English dictionary — definitions & meanings

vac

verb

Informal: to vacuum; to clean using a vacuum cleaner.

Vaca

name

A Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning "cow."

vacancy

noun

A job or position that is currently unfilled and available.

vacant

adjective

Not occupied or in use; empty.

vacate

verb

To leave a property, room, or position, making it available for someone else.

vacation

noun

A trip or period of time away from home taken for rest or pleasure.

vacationer

noun

Someone who is on vacation

vacationing

noun

The act of taking a vacation or holiday away from work.

vacay

verb

To vacation (to spend or take a vacation).

vaccinate

verb

To give someone a vaccine so their body builds protection against a disease.

vaccinated

adj

Having received a vaccine and therefore protected against a specific disease.

vaccination

noun

The act of giving a vaccine to protect someone from a disease; also the injection itself.

vaccine

noun

A substance given to the body to trigger immunity against a disease, usually made from a weakened or inactive form of the germ that causes it.

vacillate

verb

To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.

vacillatory

adj

Liable to waver; irresolute and hesitant.

vacuity

noun

Physical emptiness, an absence of matter.

vacuous

adj

Empty; void; lacking meaningful content.

vacuousness

noun

The quality of being vacuous.

vacutainer

noun

A glass or plastic test tube with a rubber stopper creating an internal vacuum, used to draw blood samples.

vacuum

noun

A space that is completely empty of matter, including air.

vacuumed

adj

Cleaned by using a vacuum cleaner.

vacuuming

noun

The activity of cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.

vacuumlike

adj

Resembling or characteristic of a vacuum (empty space).

vada

noun

A savoury fried snack, shaped like a small doughnut or fritter, popular across South Asia.

Vadim

name

A masculine given name of Russian origin, a short form of Vladimir.

vadym

name

A male given name from the Slavic languages, equivalent to English Bademus.

vag

noun

Informal shortening of "vagina."

vagabond

noun

A person who wanders from place to place with no fixed home, often living hand to mouth.

vagary

noun

An erratic, unpredictable occurrence or action.

vagina

noun

The muscular passage in female mammals that connects the vulva to the uterus, used in sex and childbirth.

vaginal

adj

Relating to or affecting the vagina.

vaginer

noun

Eye dialect spelling of vagina.

vaginoid

noun

A surgically-constructed vagina created in male-to-female sexual reassignment surgery.

vagrancy

noun

The state or condition of living as a vagrant, without a settled home or regular income.

vagrant

noun

A person with no permanent home who moves from place to place, often begging or living on the street.

vague

adj

Not clearly expressed, defined, or understood; lacking precise detail.

vaguely

adv

In a vague or unclear way; without precise detail.

vahan

name

A transliteration of the Armenian male given name Վահան (Vahan).

Vai

noun

An ethnic group of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

vail

verb

To lower something, such as a hat or flag, as a sign of respect or submission.

vain

adj

Excessively proud of one's own looks or achievements.

vainglorious

adj

Possessing excessive vanity or unwarranted pride.

Vaishali

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, and the name of an ancient city in northern India.

val

noun

Informal short form of "Valium," a common anti-anxiety medication.

Vala

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Valerie or Vale used in several European languages.

Valdes

name

A Spanish surname, historically denoting someone from a place called Valdés.

Valdez

name

A Spanish surname, and the name of a port city in Alaska.

vale

noun

A valley, especially a wide, low stretch of land between hills.

valediction

noun

A speech made when leaving or parting company.

valedictorian

noun

The top student in a graduating class, often chosen to give the farewell speech at graduation.

valedictory

adj

Of or pertaining to a valediction (“an act of parting company; a speech made when parting company”); designed for or suitable to an occasion of bidding farewell or parting company.

valence

noun

In chemistry, the combining power of an atom, measured by the number of chemical bonds it can form or the number of electrons it gains, loses or shares.

Valencia

noun

A sweet, thin-skinned variety of orange, popular for juicing.

valency

noun

The capacity of something to combine with other things, as for example the capability of a vaccine as measured by the number of pathogen serotypes that it can counteract.

Valens

name

A Roman family name, notably borne by a 4th-century Roman emperor.

Valenti

name

An Italian surname derived from the given name Valentino, meaning "strong" or "healthy."

Valentina

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "strong" or "healthy."

valentine

noun

A card, gift, or affectionate message sent to someone on Valentine's Day.

Valentino

noun

A strikingly handsome, romantic-looking man, especially one who resembles the silent-film star Rudolph Valentino.

Valera

name

A surname of Spanish and Irish usage, also part of the Irish statesman name Éamon de Valera.

Valeria

name

A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "strong" or "healthy."

valerian

noun

A flowering plant whose root is used in herbal medicine, often as a natural sleep aid or calming remedy.

Valerie

name

A female given name from French [in turn from Latin].

Valerius

name

A masculine Roman given name and family name, meaning "strong" or "healthy."

Valery

name

A given name used for both men and women, common in French and Russian, derived from the Latin "valere," to be strong.

valet

noun

A personal attendant who looks after someone's clothes and general appearance.

valetudinarian

adj

Sickly, infirm, of ailing health; related to ill health.

valetudinary

adj

Sickly, infirm, valetudinarian.

valgrind

name

The main entrance to Valhalla in Norse mythology.

Valhalla

noun

In Norse mythology, the great hall where warriors who died bravely in battle are said to feast for eternity.

