English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

whatchamacallit

noun

An informal word for an object whose name you can't remember or don't know.

whatdoyoucallit

noun

(informal) A thing whose name the speaker cannot recall.

whatever

det

Any at all, no matter which; used to show something applies without restriction.

whatevs

intj

An informal, clipped way of saying "whatever," used to show indifference.

whatness

noun

The basic nature or essential quality of something.

whatnot

noun

Small miscellaneous items or odds and ends.

whatsaname

noun

(informal) A person or thing whose name has slipped the speaker's mind.

WhatsApp

noun

A popular messaging app, launched in 2009 and later bought by Facebook, used for text, voice, and video communication.

whatsis

noun

(informal) A thing whose proper name the speaker cannot recall.

whatsit

noun

An informal name for a thing whose actual name you can't recall or don't want to say.

whatsitsname

noun

(informal) A thing whose name will not come to mind straight away.

whatsoever

det

At all; used after "no," "any," or "none" to add strong emphasis.

whatta

noun

A raised wooden platform once used in Tahiti for offering sacrificed animals.

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 try to persuade someone by flattering them.

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.

wheelrim

noun

The outer circular edge of a wheel, used especially in cars and bicycles.

wheels

noun

Informal word for a car or other vehicle.

wheelwright

noun

Someone whose trade is making and mending wheels, especially old wooden ones with spokes.

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 cover something completely, burying or submerging it.

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

(informal) At no particular time, whenever suits.

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

(archaic) To or in any place at all.

whetstone

noun

A hard stone with a flat surface, used for sharpening tools with a blade.

whew

intj

An exclamation of relief, exhaustion, or surprise.

whewee

intj

A 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

A gentle, low sound made by a horse.

whiff

noun

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

whiffle

noun

A brief puff of wind.

while

noun

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

whilend

adj

(archaic) Lasting only for a short time, not permanent.

whilere

adv

(archaic) A short time ago; previously.

whilom

adv

(archaic) At an earlier time; in the past.

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.

whimbrel

noun

A large migratory wading bird with a long, downward-curving bill.

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 quality of being whimsical or playfully odd.

whimsome

adj

Full of whim, playful and unpredictable in a light-hearted way.

whimsy

noun

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

whinchat

noun

A small songbird that feeds on insects and is found across the Old World.

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

(informal) To grumble or moan about something in an irritating, repeated way.

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 cocky young person who acts with more confidence than their experience deserves.

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 sewn at a slant across an edge to hold it together.

whirl

verb

To spin or turn around quickly.

whirligig

noun

Something that spins or revolves, like a spinning top or a carousel.

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

(informal) A helicopter.

whirr

verb

To make something move or shake while producing a low buzzing noise.

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

Pale fold-marks that form around the crotch area of denim jeans, which may be produced artificially or come about through everyday wear over the garment's life.

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 or dealings with the supernatural.

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

A deciduous tree from Eurasia belonging to a group within the genus Sorbus, especially the common kind.

whiteboard

noun

A board with a hard white surface that people write on with special markers and wipe clean.

whiteboy

noun

A member of a secret group of Irish farmers in the 1700s who used violence to protect tenants' rights to their land.

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 defence against a takeover in which a company sells cheap shares to an ally to keep control.

whiteman

name

The name of a suburb in north-east Perth, Western Australia.

whiten

verb

To make something white or whiter, or to become that way, often by bleaching.

whiteness

noun

The quality or state of being white in colour.

whitening

noun

A product, for example a bleach, applied to make something white or paler.

whiteout

noun

A severe snowstorm that blocks out visibility.

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

Fairly white, or pale, in colour.

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.