English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

English dictionary — definitions & meanings

Look up the definition and meaning of any English word. Every entry includes pronunciation, example sentences, synonyms, word origin and translations. Browse the dictionary A–Z or search for a word.

Browse the dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

“Z” Words

Local laws that control how land and buildings in a given area may be used.

Extremely fatigued.

A park where live animals are exhibited.

The practice of a human engaging in sexual intercourse with an animal

The practice of a human engaging in sexual intercourse with an animal

Resembling a zoo, or crowded and chaotic like one.

Someone whose job is to look after and care for animals in a zoo.

Relating to animals or to the scientific study of animals.

A scientist who studies animals and animal life.

The branch of biology concerned with animals — their structure, behaviour, evolution, and classification.

To move very quickly, often with a humming or rushing sound.

The sound, or the act, of moving very fast.

A boldly cut, oversized suit with wide, padded shoulders and high-waisted, tapered trousers, popular from the 1930s to 1950s.

Drunk or intoxicated; stoned; zonked.

A grade of scrap metal made mostly of shredded aluminum, left over after steel and iron are removed from crushed cars.

A Japanese sandal made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions.

A surname of German origin, meaning "anger" or "wrath."

A South American fox-like wild dog, more closely related to wolves than true foxes.

A Polish feminine given name, a diminutive of Zofia (Sophia).

An indigenous people living along the border between India and Myanmar.

Expressing anger, surprise, assertion etc.

An indication of astonishment or admiration.

A lesser deity in Akkadian mythology, depicted as a monstrous bird.

A binary star in the constellation Libra; alpha (α) Librae.

The brightest star in the constellation Libra; beta (β) Librae.

A long green summer squash with edible flesh and skin, known as a courgette in British English.

A surname of German origin, meaning "sugar," originally an occupational name for a sugar merchant.

A surname of German Jewish (Ashkenazic) origin, most famously borne by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

A member of the Zulu people, a Bantu ethnic group centred in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.

A surname, most notably that of South African politician Jacob Zuma.

A branded fitness workout that mixes Latin American dance moves with aerobic exercise, usually done in a group class to upbeat music.

A unisex given name, popular in African and African American communities, meaning "good" or "beautiful" in Swahili.

Switzerland's largest city, a major banking and financial centre, sitting at the northern tip of Lake Zurich.

A surname of German or Yiddish origin, meaning "branch" or "twig," most notably borne by the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig.

A form of rusk, usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp; considered easy to digest and therefore given to the ill and used as a teething food for toddlers.

Of, relating to, or located in the area of the zygomatic bone or zygomatic arch.

A eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes (“reproductive cells”) during a fertilization process.

The action of enzymes in breaking down organic substances during fermentation

A fermentation; hence, an analogous process by which an infectious disease is believed to be developed.