conspiracy conspiracies
NOUN an illegal plan made in secret by a group of people
constable constables
NOUN a police officer of the lowest rank
constant
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is constant happens all the time or is always there. We could hear the constant sound of the waves pounding the shore.
2 If an amount or level is constant, it stays the same.
constellation constellations
NOUN a group of stars
constipated
ADJECTIVE Someone who is constipated finds it difficult to empty their bowels.
[from Latin constipare meaning to press together]
constipation NOUN
constitution constitutions
NOUN 1 The constitution of a country is the system of laws and principles by which it is governed.
2 Your constitution is your health.
construct constructs, constructing, constructed
VERB If you construct something, you build or make it.
construction constructions
NOUN 1 the process of building or making something
2 something built or made
constructive
2 something built or made
constructive
ADJECTIVE helpful The tennis coach made some constructive comments about my backhand.
consult consults, consulting, consulted
VERB 1 If you consult someone, you ask for their opinion or advice.
2 If you consult a book or map, you look at it for information.
consultation NOUN
consultant consultants
NOUN an experienced doctor who specializes in one type of medicine a consultant heart surgeon
consume consumes, consuming, consumed
VERB 1 If you consume something, you eat or drink it.
2 To consume fuel or energy is to use it up.
consumer consumers
NOUN someone who buys things or uses services magazines aimed at teenage consumers
consumption
NOUN The consumption of fuel or food is the using of it, or the amount used. The consumption of ice cream rises in hot weather.
contact contacts, contacting, contacted
NOUN 1 If you are in contact with someone, you talk or write to them regularly. I am in contact with a pen pal in France.
2 When things are in contact, they are touching each other.
VERB 3 If you contact someone, you telephone them or write to them.
contact lens contact lenses
NOUN small plastic lenses that you put in your eyes instead of wearing glasses, to help you see better
contagious
ADJECTIVE A contagious disease can be caught by touching people or things infected with it. Measles is contagious.
contain contains, containing, contained
VERB 1 If a substance contains something, that thing is a part of it.
2 The things a box or room contains are the things inside it.
container containers
NOUN something that you keep things in, such as a box or a jar
contaminate contaminates, contaminating, contaminated
VERB If dirt, chemicals or radiation contaminate something, they make it impure and harmful.
contamination NOUN
contemplate contemplates, contemplating, contemplated
VERB 1 If you contemplate, you think very carefully about something. She contemplated what she would do at the weekend.
2 If you contemplate something, you look at it for a long time.
contemporary
ADJECTIVE 1 produced or happening now
2 A contemporary work is one that was written at the time of the events it describes.
contempt
NOUN If you treat someone with contempt, you show no respect for them at all.
content
Said kon-tent ADJECTIVE 1 If you are content, you are happy and satisfied with your life.
2 If you are content to do something, you are willing to do it.
contents
Said kon-tents PLURAL NOUN 1 The contents of something like a box or a cake are the things in it.
2 The contents page of a book tells you what is in it.
contest contests
NOUN a competition or game
contestant contestants
NOUN someone who takes part in a competition
SYNONYMS: competitor, player
context contexts
NOUN The context of a word or sentence is the words or sentences that come before and after it, which help to make the meaning clear.
continent continents
NOUN 1 a very large area of land, such as Africa or Asia
2 In Britain, the mainland of Europe is sometimes called the Continent. [from Latin terra continens meaning continuous land]
continental
ADJECTIVE In Britain, continental means on, belonging to or typical of the mainland of Europe. continental breakfast
continual
ADJECTIVE happening again and again Mum had a continual stream of phone calls.
continue continues, continuing, continued
VERB 1 If you continue to do something, you keep doing it.
2 If something continues, it does not stop.
3 You say something continues when it starts again after stopping. She paused for a moment, then continued.
continuous
ADJECTIVE happening all the time without stopping The television made a continuous buzzing noise.
contour contours
NOUN 1 The contour of something is its general shape or outline.
2 On a map, a contour is a line joining points of equal height.
contract contracts, contracting, contracted
Said con-trakt NOUN 1 a legal agreement about the sale of something or work done for money He was given a two-year contract.
Said con-trakt VERB 2 When something contracts, it gets smaller or shorter. Metals contract with cold and expand with heat.
ANTONYM: expand
contraction contractions
NOUN a shortened form of a word or words, often marked by an apostrophe Ive is a contraction of I have.
contradict contradicts, contradicting, contradicted
VERB If you contradict someone, you say that what they have just said is wrong.
contradiction NOUN
contrary
ADJECTIVE 1 Contrary ideas, opinions or attitudes are completely different from each other.
