English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

tiger

noun

A large, powerful wild cat native to Asia, with an orange coat marked by black stripes.

Tigger

noun

An overly enthusiastic, bouncy, energetic person.

tight

adj

Fitting closely, firmly fixed, or held firmly in place; not loose.

tightass

noun

(informal) Someone too uptight to enjoy themselves, who spoils other people's fun by fussing over small things.

tighten

verb

To make something tighter, firmer, or more secure.

tightening

noun

The process of making something firmer, stricter, or more restrictive.

tightfistedness

noun

An unwillingness to spend money.

tightly

adv

In a firm, close, or secure manner.

tightness

noun

The quality or state of being tight; firmness or a lack of looseness.

tightrope

noun

A rope or cable stretched tight, high above the ground, on which acrobats perform balancing feats.

tights

noun

A close-fitting garment covering the legs, hips, and feet, typically worn by women or dancers.

tightwad

noun

(informal) A person who hates parting with money.

Tigre

name

A Semitic language of northern Eritrea, closely related to Tigrinya.

tigress

noun

A female tiger.

Tigris

name

A major river in the Middle East that flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

Tijuana

name

A city in Mexico on the border with California, part of the Baja California region.

tike

noun

A rude or ill-mannered person.

tiki

noun

A carved human-like figure or talisman, traditional to Polynesian and other Pacific Island cultures.

til

prep

Up to the point in time when; used the same way as "till" or "until."

Tilda

name

A feminine given name, a short form of Matilda, meaning "mighty in battle."

tilde

noun

A small wavy mark written above a letter to show a change in how it is pronounced.

Tilden

name

An English surname and given name meaning "fertile valley," originally a place name.

tile

noun

A thin, flat slab of material such as clay, stone, or ceramic, used to cover roofs, floors, or walls.

till

prep

Up to the time of; until.

tillage

noun

Farming land by ploughing it, planting seeds and growing crops.

tiller

noun

A handle attached to a boat's rudder, used to steer the boat.

tillerman

noun

Someone who directs the back wheels of a fire engine known as a tiller truck, or operates its ladder.

Tillie

noun

Informal slang for an ATM (automated teller machine).

tillman

noun

A person who works the soil for a living; a farmer.

tillow

verb

Of a plant, to spread out and put out new shoots.

tilly

noun

A small extra item thrown in free with a purchase, as a gesture of goodwill.

tilt

verb

To lean or slant something, or to be at an angle.

tilted

adj

Set at an angle; leaning to one side.

tilth

noun

Farm work; the general business of farming.

tilting

noun

The act or motion of leaning or slanting.

Tim

name

A short form of the male name Timothy.

timber

noun

Wood that has been cut and prepared for building.

timbered

adj

Covered with trees that can be used for wood.

Timberlake

name

An English surname.

timberland

noun

Wooded land valued for the timber it can produce.

Timbers

name

A surname.

timbre

noun

The particular character of a sound that lets you tell it apart from another note at the same pitch and loudness.

Timbuktu

name

A historic city in Mali, once a major centre of trade and Islamic scholarship.

time

noun

The ongoing flow of existence in which events happen — what clocks and calendars measure in seconds, hours, days and years.

time and a half

noun

A rate of pay equal to one and a half times an employee's normal hourly wage, usually paid for overtime, weekends or public holidays.

time-consuming

adjective

Taking a great deal of time to do, especially more than seems warranted.

timed

adj

Scheduled or set to happen at a specific moment.

timeful

adj

Happening at the right or suitable time.

timekeeper

noun

A clock or watch, or any device used for telling the time.

timekeeping

noun

The practice of measuring time or working out what the current time is.

timeless

adj

Never going out of style; enduringly appealing regardless of era.

timelessness

noun

The quality of never seeming old-fashioned or out of date.

timeline

noun

A visual representation of events set out in the order they happened or will happen.

timely

adj

Happening at just the right moment.

timeous

adj

(Scottish) Done early enough; happening at the right moment.

timepiece

noun

A device for telling the time, such as a clock or watch.

timer

noun

A device that measures or counts down an amount of time.

times

prep

Multiplied by.

timetable

noun

A schedule listing when events, classes, or transport services occur.

timetabled

adj

Listed or arranged in a timetable.

timid

adj

Easily frightened or lacking confidence, especially in unfamiliar situations.

timidity

noun

A lack of confidence or courage; shyness.

timing

noun

The choice of when to do something, especially in relation to its effect.

Timmins

name

A surname.

Timmons

name

A surname.

Timmy

name

A short, affectionate form of the male name Timothy.

Timor

name

An island in Southeast Asia, split between Indonesia and East Timor.

timorous

adj

Nervous and easily scared; lacking confidence.

Timothy

noun

A common grass grown as hay and pasture feed for livestock.

timpani

noun

A set of large, tuned drums used in an orchestra.

timur

noun

Rattan pepper, a spice made from the small reddish-brown fruit of a prickly ash tree, used in South Asian and Himalayan cooking for its sharp, numbing flavour.

tin

noun

A soft, silvery metallic element used especially to coat steel against rust.

