| D, d | (noun) 1 the fourth letter of the alphabet. 2 (mus) the second note of the scale of C major. |
| DA | (abbreviation) for District Attorney, the prosecuting officer of a district. |
| dab1 | (verb) (dabbed, dabbing) to touch or hit gently with something soft or damp (dab the wound with absorbent cotton). n 1 a gentle touch (give the wet ink a dab with some blotting paper). 2 a small lump of anything soft or damp (a dab of butter). |
| dab2 | (noun) a flatfish. |
| dabble | (verb) 1 to splash, to wet (dabble her fingers in the water). 2 to take up in a small way (dabble in witchcraft). n dabbler. |
| dachshund | (noun) a small dog with a long body and short legs. |
| Dactyliology | study of rings (see list of branches of science) |
| Dactylography | study of fingerprints (see list of branches of science) |
| Dactylology | study of sign language (see list of branches of science) |
| dad, daddy | (noun) (inf) father. |
| daddy-long-legs | (noun) the informal name for the crane fly, a fly with a long thin body and long spindly legs. |
| Daemonophobia | fear of demons (see list of phobias) |
| daffodil | (noun) a yellow bell-shaped spring flower. |
| daft | (adjective) (inf) foolish, silly (a daft idea). |
| dagger | (noun) a short sharp-pointed sword. |
| daily | (adjective) happening every day (a daily walk to the park). Also adv. n a daily newspaper (do you read the dailies?). |
| daintily | (adverb) 1 in a dainty way (dress daintily). 2 with very great care (eat daintily). n daintiness. |
| dainty | (adjective) small, delicate, and pretty (a dainty little girl). n daintiness. |
| dairy | (noun) a place where milk is sold, or made into butter or cheese. |
| dais | (noun) a low platform (a speaker addressing the school from a dais). |
| daisy | (noun) a common wild flower, usually white with a yellow center. |
| dalmatian | (noun) a large black-and-white spotted dog. |
| dam1 | (noun) a wall to stop or control the flow of water (the dam in the river). vb (dammed, damming) to keep back by a dam. |
| dam2 | (noun) (of animals) a mother. |
| damage | (noun) 1 injury, harm (storms causing a lot of damage da-mi-jeez/ money paid to make up for loss or harm (sue the driver of the car that hit her for damages). vb to harm. |
| dame | (noun) 1 the status of a lady of the same rank as a knight. 2 (inf) a woman. |
| damn | (verb) 1 in religion, to send to everlasting punishment (damn his soul). 2 to condemn, to declare to be bad (a play damned by the critics). 3 to curse (damn you!). n a curse. |
| damning | Collective noun for jurors (A damning of jurors) (see list of collective nouns) |
| damp | (adjective) slightly wet (damp hair damp-ness/. |
| dampen | (verb) 1 to make or become damp (dampen the shirt before ironing). 2 to make less strong, etc (dampen his enthusiasm). |
| dance | (verb) 1 to move in time to music. 2 to move in a lively way (children dancing about in excitement). n 1 act of dancing. 2 a social gathering for the purpose of dancing (invite her to a formal dance). n dancer. |
| dandelion | (noun) a wild plant with a yellow flower. |
| dandruff | (noun) small pieces of dead skin on the scalp. |
| dandy1 | (noun) a man who pays what is considered to be too much attention to his appearance and clothes. adj dandified. |
| dandy2 | (adjective) great or fine (that’s just dandy!). |
| danger | (noun) 1 the risk of hurt or harm (with her life in danger). 2 something that may cause harm, injury, death, etc (wild animals that are a danger to the villagers/the dangers of modern living). |
| dangerous | (adjective) full of risks (a dangerous journey). |
| dangle | (verb) to hang loosely (with her purse dangling from her wrist). |
| dank | (adjective) cold and damp (a dank cellar). |
| dapple, dappled | (adjective) marked with spots of a different shade (dappled ponies). |
| dare | (verb) 1 to be brave enough (to), to undertake to do (he dared to ask the boss for more money/who would dare to climb Everest?). 2 to challenge (dare the boy to climb to the roof). n a challenge. |
| daredevil | (noun) a person who is ready to face any danger. |
| daring | (adjective) brave, fearless (a daring young man/a daring attempt). n courage. |
| dark | (adjective) 1 without light (dark nights dark-ness/. |
| darken | (verb) to make or become darker (a complexion darkened by the sun). |
| darkroom | (noun) a room that is kept dark in which photographs are developed and printed. |
| darling | (noun) a person who is dearly loved (you are a darling a darling little cottage). |
| darn | (verb) to mend holes in clothes. Also n. |
| dart | (noun) 1 a pointed weapon thrown by hand. 2 a sudden quick movement (in one dart the child escaped). 3 in needlework, a small pleat. npl a game in which darts are thrown at a target. vb to move quickly (the child darted out of the door). |
| dash | (verb) 1 to run quickly. 2 to smash against (waves dashing against the rocks). 3 to discourage (dash all their hopes). n 1 a quick movement. 2 a small amount (a dash of milk). 3 a mark of punctuation (—). |
| dash | Collective noun for commuters (A dash of commuters) (see list of collective nouns) |
| dashboard | (noun) the instrument board in a car. |
| dasher | (noun) 1 someone who dashes. 2 a part of a cream churn. |
| data | (noun, plural) (now often regarded as a singular noun, see datum) a known fact or piece of information (consider all the data relating to population/process computer data). |
| database | (noun) a collection of data that is stored in a computer. |
| date1 | (noun) 1 the day and month and/or year in which something happened or is going to happen (the date of the next meeting). 2 (inf) an arrangement to meet at a certain time, especially a social meeting with a member of the opposite sex. vb 1 to write the date on (dated the letter). 2 (inf) to make a date, often to see a romantic partner (dating the boy next door). date from to have a beginning at a certain time (houses dating from the 18th century). out of date no longer in use (machinery that is out of date). |
| date2 | (noun) the edible fruit of the date palm. |
| dateline | (noun) the line in the Pacific Ocean where one day is regarded as beginning and another as ending. |
| datum | singular of data. |
| daub | (verb) 1 to put on in lumps or smears (clothing daubed with mud/daub paint on). 2 to paint roughly (daub the walls red with paint). n a smear (a daub of mud). |
| daughter | (noun) a parent’s female child. |
| daughter-in-law | (noun) (pl daughters-in-law) the wife of a son. |
| daunt | (verb) to make less brave, to discourage (she refused to be daunted by the remarks of her critics dawnt-less/. |
| dawdle | (verb) to move slowly, often stopping; to waste time (dawdling along, late for school). |
| dawn | (noun) 1 the beginning of day. 2 a beginning (at the dawn of civilization). vb to grow light. dawn on to become clear eventually (it suddenly dawned on me that I was on the wrong train). |
| dawn | Collective noun for morning glories (A dawn of morning glories) (see list of collective nouns) |
| day | (noun) 1 during daylight. 2 24 hours. |
| day care | (noun) 1 the taking care of children, during daytime, usually while their parents are at work. 2 the place where children go to be taken care of. |
| daybreak | (noun) the beginning of day, dawn (set out on our journey at daybreak). |
| daydream | (verb) to dream while awake (daydream of being rich one day). Also n. |
| daylight | (noun) the light of day. |
| daytime | (noun) the hours of day. |
| daze | (verb) to confuse, to bewilder (dazed by the bang on the head/dazed by the bad news). n confusion. |
| dazzle | (verb) 1 to prevent from seeing clearly with strong light (car headlights dazzling rabbits). 2 to confuse or impress (dazzled by her beauty). |
| de luxe | (adjective) luxurious, top-quality. |
| dead | (adjective) 1 without life (dead bodies). 2 dull, lifeless (a dead expression). 3 absolute, complete (come to a dead stop). 4 not working (the phone is dead). adv 1 completely (dead tired). 2 straight (dead ahead). the dead dead people (prayers for the dead). |
| dead end | (noun) a road that is closed at one end. |
| deaden | (verb) to dull, to lessen (deaden the pain). |
| deadline | (noun) a time by which something must be done (Tomorrow is the deadline for applications for the job). |
| deadlock | (noun) a complete disagreement (talks between the two sides have reached deadlock). |
| deadly | (adjective) 1 causing death (a deadly disease ded-lee-ness/. |
| deaf | (adjective) 1 unable to hear (are you deaf?) 2 (cap) relating to the Deaf and to their culture (the Deaf community communicates using American Sign Language [ASL]). 3 unwilling to listen (deaf to our request for mercy). n 1 (used with the) Deaf people considered as a group. 2 the community of deaf people who use American Sign Language. Usage: There is a distinction between deaf and Deaf. The capitalized form is used to refer to deaf people who use American Sign Language as their preferred means of communication. n deafness. |
| deafen | (verb) to make deaf (noise that would deafen you). adj deafening. |
| deal | (noun) 1 an amount (a great deal of money delt/) 1 to give out (cards). 2 to cope with, to handle (deal with the problem). 3 to do business with (will deal only with the owner of the firm). |
| deal | Collective noun for agents (A deal of agents) (see list of collective nouns) |
| dealer | (noun) 1 a person who buys and sells (a dealer in antiques). 2 a person who gives out playing cards in a game. |
| dealings | (noun, plural) acts of business, relations (wish to have no further dealings with them). |
| dean | (noun) 1 the chief of the clergy who staff a cathedral. 2 the head of a university faculty. |
| dear | (adjective) 1 well loved (my dear mother). 2 expensive, high in price (dear food deer-ness deer-lee/. |
| dearth | Collective noun for nurses (A dearth of nurses) (see list of collective nouns) |
| death | (noun) 1 act of dying. 2 state of being dead. |
| deathly | (adjective) and adv like death (deathly pale). |
| deathtrap | (noun) (inf) a place that is very dangerous (the floor of that old cottage is a real deathtrap). |
| debate | (noun) 1 an argument (a lot of debate over where to go on vacation). 2 the formal discussion of a question in public (a debate in the Senate). vb 1 to argue. 2 to discuss. adj debatable. |
| debilitate | (verb) to weaken (debilitated by a long illness). |
| debility | (noun) weakness (the debility of the patient). |
| debris | (noun) 1 the remains of something broken, destroyed, etc; wreckage (the debris of the crashed plane). 2 garbage, etc (clear up the debris after the party). |
| debt | (noun) anything owed (he had run up a lot of debt over the years). |
| debtor | (noun) a person who owes. |
| debug | (noun) to correct the errors in a computer program. |
| debut | (noun) a first appearance in public (the talented young actress made a very successful debut). |
| decade | (noun) 1 a period of 10 years. 2 (inf) a long time (I haven’t seen her in decades). |
| decaffeinated | (adjective) of a drink such as coffee, having had most of the caffeine removed, often abbreviated to decaf. |
| decagon | (noun) a figure with 10 sides. adj decagonal. |
| decamp | (verb) to go away secretly (decamp without paying their bills). |
| decant | (verb) to pour carefully from one vessel to another (he carefully decanted wine from a bottle into a carafe). |
| decanter | (noun) a stoppered bottle in which wine or spirits are served. |
| decapitate | (verb) to cut off a person’s head. n decapitation. |
| decathlon | (noun) a track-and-field event in which people compete in 10 different sports (he came first in the decathlon). |
| decay | (verb) 1 to go rotten (teeth decaying). 2 to fall into ruin (buildings decaying from lack of maintenance). Also n. |
| deceased | (adjective) dead. n a dead person (bury the deceased). |
| deceit | (noun) anything said or done to deceive; trickery (capable of great deceit di-seet-ful/. |
| deceit | Collective noun for lapwings (A deceit of lapwings) (see list of collective nouns) |
| deceive | (verb) to make someone believe what is not true; to trick (he deceived them into believing he was a real doctor). n deceiver. |
| December | (noun) the 12th month of the year. |
| decency | see decent. |
| decent | (adjective) 1 proper, not shocking (the school rules say wear a skirt of a decent length). 2 reasonable, satisfactory (get a decent meal). n decency. |
| deception | (noun) 1 act of deceiving. 2 a trick, pretense (gain entrance by a deception). adj deceptive. |
| decibel | (noun) a unit for measuring how loud something is. |
| decide | (verb) 1 to make up your mind (decided to go on vacation). 2 to settle a question, etc (a goal deciding the match). |
| decided | (adjective) 1 firm. 2 definite. |
| decidedly | (adverb) undoubtedly (feel decidedly sick). |
| Decidophobia | fear of making decisions (see list of phobias) |
| deciduous | (adjective) having leaves that drop off in the fall. |
| decimal | (adjective) counted by tens, hundreds, etc (0.25 is the decimal way of expressing one quarter). n a fraction worked out to the nearest tenth, hundredth, etc. |
| decimal point | (noun) a period, or full stop, in a number that is used to show fractions. The numbers appearing to the right of the period are less than 1 (the number 1.75 is the numeral 1 with the fraction three quarters—the fraction appears after the decimal point). |
| decimal system | (noun) a system of weights, measures, and money based on multiplying and dividing by 10. |
| decipher | (verb) to work out the meaning of (decipher her bad handwriting/decipher the enemy’s code). |
| decision | (noun) 1 act of deciding (come to a decision). 2 a judgment (the judge’s decision is final). |
| decisive | (adjective) 1 firm (stop changing your mind and be decisive). 2 settling a matter finally (a decisive battle). |
| decisively | (adverb) firmly, clearly. |
| deck | (verb) (fml) to cover, to decorate (deck the room with holly/deck yourself out in your best). n the covering or floor on a ship. |
| deck | Collective noun for cards (A deck of cards) (see list of collective nouns) |
| deck | Collective noun for playing cards (A deck of playing cards) (see list of collective nouns) |
| declare | (verb) 1 to make known, to announce (declared war de-cla-ray-shun/. |
| decline | (verb) 1 to refuse (decline the invitation). 2 to slope downward. 3 to become worse or weaker (her state of health is declining). 4 to give the cases of a noun or adjective. n a gradual worsening or weakening (a noticeable decline in standards). |
| decode | (verb) to work out the meaning of a message in code. |
| decompose | (verb) to decay, to rot (vegetables decomposing on the compost heap dee-com-po-zi-shun/. |
| decontaminate | (verb) to free from what is infectious or harmful (decontaminating the radioactive area). n decontamination. |
| décor | (noun) the style of decoration in a room or house. |
| decorate | (verb) 1 to make beautiful or ornamental (decorating the Christmas tree). 2 to put wallpaper, paint, etc, on the walls of (decorate the kitchen). 3 to give a badge or medal of honor to (decorate the soldiers for bravery). n decoration. |
| decorative | (adjective) ornamental (a fireplace that was purely decorative). |
| decorator | (noun) a person who paints and wallpapers houses. |
| decorum | Collective noun for deans (A decorum of deans) (see list of collective nouns) |
| decoy | (noun) anything intended to lead people, animals, etc, into a trap (use her child as a decoy to get her into the car). vb to lead into a trap, to trick into a place of danger by using a decoy (decoyed him into the cellar by saying his son was there). |
| decrease | (verb) to become or make less (the number of students is decreasing dee-creess/ a lessening (a decrease in the number of patients). |
| decree | (noun) 1 an order or law (a decree forbidding hunting). 2 a judgment at law. vb to make a decree. |
| decrepit | (adjective) broken down with age (a decrepit old man di-cre-pi-tood/. |
| dedicate | (verb) 1 to set apart for a special purpose (dedicating her life to medicine). 2 to offer to God. 3 to write another’s name at the beginning of a book to show that you think highly of him or her. n dedication. adj dedicatory. |
| deduce | (verb) to work out a truth from things already known (from the evidence the police deduced that he was guilty). adj deductive. |
| deduct | (verb) to subtract, to take away (deduct the price of the broken vase from her pay check). |
| deduction | (noun) 1 an amount taken away (tax deductions from his pay check). 2 a conclusion worked out from things already known (the deduction made by the police). |
| deed | (noun) 1 that which is done, an act (a brave deed/a foolish deed). 2 a written agreement (she signed a deed transferring her house to her daughter). |
| deem | (verb) (fml) to judge, to consider (deem her unworthy to marry her son). |
| deep | (adjective) 1 going far down (a deep hole a very deep person). 3 strongly felt (deep feelings). 4 cunning (a deep plot). 5 (of sounds) low in pitch. 6 (of color) strong, dark, intense (a deep purple). the deep the sea. |
| deepen | (verb) to become or make deep (his voice deepened/deepen the hole). |
| deer | (noun) (pl deer) a swift-moving animal with hooves and horns (e.g. the reindeer). |
