SYNONYMS: instruct, train
NOUN 4 someone who coaches a person or sports team
coal
NOUN a hard, black rock taken from under the ground and burned as a fuel
coarse coarser, coarsest
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is coarse is rough in texture.
2 Someone who is coarse talks or behaves in a rude, offensive way.
coarsely ADVERB coarseness NOUN
coast coasts, coasting, coasted
NOUN 1 the edge of the land where it meets the sea
VERB 2 If a vehicle coasts somewhere, it moves there with the engine switched off. The car coasted quietly down the hill.
coastal ADJECTIVE
coastguard coastguards
NOUN an official who watches the sea near a coast to get help for sailors when they need it
coat coats, coating, coated
NOUN 1 a piece of outdoor clothing with sleeves, which you wear over other clothes
2 An animals coat is the fur or hair on its body.
3 A coat of paint or varnish is a layer of it.
VERB 4 If you coat something, you cover it with a thin layer of something. We coated the biscuits with chocolate.
coating coatings
NOUN a thin layer of something spread over a surface
coax coaxes, coaxing, coaxed
VERB If you coax someone to do something, you persuade them gently to do it.
cobble cobbles
NOUN Cobbles or cobblestones are stones with a rounded surface that were used in the past for making roads.
cobra cobras
NOUN a type of large poisonous snake from Africa and Asia
cobweb cobwebs
NOUN the very thin net that a spider spins to catch insects
cock cocks
NOUN an adult male chicken, or any other male bird
cockerel cockerels
NOUN a young cock
cockle cockles
NOUN a type of small, edible shellfish
Cockney Cockneys
NOUN someone who was born in the East End of London
cockpit cockpits
NOUN 1 the area in a plane where the pilot sits in control
2 the drivers compartment in a racing car
cockroach cockroaches
NOUN a large, dark-coloured insect often found in dirty rooms
[from Spanish cucaracha]
cocky cockier, cockiest
ADJECTIVE INFORMAL If you are cocky, you are sure of yourself and sometimes rather cheeky.
cocoa
NOUN 1 a brown powder made from the seeds of a tropical tree and used for making chocolate
2 a hot drink made from this powder
coconut coconuts
NOUN a very large nut with white flesh, milky juice, and a hard hairy shell
cocoon cocoons
NOUN a silky covering over the larvae of moths and some other insects
cod
NOUN a large, edible fish
The plural of cod is cod.
code codes
NOUN 1 a system of replacing the letters or words in a message with other letters or words, so that nobody can understand the message unless they know the system They wrote messages in code.
2 a group of numbers and letters used to identify something the telephone code for Falmouth
coeducation
NOUN Coeducation is a system where girls and boys are taught together at the same school.
coeducational ADJECTIVE
coffee
NOUN 1 a powder made by roasting and grinding the beans of the coffee plant
2 a hot drink made from coffee
coffin coffins
NOUN a box in which a dead body is buried or cremated
cog cogs
NOUN a wheel with teeth, which turns another wheel or part of a machine
coil coils, coiling, coiled
NOUN 1 a length of rope or wire wound into a series of loops
2 A single loop is also called a coil.
VERB 3 If something coils, or if you coil it, it winds into a series of loops. The snake coiled around the branch.
coin coins, coining, coined
NOUN 1 a small metal disc used as money
VERB 2 If you coin a word or a phrase, you invent it.
coinage
NOUN the coins that are used in a particular country
coincide coincides, coinciding, coincided
VERB When two things coincide, they happen at the same time. Aunties visit coincided with my birthday.
coincidence coincidences
NOUN what happens when two or more things occur at the same time by chance
coke
NOUN a grey fuel produced from coal
cola colas
NOUN a sweet, brown fizzy drink, like Coca-Cola
colander colanders
NOUN a bowl-shaped container with holes in it, used for washing or draining food
cold colder, coldest; colds
ADJECTIVE 1 If something is cold, it has a very low temperature.
2 If the weather is cold, the air temperature is very low.
NOUN 3 a minor illness that makes you sneeze and cough, and sometimes gives you a sore throat
cold-blooded
ADJECTIVE 1 A cold-blooded animal has a body temperature that changes according to the surrounding temperature.
2 Someone who is cold-blooded does not show any pity.
cold-bloodedly ADVERB
coleslaw
NOUN a salad of chopped cabbage and other vegetables in mayonnaise
collaborate collaborates, collaborating, collaborated
VERB When people collaborate, they work together to produce something. The two schools collaborated to produce a play.
collaboration NOUN collaborator NOUN
collage collages
NOUN a picture made by sticking pieces of paper or cloth on to a surface
collapse collapses, collapsing, collapsed
VERB 1 If something such as a building collapses, it falls down suddenly.
