English dictionary — definitions & meanings

wreck

noun

The remains of a vehicle, ship, or structure that has been destroyed or badly damaged.

wreckable

adj

Capable of being wrecked.

wreckage

noun

The broken remains or debris left after something, such as a vehicle or building, has been destroyed.

wrecked

adj

Destroyed or badly damaged, especially in an accident.

wrecker

noun

A person or company that dismantles damaged vehicles or salvages usable parts from wrecks.

wreckful

adj

Causing wreckage; ruinous.

wrecking

noun

The act of demolishing or salvaging something that has been destroyed.

wren

noun

A small brown songbird, especially the Eurasian wren, known for its loud song and short, upright tail.

wrench

noun

US: a hand tool used to grip and turn nuts, bolts, or pipes; called a spanner in British English.

wrength

noun

The state or condition of being wrong; wrongness; wrongfulness; error.

wrest

verb

To pull or twist violently.

wrestle

verb

To grapple with an opponent, trying to throw or pin them down, often as a sport.

wrestler

noun

A person who wrestles, especially as a sport or profession.

wrestling

noun

A sport where two opponents attempt to subdue each other in bare-handed grappling using techniques of leverage, holding, and pressure points.

wretch

noun

A person who is very unhappy or in a pitiful, miserable condition.

wretched

adj

Extremely unhappy or in a miserable, unfortunate state.

wretchedness

noun

An unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.

wretchock

noun

A stunted or abortive cock; the smallest of a brood of domestic birds; any puny or imperfect creature.

wrick

verb

To twist; turn

wriggle

verb

To twist and turn the body with quick, small movements; to squirm.

wriggling

noun

The act of twisting and squirming with small movements.

wright

noun

A person who makes or builds something, especially by hand; now mostly seen in compound job titles.

Wrigley

name

A surname, notably associated with the Wrigley chewing gum company founded by William Wrigley Jr.

wring

verb

To twist and squeeze something, especially wet fabric, to force liquid out of it.

wringer

noun

A device with two rollers used to squeeze water out of wet laundry.

wringing

noun

The act of twisting something to force liquid out.

wrinkle

noun

A small crease or fold in an otherwise smooth surface, especially skin or fabric.

wrinkled

adj

Covered with small creases or folds, especially describing skin or fabric.

wrinkly

adj

Having many wrinkles.

wrist

noun

The joint connecting the hand to the forearm.

wristband

noun

A band worn around the wrist, for decoration, identification, or to absorb sweat during sport.

wristbanding

noun

Material for making shirt cuffs.

wristlet

noun

An elastic band worn to keep a glove from slipping off the wrist.

wristwatch

noun

A watch worn on a strap around the wrist.

writ

noun

A formal written order from a court instructing someone to do or stop doing something.

write

verb

To form letters, words, or symbols on a surface in order to record or communicate information.

write off

verb

To decide that someone or something is a failure and not worth any further effort or attention.

writer

noun

A person who writes, especially as their profession, such as an author or journalist.

writhe

verb

To twist the body sharply, especially in pain or extreme discomfort.

writhing

adj

Twisting the body sharply, usually in pain.

writing

noun

The activity or skill of forming letters or symbols to represent language.

written

adj

Expressed or recorded in writing, as opposed to spoken.

wrixle

verb

To exchange.

wrong

adj

Incorrect or not true.

wrongdo

verb

To do something wrong; to break a rule or offend.

wrongdoer

noun

Someone who does wrong, whether morally, ethically, or in contravention of a law.

wrongdoing

noun

Illegal or immoral behaviour.

wrongful

adj

Unjust or unlawful.

wrongfully

adv

In an unjust or unlawful manner.

wrongly

adv

Incorrectly or by mistake.

wrote

verb

The past tense of write: formed letters, words or symbols on a surface, or composed a text, letter, piece of music or program.

wrought

adj

Made or shaped, often by hand or with great effort; an old-fashioned past form of "work".

wry

adjective

Dryly humorous, often in a way that shows you know a situation is awkward or difficult; ironic.

wsg

abbreviation

What's good? — a casual greeting meaning roughly "how are you" or "what's going on".

wsp

abbreviation

What's up? — a casual greeting used to open a message or check in with someone.

wtf

phrase

Where the fuck, why the fuck, when the fuck, or who the fuck.

WTW

abbreviation

Short for "what's the word", used in messages and social posts to ask someone what is happening or what the plan is.

Wu

name

A group of closely related Chinese language varieties spoken around the lower Yangtze River, including Shanghainese; the second most widely spoken Chinese language family after Mandarin.

Wudang

name

A mountain range in Hubei, China, famous as a center of Taoism and the origin of Wudang martial arts.

Wugong

name

A mountain in Jiangxi, China, and a term also referring to Chinese martial arts skill in fiction.

wujiang

name

A district of Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.

wunna

pron

You (plural); y'all, you guys, you all.

wurly

adj

Of an object: derisorily small, tiny; of a person: puny, stunted.

wuss

noun

An informal, slightly mocking word for someone seen as weak, timid, or easily scared.

wussy

adjective

Weak, timid, or lacking courage; used informally and often as an insult.

wuz

verb

Eye dialect spelling of was.

WWJD

abbreviation

What Would Jesus Do: a question Christians ask themselves as a guide to behaviour, prompting them to choose the response they believe Jesus would have chosen.

www

name

Alternative letter-case form of WWW when used as a high-level qualifier in a website address

wy

noun

The name used for the letter Y when spelling something out loud.

WYA

abbreviation

Short for "where you at", used in messages to ask someone where they currently are or why they have not arrived.

Wyatt

name

A masculine given name and English surname derived from an Old English name meaning "brave in war."

wychert

noun

A natural blend of white chalk and clay, traditionally mixed with straw and used to build walls.

WYD

abbreviation

Short for "what you doing", used to ask someone what they are up to at the moment, often as a way of opening a conversation or floating plans.

wye

noun

The name of the Latin script letter Y/y.

Wyler

name

A German-Jewish surname, notably borne by film director William Wyler.

wyles

name

An English surname, a variant of Wiles

Wylie

name

A Scottish surname and given name, a variant of Wiley, meaning "water meadow."

WYM

abbreviation

Short for "what you mean", used to ask someone to explain what they just said.

wynd

noun

A narrow lane, alley or path, especially one between houses.

Wyndham

name

An English surname and place name, also a well-known international hotel brand.

wynn

noun

An old English letter (ƿ) once used to write the "w" sound, before it was replaced by the modern letter W.

wynne

name

A male given name from Welsh.

wynona

name

A female given name, variant of Winona.

Wyoming

proper noun

A state in the western United States, known for its mountains, wide-open plains, and Yellowstone National Park; capital Cheyenne.

wyrm

noun

A huge limbless and wingless dragon or dragonlike creature.

wyvern

noun

A draconian creature possessing wings, only two legs and usually a barbed tail.