crag crags
NOUN a steep, rugged rock or peak
cram crams, cramming, crammed
VERB If you cram people or things into a place, you put more in than there is room for. I crammed my dirty washing into the washing machine.
cramp cramps
NOUN pain caused when muscles contract
cramped
ADJECTIVE If a room or a building is cramped, it is not big enough for the people or things in it.
crane cranes, craning, craned
NOUN 1 a machine that moves heavy things by lifting them in the air
2 a large bird with a long neck and long legs
VERB 3 If you crane your neck, you extend your head in a particular direction to see or hear something better.
crash crashes, crashing, crashed
NOUN 1 an accident in which a moving vehicle hits something and is damaged
2 a sudden, loud noise
VERB 3 If a vehicle crashes, it hits something and is badly damaged.
crate crates
NOUN a large box used for transporting or storing things
crater craters
NOUN a wide hole in the ground caused by something hitting it or by an explosion The surface of the moon has many craters.
[from Greek krater meaning mixing-bowl]
crave craves, craving, craved
VERB If you crave something, you want it very much. I craved a bar of chocolate.
craving NOUN
crawl crawls, crawling, crawled
VERB 1 When you crawl, you move forward on your hands and knees.
2 When an insect or vehicle crawls somewhere, it moves there very slowly.
crayon crayons
NOUN a coloured pencil or a stick of coloured wax
craze crazes
NOUN something that is very popular for a short time
crazy crazier, craziest
ADJECTIVE INFORMAL 1 very strange or foolish
2 If you are crazy about something or someone, you like them very much.
creak creaks, creaking, creaked
VERB 1 If something creaks, it makes a harsh sound when it moves or when you stand on it.
NOUN 2 a harsh, squeaking noise
creaky ADJECTIVE
cream creams
NOUN 1 a thick, yellowish-white liquid taken from the top of milk
2 a substance that you can rub into your skin to make it soft or protect it
ADJECTIVE 3 a yellowish-white colour
crease creases, creasing, creased
NOUN 1 an irregular line that appears on cloth or paper when it is crumpled
2 a straight line on something that has been pressed or folded neatly Dad ironed a sharp crease in his best trousers.
VERB 3 If you crease something, you make lines appear on it.
create creates, creating, created
VERB If someone creates something, they cause it to happen or exist.
creation NOUN
creative
ADJECTIVE Creative people are good at inventing and developing new ideas.
creature creatures
NOUN any living thing that is not a plant
crèche crèches
NOUN a place where small children are looked after while their parents are working
[from old French crèche meaning crib or manger]
credit credits
NOUN 1 a system where you pay for something in small amounts, regularly over a period of time
2 praise given to you for good work
PLURAL NOUN 3 Credits are the list of people who helped make a film, record or television programme.
PHRASE 4 If your bank account is in credit, you have money in it.
credit card credit cards
NOUN a plastic card that allows someone to buy goods on credit rather than paying with cash
creek creeks
NOUN a narrow inlet where the sea comes a long way into the land
creep creeps, creeping, crept
VERB If you creep somewhere, you move there quietly and slowly.
creepy creepier, creepiest
ADJECTIVE strange and frightening The film was creepy.
SYNONYMS: eerie, spooky
cremate cremates, cremating, cremated
VERB If someone is cremated when they die, their body is burned instead of buried.
crematorium crematoriums or crematoria
NOUN a building in which people are cremated
crescent crescents
NOUN a curved shape that is wider in the middle than at the ends, like a new moon
cress
NOUN a plant with small, strong-tasting leaves, used in salads
crest crests
NOUN 1 the highest part of a hill or wave
2 a tuft of feathers on top of a birds head
3 a special sign of something, such as a school or other organization
crevice crevices
NOUN a narrow crack or gap in rock
crew crews
NOUN The crew of a ship, aeroplane or spacecraft are the people who operate it.
cricket crickets
NOUN 1 an outdoor game played by two teams, who take turns at scoring runs by hitting a ball with a bat
2 a small, jumping insect that produces sounds by rubbing its wings together
cried
VERB the past tense and past participle of cry
crime crimes
NOUN an action for which you can be punished by law
criminal criminals
NOUN 1 someone who has committed a crime
ADJECTIVE 2 involving or related to crime
crimson
NOUN OR ADJECTIVE dark, purplish-red
crinkle crinkles, crinkling, crinkled
VERB 1 If something crinkles, it becomes slightly creased or folded.
NOUN 2 a small crease or fold
cripple cripples, crippling, crippled
VERB If someone is crippled by something, they are injured so severely that they can never move properly again.
crippling ADJECTIVE
crisis crises
NOUN a serious or dangerous situation The food crisis was caused by drought.
crisp crisper, crispest; crisps
ADJECTIVE 1 pleasantly fresh and firm crisp lettuce leaves
NOUN 2 a thin slice of potato that has been fried until it is hard and crunchy
critic critics
NOUN 1 someone who writes reviews of books, films, plays or musical performances for newspapers or magazines
2 a person who criticizes someone or something publicly
critical
ADJECTIVE 1 A critical time or situation is a very important and serious one when things must be done correctly.
