English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

wa

noun

A cultural value in Japanese society that emphasises group harmony over individual interests.

waal

name

A river that branches off the Rhine in Western Europe and flows through the Netherlands.

Wabash

name

A river in the American Midwest and a town in Indiana named after it.

wack

adjective

Bad or lame in an annoying, disappointing way; uncool, corny, or messed up.

wackadoodle

adj

(informal) Very strange, silly or not sensible.

wacko

adjective

Eccentric or irrational in a way that's amusing rather than alarming.

wacky

adjective

Amusingly odd, silly, or eccentric.

Waco

name

The name of a city in Georgia, United States.

wad

noun

A thick, compact lump or bundle of something soft.

Wada

name

A Japanese surname.

wadding

noun

A mass of wads, taken together.

waddle

verb

To walk with short steps, rocking from side to side.

wade

verb

To walk through water or another substance that slows you down.

wadi

noun

A valley or streambed in North Africa or the Middle East that stays dry except during rare rains.

wading

adjective

Suitable or fit for walking through water on foot, especially shallow water.

Wadsworth

name

An English surname and place name, from an Old English term for an enclosure or homestead.

wafer

noun

A thin, crisp, flat biscuit.

waffle

noun

A crisp pastry with a grid pattern, usually eaten hot with syrup or toppings.

waffling

noun

Talk or an answer that goes on and on without really saying anything.

waft

verb

To move, or make something move, gently through the air.

wafting

noun

The gentle drifting of a smell or sound through the air.

wafture

noun

A smell, sound or similar thing that drifts through the air.

wafty

adj

Light and drifting, like a gas; not solid or firm.

wag

verb

To swing repeatedly from side to side.

wage

noun

Money paid to a worker, usually calculated by the hour.

waged

adjective

Employed and receiving a wage.

wager

noun

A bet or a stake placed on the outcome of something uncertain.

wagerer

noun

Someone who places a bet.

wages

noun

The total money someone earns over a given period of work.

wagging

noun

The repeated side-to-side movement of something.

waggish

adj

Funny and playful in a light-hearted way.

waggle

verb

To move something with brief, rapid motions; to shake unsteadily.

wagon

noun

A four-wheeled vehicle used for carrying heavy loads, historically pulled by horses.

wagoner

noun

A person who drives a wagon.

wagonload

noun

The quantity that a wagon can carry at once.

wagonmaster

noun

A man responsible for a wagon and its journey.

wagpastie

noun

A dishonest or badly behaved person.

Wagstaff

name

An English surname, historically a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from "wag" and "staff".

wagstaffe

name

The name of a suburb in Central Coast council area, New South Wales, Australia.

wagtail

noun

A small bird with a long tail, belonging mainly to the genus Motacilla and found in the Old World.

wagwan

intj

(informal) Used to say hello and ask how someone is doing.

wah

interjection

A cry expressing sudden fright, distress, or a baby's crying.

wahey

interjection

An exclamation of excitement or delight.

wahoo

noun

A fast-swimming tropical game fish prized by anglers.

wai

noun

A traditional Thai greeting made by pressing the palms together, often with a slight bow.

waif

noun

A person, especially a child, who is thin, pale and homeless or uncared for.

Waikiki

name

A famous beachfront neighbourhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, known for its beach and hotels.

wail

verb

To cry out loudly in grief, pain, or sorrow.

wailing

noun

Loud, prolonged crying or howling, usually from grief.

wain

noun

A large cart with four wheels, pulled by horses or oxen, used to carry heavy loads.

wainman

name

A surname of Middle English origin.

wainscot

noun

Wooden panels, often oak, fixed to the bottom part of a room's walls.

wainwright

noun

A person whose trade is building or repairing wagons.

waist

noun

The narrow part of the body between the ribs and the hips.

waistband

noun

The strip of fabric that fits around the waist on trousers or a skirt.

waistcloth

noun

A piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and worn as clothing.

waistcoat

noun

A sleeveless, collarless garment worn over a shirt and under a jacket, chiefly British.

waistline

noun

The measurement around the body at the waist, or the line marking it.

wait

noun

A period spent staying where you are, or delaying action, until something happens.

waiter

noun

A person who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant or café.

Waiters

name

An English surname derived from the occupation of a watchman or guard.

waiting

noun

The act of remaining somewhere until something happens.

waitress

noun

A woman who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant or café.

waits

noun

A small group of singers or musicians who go around performing in the streets, traditionally around Christmas.

waive

verb

To voluntarily give up a right, claim, or requirement.

waiver

noun

A document or formal statement giving up a legal right or claim.

wake

verb

To stop sleeping, or to rouse someone from sleep.

wakeaday

adj

Ordinary and everyday; not special.

wakefield

noun

In physics, the powerful electric field trailing behind an intense laser or particle beam as it moves through a plasma, used to accelerate particles to very high energies.

wakeful

adj

Not asleep; awake.

wakefulness

noun

The condition of being awake, especially when unable to sleep.

wakeless

adj

Having no possibility of waking up.

waken

verb

To wake up, or to cause someone to wake up.

wakening

noun

The act of waking up from sleep.

wakes

noun

A traditional local holiday or festival, especially in northern England.

wakesome

adj

Alert and watchful.

wakey

interjection

Used playfully to tell someone to wake up.

waking

adjective

Happening while someone is awake, as opposed to during sleep.

Wal

name

A short, informal form of the given name Walter or Walter-derived names.

Walcott

name

An English surname, also borne by the Nobel Prize-winning Caribbean poet Derek Walcott.

wald

noun

(archaic) Power or physical strength.

Waldemar

name

A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "famous ruler".

