dare dares, daring, dared
VERB 1 If you dare to do something, you have the courage to do it.
2 If you dare someone to do something, you challenge them to do it. I dare you to ask him his name.
[from Old English durran meaning to venture or to be bold]
daredevil daredevils
NOUN a person who enjoys doing dangerous things
daring
ADJECTIVE 1 bold and willing to take risks
NOUN 2 the courage required to do things that are dangerous
daringly ADVERB
dark darker, darkest
ADJECTIVE 1 If it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly.
2 Dark colours have a lot of black, grey or brown tones in them.
dark NOUN
darken darkens, darkening, darkened
VERB If something darkens, it becomes darker than it was before. The sky darkened as the storm approached.
darkness
NOUN being dark
darling darlings
NOUN You call someone darling if you love them or like them very much.
darn darns, darning, darned
VERB 1 When you darn a hole in a garment, you mend it with crossing stitches.
NOUN 2 A darn is the part of a garment that has been darned.
dart darts, darting, darted
NOUN 1 a small, pointed arrow
2 Darts is a game in which the players throw darts at a round board divided into numbered sections.
VERB 3 If you dart somewhere, you move there quickly and suddenly.
dash dashes, dashing, dashed
VERB 1 If you dash somewhere, you rush there.
NOUN 2 the punctuation mark () which may be used instead of brackets
dashboard dashboards
NOUN the instrument panel in a car
data
NOUN information, usually in the form of facts or statistics
Data is really a plural word, but is usually used as a singular word: Customer data is stored here.
database databases
NOUN a collection of information stored in a computer
date dates
NOUN 1 a particular day or year that can be named What is your date of birth?
2 If you have a date, you have an appointment to meet someone.
3 a small, brown, sticky fruit with a stone inside. Dates grow on palm trees.
daughter daughters
NOUN Someones daughter is their female child.
dawdle dawdles, dawdling, dawdled
VERB If you dawdle, you are slow about doing something or going somewhere. Dont dawdle, we have to be there in ten minutes.
dawn dawns
NOUN the time in the morning when light first appears in the sky
day days
NOUN 1 the time taken between one midnight and the next. There are 24 hours in one day.
2 the period of light between sunrise and sunset
daydream daydreams, daydreaming, daydreamed
NOUN 1 pleasant thoughts about things that you would like to happen
VERB 2 When you daydream, you drift off into a daydream.
daylight
NOUN the part of the day when it is light
daytime
NOUN the part of the day when it is light
daze
PHRASE If you are in a daze, you are confused and bewildered.
dazzle dazzles, dazzling, dazzled
VERB If a bright light dazzles you, it blinds you for a moment.
dazzling ADJECTIVE
de-
PREFIX added to some words to mean removal or reversal of something She debugged the computer program. We had to defrost the windscreen before leaving.
dead
ADJECTIVE 1 no longer living
2 no longer functioning The phone went dead.
ADVERB 3 precisely or exactly We arrived dead on eight oclock.
deadly deadlier, deadliest
ADJECTIVE 1 likely or able to cause death a deadly disease
ADVERB OR ADJECTIVE 2 used to emphasize how serious or unpleasant something is deadly dangerous deadly serious
deaf deafer, deafest
ADJECTIVE Deaf people are unable to hear anything or unable to hear well.
deafening
ADJECTIVE A deafening sound is so loud that you cannot hear anything else.
deal deals, dealing, dealt
NOUN 1 an agreement or arrangement, especially in business
VERB 2 If you deal with something, you do what is necessary to sort it out.
3 When you deal cards, you give them out to the players.
PHRASE 4 A good deal or a great deal of something is a lot of it.
dear dearer, dearest
NOUN 1 You call someone dear as a sign of affection.
ADJECTIVE 2 Something that is dear is very expensive.
3 You use dear at the beginning of a letter, with the name of the person you are writing to. Dear Sunita.
death deaths
NOUN the end of the life of a human being or other animal or plant
debate debates, debating, debated
NOUN 1 argument or discussion
2 a formal discussion in which opposing views are expressed
VERB 3 When people debate something, they discuss it in a formal way.
debit card debit cards
NOUN a plastic card that allows someone to buy goods using the money in their bank account
debris
NOUN fragments or rubble left after something has been destroyed After the eruption, volcanic debris was found scattered for miles.
debt debts
NOUN a sum of money that someone owes
debut debuts
NOUN a performers first public appearance
decade decades
NOUN a period of ten years
decaffeinated
ADJECTIVE Decaffeinated coffee or tea has had most of the caffeine removed.
decathlon decathlons
NOUN an athletic competition in which competitors take part in ten different events
decay decays, decaying, decayed
VERB When things decay, they rot or go bad.
deceased
ADJECTIVE FORMAL A deceased person is someone who has recently died.
deceit
NOUN behaviour that makes people believe something to be true that is not true
deceive deceives, deceiving, deceived
VERB If you deceive someone, you make them believe something that is not true.
December
NOUN the twelfth month of the year. December has 31 days.
decent
ADJECTIVE honest and respectable
deception deceptions
NOUN 1 something that is intended to trick or deceive someone
2 the act of deceiving someone
deceptive
ADJECTIVE likely to make people believe that something is true when it is not
decide decides, deciding, decided
VERB If you decide to do something, you choose to do it, usually after thinking about it carefully.
SYNONYM: make up ones mind
decision NOUN
deciduous
ADJECTIVE Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the autumn every year.
decimal decimals
ADJECTIVE 1 A decimal system involves counting in units of ten.
NOUN 2 A decimal, or decimal fraction, is a fraction in which a dot, called a decimal point, separates the whole numbers on the left from tenths, hundredths and thousandths on the right. For example, 0.5 represents 510 (or ½); 0.05 represents 5100 (or 120).
decision decisions
NOUN a choice or judgement that is made about something
decisive
ADJECTIVE 1 A decisive person is able to make decisions quickly.
2 having an important influence on the result of something The first goal was a decisive moment in the match.
deck decks
NOUN a downstairs or upstairs area on a bus or ship
declare declares, declaring, declared
VERB 1 If you declare something, you say it firmly and forcefully.
SYNONYMS: announce, proclaim, state
2 FORMAL If something is declared, it is announced publicly. War was declared in 1939.
decline declines, declining, declipned
VERB 1 If something declines, it becomes smaller or weaker. The number of students has declined this year.
2 If you decline something, you politely refuse to accept it or do it.
decode decodes, decoding, decoded
VERB If you decode a coded message, you convert it into ordinary language.
decompose decomposes, decomposing, decomposed
VERB If something decomposes, it rots after it dies.
decorate decorates, decorating, decorated
VERB 1 If you decorate something, you make it more attractive by adding things to it.
2 If you decorate a room or building, you paint or wallpaper it.
decoy decoys
NOUN something used to lead a person or animal into a trap
decrease decreases, decreasing, decreased
VERB If something decreases, or if you decrease it, it becomes less. The number of children in the class decreased rapidly.
decree decrees, decreeing, decreed
NOUN 1 an official order by the government, church or the rulers of a country
VERB 2 If someone decrees something, they announce formally that it will happen.
dedicate dedicates, dedicating, dedicated
VERB 1 If you dedicate yourself to something, you give your time and energy to it.
2 If you dedicate a book or piece of music to someone, you say that it is written for them.
deduct deducts, deducting, deducted
VERB If you deduct an amount from a total, you take it away.
deed deeds
NOUN 1 something that is done a good deed
2 an important piece of paper or document that an agreement is written on
deep deeper, deepest
ADJECTIVE 1 going a long way down from the surface a deep hole
2 great or intense deep affection
3 a low sound a deep voice
deer
NOUN a large, fast-running, graceful mammal with hooves, that lives wild in parts of Britain and other countries. Male deer have antlers.
deface defaces, defacing, defaced
VERB If you deface something, you damage its appearance in some way. The gang defaced the walls with spray paint.
defeat defeats, defeating, defeated
VERB 1 If you defeat someone or something, you win a victory over them, or cause them to fail.
NOUN 2 the state of being beaten or of failing The team was downhearted after its defeat.
defect defects, defecting, defected
NOUN 1 a fault or flaw in something
VERB 2 If someone defects, they leave their own country or organization and join an opposing one.
defection NOUN defector NOUN
defective
ADJECTIVE Something that is defective is not perfect or has something wrong with it.
defence defences
NOUN 1 something that protects you against attack She carried an alarm as a defence against muggers.
2 A countrys defences are its armed forces and its weapons.
defend defends, defending, defended
VERB 1 If you defend someone or something, you protect them from harm or danger.
2 If you defend a person or their ideas, you argue in support of them.
defendant defendants
NOUN a person in a court of law who is accused of a crime
defer defers, deferring, deferred
VERB If you defer something, you put off doing it until later.
defiant
ADJECTIVE If you are defiant, you behave in a way that shows you are not willing to obey someone.
defiance NOUN defiantly ADVERB
deficient
ADJECTIVE lacking in something
deficiency NOUN
define defines, defining, defined
VERB If you define something, you say what it is or what it means.
definite
ADJECTIVE 1 clear and unlikely to be changed We must arrange a definite date for the party.
2 true rather than being someones guess or opinion
There is no a in definite.
definitely
ADVERB OR EXCLAMATION certainly; without doubt I am definitely going on holiday next week.