Tina

name

A female given name, often a short form of Christina or similar names.

tinamou

noun

Any bird from the South American family Tinamidae, a group closely related to the ratites.

tinct

adj

Slightly coloured or tinted.

tinction

noun

A dye, or a mark left by one.

tinctorial

adj

Relating to dyeing or colouring.

tincture

noun

A medicine made by dissolving a substance in alcohol.

tindaloo

noun

A fiery curry dish from Bangladesh, hotter than a vindaloo.

tinder

noun

Small, dry material such as twigs or fibre used to catch a spark and start a fire.

tine

noun

A pointed prong, such as one of the points of a fork or a comb tooth.

Tiner

name

A surname.

tinfoil

noun

A thin, flexible sheet of metal, often aluminium, used to wrap or cover food.

ting

noun

A short, high-pitched ringing sound, like a small bell.

tinge

noun

A small trace of colour, or by extension, of any quality.

tingle

verb

To feel a light prickling or stinging sensation on the skin.

tingling

adj

Producing a prickling or stinging sensation.

tingly

adj

Producing or experiencing a mild prickling sensation.

tinhorn

adj

Low in quality, and showy in a way that pretends otherwise.

tink

verb

To make a light, sharp, metallic sound.

tinker

noun

A traveling mender of pots, pans, and other metal household items.

Tinkerbell

noun

Something that only exists or works because people believe in it — an idea kept alive purely by faith or attention.

tinkering

noun

A small, experimental adjustment or fix made to something.

tinkle

verb

To make a light, high-pitched ringing sound, like a small bell.

tinkling

noun

A light, repeated ringing sound.

tinned

adj

Coated with a thin layer of tin.

tinnen

adj

Made of tin.

tinnie

noun

(informal) A can of beer.

tinnitus

noun

A condition in which a person hears sounds, such as ringing or buzzing, that have no outside source.

tinny

adj

Sounding thin, harsh, and metallic, as if coming from a cheap speaker.

tinsel

noun

Thin, shiny strips of metallic material used as festive decoration, especially draped over Christmas trees.

tinselly

adj

Looking like tinsel, or decorated with it.

Tinsley

name

A surname and given name derived from an English place name meaning roughly "clearing belonging to Tynni."

tinsmith

noun

A person who makes or mends items out of tin or similar metals.

tint

noun

A slight or pale shade of a color.

tintamarre

noun

An Acadian custom of parading noisily through the community with makeshift instruments, usually to mark a national celebration.

tinted

adj

Lightly colored or shaded.

tintinnabulum

noun

A small tinkling bell, especially one once used to call monks to their duties.

tiny

adj

Extremely small in size.

tio

intj

Used to show agreement, meaning yes, that is right.

tiong

name

A surname of Eastern Min origin.

tip

noun

The pointed or outer end of something.

tipper

noun

A person who leaves a gratuity for a service worker.

tipping

noun

The practice of giving a small sum of money to a service worker.

tipple

noun

The part of a mine, near its entrance, where coal is loaded and unloaded.

tippler

noun

Someone who sells alcoholic drinks, or who runs a tavern.

tippy

adj

Unstable and likely to tip over.

tips

noun

(informal) A chasing game played by children, in which whoever is caught becomes the next chaser.

tipsiness

noun

(informal) The state of being slightly drunk.

tipsy

adj

Slightly drunk; unsteady from alcohol.

tiptoe

verb

To walk quietly on the balls of the feet, without letting the heels touch the ground.

Tipton

name

A surname, and the name of an industrial town in the West Midlands, England, as well as several towns in the United States.

tiptop

noun

The highest point of something.

tirade

noun

A long, angry outburst of criticism or complaint.

tiramisu

noun

An Italian dessert made of coffee-soaked ladyfinger biscuits layered with a sweetened mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa.

tire

verb

To become weary or worn out; to lose energy.

tired

adj

In need of rest or sleep; worn out.

tiredness

noun

The state of feeling tired.

tireless

adj

Never seeming to tire; working with constant energy and determination.

tirelessly

adv

In a way that shows no sign of tiring; with constant, unflagging effort.

tiresome

adj

Causing boredom or mild annoyance because it drags on or is repetitive.

tiring

adj

Causing tiredness; exhausting.

tiro

name

A Niger-Congo language in the Heiban family spoken in South Kordofan, Sudan.

tirol

name

The name of a state in western Austria.

tisane

noun

A drink taken for medicinal purposes, first made by soaking barley in water.

Tish

noun

A festive celebratory meal for a religious occasion, especially a Sabbath gathering, in Hasidic tradition.

tissue

noun

A soft, absorbent piece of paper used for blowing your nose or wiping up small messes.

tit

noun

A small songbird found across Europe and Asia, such as the chickadee family.

tita

noun

Filipino English term for one's aunt, or an affectionate word for an older female relative.

titan

noun

A person or thing of enormous size, power, or influence.

titanate

noun

A salt or ester formed from titanic acid.

titania

name

From Shakespeare's play A Midsummer-Night's Dream, the queen of the fairies.

titanic

adj

Of enormous size, strength, or power.

titanite

noun

A mineral containing calcium and titanium, with the formula CaTiSiO5, formerly called sphene.

titanium

noun

A strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant metallic element used in aircraft, medical implants, and alloys.

titanocene

noun

Dicyclopentadienyl titanium, a divalent radical structurally similar to ferrocene.

titch

noun

British slang for a very small person, especially a child.

tithe

noun

A payment of one tenth of a person's income given to a church, traditionally as a religious obligation.

tithing

noun

A tithe, or tenth part, in any of its related meanings.

titi

noun

A small South American monkey with long, soft fur.