PHRASE 2 On the contrary is used to contradict something that has just been said.
contrast contrasts, contrasting, contrasted
Said con-trast NOUN 1 a great difference between things the contrast between town and country
Said con-trast VERB 2 If you contrast things, you describe or emphasize the differences between them.
contribute contributes, contributing, contributed
VERB 1 If you contribute to something, you do something to make it successful. Everyone contributed to the class project.
2 If you contribute money to something, you help to pay for it. We contributed some money to the appeal for the homeless.
SYNONYMS: donate, give
contribution NOUN
control controls, controlling, controlled
NOUN 1 If you have control over something, you are able to make it work the way you want it to.
2 The controls on a machine are the knobs or other devices used to work it.
VERB 3 If someone controls a country or an organization, they make the decisions about how it is run.
4 If someone controls something such as a machine, they make it work the way they want it to.
PHRASE 5 If something is out of control, nobody has any power over it. The fire was out of control.
controversial
ADJECTIVE Something that is controversial causes a lot of discussion and argument, because many people disapprove of it. The film was controversial.
convalescent convalescents
NOUN someone who is resting while recovering from an illness
convenient
ADJECTIVE If something is convenient, it is easy to use or it makes something easy to do. Its convenient living close to the bus stop.
convenience NOUN
convent convents
NOUN 1 a building where nuns live
2 a school run by nuns
conventional
ADJECTIVE Someone who is conventional thinks or behaves in an ordinary and accepted way.
converge converges, converging, converged
VERB When things meet or join at a particular place, they converge. The roads converge after three kilometres.
convergence NOUN
conversation conversations
NOUN When people have a conversation, they talk to each other.
convert converts, converting, converted
convert converts, converting, converted
VERB 1 If you convert something, it changes from one thing to another. Dad converted the loft into a workshop.
2 If someone converts you, they persuade you to change your religious or political beliefs.
3 In mathematics, convert means to change a number from one form to another. These are equal to each other. For example, you can convert a fraction to a decimal (½ = 0.5).
convex
ADJECTIVE A convex surface bulges outwards, rather than being level or curving inwards.
See concave
ANTONYM: concave
convey conveys, conveying, conveyed
VERB 1 If someone conveys people or things to a place, they take them there.
2 If you convey information, ideas or feelings, you tell people about them.
conveyor belt conveyor belts
NOUN a moving strip used in factories for moving objects along
convict convicts, convicting, convicted
Said kon-vikt VERB 1 If a law court convicts someone of a crime, it says they are guilty of it.
Said kon-vikt NOUN 2 someone serving a prison sentence
convince convinces, convincing, convinced
VERB If you convince someone of something, you persuade them to do it or that it is true. I convinced mum and dad to let me go on the school trip.
convoy convoys
NOUN a group of ships or vehicles travelling together
cook cooks, cooking, cooked
VERB 1 When you cook, you prepare food for eating by boiling, baking or frying it.
NOUN 2 a person whose job is to prepare food
cooker cookers
NOUN an apparatus for cooking food
cookery
NOUN the art of preparing and cooking food
cookie cookies
NOUN 1 a sweet biscuit a chocolate cookie
2 a small file placed on a users computer by a website This website uses cookies.
cool cooler, coolest; cools, cooling, cooled
ADJECTIVE 1 Something cool has a low temperature but is not cold.
2 If you are cool in a difficult situation, you stay calm.
VERB 3 When something cools, it becomes less warm.
cooperate cooperates, cooperating, cooperated
VERB 1 When people cooperate, they work or act together.
2 If you cooperate, you do what someone asks you to do.
cooperative cooperatives
ADJECTIVE 1 A cooperative person does what they are asked to do willingly and cheerfully.
NOUN 2 a business or organization run by the people who work for it, and who share its profits
coordinates
PLURAL NOUN a pair of numbers or letters that tell you exactly where a point is on a grid, map or graph
cop cops
NOUN INFORMAL a policeman
cope copes, coping, coped
VERB If you cope, you are able to do something even if the circumstances are difficult. I managed to cope with my homework and with looking after my little brother at the same time.
copper
NOUN a soft, reddish-brown metal
copy copies, copying, copied
NOUN 1 something made to look like something else a copy of a famous painting
2 A copy of a book, newspaper or record is one of many identical ones produced at the same time. a copy of todays newspaper