English dictionary — definitions & meanings

waterlogged

adj

Soaked with water.

waterlogging

noun

The situation where something becomes waterlogged.

Waterloo

noun

A decisive, final defeat, especially after a long run of success — from the phrase "meet one's Waterloo."

waterman

noun

A person who works on the water, especially rowing or ferrying passengers by boat.

watermark

noun

A faint design pressed into paper, visible when held up to light, often used to prove authenticity.

watermelon

noun

A large fruit with a hard green rind and sweet, watery red flesh, or the plant that grows it.

waterproof

adj

Not letting water pass through; able to keep water out completely.

waterproofing

noun

The treatment of something to make it waterproof.

watershed

noun

The area of land that drains into a particular river, lake, or sea.

waterside

noun

The land bordering a body of water.

waterson

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

waterspout

noun

A whirlwind that forms over water, not associated with a mesocyclone of a thunderstorm (contrary to a true tornado).

waterstuff

noun

Things containing, associated with, or involving water.

watertight

adj

Sealed so tightly that water cannot get in or out.

waterway

noun

A river, canal, or channel that boats can travel along.

Waterways

name

A rare surname, more commonly a descriptive term for navigable channels of water.

waterworks

noun

The system of pipes, pumps, and reservoirs that supplies water to a town or city.

watery

adj

Containing too much water, or thin and diluted like water.

watkin

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Watkins

name

A Welsh surname meaning "son of Walter" or "little Walter".

watkinson

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Watson

name

A Scottish and English surname meaning "son of Walter", famously borne by Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

watt

noun

The standard unit of power, equal to one joule of energy transferred per second.

Watts

name

An English surname meaning "son of Walter", and also a surname borne by the inventor and physicist James Watt.

waugh

name

A surname from Old English.

waul

verb

To wail, to cry plaintively.

WAV

noun

An audio file format that normally stores a recording uncompressed, keeping the full sound at the cost of a large file.

wave

noun

A moving ridge on the surface of water, especially the sea.

waved

adj

Having a wavy, undulating shape or outline.

wavelength

noun

The physical distance between two matching points of a wave, such as crest to crest.

wavelet

noun

A small wave; a ripple.

waver

verb

To hesitate or show signs of doubt, especially about a decision or resolve.

wavering

adj

Uncertain, indecisive, or unsteady.

waverley

name

A very rare Scottish surname of unknown origin.

Waverly

name

A feminine given name and place name of English origin, meaning "meadow of quivering aspens".

waving

noun

The action of moving something, especially the hand or arm, back and forth as a greeting or signal.

wavy

adj

Having a pattern of curves, rather than being straight or flat.

wawa

noun

A snow goose, a white Arctic-breeding goose species.

wax

noun

A soft, oily solid substance, such as beeswax or paraffin, used for candles, polish, and other purposes.

waxed

adj

Coated or treated with wax, usually to make something shiny, smooth, or water-resistant.

waxen

adj

Made of or covered with wax.

waxing

noun

The act of applying wax to something.

waxy

adj

Resembling wax in texture, appearance, or feel.

way

noun

A road, path, or route from one place to another.

way to go

interjection

Said to congratulate someone and show you are impressed by what they have just done.

Waya

name

A given name of Native American (Cherokee) origin, meaning "wolf".

wayfinding

noun

The ability of a person or animal to orientate itself and to navigate; the process used by a person or animal for orienting and navigating.

wayland

name

A legendary blacksmith in Germanic mythology.

waylay

verb

To lie in wait for and attack from ambush.

Waylon

name

A masculine given name of English origin, possibly meaning "land by the road", popularized by musician Waylon Jennings.

waymark

noun

A sign or symbol marked in a prominent position in an off-road location to show the track of a footpath or route; fingerpost; guidepost; milestone.

Wayne

name

A masculine given name and surname of English origin, from an occupational term for a wagon maker.

waypoint

noun

Any mapped reference point on a route that can be easily identified.

ways

noun

A distance, especially in the informal phrase "a ways" or "a long ways."

wayside

noun

The edge of a road or path.

wayward

adj

Stubbornly doing things one's own way, ignoring rules or expectations.

wazir

noun

A fairy chess piece that moves one square orthogonally.

wazoo

noun

Slang for the backside; used mainly in the phrase "out the wazoo," meaning in huge quantity.

wazzer

noun

A stupid or annoying person; a wazzock.

wazzock

noun

A stupid or annoying person.

wbu

abbreviation

What about you? — used in messaging to bounce a question straight back to the person who asked it.

WC

noun

A toilet, or the small room containing one; the standard sign for public lavatories across much of Europe.

wdym

abbreviation

What do you mean? — typed to ask someone to explain what they have just said.

we

pron

The speaker together with at least one other person.

weak

adj

Lacking physical strength or power.

weaken

verb

To make something less strong.

weakened

adj

Made less strong than before.

weakening

noun

A loss or reduction of strength.

weakling

noun

A physically frail or sickly person.

weakly

adv

In a weak manner; without much force.

weakness

noun

The state of lacking strength or power.

weaksauce

adj

Lacking in interest or substance; boring, disappointing, lackluster.

weal

noun

Wealth, riches.

weald

noun

A forest or wood.

wealful

adj

Successful; prosperous.

wealth

noun

A large amount of money, property, or valuable possessions.

wealthiness

noun

wealth; the possession of riches

wealthless

adj

Having little or no wealth; poor.