Walden

name

An English surname and place name, also the title of a Henry David Thoreau essay set at Walden Pond.

waldmeister

noun

A herb, used mainly in Germany and central Europe, that gives flavour to wine and other drinks.

waldo

noun

A mechanical or robotic arm operated remotely by a human, used to handle dangerous or delicate materials from a safe distance.

Waldorf

name

A surname of German origin, and the name of a famous hotel in New York City.

Waldron

name

An English surname and place name, from Old English words meaning "wood on a hill".

wale

noun

A raised ridge or small barrier.

waled

name

A male first name of Arabic, variant of Walid origin.

waleed

name

A male first name of Arabic, variant of Walid origin.

Wales

name

A country that is part of the United Kingdom, located on a peninsula in the west of Great Britain.

walhalla

name

The name of a city in North Dakota, United States.

Walid

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "newborn" or "newborn child".

walk

verb

To move on foot at a normal pace, always keeping at least one foot on the ground.

walkabout

noun

A public appearance where a famous or important person strolls through a crowd to meet people informally.

walkaway

noun

An instance of someone leaving on their own, such as an inmate leaving a facility or a cult member leaving a community; also, a person who does this.

walker

noun

A person who walks, especially for exercise or leisure.

walkie

noun

Informal short form of walkie-talkie, a two-way portable radio.

walking

adjective

Moving on foot, especially at an ordinary, unhurried pace, as opposed to running.

walkman

noun

A portable cassette player with headphones, originally a Sony brand that became a generic term.

walkout

noun

A sudden work stoppage or strike, or a mass protest where people leave in unison.

walkover

noun

An effortless win in a contest with barely any competition.

walkthrough

noun

A tour of a space, such as a property for sale or rent.

walkway

noun

A path or passage designed for people to walk along.

wall

noun

A solid upright structure that encloses, divides, or protects an area.

Walla

name

A place name element, as in Walla Walla, a city in the state of Washington, USA.

wallaby

noun

Wallabies are marsupials related to kangaroos, though usually smaller and stockier.

Wallace

name

A Scottish surname and given name, from a term meaning "foreigner" or "Welshman", historically borne by the Scottish hero William Wallace.

wallah

noun

A servant, or someone in charge of a particular thing, usually named before the word, as in kitchen wallah.

Wallander

name

A Swedish surname, most known as the name of detective Kurt Wallander in Henning Mankell's novels.

wallaroo

noun

Any of three types of large macropod, in size between a kangaroo and a wallaby.

wallboard

noun

A flat sheet of manufactured material, usually gypsum covered in paper, used to build walls and ceilings.

walled

adjective

Enclosed or surrounded by a wall.

waller

noun

A person whose trade is building stone or brick walls.

wallet

noun

A small flat case for carrying cash, cards, and other personal items.

walleye

noun

A condition in which one or both eyes point outwards instead of straight ahead.

wallflower

noun

A person who feels too shy to join in at a party or dance and ends up standing on the sidelines.

walling

noun

Material used to build walls, or the collective structure of walls.

Wallis

name

An English surname and given name, a variant of Wallace, also borne by Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.

walloon

name

A Romance language traditionally spoken in parts of southern Belgium and a small strip of northern France (around Givet).

wallop

verb

To hit someone or something very hard.

walloper

noun

Someone who wallops, or hits, something hard.

walloping

adj

Very big; huge.

wallow

verb

To roll around in mud, water, or something similarly messy.

wallowing

noun

The act of rolling in mud or indulging excessively in a feeling.

wallowish

adj

Bland or unpleasant to taste, especially in a sickly, over-sweet way.

wallpaper

noun

Decorative paper or paper-like material used to cover interior walls.

Wally

noun

(British, informal) A foolish or incompetent person.

Walmart

noun

A large American discount retail chain that sells groceries alongside general merchandise, with stores across several countries.

walnut

noun

A tree of the genus Juglans, grown for its wood and edible nuts.

Walpole

name

An English surname and place name, borne by Sir Robert Walpole, widely considered Britain's first prime minister.

walrus

noun

A large Arctic marine mammal with tusks, thick wrinkled skin, and flippers.

Walsh

name

An Irish surname, historically meaning "Welshman" or foreigner from Wales.

walshe

name

An Irish surname that comes from a nickname of Anglo-Norman origin that means Briton or foreigner, and is also used as a translation for Breathnach, carrying the same sense.

Walt

noun

British slang for someone who falsely claims to be, or exaggerates being, a military veteran.

Walter

name

A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "ruler of the army".

Walters

name

An English surname meaning "son of Walter".

Walther

name

A German surname, a variant spelling of Walter, also the name of a well-known German firearms manufacturer.

waltz

noun

A ballroom dance in triple time, or the music written for it.

waltzer

noun

A person who dances the waltz.

wampum

noun

Small tube-shaped beads made of polished shell, especially white shell, strung together; once used across eastern North America by Native American peoples for various things, including as jewellery, as money and for keeping records; (countable, archaic) a single such bead.

wan

adj

Pale and looking unwell or tired.

wand

noun

A slender rod held in the hand, especially one used by a magician or as a symbol of authority.

Wanda

name

A feminine given name possibly of Germanic or Slavic origin, associated with the Wends, a Slavic people.

wander

verb

To move around without a fixed destination or purpose.

Wanderer

noun

Someone who travels or roams without a fixed destination.

wandering

adj

Moving from place to place without a settled route or home.

wanderlust

noun

A strong, restless desire to travel and see new places.

Wands

name

A rare surname, likely a variant or diminutive form related to "Wand".

wandwork

noun

The movement of a wand, or sometimes another object such as a finger, when casting spells or carrying out a magical or religious ceremony.