2 If a person collapses, they fall down suddenly because they are ill.
collapsible
ADJECTIVE A collapsible object can be folded flat when it is not in use. collapsible chairs
collar collars
NOUN 1 the part around the neck of something, such as a coat or shirt
2 a leather band round the neck of a dog or cat
colleague colleagues
NOUN A persons colleagues are the people they work with.
collect collects, collecting, collected
VERB 1 If you collect things, you gather them together for a special purpose or as a hobby.
2 If you collect someone or something from a place, you call there and take them away. We collected Ali from school.
3 When things collect in a place, they gather there over a period of time. Dust collects in corners.
collection collections
NOUN 1 a group of things you have gathered over a period of time a stamp collection
collection collections
NOUN 1 a group of things you have gathered over a period of time a stamp collection
2 the organized collecting of money, for example for charity, or the money collected
collective noun collective nouns
NOUN a noun that refers to a group of people or things. For example, a flock, a herd, and a shoal are all collective nouns.
college colleges
NOUN a place where students study after they have left school
collide collides, colliding, collided
VERB If a moving object collides with something, it hits it. They collided with each other as they rushed through the door.
collision collisions
NOUN A collision is when a moving object hits something.
SYNONYM: crash
colon colons
NOUN 1 the punctuation mark (:). It is used to introduce a list, a quotation or an explanation of a statement. We need to buy several things: bread, milk, fruit and toothpaste.
2 part of your intestine
colonel colonels
NOUN an army officer with a fairly high rank
colony colonies
NOUN 1 a country that is controlled by another country
2 a group of people or animals living together
colossal
ADJECTIVE very large indeed
[from Greek kolossos meaning huge statue]
colour colours
NOUN the appearance something has as a result of reflecting light Red, blue and yellow are the primary colours.
colour blind
ADJECTIVE Someone who is colour blind is not able to see the difference between certain colours.
colourful
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is colourful has a lot of different colours or bright colours.
ANTONYMS: dull, colourless
2 A colourful story is very exciting and interesting.
ANTONYMS: dull, boring
colourless
ADJECTIVE 1 without colour
2 dull and uninteresting
colt colts
NOUN a young male horse
column columns
NOUN 1 a tall, solid, upright cylinder, especially one supporting part of a building
2 In a newspaper or magazine, a column is a vertical section of writing.
3 a group of people or vehicles moving in a long line
coma comas
NOUN a state of deep unconsciousness
comb combs, combing, combed
NOUN 1 a flat object with long, thin, pointed parts, which you use for tidying your hair
VERB 2 When you comb your hair, you tidy it with a comb.
combat combats, combating, combated
NOUN 1 fighting In the Falklands War many soldiers had to take part in armed combat.
VERB 2 If someone combats something, they try to stop it happening. We need new ways to combat crime.
combination combinations
NOUN 1 a mixture of things Fatima won the competition through a combination of skill and determination.
2 a series of numbers or letters used to open a special lock
combine combines, combining, combined
VERB If you combine things, you mix them together. Combine the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. The book combines adventure and mystery.
combine harvester combine harvesters
NOUN a large machine used on farms to cut, sort and clean grain
combustion
NOUN the process of burning
come comes, coming, came
VERB 1 If you come to a place, you move or arrive there.
2 If something comes to a particular point, it reaches that point. The water came up to her waist.
3 When a particular time comes, it happens. Spring came early this year.
comedian comedians
NOUN an entertainer whose job is to make people laugh
comedy comedies
NOUN a play, film, or television programme that is intended to make people laugh
comet comets
NOUN an object that travels around the sun leaving a bright trail behind it
[from Greek kometes meaning long-haired]
comfort comforts, comforting, comforted
NOUN 1 the state of being pleasantly relaxed
2 a feeling of relief from worry or unhappiness Its a comfort to me to know that they are safe.
VERB 3 If you comfort someone, you make them less worried or unhappy.
comfortable
ADJECTIVE 1 If you are comfortable, you are at ease and relaxed.
2 Something that is comfortable makes you feel relaxed. a comfortable chair
comfortably ADVERB
comic comics
NOUN 1 a magazine that contains stories told in pictures
ADJECTIVE 2 funny a comic song
comma commas
NOUN the punctuation mark (,). It can show a short pause, or it can separate items in a list or words in speech marks from the rest of the sentence.
command commands, commanding, commanded
NOUN 1 an order to do something
VERB 2 If you command someone to do something, you order them to do it.
commemorate commemorates, commemorating, commemorated
VERB If you commemorate something, you do something special to show that you remember it. On Remembrance Day we commemorate all the people who died in the two World Wars.
comment comments, commenting, commented