wealthy

adj

Having a great deal of money or property; rich.

wean

verb

To gradually stop a baby or young animal from feeding on milk, switching it to other food.

weaning

noun

The process of moving a baby or young animal off milk and on to solid food.

weapon

noun

A tool or device designed to cause harm or damage, used in fighting or hunting.

weaponized

adj

Turned into, or made to function as, a weapon.

weaponry

noun

Weapons considered as a group.

wear

verb

To have clothing, jewellery, or an accessory on one's body.

wearable

adj

Suitable or comfortable to be worn.

wearer

noun

A person who wears something.

weariable

adj

Capable of becoming wearied.

weariness

noun

A state of tiredness or exhaustion.

wearing

adj

Causing tiredness or straining one's patience.

wearish

adj

Tasteless, having a sickly flavour; insipid.

wearisome

adj

Tiresome, tedious or causing fatigue.

weary

adj

Very tired, physically or mentally.

wearying

noun

The process of making weary.

weasand

noun

The oesophagus; the gullet.

weasel

noun

A small, slender carnivorous mammal with a long body and short legs, related to the stoat and ferret.

weaseler

noun

A devious person; a cheat or fraudster.

weather

noun

The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place — temperature, rain, wind, and so on.

Weatherby

name

An English surname, a variant of "Wetherby."

weathered

adj

Worn or discolored by long exposure to sun, wind, or rain.

weathering

noun

The breaking down of rock, soil and building materials where they lie, caused by rain, frost, wind, heat and chemical reactions with air and water.

weatherman

noun

A person, especially on television or radio, who reports weather conditions and forecasts.

weatherproof

adj

Capable of resisting damage caused by the weather.

Weathers

name

An English surname, likely derived from a topographic or occupational term related to weather or sheep-shearing ("wether").

weathervane

verb

To unbrake a crane so that it naturally aligns with the wind to prevent toppling.

weave

verb

To make fabric or a similar structure by crossing threads or strands over and under each other.

weaver

noun

A person who weaves cloth, especially as an occupation.

Weavers

name

A surname derived from the occupation of weaving.

weaving

noun

The craft or process of making fabric on a loom.

web

noun

A network of fine threads spun by a spider to catch prey.

web3

noun

A proposed model of the internet in which services run on blockchains rather than on servers owned by companies, so that accounts, data and digital possessions belong to users directly instead of to the platforms they use.

Webb

name

An English and Scottish surname, originally denoting someone who worked as a weaver.

webbed

adj

Having the toes or fingers joined by a membrane of skin.

webber

noun

A person or creature that produces webs, such as a spider.

webbie

noun

A user of WebTV, a service formerly used to connect to the World Wide Web through a television rather than a computer.

webbing

noun

A strong, tightly woven fabric strip, used for straps and harnesses.

webby

adj

Resembling a web, or full of webs.

webcam

noun

A small video camera that streams live footage over a computer network, especially the internet.

webcast

noun

A video and/or audio broadcast transmitted via the Internet

webcasting

noun

Broadcasting over the World Wide Web, especially by using a webcam.

weber

noun

The SI unit of magnetic flux, symbol Wb — the amount of flux that, when reduced to zero in one second, generates one volt in a single-turn circuit.

webhook

noun

An arrangement in which one online service automatically sends a message to a web address you have given it whenever a particular event happens, so your own system finds out immediately instead of having to keep asking.

webinar

noun

A talk, class or presentation given live over the internet, where the audience watches remotely and can usually ask questions by chat.

webmail

noun

A service for sending, receiving, and/or storing email, usually on a remote web server, in such a way that it is accessible through a web browser.

WebP

noun

An image format designed for web pages, which can store photographs, graphics with transparency and short animations, usually at a smaller file size than JPEG or PNG.

webside

noun

Only used in webside manner

website

noun

A set of connected pages on the internet, usually hosted under one domain and reachable from a common home page.

webster

noun

An old term for a weaver, originally referring specifically to a woman who wove cloth.

wed

verb

To marry someone, or to conduct a marriage ceremony joining two people.

wedded

adj

Joined together in marriage.

wedding

noun

A ceremony in which two people are formally married.

wedge

noun

A piece of material, thick at one end and tapering to a thin edge, used to split, tighten, or lever things apart.

wedged

adj

Firmly stuck or jammed into a tight space.

wedgie

noun

A prank where someone's underwear is yanked sharply upward from behind, wedging the fabric uncomfortably.

wedlock

noun

The state of being legally married.

Wednesday

noun

The day of the week that falls between Tuesday and Thursday.

Wednesdays

adv

On each Wednesday, as a regular occurrence.

wee

adj

Very small; tiny.

weed

verb

To pull unwanted plants out of a garden or field.

weeding

noun

The act of pulling unwanted plants from a garden or field.

weeds

noun

Wild, unwanted plants growing among cultivated ones (plural of weed).

weedy

adj

Abounding with weeds.

week

noun

A period of seven consecutive days.

weekday

noun

Any day of the working week, as opposed to the weekend — typically Monday through Friday.

weekdays

adv

On working days, as opposed to the weekend.

weekend

noun

The break at the end of the working week, typically Saturday and Sunday.

weekends

adv

On weekends, as a regular occurrence.

weekly

adj

Happening, published, or done once a week.

Weeks

noun

Plural of week; more than one period of seven days.

Weems

name

A Scottish surname, an Anglicized form of "Wemyss".