Vali

name

A given name found in Norse mythology, borne by a son of the god Odin.

valiance

noun

The quality of being valiant; heroism, bravery or valour.

valiant

adj

Showing great courage, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation.

valiantly

adv

In a brave, courageous way.

valid

adj

Based on sound reasoning; well-founded and hard to argue against.

validate

verb

To check that something is correct, official, or meets the required standard.

validated

adj

Confirmed as correct or officially approved.

validation

noun

The act of confirming that something is correct, genuine, or meets a standard.

validator

noun

One who validates.

validity

noun

The quality of being sound, genuine, or logically acceptable.

validness

noun

The state of being valid.

valise

noun

A small suitcase or travel bag carried by hand.

Valium

noun

A brand name for diazepam, a sedative drug used to treat anxiety and muscle spasms.

Valjean

name

A surname, best known as that of Jean Valjean, the protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables."

valkyrie

noun

In Norse mythology, one of the female figures who choose which warriors die in battle and lead them to Valhalla.

Valle

name

A Spanish and Italian surname meaning "valley."

valley

noun

A long, low area of land between hills or mountains, often with a river running through it.

Valli

name

A surname, notably borne by American singer Frankie Valli.

Valmont

name

A French surname, notably that of the antihero Vicomte de Valmont in the novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses."

Valois

name

A French royal house that ruled France from 1328 to 1589.

valor

noun

US standard spelling of valour.

valorous

adj

Having or displaying valour.

valorousness

noun

The quality of being valorous; valour.

valour

noun

Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.

valuable

adj

Worth a lot of money.

valuables

noun

Personal items of significant monetary or sentimental worth, such as jewellery or cash.

valuate

verb

To estimate the value of something; to appraise or to make a valuation.

valuation

noun

An estimate of how much something is worth.

valuator

noun

A person who estimates the value of something; an appraiser.

value

noun

How much something is worth, in money or importance.

valued

adj

Regarded as important or worth a great deal.

valueless

adj

Having no value; worthless.

values

noun

Ellipsis of values education.

valve

noun

A device that controls or directs the flow of liquid or gas through a pipe or opening.

Valya

name

A Russian diminutive form of the names Valentina or Valentin.

vamoose

verb

To leave quickly, especially to escape or avoid trouble.

vamos

interjection

Let's go; come on. Used to urge people to move, to start something, or as a shout of encouragement or triumph, especially in sport.

vamp

noun

The front part of a shoe or boot covering the toes and instep.

vamper

noun

One who vamps; one who creates or repairs by piecing old things together; a cobbler.

vampire

noun

A legendary undead creature said to survive by drinking the blood of the living.

vamps

noun

Old stockings that have been given new feet or soles.

van

noun

A boxy motor vehicle used to carry goods or passengers, larger than a car but smaller than a lorry.

Vance

name

An English surname and masculine given name, originally denoting someone who lived near a marsh or fen.

Vancouver

name

A major city in British Columbia, Canada, named after the explorer George Vancouver.

vanda

noun

Any orchid belonging to the genus Vanda, prized for large, brightly coloured flowers.

vandal

noun

Someone who deliberately damages or destroys property, especially for no good reason.

vandalism

noun

Deliberate damage or destruction of property, such as graffiti or smashed windows.

vandalize

verb

American, Canadian, and Oxford British English standard spelling of vandalise.

vandalized

adj

Deliberately damaged or defaced.

Vandals

name

A Germanic people who sacked Rome in 455 AD, from whose name the word "vandalism" derives.

Vanderbilt

name

A prominent American family surname of Dutch origin, associated with the wealthy Vanderbilt business dynasty.

vane

noun

A device mounted on a roof or pole that turns to show which way the wind is blowing.

Vanessa

noun

A butterfly of the genus Vanessa, which includes species such as the painted lady and red admiral.

vanguard

noun

The foremost part of an advancing army, fleet, or group.

vani

noun

A custom found in parts of Pakistan in which a girl, sometimes a minor, is handed over in marriage or servitude to another family to settle a dispute, often after a killing.

vanilla

noun

The extract or flavoring made from the pods of a tropical climbing orchid, used widely in baking, desserts, and perfume.

vanish

verb

To disappear suddenly, or to go out of sight without being noticed.

vanished

adj

No longer present or visible; gone completely.

vanishing

adj

Disappearing, or becoming increasingly rare.

vanitas

noun

A type of still life painting, symbolic of mortality, characteristic of Dutch painting of the 16th and 17th centuries.

vanity

noun

Excessive pride in one's own looks, abilities, or achievements.

vanna

noun

In finance, a measure of how much an option's sensitivity to volatility (vega) changes as the price of the underlying asset moves.

vanquish

verb

To defeat someone or something completely, especially in a fight or contest.

vanquishable

adj

That can be vanquished; defeatable, conquerable.

vanquished

adj

Completely defeated.

vanquisher

noun

Someone who vanquishes; a conqueror.

vantage

noun

A position, especially a high or favorable one, that gives a clear view or an advantage.

Vanya

name

A Russian diminutive form of the name Ivan.

vapid

adj

Lacking any interest, energy, or flavor; dull and unremarkable.

vapor

noun

Tiny droplets or particles suspended in the air, such as mist, steam, or fumes.

vaporise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of vaporize.

vaporization

noun

A conversion of a solid or a liquid into a gas.

vaporize

verb

To turn into vapor or gas, typically through intense heat.

vaporlike

adj

Resembling vapor; vaporous, misty.

vaporous

adj

Of or relating to vapour; also, having the characteristics or consistency of vapour.

vapour

noun

British spelling of vapor: mist, steam, or fumes suspended in the air.

vapulate

verb

To flog or whip; to beat or strike.

Varda

name

A Hebrew feminine given name meaning "rose."

varenyky

noun

Boiled dumplings stuffed with potato, cheese, or other filling; a serving of these; plural of varenyk.

Varga

name

A Hungarian surname, an occupational name for a cobbler or tanner.