NOUN 2 an inspection to make sure that everything is all right
3 Checks are different coloured squares that form a pattern.
checkout checkouts
NOUN the place in a supermarket where you pay for your goods
cheek cheeks
NOUN 1 Your cheeks are the sides of your face below your eyes.
2 speech or behaviour that is rude and disrespectful Their grandparents wont stand any cheek from them.
cheeky ADJECTIVE cheekily ADVERB
cheer cheers, cheering, cheered
VERB When people cheer, they shout loudly and happily. We cheered our team when they won.
cheerful
ADJECTIVE A cheerful person is happy.
cheerfully ADVERB
cheese cheeses
NOUN a solid savoury food made from milk
cheetah cheetahs
NOUN a wild mammal like a large cat with black spots, mainly found in Africa
[from Sanskrit citra + kaya meaning speckled body]
chef chefs
NOUN a head cook in a restaurant or hotel
[from French chef meaning head]
chemical chemicals
NOUN 1 a substance made by the use of chemistry Dangerous chemicals should be handled carefully.
chemical chemicals
NOUN 1 a substance made by the use of chemistry Dangerous chemicals should be handled carefully.
ADJECTIVE 2 involved in chemistry or using chemicals a chemical reaction
chemist chemists
NOUN a shop that sells medicines and cosmetics
chemistry
NOUN the scientific study of substances and the ways in which they change when they are combined
cheque cheques
NOUN a printed piece of paper that people can use to pay for things
cherry cherries
NOUN a small, juicy fruit with a red, yellow or black skin and a hard stone in the centre
chess
NOUN a game played on a board with 64 squares. Each player has 16 pieces.
chest chests
NOUN 1 the front part of your body between your shoulders and your waist
2 a large wooden box used for storing things
chestnut chestnuts
NOUN 1 a reddish-brown nut that grows inside a prickly, green outer covering
2 the tree that produces these nuts
ADJECTIVE 3 Something that is chestnut is reddish-brown in colour.
chew chews, chewing, chewed
VERB When you chew something, you use your teeth to break it up in your mouth before swallowing it.
chewing gum
NOUN a kind of sweet that you chew for a long time, but which you do not swallow
chick chicks
NOUN a young bird
chicken chickens
NOUN a bird kept on a farm for its eggs and meat; also the meat of this bird
chickenpox
NOUN an illness that causes a fever and blister-like spots to appear on the skin
chief chiefs
NOUN 1 the leader of a group or organization
ADJECTIVE 2 main or most important
chilblain chilblains
NOUN a sore, itchy swelling on a finger or toe, which causes discomfort in cold weather
child children
NOUN 1 a young person who is not yet an adult
SYNONYMS: kid, youngster
2 Someones child is their son or daughter.
childhood childhoods
NOUN Your childhood is the time when you are a child.
childish
ADJECTIVE If someone is childish, they are not acting in an adult way.
ANTONYM: adult
childishly ADVERB
childminder childminders
NOUN a person who is paid to look after children while their parents are at work
children
PLURAL NOUN the plural of child
chill chills, chilling, chilled
VERB 1 When you chill something, you make it cold. Chill the orange juice before you drink it.
NOUN 2 a feverish cold
3 a feeling of cold the chill of early morning
chilli chillies
NOUN the red or green seed pod of a type of pepper that has a very hot, spicy taste
chilly chillier, chilliest
ADJECTIVE 1 Chilly weather is rather cold.
2 If people behave in a chilly way, they are not very friendly.
chime chimes, chiming, chimed
VERB 1 When a bell chimes, it makes a clear ringing sound.
NOUN 2 Chimes are a set of bells or other objects that make ringing sounds.
chimney chimneys
NOUN a pipe above a fireplace or furnace through which smoke from the fire can escape
chimpanzee chimpanzees
NOUN a small ape with dark fur that lives in forests in Africa
chin chins
NOUN the part of your face below your mouth
china
NOUN plates, cups, saucers and other dishes that are made from fine clay
chink chinks
NOUN 1 a small, narrow opening a chink in the fence
2 a small ringing sound, like glasses touching each other
chip chips, chipping, chipped
NOUN 1 Chips are thin strips of fried potato.
2 a tiny piece of silicon inside a computer, which is used to form electronic circuits computer chips
VERB 3 If you chip an object, you break a small piece off it.
chirp chirps, chirping, chirped
VERB When a bird chirps, it makes a short, high-pitched sound.
chisel chisels, chiselling, chiselled
NOUN 1 a tool with a long metal blade and a sharp edge at the end. Chisels are used for cutting and shaping wood, stone or metal.
VERB 2 If you chisel wood, stone or metal, you cut or shape it using a chisel.
chlorine
NOUN a poisonous greenish-yellow gas with a strong, unpleasant smell. It is used to disinfect water and to make bleach.
chocolate chocolates
NOUN a sweet food made from cocoa beans
[from Aztec xococ + atl meaning bitter water]
choice choices
NOUN 1 a range of different things that are available to choose from
SYNONYMS: range, variety
2 something that you choose You made a good choice when you bought this book.
choir choirs
NOUN a group of singers, for example in a church
choke chokes, choking, choked
VERB If you choke on something, it prevents you from breathing properly. He choked on a fish bone.
cholesterol
NOUN a substance found in all animal fats, tissues and blood
choose chooses, choosing, chose, chosen
VERB If you choose something, you decide to have it or do it.
SYNONYMS: pick, select
chop chops, chopping, chopped
VERB 1 If you chop something, you cut it with quick, heavy strokes using an axe or a knife. Mum chopped the logs for firewood.
NOUN 2 a small piece of pork or lamb that contains a bone We had chops and broccoli for dinner.
choppy
ADJECTIVE When the sea or a stretch of water is choppy, there are a lot of waves on it because it is windy.
chopstick chopsticks
NOUN Chopsticks are a pair of thin sticks used for eating Chinese and Japanese food.
choral
Said kor-al ADJECTIVE for a choir
chord chords
NOUN a group of three or more musical notes played together
chore chores
NOUN an uninteresting job that has to be done
chorus choruses
NOUN 1 a part of a song that is repeated after each verse
2 a large group of singers
chose
VERB the past tense of choose
chosen
VERB 1 the past participle of choose
2 When you are chosen, you are picked to do something. I was chosen for the volleyball team.
christen christens, christening, christened
VERB When a priest christens someone, they name them in a ceremony where water is poured over their head as a sign that they are a member of the Christian church.
christening NOUN
Christian Christians
NOUN a person who believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings
Christianity NOUN
Christmas Christmases
NOUN a Christian festival held on December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
chrome
Said krome NOUN metal plated with chromium, a hard, silver-grey metal
chromosome chromosomes
Said krome-uh-soam NOUN the part of a cell in living things that contains the genes that determine what characteristics the animal or plant will have
chronic
ADJECTIVE lasting a very long time or never stopping He suffers from chronic hay fever.
chronological
ADJECTIVE arranged in the order in which things happened Tell me the whole story in chronological order.
chronologically ADVERB
chrysalis chrysalises
NOUN a butterfly or moth when it is developing from being a caterpillar to being a fully grown adult
chrysanthemum chrysanthemums
NOUN a plant with large, brightly-coloured flowers
chuckle chuckles, chuckling, chuckled
VERB When you chuckle, you laugh quietly.
chunk chunks
NOUN a thick piece of something
SYNONYMS: hunk, lump, piece
church churches
NOUN a building where Christians go for religious services and worship
churchyard churchyards
NOUN an area of land around a church, often used as a graveyard
churn churns, churning, churned
NOUN 1 a container used for making milk or cream into butter
VERB 2 When you churn something, you stir it vigorously, for example when making milk into butter.
churn out
VERB If you churn out something, you produce it quickly in large numbers. They churned out hundreds of leaflets advertising the dance.
chutney
NOUN a strong-tasting, thick sauce made from fruit, vinegar and spices
cider
NOUN an alcoholic drink made from apples
cigar cigars
NOUN a roll of dried tobacco leaves, which people smoke
cigarette cigarettes
NOUN a thin tube of paper containing tobacco, which people smoke
cinder cinders
NOUN Cinders are small pieces of burnt material left after something such as wood or coal has burned.
cinema cinemas
NOUN a place where people go to watch films
circle circles, circling, circled
NOUN 1 a regular, two-dimensional round shape. Every point on the edge is the same distance from the centre.
VERB 2 to move around in a circle Seagulls circled overhead.
circular ADJECTIVE
circuit circuits
NOUN 1 the path of an electric current
2 a racecourse
3 A training circuit is a course of physical activities.
circulation circulations
NOUN 1 the movement of blood around a body
2 the number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold each time it is issued
circumference circumferences
NOUN 1 the outer line or edge of a circle
2 The length of this line is also called the circumference.
circumstance circumstances
NOUN The circumstances of a situation or event are the conditions that affect what happens. He did well under difficult circumstances.
circus circuses
NOUN a travelling show performed in a large tent, with performers such as clowns and acrobats
cistern cisterns
NOUN a tank in which water is stored, such as in the roof of a house, or above a toilet
citizen citizens
NOUN The citizens of a country or city are the people who live in it or belong to it.
citrus fruit citrus fruits
NOUN Citrus fruits are juicy, sharp-tasting fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit.
city cities
NOUN a large town where many people live and work
civil
ADJECTIVE 1 relating to the citizens of a place
2 Someone who is civil is polite.
civilian civilians
NOUN a person who is not in the armed forces
civilization civilizations; also spelt civilisation
NOUN 1 a large group of people with a high level of organization and culture Were learning about the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Egypt.