| deface | (verb) to damage, to spoil the appearance of (deface the walls with graffiti). n defacement. |
| default | (noun) 1 failure to do what is necessary. 2 failure to pay a debt. 3 the action that a computer takes unless you give it a different command. Also vb. n defaulter. |
| defeat | (verb) 1 to beat in a fight or contest. 2 to make to fail. n a lost fight or contest. |
| defeatist | (adjective) expecting or being ready to accept defeat or failure (don’t be so defeatist—if you start work now you could still pass your exams). n a defeatist person. n defeatism. |
| Defecaloesiophobia | fear of painful bowels movements (see list of phobias) |
| defect1 | (noun) a fault or flaw (a defect in the fabric/a defect in his character). |
| defect2 | (verb) to desert a country, army, group, or political party to join an opposing one (soldiers defecting to the enemy di-fec-shun/. |
| defective | (adjective) 1 below average or normal (mentally defective). 2 faulty, flawed (defective goods). |
| defend | (verb) 1 to protect or guard against attack (defend the city against the invaders). 2 to give reasons in support of your ideas (defend their economic policy). 3 to present the case for an accused person (defending the accused). |
| defendant | (noun) in law, the person accused. |
| defense | (noun) also defence (Br) 1 the act of holding off an attack (join in the defense of the city against the invader). 2 that which protects (thick castle walls acting as a defense). 3 the arguments in favor of an accused person, especially in a court of law. |
| defenseless | (adjective) also defenceless (Br) without protection (defenseless children). |
| defensible | (adjective) able to be defended (behavior that is scarcely defensible). |
| defensive | (adjective) 1 suitable for defense, protecting (defensive weapons). 2 ready to defend against attack (she always adopts a defensive attitude against criticism). n state of defending. |
| defer1 | (verb) (deferred, deferring) to put off until later (defer the meeting planned for today). n deferment. |
| defer2 | (verb) (deferred, deferring) to give in to another’s wishes from respect (defer to more experienced people). |
| defiance | (noun) defiant behavior (in defiance of her teachers/in defiance of the law). |
| defiant | (adjective) fearlessly and boldly refusing to obey (a defiant child/a defiant attitude). |
| deficiency | (noun) lack, want (a deficiency of vitamin C). |
| deficient | (adjective) lacking something that should be present (a diet deficient in fresh fruit/deficient in common sense). |
| deficit | (noun) the amount by which a sum of money falls short of what is needed; a shortage (annual accounts showing a deficit of thousands of dollars). |
| deficit | Collective noun for economists (A deficit of economists) (see list of collective nouns) |
| define | (verb) 1 to mark out the limits of (define the boundary of their land). 2 to explain exactly (defining a difficult word/define your terms). |
| definite | (adjective) fixed, certain (definite plans). adv definitely. |
| definition | (noun) an exact meaning or explanation. |
| definitive | (adjective) 1 clear and certain. 2 final. |
| deflate | (verb) 1 to let the air out of (deflating tires). 2 to reduce, especially someone’s pride, importance, etc. n deflation. |
| deflect | (verb) to make to change direction, to turn aside (deflect the blow with his arm di-flec-shun/. |
| deforest | (verb) to clear a forest by cutting down or burning trees in an area. n deforestation. |
| deform | (verb) to spoil the shape or appearance of (her beauty was deformed by a birthmark/deform the landscape with ugly buildings). |
| deformed | (adjective) badly or unnaturally shaped. n deformity. |
| defraud | (verb) to cheat (defraud the old man of his savings). |
| defrost | (verb) to thaw out frozen food. |
| deft | (adjective) skillful (deft fingers a deft handling of the situation). n deftness. |
| defunct | (adjective) dead, out of existence (customs now defunct). |
| defuse | (verb) 1 to remove the fuse from (defuse the bomb). 2 to calm down (defuse the situation). |
| defy | (verb) 1 to challenge. 2 to refuse to obey or to respect. 3 to care nothing for. |
| degenerate | (verb) to become worse, to lose good qualities (the meeting started off well but it degenerated into a loud argument). Also adj.(noun) a person whose character has become worse (a moral degenerate). n degeneracy, degeneration.
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| degrade | (verb) 1 to lower in rank or importance. 2 to disgrace (the family were degraded by their son’s brutal behavior). n degradation.
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| degree | (noun) 1 a step or stage (be promoted by degrees/make progress by degrees). 2 a unit of measurement for heat, angles, etc. 3 the title given by a university to those who reach a certain standard of learning.
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| dehydrate | (verb) 1 to take the water out of (dehydrated vegetables). 2 to lose water from the body (dehydrated from walking in the severe heat).
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| de-ice | (verb) to remove ice or frost from a vehicle’s windshield, etc. n de-icer.
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| Deipnophobia | fear of dining or dinner conversations (see list of phobias) |
| deity | (noun) a god or goddess. the Deity God.
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| déjà vu | (noun) the feeling that you have experienced something before.
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| dejected | (adjective) sad, discouraged (felt dejected when he failed to win). n dejection.
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| delay | (verb) 1 to put off till later (delaying the start of the meeting). 2 to make late (a plane delayed by fog). 3 to wait before going on (we delayed a bit before starting out). Also n.
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| delectable | (adjective) (fml) delightful, very pleasing (the creamy dessert was a delectable sight).
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| delegate | (verb) 1 to send a person to act or speak for others. 2 to give certain powers to another. na person who acts or speaks for others (our union delegate at the conference).
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| delegation | (noun) a body of delegates.
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| delegation | Collective noun for ambassadors (A delegation of ambassadors) (see list of collective nouns) |
| delete | (verb) to rub out, to cross out, to remove (deleting the second paragraph of the report). n deletion.
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| deli | see delicatessen.
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| deliberate | (verb) 1 (fml) to think over carefully, to consider (take time to deliberate whether to go or not de-li-be-rit de-li-be-rate-lee/.
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| deliberation | (noun) (fml) 1 careful thought. 2 discussion.
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| delicate | (adjective) 1 fine, easily hurt, or damaged (delicate skin of a delicate constitution). 4 light, subtle (delicate shades of pink de-li-ca-see/.
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| delicatessen | (noun) a store, or part of one, that sells cold meats and cheese and specialty foods from other countries. Often shortened to deli.
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| delicatessen | Collective noun for gourmands (A delicatessen of gourmands) (see list of collective nouns) |
| delicatessen | Collective noun for gourmets (A delicatessen of gourmets) (see list of collective nouns) |
| delicious | (adjective) very pleasing, especially to the taste (delicious food/delicious smells).
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| delight | (noun) great joy or pleasure (take delight in reading/one of the delights of living in the country). vb to gladden, to give great joy (delighted by the news).
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| delightful | (adjective) causing delight, pleasant (a delightful day di-lite-fu-lee/.
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| delinquency | (noun) 1 (fml) failure to do duty (the soldier’s delinquency in being asleep on duty). 2 wrongdoing, minor crime (juvenile delinquency).
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| delinquent | (adjective) 1 (fml) not doing your duty. 2 doing wrong, committing minor crimes (delinquent young people). n 1 a person who does not do his or her duty. 2 a wrongdoer, especially a young one.
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| delirious | (adjective) 1 wandering in the mind (delirious after the blow to his head). 2 highly excited (children delirious with excitement at the idea of going to the theme park). n delirium.
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| deliver | (verb) 1 (fml) to set free, to rescue (deliver them from slavery). 2 to hand over (deliver the parcel). 3 to make (a speech). 4 to aim (deliver a blow).
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| delivery | (noun) 1 childbirth (present at the delivery of his son). 2 a giving out of letters, parcels, etc (postal delivery). 3 manner of speaking in public (a clear delivery).
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| dell | (noun) a small valley.
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| delta | (noun) the land between the branches of a river with two or more mouths.
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| Deltiology | collection of postcards (see list of hobbies) |
| delude | (verb) to deceive, to trick (deluding his parents into thinking she was doing well at school).
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| deluge | (noun) a great flood.
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| delusion | (noun) a mistaken belief (parents under the delusion that their children were studying).
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| delusive | (adjective) deceiving, misleading (the results were delusive).
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| delusory | see delusive.
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| delve | (verb) (old) to dig, to search deeply (delving in her purse for change/delved into old records for details of her family history).
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| demand | (verb) 1 to ask for firmly or sharply (demand to see the manager/demand her rights). 2 require or need (a situation demanding tact). n 1 a claim. 2 a pressing request.
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| demean | (verb) to lower (yourself) (refuse to demean yourself to associate with a thief).
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| demeanor | (noun) (fml), also demeanour (Br)behavior, manner (a cheerful demeanor).
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| Dementophobia | fear of insanity (see list of phobias) |
| demi- | prefix half.
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| demigod | (noun) in fable, a being that is half-human, half-divine.
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| demise | (noun) 1 (fml) death (after the demise of his father). 2 end, often due to failure (the demise of his business).
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| democracy | (noun) 1 government by the people. 2 a state that is governed by the people or by persons elected by the people.
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| Democrat | (noun) a member or supporter of the Democratic Party. adj Democratic.
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| democrat | (noun) a person who believes in democracy. adj democratic.
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| Democratic Party | (noun) one of the main political parties of the US (the symbol of the Democratic Party is the donkey).
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| Demography | study of population (see list of branches of science) |
| demolish | (verb) 1 to pull down (demolish the dangerous old buildings). 2 to destroy (demolish their argument). n demolition (he helped to prepare the old building for demolition).
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| Demology | study of human behaviour (see list of branches of science) |
| demon | (noun) an evil spirit, a devil.
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| Demonophobia | fear of demons (see list of phobias) |
| demonstrate | (verb) 1 to show (demonstrated his affection by bringing her flowers). 2 to show how something works (demonstrate the new washing machine). 3 to take part in a public show of strong feeling or opinion, often with marching, large signs, etc (the students were demonstrating against cuts in their grants). n demonstrator.
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| demonstration | (noun) 1 a proof (he brought her flowers as a demonstration of his affection). 2 action taken by a crowd to show their feelings (a demonstration against racism). 3 a display to show how something works (a demonstration of the new vacuum cleaner).
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| demonstrative | (adjective) 1 indicating the person or thing referred to (a demonstrative pronoun). 2 quick to show feelings, showing feelings openly (a demonstrative person/so demonstrative that she gave him a hug).
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| Demophobia | fear of crowds (see list of phobias) |
| demoralize | (verb) also demoralise (Br) to weaken the courage or self-confidence of (a defeat that demoralized the troops). n demoralization, also demoralization (Br).
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| demure | (adjective) serious and modest in manner (a demure young girl). n demureness.
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| den | (noun) 1 the home (cave, hole, etc) of a wild beast (the lion’s den). 2 a secret meeting place (a den of thieves). 3 (inf) a small room for studying in.
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| den | Collective noun for snakes (A den of snakes) (see list of collective nouns) |
| Dendrochronology | study of tree rings (see list of branches of science) |
| Dendrology | study of trees (see list of branches of science) |
| Dendrophobia | fear of trees (see list of phobias) |
| denim | (noun) a cotton material used for jeans, overalls, etc (she was wearing designer jeans made of blue denim).
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| denomination | (noun) 1 a class or unit of measurement or money (coins of low denomination). 2 all those sharing the same religious beliefs.
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| denominational | (adjective) having to do with a religious group or sect (the school was non-denominational).
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| denominator | (noun) the number below the line in a vulgar fraction (in 3/4 the denominator is 4).
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| denote | (verb) to be a sign of, to mean (a silence that probably denoted guilt/a sign denoting the speed restriction for that stretch of the road).
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| denounce | (verb) to speak openly against, to accuse publicly (the principal denounced the culprits at assembly). n denunciation.
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| dense | (adjective) 1 thick (dense fog). 2 closely packed (a dense crowd). 3 stupid (dense students).
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| density | (noun) thickness.
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| dent | (noun) a hollow made by a blow or by pressure on the surface (a dent in his car after the collision/the dent in the pillow made by her head). Also vb.
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| dental | (adjective) having to do with the teeth (dental treatment).
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| dental floss | (noun), also floss a fine string or tape used to clean between the teeth.
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| dentist | (noun) a person qualified to take out or repair bad teeth, make false teeth, and in general care for the teeth of his patients (a recently qualified dentist). n dentistry.
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| Dentophobia | fear of dentists (see list of phobias) |
| denture | (noun) a set of artificial teeth.
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| denunciation | see denounce.
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| deny | (verb) 1 to say that something is not true (deny that he is guilty di-nie-al/.
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| deodorant | (noun) a liquid or powder that takes away or hides bad smells (she put on an underarm deodorant after her shower).
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| deodorize | (verb) (fml), also deodorise (Br) to take away the smell from.
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| Deontology | study of moral obligation (see list of branches of science) |
| depart | (verb) 1 (fml) to go away, to set out (the train departs from platform six di-par-chur/.
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| department | (noun) a separate part (the sales department/the toy department).
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| department store | (noun) a large store that has many different sections, each selling a different type of goods.
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| departure | see depart.
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| depend | (verb) 1 to be likely to happen only under certain conditions (our vacation depends on our having enough money). 2 to trust, to rely on (depend on his assistant). 3 to need for your support (charities depend on the public for donations).
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| dependable | (adjective) trustworthy (dependable employees).
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| dependant | (noun) a person who looks to another for support or livelihood (have a wife and three children as dependants).
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| dependence | (noun) the state of depending.
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| dependency | (noun) a country governed by another country.
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| dependent | (adjective) 1 relying on another for support (countries dependent on foreign aid). 2 to be decided by (whether we have a picnic is dependent on the weather).
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| depict | (verb) 1 to describe (the book depicts Victorian London). 2 to draw, paint, etc (a painting depicting a cornfield).
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| deplete | (verb) to lessen in amount, size, or numbers (the number of spectators was depleted by the weather). n depletion.
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| deplorable | (adjective) very bad, regrettable (deplorable behavior).
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| deplore | (verb) to regret, to express disapproval of (deploring their behavior).
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| deploy | (verb) to spread out over a wide front (deployed troops). n deployment.
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| deport | (verb) 1 to send a person out of the country in punishment (formerly criminals were deported from Britain to Australia). 2 (fml) to behave (yourself) (deport yourself well).
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| deportation | (noun) the act of sending out of the country.
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| deportment | (noun) (fml) the manner in which you stand, move, etc (improve your deportment).
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| depose | (verb) to remove from high office or the throne (deposing the king). n deposition
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| deposit | (verb) 1 (fml) to lay down (deposit the books on the table). 2 to put in a safe place (depositing her jewelry in the bank). n 1 an amount paid into a bank (make several large deposits). 2 a first payment toward a larger amount (put down a deposit on a TV set). 3 solid matter in liquid, collecting at the bottom (the deposit at the bottom of a bottle of wine).
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| depository | (noun) a storehouse.
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| depot | (noun) 1 a storehouse. 2 a military station or headquarters. 3 a garage for buses (after its last run the bus returned to the depot).
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| depreciate | (verb) 1 to lower the value of (houses depreciating in value di-pree-shee-ay-shun/.
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| depress | (verb) 1 to press down, to lower (depress the lever to start the machine). 2 to make sad (winter depresses him).
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| depression | (noun) 1 gloom, sadness (suffer from depression). 2 a hollow (a depression in the soil where the box had stood). 3 low atmospheric pressure, causing unsettled or stormy weather.
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| deprivation | (noun) 1 loss (the deprivation of their rights). 2 want, hardship (live in deprivation).
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| deprive | (verb) to take away from (war depriving them of their father/people deprived of their rights).
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| depth | (noun) 1 deepness (the depth of the water). 2 strength (of feeling) (the depth of her love the depths of winter).
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| depute | (verb) 1 to send someone to act or speak for others. 2 to hand over to someone else to do (deputing the task of collecting the money to him). adj acting for another. vb deputize also deputise (Br).
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| deputy | (noun) a person who acts for another (the principal’s deputy).
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| derail | (verb) to cause to leave the rails (trains derailed in a collision). n derailment.
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| deranged | (adjective) mad, insane (so deranged that he is a danger to himself and others).
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| derelict | (adjective) left as useless (nobody lived in the derelict old houses).
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| derivation | (noun) the history of something back to its earliest known form.
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| derivative | (noun) something made from or coming from another thing. adj not original, copying others (a derivative style of painting).
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| derive | (verb) 1 to obtain from (deriving comfort from their presence her popularity derives from her pleasantness).
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| Dermatoglyphics | study of skin patterns and fingerprints (see list of branches of science) |
| Dermatology | study of skin (see list of branches of science) |
| dermatology | (noun) the study of the skin and its diseases. n dermatologist.
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| Dermatopathophobia | fear of skin disease (see list of phobias) |
| Dermatophobia | fear of skin disease or skin lesions (see list of phobias) |
| Dermatosiophobia | fear of skin disease (see list of phobias) |
| derrick | (noun) a type of crane (used in drilling oil wells).
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| descend | (verb) 1 to climb down (descending the mountain). 2 to attack (thieves descended on the travelers). 3 to have as an ancestor (descended from Abraham Lincoln).
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| descendant | (noun) someone who has a certain person as an ancestor (a descendant of Abraham Lincoln).
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| descent | (noun) 1 (fml) act of climbing down (the descent of the mountain). 2 a slope (a slippery descent). 3 a sudden attack (the terrorists’ descent on the tourists). 4 a line of ancestors (proud of his royal descent).
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| descent | Collective noun for relatives (A descent of relatives) (see list of collective nouns) |
| descent | Collective noun for woodpeckers (A descent of woodpeckers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| describe | (verb) 1 to tell what happened (describing the visit of the president di-scrip-shun di-scrip-tiv/.
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| desert1 | (adjective) without inhabitants (a desert island). n a large area of barren, often sandy, land (camels in the desert).
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| desert2 | (verb) 1 to leave, to run away from (desert his wife and children). 2 to go away from (your duty) (soldiers deserting their posts). n desertion.
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| deserter | (noun) a person who leaves the army, navy, etc, without permission.
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| deserts | (noun, plural) that which is deserved (good or bad) (one way or another he will get his just deserts).
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| deserve | (verb) to be worthy of (deserve a medal for bravery). adj deserving.
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| deservedly | (adverb) justly (punished deservedly).
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| design | (verb) 1 to make a plan of (design a swimming pool/design clothing). 2 to plan, to intend (a scheme designed to save money). n 1 a plan or drawing of something to be made (the design for the new building). 2 a plan, a purpose (they met by design). 3 a pattern (a checkered design).
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| design | Collective noun for engineers (A design of engineers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| designate | (verb) 1 to name (an area designated a bird sanctuary). 2 to point out (crosses on the map designating churches). 3 to appoint to a particular post or position (designated sportswoman of the year). adj appointed to a post, but not yet in it (vice-president designate).
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| designation | (noun) (fml) name, title (a firm trading under a new designation).
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| designer | (adjective) made by a famous designer and bearing a label with that name on it (unable to afford designer clothing).
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| designing | (adjective) always planning cunningly or to gain advantage (a designing woman who always gets what she wants).
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| desirable | (adjective) 1 much wanted (a desirable job). 2 arousing longing for (a desirable woman). n desirability.
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| desire | (verb) 1 (fml) to wish for, to long for (desiring happiness). 2 to be physically attracted to. n 1 a longing, a wish (their desire for peace di-zie-rus/
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| desk | (noun) a table for reading or writing at.
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| desktop | (noun) 1 the surface of a desk. 2 (comput) the backdrop on a computer screen on which icons and windows appear. adj suitable for use on a desk (a desktop computer).
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| desktop publishing | (noun) the act or business of printing and publishing material by means of a desktop computer.
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| Desmology | study of ligaments (see list of branches of science) |
| desolate | (adjective) 1 deserted and miserable (a desolate part of the world). 2 miserable, lonely (desolate at the death of his wife). vb to lay waste.
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| desolation | (noun) 1 loneliness, grief (the desolation of the widow). 2 a wilderness (areas of desolation).
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| despair | (verb) to be without hope, to give up hope (despair of ever getting a job). n hopelessness.
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| despatch | see dispatch.
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| desperate | (adjective) 1 hopeless, and therefore ready to take risks (a desperate criminal de-spe-ray-shun/.
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| desperation | Collective noun for divorcees (A desperation of divorcees) (see list of collective nouns) |
| despicable | (adjective) mean, deserving to be despised (a despicable trick).
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| despise | (verb) to look down upon, to consider worthless (despised him for hitting a child).
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| despite | (preposition) in spite of.
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| despondent | (adjective) without hope, downcast (despondent after her failure in the exam). n despondency.
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| dessert | (noun) the sweet course at the end of a meal (have fresh fruit for dessert).
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| destination | (noun) the place to which a person or thing is going (arrive at our destination).
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| destined | (adjective) marked out for a special purpose (a young woman destined for greatness).
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| destiny | (noun) a power that seems to arrange people’s lives in advance; fate.
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| destitute | (adjective) in great want, very poor (homeless and destitute). n destitution.
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| destroy | (verb) 1 to break to pieces (a house destroyed by fire). 2 to ruin (destroying all our hopes). 3 to kill (a poison that destroys rats).
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| destroyer | (noun) 1 a person who destroys. 2 a fast-moving warship.
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| destructible | (adjective) able to be destroyed.
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| destruction | (noun) 1 the act of destroying (the destruction of the house by fire). 2 ruin (the destruction of our hopes/the destruction of the Roman Empire). 3 death (the destruction of the rats by poison).
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| destruction | Collective noun for wildcats (A destruction of wildcats) (see list of collective nouns) |
| destructive | (adjective) 1 causing ruin (destructive fire). 2 unhelpful (destructive criticism).
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| detach | (verb) 1 to unfasten (detach the lead from the dog’s collar). 2 to take away from the rest (a group of soldiers detached to guard the castle).
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| detachable | (adjective) able to be detached (a coat with a detachable hood).
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| detached | (adjective) 1 separate, not joined to others (a detached house). 2 not influenced by others, impartial (take a detached view/a detached judgment).
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| detachment | (noun) 1 a group of soldiers taken away from a larger group. 2 freedom from prejudice, impartiality (judges require detachment).
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| detail | (verb) 1 (fml) to give a very full account or description (detailing the tasks to be carried out). 2 to set apart for a particular job (detailed soldiers to guard the castle). n a small part or item (the plan has been drawn up but not the details).
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| detailed | (adjective) very full and exact (a detailed report).
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| detain | (verb) 1 to prevent from leaving or doing something, to delay (detained by several telephone calls di-tay-nee di-ten-shun/.
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| detect | (verb) 1 to find out, to notice, to discover (detect smoke di-tec-shun/.
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| detective | (noun) a person whose job it is to find those guilty of crimes (detectives seeking clues).
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| detention | see detain.
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| deter | (verb) (deterred, deterring) to keep from, to discourage (deterred from leaving by fear).
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| detergent | (noun) a chemical material used instead of soap for washing and cleansing (wash clothing in detergent).
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| deteriorate | (verb) to become worse (the patient’s condition is deteriorating).
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| determination | (noun) strength of will, firmness (have the determination to succeed).
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| determine | (verb) 1 to fix, to decide on (determine the date for the meeting). 2 to find out exactly (determining the cause of the accident).
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| determined | (adjective) strong-willed (a determined young woman/a determined attitude).
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| deterrent | (noun) something that keeps people from acting in a certain way (most people agree that prison acts as a deterrent to those who might break the law). Also adj.
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| detest | (verb) to hate, to loathe (detest violence). adj detestable. n detestation.
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| detonate | (verb) to explode (a bomb detonated by remote control). n detonation.
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| detonator | (noun) a mechanism that sets off an explosion.
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| detour | (noun) a roundabout way (forced to make a detour to avoid the city center).
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| detract | (verb) to take away from (a crack detracting from the value of the antique vase di-trac-shun/.
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| detriment | (noun) (fml) harm, damage, disadvantage (to the detriment of her health/with inevitable detriment to his reputation).
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| detrimental | (adjective) harmful, disadvantageous (conditions detrimental to health/detrimental effects).
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| devalue | (verb) to reduce the value of. n devaluation.
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| devastate | (verb) 1 to lay waste (war devastating the country). 2 to overwhelm with grief or disappointment (devastated at the news of her death de-va-stay-shun/.
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| develop | (verb) 1 to grow bigger or better (he is developing into a fine young man develop the scheme further). 3 in photography, to treat a film with chemicals to make the picture appear.
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| developing country | (noun) a relatively poor country that is working toward improving its industrial production and living conditions
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| development | (noun) 1 growth (watch the child’s development/the development of the business). 2 a stage of growth (the latest development). 3 a new product or invention (exciting developments in the car industry).
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| deviate | (verb) to turn aside (deviating from the usual procedure).
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| deviation | (noun) a turning aside from the normal or expected course (little deviation from her routine).
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| device | (noun) 1 a plan, scheme, trick (a supposed illness that was just a device to get off work). 2 an invention, tool, or mechanism (a labor-saving device for the kitchen/an explosive device). 3 an emblem or sign (the heraldic device on the family crest).
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| devil | (noun) 1 an evil spirit. 2 Satan. 3 a very wicked person. 4 a person who does detailed or routine work for a professional person (e.g. a lawyer, printer, etc).
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| devilish | (adjective) very evil (a devilish plan).
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| devilment, deviltry | (noun) mischief, naughtiness (children full of devilment).
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| devious | (adjective) 1 roundabout, indirect (a devious route). 2 not direct, not straightforward and honest (use devious means to get his own way/a very devious person).
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| devise | (verb) to plan, to invent, to work out, especially cleverly (devising a scheme).
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| devoid | (adjective) lacking in, free from (devoid of humor/devoid of trouble).
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| devote | (verb) to give up wholly to (devoting his life to helping the poor).
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| devoted | (adjective) loving (her devoted parents).
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| devotee | (noun) a very keen follower.
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| devotion | (noun) 1 great love, dedication (her devotion to her children). 2 (fml) prayer (at his devotions).
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| devour | (verb) 1 to eat greedily (devour the chocolate). 2 to destroy (a forest devoured by fire). 3 to possess completely (devoured by hate/devoured by jealousy). 4 to read eagerly (devour the story hungrily).
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| devout | (adjective) 1 given to prayer and worship, religious (a devout Christian). 2 sincere, deeply felt (it is our devout hope that we will be able to help).
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| dew | (noun) tiny drops of water that fall on the ground when air cools during the night. adj dewy.
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| dexterity | (noun) cleverness with the hands; skill (admire the dexterity of the juggler). adj dext(e)rous.
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| Dextrophobia | fear of objects at the right side of the body (see list of phobias) |
| diabetes | (noun) a disease causing too much sugar in the body (suffer from diabetes and have to take insulin). adj and n diabetic.
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| Diabetophobia | fear of diabetes (see list of phobias) |
| diabolic, diabolical | (adjective) 1 devilish. 2 very wicked, very cruel (a diabolical plan to murder his wife). 3 (inf) very bad (her cooking is diabolical).
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| Diabology | study of devils (see list of branches of science) |
| diagnose | (verb) to decide by examining a sick person the kind of illness that he or she has (diagnosing chickenpox die-ag-no-sis/.
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| diagonal | (adjective) going from corner to opposite corner. n a line joining opposite corners. adv diagonally at a slant (a path going diagonally across a field).
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| diagram | (noun) a plan or sketch, a drawing made to help to explain something (a diagram of the parts of the body).
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| dial | (noun) 1 the face of a watch or clock (a watch with a digital dial). 2 the numbered disc or pad by means of which you ring a telephone number. vb (dialed, dialing) to ring a telephone number (dial 911).
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| dialect | (noun) the way of speaking in a particular part of a country (the southern dialect).
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| Dialectology | study of dialects (see list of branches of science) |
| dialog | (noun) a conversation between two or more people (the play is a dialog between two old men about the past).
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| diameter | (noun) a straight line passing from one side of a circle to the other through its center.
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| diametrically | (adverb). diametrically opposed exactly opposite (hold diametrically opposed views).
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| diamond | (noun) 1 a hard, very valuable precious stone. 2 npl a suit of playing cards.
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| diamond wedding | (noun) the 60th anniversary of marriage.
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| diaper | (noun) a piece of absorbent material fastened around a baby’s bottom.
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| diaphragm | (noun) a muscle separating the chest from the abdomen.
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| diarrhea | (noun) also diarrhoea (Br) looseness of the bowels (suffering from diarrhea).
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| diary | (noun) a book in which you write something every day (writes his appointments in his diary/writes an account of her day in her diary).
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| dice | (verb) to cut into pieces shaped like cubes (dicing vegetables for soup). n pl of die2.
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| dicker | Collective noun for hides (A dicker of hides) (see list of collective nouns) |
| dictate | (verb) 1 to speak aloud something to be written down by another (dictating letters for his secretary to type). 2 to give orders, to order about (workers trying to dictate how the factory should be run). 3 to fix, to determine (the amount of work done by the charity is dictated by money). n an order. n dictation.
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| dictator | (noun) one person with complete power of government (a people terrified of the dictator). n dictatorship.
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| dictatorial | (adjective) 1 like a dictator (a dictatorial manner). 2 liking to order others about (so dictatorial that people will not work for her).
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| diction | (noun) 1 choice of words (poetic diction). 2 way of speaking (clear diction/try to improve her diction).
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| dictionary | (noun) a book in which words are arranged in alphabetical order and their meanings and other information about them given.
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| Didaskaleinophobia | fear of going to school (see list of phobias) |
| die1 | (verb) 1 to stop living. 2 to fade away (hope died).
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| die2 | (noun) 1 (pl dice) a small cube, its sides marked with numbers from 1 to 6, used in games of chance. 2 (pl dies) a stamp for marking designs on paper, coins, etc.
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| diesel | (noun) 1 a petroleum oil, heavier than gasoline, used as fuel. 2 a vehicle driven by diesel.
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| diesel engine | (noun) an engine that works by burning diesel oil using heat produced by compressing air.
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| diet | (noun) 1 food, the type of food on which you live (a healthy diet a low-cholesterol diet). vb to eat certain foods only, especially in order to lose weight.
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| dietary | (adjective) concerning diet (religious dietary restrictions).
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| Dietetics | study of prevention of health conditions and diseases through human nutrition and regulation of diet (see list of branches of science) |
| differ | (verb) 1 to be unlike (people differing from each other in their attitude to money agree to differ).
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| difference | (noun) 1 unlikeness (a marked difference in the state of her health/the difference between the two cars). 2 a disagreement, quarrel (settle their differences).
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| different | (adjective) 1 unlike, not the same (sisters quite different from each other/a different hairstyle). 2 (inf) unusual, special (well, her new hairstyle is certainly different).
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| differentiate | (verb) 1 to see or point out the difference between (able to differentiate a robin from a sparrow). 2 to make different (what differentiates the two models of car?). 3 to treat differently (differentiating between men and women in terms of pay).
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| difficult | (adjective) 1 hard to do (a difficult task). 2 hard to please (a difficult old woman). 3 troublesome (a difficult period). n difficulty.
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| diffidence | Collective noun for debutantes (A diffidence of debutantes) (see list of collective nouns) |
| diffident | (adjective) bashful, not sure of yourself (a diffident young woman di-fi-dense/.
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| diffuse | (verb) (fml) to spread widely (diffusing light di-fyoos di-fyoo-zhun/.
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| dig | (verb) (dug, digging) 1 to turn up earth or soil. 2 to prod, to poke (dig her in the ribs). 3 (inf) to search (dig in her purse for her keys). n a prod, sharp push. n digger.
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| digest | (verb) 1 to dissolve in the stomach (digest a heavy lunch). 2 to think over and understand fully (take time to digest what he said)
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| digestible | (adjective) able to be digested (able to eat foods that are easily digestible).
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| digestion | (noun) the process of digesting food.
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| digestive | (adjective) concerning digestion (the human digestive system).
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| digit | (noun) 1 any figure from 0 to 9. 2 (fml) a finger or toe.
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| digital | (adjective) 1 showing information in the form of numbers (a digital watch). 2 recording or transmitting information as numbers in the form of very small signals. 3 to do with the fingers or toes. adv digitally.
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| digital television | (noun) a system of television in which the picture is transmitted as a digital signal and decoded by a device attached to the viewer’s television set.
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| digital video disk | see DVD.
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| dignified | (adjective) noble in manner, stately (dignified behavior a dignified old lady).
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| dignify | (verb) 1 to give grace or nobility to (a procession dignified by the presence of the mayor). 2 to make something seem important (dignifying his patch of grass with the title of lawn).
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| dignitary | (noun) a person of high rank (a formal dinner attended by local dignitaries).
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| dignity | (noun) 1 goodness and nobleness of character, worthiness (human dignity). 2 seriousness, calmness, formality (the dignity of the situation/keep her dignity while being booed by the crowd).
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| digress | (verb) to speak or write on a subject other than the one being considered (keep digressing from the main issue die-gre-shun/.
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| dike, dyke | (noun) 1 a ditch or wall. 2 a bank built up to hold back the sea or floods.
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| Dikephobia | fear of justice (see list of phobias) |
| dilapidated | (adjective) completely worn out, falling to bits (dilapidated property di-la-pi-day-shun/.
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| dilate | (verb) 1 to become larger or wider (eyes dilating in fear). 2 to cause to become larger or wider (some eye-drops had dilated her pupils). n dilatation, dilation.
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| dilemma | (noun) a choice between two things or actions, usually equally unpleasant.
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| diligence | Collective noun for messengers (A diligence of messengers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| diligent | (adjective) very careful, painstaking, hard-working (diligent students di-li-jense/.
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| dilly-dally | (verb) (inf) to waste time, to wait about (dilly-dallying instead of getting down to work).
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| dilute | (verb) 1 to water down, to reduce in strength by adding water or another liquid (diluting lime juice with water). 2 to weaken in force, effect, etc (the president’s power has been diluted di-loo-shun/.
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| dim | (adjective) 1 faint, not bright (a dim light). 2 indistinct (a dim figure in the distance). 3 (inf) not intelligent, not understanding clearly (he’s a bit dim). vb (dimmed, dimming) to make or become dim (dim the lights/the lights dimmed in the theater).
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| dime | (noun) a silver coin that is a 10th part of a dollar; 10 cents.
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| dimension | (noun) 1 the measure of length, breadth, and depth (a beast of huge dimension). 2 (often pl) size, extent (take the dimensions of the room).
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| diminish | (verb) to make or become less (enthusiasm has gradually diminished/strength diminished by a poor diet).
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| diminutive | (adjective) very small, tiny (diminutive little girls/look diminutive beside the tall man). n a word or part of a word suggesting smallness (e.g. -kin in lambkin).
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| dimple | (noun) a small hollow, especially on the cheek or chin. vb to show dimples (dimpling prettily as she smiled).
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| din | (noun) a continued loud noise (complain about the din from the neighbor’s television). vb (dinned, dinning) 1 to go on saying the same thing again and again (try to din the information into her). 2 to make a continued loud noise (music from his car radio dinning in our ears).
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| dine | (verb) to eat dinner (dining at eight o’clock die-ner/.
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| dinghy | (noun) a small boat, a ship’s boat.
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| dingy | (adjective) dull, dirty-looking, faded (dingy wallpaper dingy colors). n dinginess.
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| dinner | (noun) the principal meal of the day (eat dinner in the evening).
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| Dinophobia | fear of dizziness or whirlpools (see list of phobias) |
| dinosaur | (noun) a very large lizard-like animal of prehistoric times.
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| Dioptrics | study of light refraction (see list of branches of science) |
| dip | (verb) (dipped, dipping) 1 to put into liquid for a moment (dip the strawberry in chocolate sauce/dip his bread in the soup). 2 to lower sheep into a liquid that rids them of or prevents infestation by insects. 3 to lower for a short time (dip his headlights). 4 to take a sudden downward slope (the road suddenly dipped). n 1 (inf) a quick wetting, a bathe (go for a dip in the river). 2 a liquid or semi-liquid substance into which something is dipped (a cheese dip). 3 a cleansing liquid for dipping sheep. 4 a downward slope (a dip in the road).
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| diploma | (noun) a printed paper showing that a person has passed certain examinations.
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| diplomacy | (noun) 1 the discussing of affairs and making of agreements with foreign countries (solving the differences between the two countries by diplomacy rather than war). 2 the ability to get people to do things without annoying them (use diplomacy to get his friends to stop quarreling).
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| diplomat | (noun) 1 a person who represents his or her country in discussions with foreign governments. 2 a person who is good at managing people (you have to be a bit of a diplomat to be a good human-resources manager).
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| diplomatic | (adjective) 1 having to do with or good at diplomacy. 2 tactful (a diplomatic reply).
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| Diplomatics | study of deciphering ancient writings and texts (see list of branches of science) |
| Diplomatology | study of diplomats (see list of branches of science) |
| Diplophobia | fear of double vision (see list of phobias) |
| dipper | (noun) a cup with a long handle used to scoop up liquid.
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| Dipsophobia | fear of drinking (see list of phobias) |
| dire | (adjective) very great, extreme, terrible (in dire poverty in dire trouble).
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| direct | (adjective) 1 straight (the most direct route). 2 without any other reason or circumstances coming between (his sickness is a direct result of damp housing). 3 saying openly what you think (a very direct person/a direct way of speaking). vb 1 to point or aim at (directed a gun at him). 2 to show or tell the way to (directed her to the station). 3 to control (directed the whole operation). 4 (fml) to order (direct her to go immediately). 5 to address (directed his remarks to us).
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| direction | (noun) 1 the way in which someone or something is looking, pointing, going, etc (in a northerly direction). 2 control (the direction of the military operation). 3 an order (obey directions). 4 an address. 5 npl information as to how to do something or how to get somewhere (get directions to the station).
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| directly | (adverb) 1 in a direct manner (tell her directly what he thinks of her behavior). 2 at once, very soon (I’ll be with you directly).
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| director | (noun) 1 one of a group of people who manage a business, etc (on the board of directors). 2 a person in charge of putting on a play or making a movie.
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| directory | (noun) 1 a book containing people’s names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc (a telephone directory). 2 in a computer, a folder that contains files.
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| dirge | (noun) a song of mourning, a lament (play a dirge at the funeral).
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| dirt | (noun) 1 anything not clean (remove the dirt from the wound/brush the dirt from the clothing). 2 (inf) gossip, scandal (spread dirt about her). 3 (inf) something obscene.
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| dirty | (adjective) 1 unclean (dirty hands/dirty clothes). 2 mean or unfair (a dirty trick). 3 (inf) obscene (dirty books). 4 (of weather) rough. Also vb.
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| dis | (verb) (dissed, dissing) (sl) to treat with disrespect (don’t dis me).
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| disable | (verb) 1 (fml) to take away the power from (disabled from voting). 2 to deprive of some physical or mental ability (disabled by the accident). n disability, disablement.
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| disabled | (adjective) describing someone who is physically or mentally restricted in some way.
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| disadvantage | (noun) something unfavorable or harmful to your interests, a drawback (a disadvantage to be small in a basketball team). adj disadvantageous.
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| disadvantaged | (adjective) suffering from a disadvantage, especially with regard to your economic situation, family background, etc.
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| disagree | (verb) 1 to differ (the two accounts of the event disagree). 2 to have different opinions, etc (two sides disagreeing). 3 to quarrel (children disagreeing). 4 to have a bad effect on (food that disagrees with her). n disagreement.
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| disagreeable | (adjective) unpleasant (a disagreeable woman/a disagreeable situation).
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| disallow | (verb) (fml) to refuse to allow (disallowed by a local law to play football there).
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| disappear | (verb) 1 to go out of sight (the sun disappearing behind a cloud). 2 to leave or become lost, especially suddenly or without explanation (two children have disappeared). 3 to cease to exist (a species of bird that has disappeared). n disappearance.
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| disappoint | (verb) 1 to fail to do what is hoped or expected. 2 (fml) to fail to fulfill (disappoint their hopes). 3 to cause sorrow by failure (she was disappointed at losing the race di-sa-point-ment/.
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| disapprove | (verb) to believe that something is wrong or bad (disapproving of the new changes in education). n disapproval.
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| disarm | (verb) 1 to take away weapons from (police disarming the gunman). 2 to do away with weapons of war (countries beginning to disarm). 3 to make less angry, to charm (disarmed by her frankness/a disarming smile).
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| disarrange | (verb) (fml) to set in the wrong order, to untidy (the wind had disarranged her hair). n disarrangement.
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| disarray | (noun) disorder or untidiness.
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| disaster | (noun) 1 a great misfortune (a firm affected by financial disaster). 2 an accident affecting many people or causing a lot of damage (natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes). 3 a complete failure (an attempt at dressmaking that was a complete disaster). adj disastrous.
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| disband | (verb) to break up and separate (disband his private army dis-band-ment/.
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| disbelieve | (verb) to refuse to believe (I see no reason to disbelieve his statement). n disbelief.
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| discard | (verb) to throw away (they discarded all their old furniture).
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| discharge | (verb) 1 to unload (a plane discharging its passengers). 2 to set free (discharge the prisoner). 3 to fire (discharged the gun). 4 to send away (discharge the members of the jury). 5 to give or send out (a wound discharging pus). 6 to do, to carry out (discharge your duty). 7 to pay (discharge your account). n discharge 1 act of discharging. 2 the matter coming from a sore or wound (a bloody discharge).
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| disciple | (noun) a person who believes in the teaching, etc, of another; a follower (Christ’s disciples/disciples of Martin Luther King).
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| disciplinarian | (noun) a person who controls others firmly or severely.
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| discipline | (noun) 1 training of mind or character (the discipline of the monks’ way of life). 2 ordered behavior (the discipline shown by the soldiers). 3 punishment (students claiming unfair discipline). 4 a branch of knowledge (study other disciplines as well as science). vb 1 to train to be obedient (a well-disciplined team). 2 to punish (disciplining his son by not allowing him to go to the movies). adj disciplinary.
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| disclose | (verb) 1 to make known (disclosing family secrets/disclosed his whereabouts). 2 to uncover (disclose the contents of the box).
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| disclosure | (noun) the telling or showing of something previously hidden (disclosures made in the newspapers about a member Congress).
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| disco | (noun) a club to which people go to dance to recorded pop music.
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| discolor | (verb) also discolour (Br) to spoil the color of, to stain (the painting has been discolored by direct sunlight). n discoloration, also discolouration (Br).
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| discomfort | (noun) the fact or state of being uncomfortable. vb to make uncomfortable.
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| disconcert | (verb) to make uneasy (disconcerted by the fact that he ignored her).
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| disconnect | (verb) 1 to unfasten (disconnect the carriages from the train). 2 to break the connection (disconnect a gas supply).
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| disconnected | (adjective) showing little connection between (a disconnected stream of words).
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| disconsolate | (adjective) sad, disappointed (disconsolate because of her canceled vacation).
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| discontent | (noun) the state of not being satisfied, displeasure (a sign of discontent in the workforce). adj discontented. n discontentment.
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| discontinue | (verb) to stop or put an end to (discontinue the bus service/discontinuing that range of goods).
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| discord | (noun) 1 two or more notes of music that sound unpleasing when played together. 2 (fml) disagreement, quarreling (marital discord dis-cawr-dant/.
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| discount | (noun) a reduction in the cost or price of (receive a discount on the car for paying cash dis-count/ 1 to give a discount. 2 to regard as unimportant or untrue (discount anything they say since they have no knowledge of the situation).
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| discourage | (verb) 1 to dishearten (his early failure discouraged him). 2 to persuade not to do (smoking is discouraged here). n discouragement.
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| discourse | (noun) a speech, a lecture (a long discourse on manners delivered by the principal). vb to talk.
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| discourteous | (adjective) rude, impolite. n discourtesy.
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| discover | (verb) 1 to find (discover America discover how to work the machine).
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| discoverer | (noun) an explorer.
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| discovery | (noun) 1 act of finding (a voyage of discovery). 2 the thing found (out) (a number of important discoveries).
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| discredit | (verb) 1 to refuse to believe (discrediting all she says). 2 to cause to be disbelieved (theories discredited by experts). 3 to damage the good reputation of (try to discredit the president). n shame, dishonor (bring discredit on his family).
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| discreditable | (adjective) shameful (discreditable behavior).
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| discreet | (adjective) thinking carefully before acting or speaking; cautious; not saying anything that is likely to cause trouble (discreet behavior dis-creet -ness/
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| discrepancy | (noun) the difference between what a thing is and what it ought to be or is said to be (a discrepancy between the two accounts of the accident/a discrepancy between the amount of money taken in and the amount in the cash register).
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| discretion | (noun) 1 discreetness (you can rely on her discretion—she won’t tell anyone). 2 judgment, caution (use your discretion on how much to charge).
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| discriminate | (verb) 1 to see differences, however small. 2 to show judgment. n discrimination.
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| discriminating | (adjective) having good judgment.
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| discus | (noun) in track-and-field, a heavy disk-shaped object that is thrown in a field event.
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| discuss | (verb) to talk about, to consider. n discussion.
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| disdain | (verb) to look down upon; to be too proud to; to refuse because of pride (disdain our company/disdain our offers of help). n scorn. adj disdainful.
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| disease | (noun) an illness or unhealthy condition (kidney disease/disease of ash trees).
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| diseased | (adjective) suffering from a disease (diseased fruit trees).
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| disenchant | (verb) to free from mistaken positive beliefs (many former admirers have been disenchanted by her behavior). adj disenchanted.
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| disentangle | (verb) 1 to take the knots out of (disentangling the string). 2 to free from a position that is difficult to escape from (disentangled herself from an unhappy marriage). 3 to separate from a confused condition (disentangle the truth from a mass of lies).
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| disfigure | (verb) to spoil the appearance of (a face disfigured by a huge scar). n disfigurement.
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| disgrace | (noun) 1 shame, loss of favor or respect (bring disgrace on his family). 2 a person or thing that should cause shame (work that is a disgrace). vb to bring shame or dishonor upon (disgracing his family by going to prison).
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| disgraceful | (adjective) shameful. adv disgracefully.
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| disguise | (verb) to change the appearance of so as not to be recognized. n changed dress or appearance so as not to be recognized.
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| disguising | Collective noun for tailors (A disguising of tailors) (see list of collective nouns) |
| disgust | (noun) strong dislike, loathing (look with disgust at the rotting meat disgusted by his cruel treatment of his wife).
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| disgusting | (adjective) sickening (a disgusting mess).
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| dish | (noun) 1 a broad open vessel for serving food (a casserole dish). 2 a particular kind of food (a French dish). 3 food mixed and prepared for the table (a dish of meat and potatoes). vb to put into a dish (dish the potatoes). dish out 1 to distribute and give out (dish out leaflets to people). 2 (inf) to give out generously (dish out compliments).
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| dish | Collective noun for gossips (A dish of gossips) (see list of collective nouns) |
| Dishabiliophobia | fear of undressing in front of someone (see list of phobias) |
| dishearten | (verb) to discourage (disheartened by his failure).
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| dishevel | (verb) (disheveled, disheveling) to untidy (hair disheveled by the wind).
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| dishonest | (adjective) not honest (dishonest salesman di-son-es-tee/.
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| dishonor | (noun), also dishonour (Br) shame, disgrace (bring dishonor on her family by stealing). vb 1 to bring shame on (dishonor his regiment). 2 (fml) to treat in a shameful way (dishonor his wife).
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| dishonorable | (adjective), also dishonourable (Br) not honorable, shameful (dishonorable conduct).
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| dishwasher | (noun) a machine for washing dishes and flatware.
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| disillusion | (verb) to free from a wrong idea or belief (he needed to disillusion her that he was not interested only in her money di-si-loo-zhun-ment/.
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| disinfect | (verb) to free from infection (disinfect the wound di-sin-fec-shun/.
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| disinfectant | (adjective) destroying germs, killing infection. n a disinfectant substance (clean the bathroom with a disinfectant).
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| disinherit | (verb) to take from someone, especially a son or daughter, the right to receive anything in the will of a dead person.
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| disintegrate | (verb) 1 to break up into parts (a damp cardboard box that just disintegrated). 2 to fall to pieces (our plans for a day in the outdoors have disintegrated thanks to the heavy rain). n disintegration.
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| disinterested | (adjective) favoring no side (referees must be disinterested).
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| disjointed | (adjective) having no clear connection between ideas, rambling (a disjointed piece of prose/a few disjointed ideas).
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| disk jockey | (noun) a person who introduces and plays recorded pop music on a radio or television show or at a club.
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| diskn | , also disc (Br) 1 a round flat object (wear an identity disk). 2 a circular plate, coated with magnetic material, on which data can be recorded in a form that can be used by a computer. 4 a layer of cartilage between the bones of the spine.
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| dislike | (verb) not to like (dislikes her very much dislike tasteless food). Also n.
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| dislocate | (verb) 1 to put out of joint (dislocated a bone in his foot). 2 (fml) to throw into disorder (dislocating the computer system). n dislocation.
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| dislodge | (verb) to move from its place (dislodging the fish bone from his throat/dislodge the stone from the horse’s hoof).
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| disloyal | (adjective) 1 unfaithful (disloyal to her husband). 2 not true to (disloyal to their leader). n disloyalty.
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| dismal | (adjective) dark, gloomy (a dismal place/a dismal mood).
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| dismantle | (verb) to take to pieces (dismantling the machine).
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| dismay | (verb) to make afraid, anxious, discouraged, etc (they were dismayed to find the door locked/dismayed at the news of his disappearance). Also n.
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| dismiss | (verb) 1 to send away (dismiss the visitor with a wave of her hand dis-mis-al/.
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| dismount | (verb) to get down from a horse, etc (dismounting from his bicycle).
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| disobey | (verb) to refuse to do what you are told (disobeying orders dis-o-beed-yense dis-o-beed-yent/.
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| disorder | (verb) to put things out of their places, to untidy. n 1 untidiness (criticize the disorder of the room). 2 disturbance, riot (the meeting broke up in disorder). 3 a sickness, disease (a disorder of the stomach).
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| disorderly | (adjective) 1 untidy (a disorderly office). 2 out of control (a disorderly crowd).
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| disorganize | (verb) also disorganise (Br) to put out of order, to throw into confusion (wedding plans totally disorganized when the bride changed her mind). n disorganization, also disorganisation (Br).
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| disown | (verb) to refuse to have anything to do with, to refuse to acknowledge as belonging to yourself (disowned his son because of his dishonest behavior).
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| disparage | (verb) to suggest, especially unfairly, that something or someone is of little value or importance (disparaging his achievements). n disparagement.
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| disparate | (adjective) unlike, completely different (totally disparate personalities).
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| disparity | (noun) difference, inequality (the disparity in age between husband and wife).
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| dispassionate | (adjective) not influenced by emotion, taking no side, impartial (a dispassionate account of the accident).
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| dispatch, despatch | (verb) 1 to send off (dispatch a letter mentioned in dispatches). 3 (fml) quickness in doing (act with dispatch).
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| dispel | (verb) (dispelled, dispelling) to drive away, to make disappear (dispel all doubts).
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| dispensable | (adjective) able to be done without (workers regarded as being dispensable).
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| dispensary | (noun) a place where medicines are prepared and given out.
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| dispensation | (noun) a permission, often from the church, not to do something (by dispensation of the bishop).
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| dispense | (verb) 1 (fml) to give out (dispensing money to the poor/dispense justice). 2 to prepare and give out (medicines)(drugstores dispense medicines). dispense with to do without (dispense with the need for regular checking).
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| dispenser | (noun) 1 a person who prepares medicines. 2 a machine from which something can be obtained, sometimes by the insertion of money (a soap dispenser/a drinks dispenser).
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| disperse | (verb) to scatter (the crowds eventually dispersed dis-per-sal dis-per-shun/.
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| dispirited | (adjective) discouraged, in low spirits (feel dispirited after his defeat).
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| displace | (verb) 1 (fml) to put out of place (papers displaced by the burglar). 2 to take the place of (she was quick to displace his wife in his affections).
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| displacement | (noun) 1 act of displacing. 2 the amount of liquid put out of place when an object is placed in it.
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| display | (verb) 1 to show, to make obvious (displaying your lack of knowledge). 2 to put where it can be easily seen (display ornaments in a glass-fronted cabinet/display the paintings in a gallery). n 1 show (goods on display). 2 a parade. 3 an exhibition (a display of the work of local artists).
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| displease | (verb) to anger, to annoy (displeased by their failure).
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| displeasure | (noun) annoyance (show his displeasure by frowning).
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| disport | (verb) (fml) to play about, to amuse yourself actively (children disporting themselves on the beach).
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| disposable | (adjective) designed to be used once and then thrown away (disposable diapers).
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| disposal | (noun) 1 act of getting rid of (the disposal of garbage). 2 the way that people or things are arranged (the disposal of the troops). 3 use (a firm’s car at his disposal).
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| dispose | (verb) 1 (fml) to arrange (troops disposed in battle formation). 2 (fml) to make willing (I am not disposed to be of assistance to them). 3 to get rid (of) (disposing of the evidence).
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| disposition | (noun) a person’s character, as revealed by his or her normal behavior (of a bad-tempered disposition).
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| Disposophobia | fear of throwing stuff out or hoarding (see list of phobias) |
| dispossess | (verb) to take away from (dispossess them of their houses).
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| disproportion | (noun) lack of proper or usual relation between things (a disproportion between his height and weight).
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| disproportionate | (adjective) too great (or too small) in the circumstances (a head disproportionate to her body).
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| disprove | (verb) to prove to be false (difficult to disprove his allegations).
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| disputation | (noun) an argument, a debate.
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| dispute | (verb) 1 to argue, to quarrel (farmers disputing whose land it is). 2 to refuse to agree with, to question the truth or rightness of (dispute the truth of what he said/dispute his right to the throne). Also n.
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| disqualify | (verb) 1 to make unable (his ill-health disqualified him from joining the army). 2 to put out of a competition, etc, usually for breaking a rule (a relay team disqualified for dropping the baton). n disqualification.
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| disquiet | (noun) anxiety (felt disquiet when the children were late). vb to make anxious. n disquietude.
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| disregard | (verb) to take no notice of (disregard the rules/disregard safety instructions). n neglect.
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| disrepair | (noun) a bad state due to lack of repairs (property in disrepair).
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| disreputable | (adjective) 1 having a bad character or reputation. 2 in a bad condition, shabby.
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| disrepute | (noun) disgrace, bad reputation (brought his team into disrepute by using drugs).
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| disrespect | (noun) rudeness, failure to behave in a proper way (he showed disrespect to his elders by being very late). adj disrespectful.
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| disrobe | (verb) (fml) to take off clothing, especially ceremonious or official clothing (judges disrobing).
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| disrupt | (verb) to put into a state of disorder (disrupt the traffic dis-rup-shun/.
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| disruptive | (adjective) causing disorder (disruptive students/disruptive behavior).
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| dissatisfied | (adjective) not satisfied, discontented (a dissatisfied customer/dissatisfied with the result).
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| dissatisfy | (verb) to fail to satisfy, to displease (a standard of work that dissatisfied the teacher). n dissatisfaction.
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| dissect | (verb) 1 to cut into separate parts in order to examine (dissecting a rat in the biology class). 2 to study carefully (dissect the election result). n dissection.
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| dissemble | (verb) to pretend not to be what you are, to hide your feelings, intent, etc (he said he loved her but he was dissembling). n dissembler.
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| disseminate | (verb) (fml) to spread far and wide (disseminating information). n dissemination.
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| dissension | (noun) disagreement, quarreling (the proposal caused some dissension among committee members).
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| dissent | (verb) to disagree, to think differently from (the vote was almost unanimous but one committee member dissented). Also n.
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| dissertation | (noun) a lecture or essay (students required to write a dissertation).
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| disservice | (noun) a bad turn (you do him a disservice by letting him copy your homework).
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| dissident | (adjective) disagreeing. n a person who disagrees with a government’s policies, especially one who is punished (political dissidents).
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| dissimilar | (adjective) unlike (have totally dissimilar tastes).
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| dissipate | (verb) 1 to scatter (a crowd that dissipated when the police arrived). 2 to spend or use wastefully (he dissipated a fortune on gambling). 3 to waste (dissipate the natural resources of the country). n dissipation.
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| dissipated | (adjective) given to living wildly, indulging in drinking and foolish or dangerous pleasures (dissipated young men/lead a dissipated life).
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| dissociate | (verb) 1 to separate from (try to dissociate his private life from his public one). 2 to refuse to be connected with (he dissociated himself from the behavior of his co-workers). n dissociation.
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| dissolute | (adjective) living wickedly, immoral (dissolute drunks/a dissolute life).
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| dissolution | (noun) act of dissolving (the dissolution of Parliament/the dissolution of the Roman Empire).
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| dissolve | (verb) 1 to make or become liquid by placing in liquid (dissolving pills in water). 2 to break up, to put an end to (their marriage was dissolved after a long separation).
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| dissuade | (verb) to advise not to do (try to dissuade them from resigning). n dissuasion. adj dissuasive.
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| distance | (noun) 1 being far off (live at a distance from her mother). 2 the space between two points or places (a distance of three miles between the villages). 3 (fml) unfriendliness (notice a certain distance in his manner).
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| distant | (adjective) 1 far off (travel to distant lands). 2 not close (a distant relative). 3 cold or unfriendly in manner (he seemed rather distant to his old friends).
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| distaste | (noun) dislike or disgust (look at her dirty fingernails with distaste).
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| distasteful | (adjective) unpleasant (a distasteful duty to have to declare people redundant/a subject that is distasteful to her).
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| distemper | (noun) 1 a disease of dogs. 2 (old) an oil-less paint for walls.
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| distend | (verb) to stretch, to swell (children’s stomachs distended from lack of food in the famine area). n distension.
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| distill | (verb) 1 to fall in drops. 2 to purify a substance by heating it until it turns into vapor, and then cooling the vapor until it becomes liquid.
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| distillation | (noun) act of distilling.
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| distiller | (noun) a maker of whiskey or other alcoholic liquor.
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| distillery | (noun) a factory where whiskey, etc, is made.
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| distinct | (adjective) 1 separate (two distinct types of bird). 2 easily heard, seen, etc (a distinct improvement).
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| distinction | (noun) 1 difference (make a distinction between high-school and college students). 2 excellence (a writer of distinction). 3 a special mark of honor (win a distinction for bravery).
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| distinctive | (adjective) different in a special way (a distinctive style of dress/wear a distinctive perfume).
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| distinguish | (verb) 1 to see or point out the differences (between) (unable to distinguish one twin from the other/distinguish right from wrong). 2 to make different (the ability to speak distinguishes humans from animals). 3 to make (yourself) outstanding (distinguished himself in battle). 4 to see, to make out (be just able to distinguish a figure in the distance).
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| distinguished | (adjective) famous (a distinguished writer).
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| distort | (verb) 1 to twist out of shape (a face distorted in agony). 2 to give a false meaning to (the facts distorted by some newspapers). n distortion.
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| distract | (verb) to draw the attention away (distract him from his work).
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| distracted | (adjective) almost mad with grief or anxiety (parents distracted by the loss of their children).
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| distraction | (noun) 1 anything that draws the attention away (too many distractions for her to be able to study properly). 2 confusion of mind (driven to distraction by the constant noise).
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| distraction | Collective noun for fathers (A distraction of fathers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| distraught | (adjective) almost mad with grief or anxiety (a distraught mother looking for her missing child).
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| distress | (noun) 1 great pain or anxiety (an accident victim in great distress). 2 suffering caused by lack of money (in financial distress). 3 danger (a ship in distress). vb to cause anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
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| distribute | (verb) 1 to give out, to give each his or her share (distributing food to the poor). 2 to spread out widely (hamburger restaurants distributed throughout the country). n distribution.
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| distributor | (noun) 1 a person who gives away or shares out. 2 part of a motor engine.
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| district | (noun) 1 part of a country. 2 an area marked off for some special purpose.
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| distrust | (verb) to have no confidence or belief in (distrust that old car dis-trust-ful/.
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| disturb | (verb) 1 to throw into disorder (disturb the papers on the desk). 2 to trouble (disturbed by the lack of news). 3 to interrupt (disturbed his sleep).
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| disturbance | (noun) 1 disorder, riot (police called to a disturbance in the local tavern). 2 disarrangement (notice the disturbance of the papers on his desk). 3 an interruption (unable to work with all the disturbance). 4 mental illness (suffer an emotional disturbance).
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| disuse | (noun) a state of not being used, neglect (old laws fallen into disuse). adj disused.
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| ditch | (noun) a long narrow trench for carrying away water. vb to make a ditch.
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| ditto | (noun) the same as before, indicated by the sign " (used to show that the same word, phrase, figure, etc, is to be repeated, in writing, often shortened to do).
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| ditty | (noun) a short simple song.
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| divan | (noun) 1 a long low sofa without back or arms. 2 a kind of bed like this.
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| dive | (verb) (dove, diving) 1 to plunge into water head first. 2 to move quickly downward (rabbits diving into holes). n 1 a plunge. 2 a sudden downward move.
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| diver | (noun) 1 one who, with special equipment, is able to work under water (deep-sea divers). 2 a diving bird.
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| diverge | (verb) to go off in a different direction, to branch in different directions (the road and railway line diverging near the village die-ver-jense die-ver-jent/.
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| diverse | (adjective) different, unlike (have many diverse reasons to go/people of diverse backgrounds).
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| diversify | (verb) to make or become different (diversifying their range of goods die-ver-si-fi-cay-shun/.
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| diversion | (noun) 1 (fml) amusement (swimming and other diversions for the children). 2 something that distracts the attention (his friend created a diversion while he stole sweets from the store). 3 a turning aside from the main route (e.g. to avoid an obstacle) (a diversion ahead because of roadworks).
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| diversity | (noun) difference, variety.
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| divert | (verb) 1 to turn in another direction (divert the traffic on to a side road). 2 to draw away (diverting their attention from their personal problems). 3 to amuse (diverted by the clown’s antics).
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| diverting | (adjective) amusing.
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| divest | (verb) 1 to take away, to strip (divest the tyrant of his power). 2 to take off, especially ceremonial clothes (bishop divesting himself of his robes).
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| divide | (verb) 1 to break up into parts (dividing the class into three groups). 2 to share out (divide the chocolate among them). 3 to separate (a wall divided the gardens). 4 in mathematics, to see how many times one number is contained in another.
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| divided highway | (noun) a wide road which has a strip of grass or barrier in the middle to separate two lines of traffic moving in opposite directions.
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| dividend | (noun) 1 in mathematics, a number to be divided. 2 a share of profit. 3 the rate at which the profits of a company are divided among shareholders.
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| dividers | (noun, plural) an instrument for measuring distances on paper, etc.
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| divine | (adjective) 1 of or belonging to God. 2 (inf) extremely good (a divine dancer). vb 1 to foretell, to guess (divining the future). 2 to learn or discover by intuition, insight (divine a sudden change in her manner). n divination.
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| divining rod | (noun) a Y-shaped rod, usually of hazel, used to find underground water.
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| divinity | (noun) 1 a god. 2 the study of religion.
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| divisible | (adjective) able to be divided.
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| division | (noun) 1 the act of dividing (the division of responsibility). 2 one of the parts into which something is divided (the sales division of the firm). 3 disagreement (some division in the family). 4 a large army group.
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| divisional | (adjective) having to do with a division (the divisional head).
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| divisor | (noun) in mathematics, the number by which another number (the dividend) is divided in a sum.
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| divorce | (noun) 1 legal permission to separate from your married partner and to marry someone else if so desired. 2 separation. vb 1 officially to end a marriage (parents who are divorcing). 2 to separate (try to divorce his private life from his public life/she seems divorced from reality).
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| divulge | (verb) to make known, to reveal (divulging secrets to the press/divulge information about the robbery to the police).
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| Diwali | (noun) a Hindu festival held in the fall, particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.
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| DIY | (abbreviation) for do-it-yourself, the act of making, repairing, or decorating things yourself, as opposed to employing a tradesman.
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| dizzy | (adjective) giddy, having the feeling that everything is spinning around (children whirling around until they are dizzy di-zee-ness/.
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| DNA | (abbreviation) for deoxyribonucleic acid, a substance in your body that stores genetic information.
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| do1 | (verb) (pt did, pp done) 1 to perform, to carry out (do his duty). 2 to attend to (do the dishes). 3 to act or behave (do as you are told). 4 to be enough or suitable (will this hat do for the wedding?).
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| docile | (adjective) easily managed, controlled, or influenced, quiet (a docile pony do-si-li-tee/.
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| Docimology | study of assaying (see list of branches of science) |
| dock1 | (noun) 1 an enclosure in a harbor where enough water can be kept to float a ship when it is being loaded or unloaded, repaired, etc. 2 the box in which prisoners stand in a court of law. vb to sail into dock (when the ship was docking).
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| dock2 | (verb) to cut short, to remove part of (dock the dog’s tail).
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| dock3 | (noun) a common weed.
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| docket | (noun) a label attached to goods (a docket listing the contents).
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| dockyard | (noun) a place where ships are built and repaired.
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| doctor | (noun) 1 a person who is qualified by medical training to attend the sick and injured. 2 a person who receives a degree granted by universities to those learned in a certain field (a doctor of philosophy). vb 1 to give medical treatment to (doctoring her cold with Tylenol and hot drinks). 2 to make different in order to deceive; to tamper with (doctor the evidence).
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| doctorate | (noun) the degree of doctor.
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| doctrinaire | (adjective) believing in or trying to put into action a system of ideas without considering the practical difficulties of doing so.
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| doctrinal | (adjective) having to do with a doctrine or set of beliefs held by a religious society (doctrinal differences between the two faiths).
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| doctrine | (noun) a set of beliefs held by a person or group (the Protestant doctrine/socialist doctrine).
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| doctrine | Collective noun for doctors (A doctrine of doctors) (see list of collective nouns) |
| document | (noun) a written or printed paper, often one that can be used as proof (secret government documents/documents of sale). vb to bring forward written evidence (the local history is well documented).
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| documentary | (adjective) 1 having to do with documents (documentary evidence). 2 giving facts and explanations (a documentary film). Also n.
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| dodder | (verb) to move unsteadily or shakily (an elderly man doddering along).
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| dodge | (verb) 1 to make a quick movement to avoid someone or something (succeed in dodging the blow/dodge the police). 2 to avoid by cleverness or trickery (politicians dodging reporters’ questions). n 1 a quick movement aside (a footballer making a sudden dodge to the right). 2 a trick (up to his old dodges).
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| dodger | (noun) a trickster, a person who is not to be trusted.
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| dodo | (noun) (pl dodoes or dodos) a type of flightless bird no longer in existence (dead as the dodo).
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| doe | (noun) the female of many animals (e.g. deer, rabbit, etc).
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| doff | (verb) (fml) to take off (doffed his cap).
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| dog | (noun) 1 a common domestic animal. 2 (inf) used as a form of address for a male friend. vb (dogged, dogging) to follow closely, to pursue (dog his footsteps/a family dogged by bad luck).
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| dog collar | (noun) 1 a collar for a dog. 2 the collar worn by a member of the clergy.
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| dog rose | (noun) the wild rose.
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| Dog Star | (noun) Sirius, the brightest of the fixed stars.
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| dogcart | (noun) a two-wheeled cart or carriage.
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| dog-eared | (adjective) with the corners of the pages turned down (a dog-eared paperback).
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| dogfish | (noun) a type of small shark.
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| dogged | (adjective) determined, unwilling to give in (a dogged attempt to get to the top). n doggedness.
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| doggerel | (noun) bad poetry.
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| dogma | (noun) a belief or set of beliefs put forward by an authority to be accepted as a matter of faith (Christian dogma/tired of his political dogma).
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| dogmatic | (adjective) 1 relating to dogma (dogmatic theology). 2 holding your beliefs very strongly and expecting other people to accept them without question (so dogmatic about the best way to educate children). n dogmatism.
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| dogwatch | (noun) on a ship, a short watch of two hours.
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| doily, doyley | (noun) a small fancy napkin or mat (the doily under the cake).
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| doldrums | (noun, plural) seas near the equator where there is little or no wind. in the doldrums in a sad mood.
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| dole | (verb) to give out shares of, often in small amounts (dole out daily rations to the refugees/dole out spending money).
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| doleful | (adjective) gloomy, sad (looking doleful dole-fu-lee/.
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| doll | (noun) a toy in the shape of a person (a baby doll).
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| dollar | (noun) a unit of American, Australian, or Canadian currency (=100 cents).
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| dolorous | (adjective) (fml) sad, sorrowful (the old man had a very dolorous expression). n dolor, also dolour (Br).
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| dolphin | (noun) a sea animal like the porpoise, belonging to the whale family.
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| dolt | (noun) a stupid person.
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| domain | (noun) 1 the land that you own (he wanted to establish his own domain). 2 the country that a monarch rules. 3 an area of interest, knowledge, influence, etc (his claims lie within the domain of science fiction).
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| Domatophobia | fear of houses or being in a house (see list of phobias) |
| dome | (noun) 1 a rounded top on a building. 2 something of this shape (the dome of his bald head). adj domed.
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| dome fastener | (noun) a small fastener for articles of clothing or other items that has a rounded portion that snaps into a socket. Also called a press stud in the UK and other countries.
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| domestic | (adjective) 1 belonging to or having to do with the house (appliances for domestic use). 2 concerning your personal or home life (domestic happiness). 3 tame and living with or used to people (domestic animals such as dogs and cats). 4 having to do with your own country (goods sold on the domestic market). 5 (inf) interested in and good at cooking, housework, etc (she’s very domestic). n a house servant (she has worked as a domestic for many years).
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| domesticated | (adjective) 1 accustomed to living near and being used by people (domesticated animals). 2 fond of and/or good at doing jobs associated with running a house (a domesticated person).
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| domesticity | (noun) 1 home life. 2 the state of being fond of and good at running a home.
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| domicile | (noun) (fml) a house, a home, the place where a person is living.
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| dominant | (adjective) 1 controlling others (a dominant personality). 2 most important (the dominant issue at the meeting). n dominance.
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| dominate | (verb) 1 to have complete control over (dominate the meeting dom-i-nay-shun/.
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| domineer | (verb) to bully (tired of being domineered by his elder brother). adj domineering.
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| dominion | (noun) 1 (fml) rule, government (an emperor holding dominion over millions of people). 2 the territory governed (the vast dominions of the empire).
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| Dominion Day | (noun) former name for Canada Day.
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| dominoes | (noun) a game played with small flat pieces of wood, ivory, etc, marked with dots.
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| don1 | (verb) (donned, donning) (fml) to put on (donned his coat).
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| don2 | (noun) a teacher in a university or college.
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| donate | (verb) to give, especially to a charity, etc; to contribute (the celebrity donated hundreds of dollars to a children’s charity). n donation.
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| done | past participle of do. adj 1 finished, completed. 2 cooked thoroughly. 3 sociably acceptable (being rude to your host is simply not done). done in (inf) utterly exhausted (completely done in after the long walk).
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| donkey | (noun) an ass.
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| donor | (noun) 1 a person who gives or contributes (money given to the charity by anonymous donors). 2 a person who provides blood for transfusion, organs for transplantation, etc (a blood donor/a kidney donor).
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| doodle | (verb) to draw or scribble casually or absent-mindedly. Also n.
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| doom | (noun) death, ruin, destruction, terrible and inevitable fate (he prepared to meet his doom). vb to cause to suffer something unavoidable and terrible, such as death, ruin, or destruction (doomed to a life of unemployment).
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| doomsday | (noun) the day of judgment at the end of the world.
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| door | (noun) a movable barrier in an entrance to a building or room.
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| doorway | (noun) an entrance to a building or room.
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| dope | noun (inf) a fool, a stupid person.
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| dopping | Collective noun for sheldrakes (A dopping of sheldrakes) (see list of collective nouns) |
| Doraphobia | fear of fur or hides or skins of animals (see list of phobias) |
| dormant | (adjective) not at present active (a dormant volcano).
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| dormer | (noun) a small window in a sloping roof.
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| dormitory | (noun) a sleeping room with many beds (the dormitories in the boarding school were furnished with comfortable beds).
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| dormouse | (noun) (pl dormice) a small mouse-like animal that hibernates in winter.
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| dorsal | (adjective) having to do with the back (the dorsal fin of the shark).
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| dory | (noun) a sea fish (often John Dory).
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| dosage | (noun) the amount to be given in a dose (exceed the recommended dosage).
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| dose | (noun) the amount of medicine given at one time (a dose of cough mixture). vb to give medicine to (dosing herself with cough mixture).
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| Dosiology | study of doses (see list of branches of science) |
| dossier | (noun) a collection of papers dealing with one particular subject or person (firms keeping dossiers on members of staff).
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| dot | (noun) a small point or mark (a pattern of black and white dots). vb (dotted, dotting) to mark with dots. dotted with having (things) placed here and there (a sky dotted with stars).
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| dotage | (noun) the weak-mindedness of old age (an old man in his dotage).
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| dote | (verb) to show great fondness of, especially in a foolish way (he dotes on his daughter and thinks she can do no wrong).
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| double | (adjective) 1 twice as much as usual or normal (a double helping of dessert a double ticket). 3 forming a pair (a double window a double life). n 1 twice the amount (double the price). 2 a person or thing looking the same as another (the double of her mother at that age). 3 a glass of alcoholic liquor holding twice the standard amount. 4 a running pace (leave at the double). vb 1 to multiply by two, to cause to become twice as large or numerous. 2 to fold in two (doubling the blanket over for extra warmth). 3 to have two uses, jobs, etc (the sofa doubles as a bed). adv doubly. double back to turn back in the opposite direction, especially unexpectedly.
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| double-bass | (noun) a large, low-toned stringed instrument.
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| double-cross | (verb) to deceive someone who trusts you and believes that you are their friend.
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| double-dealing | (noun) deceit, dishonesty. adj devious, not to be trusted (a double-dealing business partner).
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| doublet | (noun) 1 a close-fitting body garment worn by men in the 14th to 17th centuries. 2 one of a pair of words having the same meaning.
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| doubt | (verb) to be uncertain about, to be unwilling to believe or trust (doubt his word dout-ful dout-less/.
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| douche | (noun) a stream of water directed on to the body to clean it. Also vb.
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| dough | (noun) 1 flour, etc, moistened with liquid and made into a paste ready for baking (dough for making bread). 2 (inf) money. adj doughy.
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| doughnut | (noun) a type of sweet cake often in the shape of a ring.
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| douse, dowse | (verb) 1 to drench in water (dousing the fire/douse him with a bucket of water). 2 to put out (douse the candles).
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| dove | (noun) a bird of the pigeon family.
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| dove-cote, dove-cot | (noun) a pigeon house.
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| dovetail | (noun) a sticking-out end of wood, shaped like a dove’s tail, made to fit into a hole in another piece of wood so as to lock the two together. vb to fit neatly or exactly together (his plans neatly dovetailed with theirs).
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| dowager | (noun) the title given to the widow of a nobleman.
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| dowdy | (adjective) badly or shabbily dressed, unfashionable, drab (a dowdy woman dow-dee-ness dow-di-lee/.
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| down | Collective noun for hares (A down of hares) (see list of collective nouns) |
| down1 | (preposition) in a descending direction in, on, along, or through (water flows down/go down the hill). adv 1 from a higher to a lower position, to a lying or sitting position (she fell down). 2 toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom (climb down). 3 to or in a lower status or in a worse condition (prices are going down). 4 to or in a state of less activity (the children quietened down). 5 arranged or scheduled (the meeting is down for 2pm). adj 1 occupying a low position, especially lying on the ground. 2 (inf) depressed (she is feeling down). n 1 a low period. 2 (inf) a dislike. vb 1 to go or cause to go or come down. 2 to defeat. 3 to swallow.
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| down2 | (noun) the fine soft feathers of a bird (the down of a swan dow-nee/.
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| down-and-out | (adjective) having no job and no home, and no money (down-and-out people sleeping rough under the bridge). n a down-and-out person.
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| downcast | (adjective) 1 directed downward (with eyes downcast). 2 sad, in low spirits (feeling downcast at the news of his failure).
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| downfall | (noun) 1 ruin, fall from power, prosperity, etc (over-confidence led to his downfall). 2 a heavy fall of rain.
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| down-hearted | (adjective) discouraged, in low spirits (down-hearted after the failure of his business).
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| download | (verb) to copy or transfer data or a program from one computer to another.
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| downpour | (noun) a heavy fall of rain (get soaked in the downpour).
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| downright | (adjective) 1 thorough, complete (a downright lie). 2 frank, straightforward, saying exactly what you think (a downright kind of man). Also adv.
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| downsize | (verb) to reduce the number of people who work in a company, usually in order to reduce costs (downsize the workforce).
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| dowry | (noun) the property a woman brings to her husband at marriage.
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| Doxophobia | fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise (see list of phobias) |
| doze | (verb) to be half asleep (dozing in his chair after lunch). n light sleep.
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| dozen | (noun) twelve.
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| drab | (adjective) 1 of a dull grayish-brown color (wearing drab clothes). 2 dull, uninteresting (lead a drab existence).
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| draft1 | (noun) 1 the amount taken in one drink (a long draft of cold beer). 2 a stream of air through a room (drafts coming in the window). 3 the depth a ship sinks in water.
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| draft2 | (noun) 1 a number of soldiers picked to go somewhere on duty. 2 a written order to pay money. 3 a rough copy or plan of work to be done (a draft of his essay). vb 1 to prepare a plan or rough copy (draft the contract). 2 to pick and send off (draft police to control the football crowds).
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| draftsman | (noun) 1 a man whose job it is to draw plans for buildings, etc. 2 a piece in a game of checkers.
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| drafty | (adjective) cold because of a stream of air (large drafty rooms).
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| drag | (verb) (dragged, dragging) 1 to pull along with force (drag the fallen tree). 2 to trail on the ground (with her long skirt dragging in the mud). 3 (inf) to go very slowly (the evening seemed to drag). 4 to search underwater with hooks or a net (drag the canal for the dead body). n anything that causes to go slowly.
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| dragon | (noun) 1 in fables, a winged monster. 2 a fierce, stern person (his grandmother’s a real old dragon).
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| dragonfly | (noun) a winged insect.
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| dragoon | (noun) a horse soldier. vb to force to obey, to bully into (dragoon them into helping him paint the house).
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| drain | (verb) 1 to draw off liquid by pipes, ditches, etc (drain the water tank). 2 to empty completely (drain his glass). 3 to cause to become dry as liquid flows away (drain the plates). n a pipe or channel to carry away liquid (a blocked drain).
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| drainage | (noun) all the means used to draw water away from a certain area.
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| drake | (noun) a male duck.
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| dram | (noun) 1 a small measure of weight (1/16 ounce). 2 a small drink of whisky, etc.
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| drama | (noun) 1 a play (a television drama). 2 plays as a branch of literature and as a performing art (study drama). 3 an exciting event, a series of exciting events (a real-life hospital drama). 4 excitement (a life that seems full of drama).
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| dramatic | (adjective) 1 having to do with drama (a dramatic society dra-ma-ti-ca-lee/.
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| dramatist | (noun) a writer of plays.
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| dramatize | (noun), also dramatise (Br) 1 to turn into a stage play (dramatizing a novel). 2 to exaggerate the importance or significance of (she dramatized what was a minor injury dra-ma-ti-zay-shun/, also dramatisation (Br).
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| drape | (verb) 1 to cover or decorate with cloth, etc, in folds (drape the sofa with a large length of brown velvet). 2 to cause to hang or rest loosely (draping his legs over the end of the sofa).
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| draper | (noun) a person who sells clothes.
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| drapery | (noun) 1 cloth, linen. 2 a draper’s shop.
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| drapes | (noun, plural) pieces of fabric hung at a window.
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| drastic | (adjective) acting with strength or violence; thorough (take drastic measures to reduce expenditure). adv drastically.
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| draught | Collective noun for butlers (A draught of butlers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| draw | (verb) (pt drew, pp drawn) 1 to pull along or toward (a tractor drawing a trailer drew a file from the cabinet). 2 to move toward or away from (the crowd drew nearer draw his mother). 6 (of a game or contest) to end with nobody winning (the two football teams drew). 7 (of a ship) to sink to a certain depth in the water. n 1 an attraction (the new singer is a real draw at the club). 2 a game or contest won by nobody (the football match ended in a draw). 3 the selecting of winning tickets in a raffle, lottery, etc. draw the line at to refuse to have do (draw the line at lying). draw up 1 to stop (cars drawing up at the curb). 2 to prepare, especially in writing (draw up a contract).
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| drawback | (noun) a disadvantage (he found his poor eyesight a drawback).
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| drawbridge | (noun) a bridge that can be lifted at one end to prevent crossing.
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| drawer | (noun) 1 a sliding box or container in a table, closet, etc. 2 (pl) see drawers.
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| drawers | (noun, plural) (old) an undergarment with legs for the bottom part of the body.
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| drawing | (noun) 1 a picture made with a pencil, crayons, etc (a pen-and-ink drawing of the house). 2 the art of making such pictures (study drawing).
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| drawing room | (noun) a sitting room, especially a large one in which guests are received.
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| drawl | (verb) to speak slowly or lazily (he drawled his words in an irritating way). Also n.
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| dread | (noun) fear, terror (live in dread of being attacked). adj (fml) causing great fear, terrible. vb to fear greatly (dread losing his job).
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| dreadful | (adjective) 1 terrible (a dreadful accident in dreadful pain). 2 very unpleasant, bad (a dreadful noise dred-ful-ee/.
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| dreadlocks | (noun, plural) hair that is twisted into long thick braids hanging down all around the head.
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| dream | (noun) 1 the ideas or fancies passing through the mind of a person sleeping. 2 memories of the past or thoughts of what may happen (dreams of becoming a millionaire). 3 state of being occupied by your thoughts, daydream. 4 (inf) a beautiful or wonderful person or thing (a dream of a dress). vb (pt, pp dreamt or dreamed) 1 to have dreams. 2 to imagine.
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| dream | Collective noun for psychoanalysts (A dream of psychoanalysts) (see list of collective nouns) |
| dreamer | (noun) a person who is more interested in thoughts or fancies than facts.
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| dreamy | (adjective) 1 given to or relating to daydreaming (a dreamy kind of person/in a dreamy mood). 2 extremely attractive (he is so dreamy).
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| dreary | (adjective) cheerless, gloomy (a dreary November day/a dreary style of decoration).
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| dredge1 | (noun) a machine for bringing up mud, fish, etc, from the bottom of a river or the sea. vb 1 to bring up with a dredge (dredge up the body from the river bed). 2 to clear with a dredge (dredging the canal). 3 to mention something from the past (dredge up the old scandal about her).
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| dredge2 | (verb) to sprinkle with (dredging doughnuts with sugar).
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| dredger | (noun) a ship fitted to clear mud from the channel in a river or harbor.
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| dregs | (noun, plural) tiny pieces of matter that sink to the foot of a standing liquid (wine dregs/coffee dregs).
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| drench | (verb) 1 to make very wet (get drenched in the storm). 2 to force (an animal) to drink.
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| dress | (verb) 1 to put on clothes (dress yourself/dress the child warmly). 2 to wear evening or formal dress (do we have to dress for dinner?). 3 to straighten, to set in order (dress the shop window). 4 to bandage (dress a wound). 5 to prepare for use (dress a turkey for the oven). n 1 clothing (casual dress). 2 a woman’s outer garment (a summer dress). dress up 1 to put on the clothing of another person, nation, etc (dress up for the fancy-dress party). 2 to put on your best clothing (dress up for the formal ball).
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| dress circle | (noun) the second-floor gallery in a theater.
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| dress rehearsal | (noun) a practice before a performance, in the appropriate costume.
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| dresser | (noun) 1 a kitchen sideboard (plates displayed on the dresser). 2 a person who helps an actor to dress.
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| dressing | (noun) 1 the ointments, bandages, etc, put on a wound. 2 something put on as a covering (give the plants a dressing of fertilizer). 3 sauce for food, especially a mixture of oil and vinegar, etc, for putting on salads.
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| dressy | (adjective) 1 (inf) fond of nice clothes (a dressy young man). 2 elegant or elaborate, suitable for special occasions (dressy clothes).
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| dribble | (verb) 1 to fall or let fall in small drops (water dribbling from the faucet). 2 to allow saliva to run from the mouth (babies dribbling). 3 to keep a moving ball under control by little kicks or taps (a footballer dribbling the ball toward the goal).
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| driblet | (noun) a small amount (water coming out in driblets).
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| drift | (noun) 1 that which is driven by wind (e.g. snow, sand) or water (e.g. seaweed). 2 meaning (I didn’t get the drift of his speech). vb 1 to be driven by wind or water current (boats drifting). 2 to do something aimlessly (just drifting without any ambition).
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| drift | Collective noun for fishermen (A drift of fishermen) (see list of collective nouns) |
| drift | Collective noun for icebergs (A drift of icebergs) (see list of collective nouns) |
| drift | Collective noun for lecturers (A drift of lecturers) (see list of collective nouns) |
| drifter | (noun) a fishing boat using drift nets (i.e. nets kept near the surface of the water by cork).
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| drill1 | (noun) 1 a tool for boring holes (an electric drill). 2 training practice (military drill). 3 procedures to be followed in a certain situation, such as an emergency (fire drill). vb 1 to make holes with a drill (drill holes for screws/drill for oil). 2 to teach something by making learners do it again and again (drill the class in spelling rules). 3 to practice military exercises (soldiers drilling).
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| drill2 | (noun) 1 a machine for sowing seeds. 2 a row of seeds. vb to sow in rows.
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| drily | see dry.
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| drink | (verb) (pt drank, pp drunk) 1 to swallow (a liquid) (drink milk). 2 to take alcoholic liquor, especially in too great amounts (her husband drinks). n 1 an act of drinking (have a drink of water). 2 a liquid suitable for drinking (soft drinks). 3 alcoholic liquor (take to drink). 4 a glass of alcoholic liquor (buy the drinks).
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| drip | (verb) (dripped, dripping) to fall or let fall in drops (water dripping from the ceiling/his umbrella dripping water). n a drop (drips from the ceiling).
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| dripping | (noun) the fat that drops from roasting meat.
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| drive | (verb) (pt drove, pp driven) 1 to control or guide (a car, etc) (drive a sports car). 2 to ride in a car or other vehicle (driving with his friends to the coast). 3 to force or urge along (drive cows to market). 4 to hit hard (drive the nail through the wood). n 1 a ride in a car or carriage. 2 a private road up to a house. 3 a hard hit (at a ball). 4 energy.
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| drive shed | (noun) (Br) a large shed for storing vehicles or farm machinery.
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| drive-by | (adjective) carried out from a moving car (a drive-by shooting).
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| drive-in | (noun) a cinema, restaurant, etc, which you can use while staying in your car.
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| drivel | (noun) (inf) foolish talk, nonsense (talk a lot of drivel). vb (driveled, driveling) to talk nonsense (drivel on about unimportant problems).
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| driver | (noun) 1 a person who drives (truck drivers). 2 a golf club with a wooden head.
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| drizzle | (verb) to rain in small drops. n a fine rain (get caught in the drizzle).
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| droll | (adjective) amusing, odd (she was a droll child/a droll story).
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| dromedary | (noun) a camel with one hump on its back.
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| Dromophobia | fear of crossing streets (see list of phobias) |
| drone | (noun) 1 the male or non-working bee. 2 a lazy person (the drones in the office). 3 a humming sound (the drone of traffic). vb 1 to make a humming sound (an airplane droning overhead). 2 to speak boringly (the speaker droned on as most of the audience left).
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| drool | (verb) 1 to dribble saliva from the mouth. 2 (inf) to admire very enthusiastically (drooling over her favorite actor).
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| droop | (verb) 1 to hang down (with the hem of her dress drooping). 2 to become weak (drooping visibly after a hard day at the office). Also n.
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| drop | (noun) 1 a very small amount of liquid (not a drop spilled). 2 the act of falling (a drop in temperature). 3 the distance that a person may fall (a drop of 300 feet from the castle wall). vb (dropped, dropping) 1 to fall or let fall in drops. 2 to fall or let fall (drop a plate on the floor forced to drop his speed). 4 to stop seeing, talking about, doing, etc (we’ve discussed this for too long—let’s drop the subject).
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| drought | (noun) a long spell of dry weather, lack of rain, dryness (crops dying in the drought).
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| drove | (noun) a herd or flock on the move (a drove of cattle).
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| drove | Collective noun for bullocks (A drove of bullocks) (see list of collective nouns) |
| drove | Collective noun for elves (A drove of elves) (see list of collective nouns) |
| drover | (noun) a person who drives cattle.
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| drown | (verb) 1 to die under water by water filling the lungs (he drowned while trying to rescue his friend from the river). 2 to kill by keeping under water (the murderer drowned his victims in the river). 3 to flood, to submerge (farmland drowned by the floods). 4 to put too much liquid in or on (meat drowned in a sickly sauce). 5 to prevent from being heard by making a noise (her speech was drowned by the noise of the traffic).
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| drowsy | (adjective) sleepy (feeling drowsy after a large lunch). n drowsiness.
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| drub | (verb) (drubbed, drubbing) to beat, to thrash (drub the other team). n drubbing.
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| drudge | (verb) to work hard, to slave (drudging away in the factory). n a person who does hard or boring work (drudges washing dishes in the hotel kitchen).
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| drudgery | (noun) dull or hard work.
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| drug | (noun) 1 any substance used as or in a medicine (pain-killing drugs). 2 a substance that causes sleep or loss of feeling, especially a habit-forming one (drugs such as cocaine and heroin are addictive). vb (drugged, drugging) to give drugs to in order to make insensible (the kidnappers drugged their victim to keep him quiet).
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| druggist | (noun) a person who dispenses and sells medicines.
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| drugstore | (noun) a store selling medicines and other assorted goods.
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| druid | (noun) a priest of the Celts in ancient Britain before the Christian Era.
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| drum | (noun) 1 a musical instrument in which skin is stretched tightly over the ends of a box and then beaten to produce a booming sound. 2 the tight skin across the inside of the ear. 3 something shaped like a drum (an oil drum). vb (drummed, drumming) 1 to beat a drum. 2 to make a noise by beating or tapping (drumming impatiently on the table dru-mer/.
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| drumstick | (noun) a stick for beating a drum.
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| drunk | (adjective) overcome or overexcited by too much alcoholic liquor (too drunk to drive). Also adj drunken. n drunkenness.
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| drunkard | (noun) a person who is often drunk.
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| dry | (adjective) 1 not wet or damp (paint not yet dry dry parts of the world). 3 not legally allowed to sell alcohol (a dry area). 4 not sweet (a dry wine). 5 (inf) thirsty (dry after their long walk). 6 uninteresting (a very dry book). 7 (of humor) quiet, not easily noticed. vb to make or become dry (dried the washing on the radiators drie-lee drie-ness/.
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| dry dock | (noun) a dock out of which water can be drained so that a ship may be repaired.
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| dry rot | (noun) a disease of wood that makes it crumble away (houses affected by dry rot).
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| dryad | (noun) a mythical spirit of the woods.
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| dry-clean | (verb) to clean with chemicals instead of water. n dry-cleaner.
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| dual | (adjective) consisting of two; double (have dual nationality doo-a-li-tee/.
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| dub | (verb) (dubbed, dubbing) 1 to make someone a knight by touching him with a sword. 2 to give a nickname or title to (dubbed “Ginger” by his friends).
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| dubbin, dubbing | (noun) a grease for softening leather.
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| dubious | (adjective) 1 feeling doubt (I am rather dubious about his suitability for the job). 2 causing doubt; of uncertain worth, etc, possibly dishonest (of dubious character). n dubiety.
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| duchess | (noun) the wife or widow of a duke.
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| duchy | (noun) 1 the lands of a duke. 2 a country ruled by a duke.
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| duck1 | (noun) a type of common waterfowl, both domestic and wild, whose flesh is used as a food (wild ducks swimming at the edge of the river/roast duck served in orange sauce).
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| duck2 | (verb) 1 to plunge or dip under water (duck her in the river). 2 to bend to avoid something or to avoid being seen (duck to avoid hitting his head on the branch/duck down behind the window to avoid being seen by the police). 3 to avoid or dodge (duck his responsibilities).
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| duckling | (noun) a young duck.
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| duct | (noun) 1 a pipe or tube for carrying liquid, gas, electric wires, etc (you can see the air-conditioning ducts). 2 a tube in the body or in plants through which fluid, etc, passes (tear ducts).
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| dud | (adjective) (inf) of no use (dud fireworks/a dud manager). Also n.
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| dude | (noun) (inf) a man, a guy.
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| dudgeon | (noun) annoyance, anger (left the meeting in high dudgeon).
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| due | (adjective) 1 immediately payable (the rent is due). 2 proper. 3 expected (the train is due first thing in the morning). adv directly (due north). due to caused by. n 1 something that is owed. 2 a right. 3 npl charges; a sum payable.
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| duel | (noun) 1 an arranged fight between two armed people (challenged him to a duel when he insulted his honor). 2 a contest or struggle between two people (a duel of wits). vb (dueled, dueling) to fight in a duel.
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| duet | (noun) a piece of music for two singers or players (pianists playing a duet).
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| duffel, duffle | (noun) a rough woolen cloth (a duffel coat).
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| dugout | (noun) 1 an underground shelter (a military dugout). 2 a boat made from a hollowed-out tree.
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| duke | (noun) 1 the highest rank of nobleman. 2 in some parts of Europe, especially formerly, a ruling prince.
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| dulcet | (adjective) (often hum) sweet, tuneful (good to hear your dulcet tones).
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| dulcimer | (noun) a musical instrument played by small hammers striking strings, the forerunner of the piano.
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| dull | (adjective) 1 slow, stupid (a dull student). 2 uninteresting (a dull TV show a dull noise). vb to make dull, to blunt. n dullness. adv dully.
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| dullard | (noun) a dull or stupid person.
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| duly | (adverb) 1 properly (duly elected MP for the area). 2 at the due and proper time (the taxi they ordered duly arrived).
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| dumb | (adjective) 1 unable to speak (people who have been dumb since birth). 2 silent (remain dumb throughout the police officer’s questioning dum-ness/.
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| dumbbells | (noun, plural) weights used when exercising the arm muscles (dumbbells used in weight training).
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| dumbfound | (verb) to astonish greatly (she was dumbfounded by his rude behavior).
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| dummy | (noun) 1 a model of the human figure, used for displaying or fitting clothing (a tailor’s dummy). 2 an imitation article (dummies in the window, not real boxes of candy). adj pretended, not real.
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| dump | (verb) 1 to throw away, to get rid of (dump garbage). 2 (inf) to let fall or set down heavily (dump his suitcase on the doorstep). 3 to sell goods in another country at a low price. n 1 a garbage heap (take the garbage to the dump). 2 a military store (an ammunition dump). 3 (inf) a dirty, untidy, or uninteresting place (the apartment’s a real dump).
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| dumper truck, dump truck | (noun) a heavy truck the back of which can be tilted back and up to unload cargo such as earth, gravel, rocks, etc.
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| dumpling | (noun) a food that is cooked, consisting of a thick paste, sometimes rolled into balls, or sometimes filled with fruit or meat (Chinese dumplings).
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| dumps | (noun, plural) low spirits.
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| dun | (adjective) of a pale yellowish or grayish-brown color (a horse of a dun color).
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| dunce | (noun) a slow learner, a stupid student (the class dunce).
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| dune | (noun) a low sandhill, especially on the seashore (children playing on the dunes).
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| dung | (noun) the waste matter passed from the bodies of animals (dung used as a fertilizer by farmers). vb to mix dung with earth to fertilize it.
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| dungarees, dungarees | (noun, plural) outer garments worn to protect the clothing (workmen in dungarees).
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| dungeon | (noun) a dark prison, an underground prison cell (the dungeons beneath the castle).
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| dunk | (verb) to dip into liquid for a moment (dunked his doughnut in his coffee)
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| duo | (noun) a group of two people, especially two musicians.
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| duodenum | (noun) part of the bowel. adj duodenal.
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| dupe | (verb) to cheat (the thief duped the old lady by pretending to be a telephone engineer). n a person who is cheated or deceived.
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| duplicate | (adjective) exactly the same, exactly like another (duplicate keys). n an exact copy (keep a duplicate of the letter in the office files). vbto make a copy or copies of (duplicating the documents for the meeting). n duplication.
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| duplicity | (noun) deceit, trickery.
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| duplicity | Collective noun for spies (A duplicity of spies) (see list of collective nouns) |
| durable | (adjective) 1 lasting, hard-wearing (pants of a durable material). 2 lasting or able to last (hopes of a durable peace are fading). n durability.
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| durante | Collective noun for toucans (A durante of toucans) (see list of collective nouns) |
| duration | (noun) the time for which a thing lasts (they took shelter for the duration of the storm).
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| duress | (noun) use of force, threats, etc (he agreed to go but only under duress).
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| during | (preposition) 1 in the course of (he died during the night). 2 throughout the time of (a shortage of food during the war).
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| dusk | (noun) partial darkness, twilight (dusk sets in early in the winter). adj dusky dark.
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| dust | (noun) tiny dry particles of earth or matter (dust settling on the furniture). vb 1 to remove dust (dust the piano). 2 to sprinkle with powder (dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar). adj dusty.
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| dustbin | (British) garbage can.
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| duster | (noun) a cloth for removing dust, etc (polishing the silver with a duster).
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| Dutchphobia | fear of the Dutch (see list of phobias) |
| dutiable | (adjective) able to be taxed (dutiable goods such as wine and other alcoholic liquor).
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| dutiful | (adjective) obedient, careful to do one’s duty (a dutiful son).
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| duty | (noun) 1 that which you ought to do (do your duty as a responsible citizen). 2 an action or task requiring to be done, especially one attached to a job (perform his duties as a junior doctor/on night duty). 3 a tax on goods (duty paid on cigarettes).
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| DVD | (abbreviation) for digital video disk, an optical disk on which large amounts of audio, video and computer data can be stored, especially feature films to be watched at home.
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| dwarf | (noun) (pl dwarfs or dwarves) 1 (sometimes offensive) a person, animal, or plant that is much smaller than average. 2 in fairy tales, a very small man who has magical powers (my daughter loves the story of Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs). adj undersized, very small (dwarf fruit trees). vb to make seem small (he was so tall that he dwarfed the rest of the team). adj dwarfish.
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| dwell | (verb) (pt, pp dwelt or dwelled) 1 (old or lit) to live in (dwell in a house by the sea). 2 to talk or think a lot about (try not to dwell on your health problems).
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| dwelling | (noun) (fml or old) a house.
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| dwindle | (verb) to grow gradually less or smaller (his hopes of success dwindled/the population of the village is dwindling).
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| dye | (verb) to give a new color to, to stain (dye a white skirt red). n a coloring substance. n dyer.
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| dyke | see dike.
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| dynamic | (adjective) active, energetic (a dynamic new salesman).
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| Dynamics | study of forces and their effects on motion (see list of branches of science) |
| dynamics | (noun) the science of forces and movement.
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| dynamite | (noun) a powerful explosive (the bridges were blown up with dynamite).
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| dynamo | (noun) a machine for making electric current.
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| dynasty | (noun) a line of rulers of the same family (the Tudor dynasty in England). adj dynastic.
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| dysentery | (noun) a disease of the bowels.
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| dysfunctional | (adjective) not functioning in what is considered the normal fashion (a dysfunctional family).
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| Dysgenics | study of racial degeneration (see list of branches of science) |
| dyslexia | (noun) difficulty with reading and spelling caused by a slight disorder in the brain (the young boy has dyslexia).
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| Dysmorphophobia | fear of deformity (see list of phobias) |
| Dystychiphobia | fear of accidents (see list of phobias) |
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