabout

noun

The act of turning about so as to face in the opposite direction.

turnaround

noun

A complete reversal of direction, policy, or fortune.

Turnbull

name

An English surname, originally a nickname for someone strong enough to wrestle a bull to the ground.

turncoat

noun

A person who betrays their former group, cause, or allegiance to join the opposing side.

turndown

noun

A rejection.

turner

noun

A person who shapes wood or other material on a lathe.

turning

noun

A change in direction; a bend or curve in a road or path.

turnip

noun

A round white or pale root vegetable, related to the cabbage family, cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

turnkey

adj

Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).

turnout

noun

The number of people who show up to vote, attend an event, or participate.

turnover

noun

The total amount of money a business takes in sales over a given period.

turnpike

noun

A major road, especially one that charges a toll to drive on it.

turnsole

noun

A heliotrope; so named because its flowers are supposed to turn toward the sun.

turnstile

noun

A mechanical gate with rotating arms that lets one person through at a time, often after a ticket or payment.

turntable

noun

A flat rotating platform, especially the spinning disc of a record player on which a vinyl record sits.

turntablist

noun

A DJ who uses a combination of turntables as a musical instrument.

turpentine

noun

A strong-smelling oil distilled from pine resin, used as a solvent and paint thinner.

turpin

noun

An old, informal word for any land-dwelling tortoise.

turpitude

noun

Inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness.