English dictionary — definitions & meanings

wheal

noun

A small, often itchy, raised bump on the skin caused by an insect bite, allergic reaction, or a blow.

wheat

noun

A cereal grass grown for its grain, used to make flour, bread, and pasta.

Wheaties

noun

A brand-name breakfast cereal made from baked wheat and bran flakes.

Wheaton

name

A surname, and the name of several towns in the United States, including the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois.

whee

intj

An exclamation of delight, especially during fast or thrilling movement.

wheedle

verb

To cajole or attempt to persuade by flattery.

wheel

noun

A circular object that turns on a central axis, used for movement or to power machinery.

wheelbarrow

noun

A small cart with one wheel at the front and handles at the back, used to carry loads by hand.

wheelchair

noun

A chair fitted with large wheels, used by people who can't walk or walk easily.

wheeled

adj

Fitted with wheels, or moving on wheels.

wheeler

noun

A vehicle described by its number of wheels, as in "eighteen-wheeler."

wheelhouse

noun

The enclosed area on a ship or boat from which it is steered.

wheelie

noun

A stunt in which a bicycle or motorcycle is ridden balanced only on its rear wheel.

wheeling

noun

The action of moving, rolling, or turning on wheels.

wheels

noun

Informal word for a car or other vehicle.

wheelwright

noun

A person who builds and repairs wheels, especially wooden spoked ones.

wheeze

verb

To breathe with difficulty, making a rough whistling sound, often due to a respiratory problem.

wheezing

noun

The condition or sound of breathing with a rough, whistling noise.

Whelan

name

An Irish surname, an Anglicized form of "Ó Faoláin", meaning "descendant of the little wolf".

whelm

verb

To bury, to cover; to engulf, to submerge.

whelp

noun

A young dog, wolf, or similar animal; a pup or cub.

when

adv

Used to ask or refer to a point in time.

whence

adv

From what place, source, or cause; from where.

whenever

conj

At any time that; every time that.

whenevs

adv

At an unspecified time, at convenience.

where

adv

Used to ask about or refer to a place.

whereabouts

adv

Near or in what location.

whereas

conj

In contrast to the fact that; while on the other hand.

whereby

adv

By which; through which.

wherefore

adv

For what reason; why (archaic).

wherein

conj

In which; during which.

whereof

conj

Of which, or of whom.

whereupon

conj

Immediately after which; as a result of which.

wherever

conj

In, at, or to any place that.

wherewithal

noun

The money, resources, or ability needed to do something.

whet

verb

To sharpen a blade or tool by rubbing it against a stone.

whether

conj

Used to introduce a question or choice between two or more possibilities.

whethersoever

adv

In or to whatever place; anywhere; whithersoever.

whetstone

noun

A sharpening stone; a hard stone or piece of synthetically bonded hard minerals that has been formed with at least one flat surface, used to sharpen or hone an edged tool.

whew

intj

An exclamation of relief, exhaustion, or surprise.

whewee

intj

Longer or more intense form of whew, an expression of amazement or relief.

whey

noun

The watery liquid left over after milk is curdled and strained during cheesemaking.

which

det

Used to ask someone to specify one or more people or things from a known set.

whichever

det

Any one out of a group, without restriction on which.

whicker

noun

The soft neigh made by a horse.

whiff

noun

A brief smell carried through the air, or a light gust of air.

whiffle

noun

A short blow or gust.

while

noun

A period of time, especially one of uncertain or moderate length.

whilend

adj

Passing; temporal; temporary; not lasting; not permanent; transient; transitory; not eternal.

whilere

adv

A while ago; a time before; formerly, previously.

whilom

adv

At some time in the past; formerly, once upon a time.

whilst

conj

A more formal or British variant of "while", meaning during the same time or in contrast.

whim

noun

A sudden, playful, or impulsive idea or desire, with little or no real reason behind it.

whimper

verb

To cry or make small, weak, broken sounds, usually from pain, fear, or distress.

whimpering

noun

The act or sound of crying softly and weakly.

whimsical

adj

Playfully unusual, quaint, or fanciful, especially in a light-hearted way.

whimsicality

noun

The state of being whimsical.

whimsome

adj

Characterised or marked by whim; whimsical

whimsy

noun

A playful, quaint, or fanciful quality; also, a passing fanciful idea.

whine

verb

To complain in an annoying, high-pitched or self-pitying way.

whiner

noun

Someone who complains often, especially about small or unimportant things.

whinge

verb

To whine; to complain, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.

whinny

verb

Of a horse, to make a soft, gentle neighing sound.

whinnying

noun

The act or sound of a horse making a soft neighing noise.

whiny

adj

Prone to complaining in an annoying way, or having a complaining, nasal tone.

whip

noun

A flexible rod or braided cord, often of leather, used to strike an animal or person, or to make a sharp cracking noise.

whiplash

noun

A neck injury caused by a sudden, violent jerking of the head, often in a car accident.

whippersnapper

noun

A young and cheeky or presumptuous person; often with a connotation of ignorance via inexperience.

whipping

noun

The punishment of being struck repeatedly with a whip.

Whipple

noun

Short form of "Whipple procedure," a major surgery that removes the head of the pancreas along with parts of the small intestine, gallbladder, and bile duct, most often to treat pancreatic cancer.

whipstitch

noun

A stitch that passes diagonally over an edge.

whirl

verb

To spin or turn around quickly.

whirligig

noun

Anything that whirls or spins around, such as a toy top or a merry-go-round.

whirling

adj

Spinning or turning rapidly.

whirlpool

noun

A powerful, swirling current of water that pulls objects toward its centre.

whirlwind

noun

A small, rapidly rotating column of air, such as a dust devil or small tornado.

whirlybird

noun

A helicopter.

whirr

verb

To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound.

whirring

noun

A continuous low buzzing or humming sound, often from something spinning quickly.

whisk

noun

A kitchen tool made of looped wires, used to beat eggs, cream, or batter.

whisker

noun

One of the long stiff hairs growing near the mouth of a cat or other animal.

whiskers

noun

Faded creases around the crotch of blue jeans. Can be added artificially or created by daily wear over the lifetime of a garment.

whiskey

noun

A strong alcoholic spirit distilled from fermented grain and usually aged in wooden barrels.

whisper

verb

To speak very quietly, using breath rather than the full voice, so only someone nearby can hear.

whisperer

noun

Someone who whispers, or, informally, someone with a special skill for calming or handling a particular kind of animal or difficult situation.

whispering

noun

The act or sound of speaking very quietly.

whist

noun

A card game for four players, an ancestor of bridge.

whistle

verb

To make a clear, high-pitched sound by forcing air through pursed lips or teeth.

whistler

noun

Someone who whistles, or a bird known for a whistling call.

whistling

noun

The act or sound of making a shrill, breathy noise through the lips.

whistness

noun

Witchcraft; supernatural dealings.

whit

noun

The smallest possible amount; a tiny bit.

Whitaker

name

An English surname, an occupational name for someone who worked with white leather, a "whittawer".

Whitby

name

A coastal town in North Yorkshire, England, associated in fiction with the arrival of Dracula.

white

adj

Reflecting all wavelengths of visible light equally; having the colour of snow or milk.

white screen

noun

A plain white backdrop used in photography, film and video production — either as a bright, shadow-free background for product or portrait shots, or occasionally as a chroma-key screen in place of green or blue.

white-collar

adjective

Relating to professional, managerial or office work rather than manual labour, and to the people who do it.

whitebeam

noun

Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Sorbus subg. Aria (now Aria edulis), native to Eurasia, especially common whitebeam.

whiteboy

noun

A member of the Whiteboys, a secret Irish agrarian organization in 18th-century Ireland, using violent tactics to defend tenant farmers' land rights for subsistence farming.

Whitechapel

name

A district in East London, historically associated with the Jack the Ripper murders.

Whitehall

name

A street and district in London that houses many British government offices, used as a metonym for the UK government.

whitehead

noun

A small white bump on the skin caused by a blocked pore trapping oil and dead skin cells.

whitelist

noun

A list of people, addresses, applications or sites that are explicitly approved and allowed through a filter or security control, when everything else is blocked.

whitemail

noun

A tactic to resist hostile takeover, in which the target company sells discounted stock to a friendly third party.

whiteman

name

A suburb in north-east Perth, Western Australia.

whiten

verb

(To cause) to become white or whiter; to bleach or blanch.

whiteness

noun

The quality or state of being white in colour.

whitening

noun

A substance, such as a bleach, used to make something white or whiter.

whiteout

noun

A heavy snowstorm; a blizzard.

whitepaper

noun

A document published by the people behind a cryptocurrency or blockchain project that sets out what it is meant to do and how it is designed to work, usually including its technical structure and how its tokens are to be issued.

whites

noun

White clothing worn as a uniform, such as a chef's jacket or cricket kit.

Whiteside

name

An English and Scottish surname, a topographic name for someone living by a white hillside or cliff.

whitewash

noun

A cheap white paint made from lime or chalk mixed with water, used to coat walls and fences.

whitewater

name

A number of places in the United States.

whitewood

noun

Any of several pale, light-coloured timbers, especially from the tulip tree or spruce, used in furniture and construction.

whitey

noun

A slang, often derogatory, term for a white person.

Whitfield

name

An English surname and place name meaning "white field".

whither

adv

To what place; where (used to ask about direction or destination).

whiting

noun

A small silvery sea fish related to cod, popular as a mild-flavoured food fish.

whitish

adj

Somewhat white, pale or almost white.

Whitley

name

An English surname and place name meaning "white meadow".

Whitlock

name

An English surname, possibly meaning "white lock (of hair)" or derived from a place name.

whitlow

noun

Inflammation and/or infection in the cuticle and/or the nailbed of a fingernail or toenail.

Whitman

name

An English surname meaning "white man", most famously borne by American poet Walt Whitman.

Whitmore

name

An English surname and place name meaning "white moor".

Whitney

name

An English surname and given name meaning "white island", famously borne by singer Whitney Houston.

Whittaker

name

An English surname, a variant spelling of Whitaker, an occupational name for a worker in white leather.

Whittier

name

An English surname, later used as a place and family name in the United States, notably associated with poet John Greenleaf Whittier.

whittle

verb

To shape a piece of wood by slicing off small slivers with a knife.

whittling

noun

The craft of carving shapes out of wood using a small knife.

Whitworth

name

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "white enclosure."

whiz

verb

To move fast with a buzzing or hissing sound.

whizzing

noun

The hissing or buzzing sound made by something moving very fast.

who

pron

Used to ask about the identity of a person or people.

whoa

intj

A command to stop or slow down, especially given to a horse.

whole

adj

Complete, with no part missing or removed.

wholehearted

adj

Showing enthusiastic and unconditional commitment; having no reservations.

wholeheartedly

adv

With complete sincerity and enthusiasm; without holding anything back.

wholemeal

adj

Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.

wholeness

noun

The quality of being whole.

wholesale

noun

The sale of goods in large quantities, typically to retailers rather than to individual customers.

wholesaler

noun

A business that buys goods in bulk from manufacturers and resells them to retailers.

wholesome

adj

Good for a person's physical health, especially in relation to food.

wholesomeness

noun

The state of being wholesome.

wholly

adv

Completely; entirely; with nothing left out.

whom

pron

The object form of "who," used when referring to the person a verb or preposition acts on.

whomever

pron

The object form of "whoever," referring to any person, whichever one it may be.

whomperjawed

adj

Askew, amiss; not fitting, moving or working properly.

whoo

intj

Used to express sudden joy, relief, or excitement.

whoop

noun

A loud shout of joy or excitement.