2 If the state of a sick or injured person is critical, they are in danger of dying.
3 Someone who is critical judges people and things very severely.
criticism criticisms
NOUN 1 spoken or written disapproval of someone or something
2 A criticism of a book, film or play is an examination of its good and bad points.
criticize criticizes, criticizing, criticized; also spelt criticise
VERB If you criticize someone or something, you say what you think is wrong with them.
croak croaks, croaking, croaked
VERB 1 When animals and birds croak, they make harsh, low sounds.
NOUN 2 a harsh, low sound
croaky ADJECTIVE
crochet crochets, crocheting, crocheted
Said kroh-shay NOUN 1 a kind of knitting done with a hooked needle and cotton or wool
VERB 2 If you crochet, you use a hooked needle and wool or cotton to make lacy material for things such as clothes and shawls.
VERB 2 If you crochet, you use a hooked needle and wool or cotton to make lacy material for things such as clothes and shawls.
crockery
NOUN things you use for eating and drinking, such as plates, cups, bowls and saucers
crocodile crocodiles
NOUN a large, scaly, meat-eating reptile that lives in tropical rivers
[from Greek krokodeilos meaning lizard]
crocus crocuses
NOUN Crocuses are yellow, purple or white flowers that grow in early spring.
crook crooks
NOUN 1 a criminal
2 The crook of your arm or leg is the soft, inside part of your elbow or your knee.
3 a long stick with a hooked end used by shepherds
crooked
ADJECTIVE 1 bent or twisted
2 dishonest
crop crops, cropping, cropped
NOUN 1 plants such as wheat and potatoes that are grown for food
2 the plants collected at harvest time They gather two crops of rice a year.
VERB 3 If you crop something such as your hair, you cut it very short.
cross crosses, crossing, crossed; crosser, crossest
VERB 1 If you cross something, such as a room or a road, you go to the other side of it.
2 Lines or roads that cross meet and go across each other.
3 If you cross your arms, legs or fingers, you put one on top of the other.
NOUN 4 a mark or a shape like + or ×
ADJECTIVE 5 Someone who is cross is rather angry.
cross out
VERB If you cross out words on a page, you draw a line through them.
cross-country
NOUN the sport of running across open countryside, rather than on roads or a track
crossing crossings
NOUN 1 a place where you can cross the road, a railway or a river
2 a journey by ship to a place across the sea
crossroads
NOUN a place where two roads meet and cross each other
cross-section cross-sections
NOUN 1 the flat part of something that you see when you cut straight through it to see inside We looked at cross-sections of kiwi fruit and oranges.
2 a typical sample of people or things We interviewed a cross-section of teenagers.
crossword crosswords
NOUN a word puzzle in which you work out answers to clues and write them in a grid
crouch crouches, crouching, crouched
VERB If you crouch, you lower your body with your knees bent.
crow crows, crowing, crowed
NOUN 1 a large black bird that makes a loud, harsh sound
VERB 2 When a cock crows, it makes a series of loud sounds, usually early in the morning.
crowbar crowbars
NOUN a heavy, iron bar used as a lever or for forcing things open
crowd crowds, crowding, crowded
NOUN 1 a large group of people gathered together
VERB 2 When people crowd around someone or something, they gather closely together around them.
crown crowns, crowning, crowned
NOUN 1 a circular ornament made of gold or jewels, which a king or queen wears on their head
VERB 2 When a king or queen is crowned, a crown is put on their head and they are officially made king or queen.
crucial
ADJECTIVE Something that is crucial is very important.
crucify crucifies, crucifying, crucified
VERB When a person is crucified they are tied or nailed to a cross and left there to die.
crucifixion NOUN
crude cruder, crudest
ADJECTIVE 1 rough and simple a crude shelter made of old boxes
2 rude and vulgar
cruel crueller, cruellest
ADJECTIVE Cruel people deliberately cause pain or distress to other people or to animals.
SYNONYMS: brutal, unkind
cruelly ADVERB cruelty NOUN
cruise cruises, cruising, cruised
NOUN 1 a holiday in which you travel on a ship and visit places
VERB 2 When a vehicle cruises, it moves at a constant, moderate speed.
crumb crumbs
NOUN a very small piece of bread or cake
crumble crumbles, crumbling, crumbled
VERB When something crumbles, or when you crumble it, it breaks into small pieces.
crumple crumples, crumpling, crumpled
VERB If you crumple paper or cloth, you squash it so that it is full of creases and folds.
crunch crunches, crunching, crunched
VERB If you crunch something, you crush it noisily, for example between your teeth or under your feet.
crusade crusades
NOUN 1 In the Middle Ages, the Crusades were a number of expeditions to Palestine by Christians who were attempting to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims.