aloud
ADVERB When you read aloud, you read so that people can hear you.
alphabet alphabets
NOUN all the letters used to write words in a language. The letters of an alphabet are written in a special order.
alphabetical
ADJECTIVE If something is in alphabetical order, it is arranged according to the letters of the alphabet.
alphabetically ADVERB
already
ADVERB If you have done something already, you did it earlier. Josh has already gone to bed.
also
ADVERB in addition to something that has just been mentioned I bought an ice cream, and I also bought a drink.
altar altars
NOUN a holy table in a church or temple
alter alters, altering, altered
VERB If something alters, or if you alter it, it changes.
alternate alternates, alternating, alternated
Said ol-ter-nut ADJECTIVE 1 If something happens on alternate days, it happens on one in every two days.
Said ol-ter-nayt VERB 2 If two things alternate, they regularly happen one after the other.
alternative alternatives
NOUN something you can do or have instead of something else Is there an alternative to meat on the menu?
although
CONJUNCTION in spite of the fact that He wasnt well-known in America, although he had made a film there.
altitude altitudes
NOUN height above sea level The mountain range reaches an altitude of 1330 metres.
altogether
ADVERB 1 completely or entirely The car got slower, then stopped altogether.
2 in total used of amounts I have two cats and two dogs. Thats four pets altogether.
aluminium
NOUN a silvery-white, lightweight metal
always
ADVERB 1 all the time Hes always late.
2 forever Ill always remember this day.
a.m.
a.m. is used to show times in the morning
[an abbreviation of the Latin ante meridiem meaning before noon]
am
VERB a present tense of be
amateur amateurs
NOUN someone who does something without being paid for it He began playing football as an amateur, but now he is a professional.
amaze amazes, amazing, amazed
VERB If something amazes you, it surprises you very much.
SYNONYMS: astonish, astound
amazement NOUN
amazing
ADJECTIVE If something is amazing, it is very surprising.
amazingly ADVERB
ambassador ambassadors
NOUN a person sent to a foreign country as the representative of their own government
amber
NOUN 1 a hard, yellowish-brown substance from trees, used in making jewellery
NOUN OR ADJECTIVE 2 an orange-brown colour
ambiguous
ADJECTIVE If something is ambiguous, it can have more than one meaning.
ambiguously ADVERB ambiguity NOUN
ambition ambitions
NOUN If you have an ambition to do something, you want very much to do it.
amble ambles, ambling, ambled
VERB If you amble, you walk along in a slow, relaxed way.
ambulance ambulances
NOUN a vehicle for taking sick and injured people to hospital
ambush ambushes, ambushing, ambushed
NOUN 1 a surprise attack
VERB 2 If one group of people ambushes another, they hide and lie in wait, and then make a surprise attack.
ammonia
NOUN a strong-smelling, colourless liquid or gas, often used in cleaning substances
ammunition
NOUN anything that can be fired from a gun or other weapon, for example bullets and shells
amoeba amoebas or amoebae
NOUN a tiny living organism that has only one cell. An amoeba reproduces by dividing into two.
among or amongst
PREPOSITION 1 surrounded by
2 in the company of He was among friends.
3 between more than two The money will be divided among seven charities.
amount amounts
NOUN how much there is of something You need a large amount of flour for this recipe.
amphibian amphibians
NOUN a creature that lives partly on land and partly in water, for example a frog or a newt
amphibious ADJECTIVE
amplify amplifies, amplifying, amplified
amplify amplifies, amplifying, amplified
VERB If you amplify a sound, you make it louder.
amplifier NOUN
amputate amputates, amputating, amputated
VERB If a surgeon amputates part of the body, such as an arm or a leg, they cut it off.
amputation NOUN
amuse amuses, amusing, amused
VERB 1 If something amuses you, you think it is funny.
2 If you amuse yourself, you find things to do that stop you from being bored.
amused ADJECTIVE amusing ADJECTIVE
amusement amusements
NOUN 1 the feeling you have when you think that something is funny or you have pleasure
2 a mechanical device used for entertainment, at a fair for example
3 Amusements are ways of passing the time pleasantly.
an
ADJECTIVE An is used instead of a in front of words that begin with the vowels a, e, i, o, or u. an apple an egg
anaemia
NOUN a medical condition in which there are too few red cells in the blood. It makes you feel tired and look pale.
anaemic ADJECTIVE
anaesthetic anaesthetics; also spelt anesthetic
NOUN a substance that stops you feeling pain. A general anaesthetic stops you from feeling pain in the whole of your body by putting you to sleep. A local anaesthetic makes just one part of your body go numb.
anagram anagrams
NOUN a word or phrase formed by changing the order of the letters of another word or phrase. For example, draw is an anagram of ward and dear is an anagram of read.
analogue
ADJECTIVE An analogue watch or clock shows the time with pointers that move round a dial.
ANTONYM: digital
analogy analogies
NOUN a comparison between two things that are similar in some ways
analyse analyses, analysing, analysed
VERB If you analyse something, you investigate it carefully to understand it or to find out what it consists of.
anatomy anatomies
NOUN the study of the structure of bodies, both animal and human, to find out how they work
anatomical ADJECTIVE
ancestor ancestors
NOUN a member of your family who lived many years ago He could trace his ancestors back 700 years.
[from Latin antecessor meaning one who goes before]
anchor anchors, anchoring, anchored
NOUN 1 a heavy, hooked object at the end of a chain. It is dropped from a boat into the water to keep the boat from floating away.
VERB 2 If you anchor something, you hold it down firmly.
ancient
ADJECTIVE Things that are ancient existed or happened a very long time ago.
ANTONYM: modern
and
CONJUNCTION You use and to link two or more parts of a sentence together. Lets go to the cinema and then have pizza.
anecdote anecdotes
NOUN a short, sometimes entertaining story about a person or an event
angel angels
NOUN a being who, some people believe, lives in heaven and acts as a messenger for God
[from Greek angelos meaning messenger]
anger
NOUN the strong feeling you get about something unfair or cruel
SYNONYMS: fury, rage, wrath
angle angles
NOUN 1 the distance between two lines at the point where they join together. Angles are measured in degrees. an angle of 90 degrees
2 the direction from which you look at something He painted pictures of the garden from all angles.
angry angrier, angriest
ADJECTIVE very annoyed
SYNONYMS: furious, cross
anguish
NOUN great suffering
animal animals
NOUN any living being that is not a plant
animation animations
NOUN a way of making films using drawings that appear to move when you watch them
animated ADJECTIVE
ankle ankles
NOUN the joint that connects your foot to your leg
annihilate annihilates, annihilating, annihilated
VERB If someone or something annihilates someone or something else, they destroy them completely.
annihilation NOUN
anniversary anniversaries
NOUN a date that is remembered because something special happened on that date in a previous year We celebrated Mum and Dads twelfth wedding anniversary.
announce announces, announcing, announced
VERB If you announce something, you tell people about it publicly or officially. They announced the team on Friday morning.
SYNONYM: make known
announcement NOUN
annoy annoys, annoying, annoyed
VERB If someone or something annoys you, they make you angry or impatient.
SYNONYMS: bother, irritate
annoyance NOUN
annual annuals
ADJECTIVE 1 happening once a year our annual sports day
NOUN 2 a book that is published once a year for children
anonymous
ADJECTIVE If something is anonymous, nobody knows who is responsible for it. The charity received an anonymous donation.
anorak anoraks
NOUN a warm, waterproof jacket, usually with a hood
[an Eskimo word]
anorexia
NOUN a psychological illness in which the person refuses to eat
[from Greek an + orexis meaning no appetite]
another
ADJECTIVE OR PRONOUN one more person or thing
answer answers, answering, answered
VERB 1 If you answer someone, you reply to them in speech or writing.
NOUN 2 the reply you give when you answer someone I received an answer to my letter.
3 a solution to a problem
ant ants
NOUN Ants are small insects that live in large groups.
antagonize antagonizes, antagonizing, antagonized
VERB If you antagonize someone, you upset them and make them feel angry.
Antarctic
NOUN the area around the South Pole
antelope antelopes
NOUN a hoofed animal, similar to a deer
antenna antennae or antennas
NOUN 1 one of the two long, thin parts attached to the head of an insect or other animal, which it uses to feel with. The plural is antennae.
2 In Australian, New Zealand and American English, an antenna is a radio or television aerial. The plural is antennas.
anthem anthems
NOUN usually a song of celebration, and sometimes a religious song
anther anthers
NOUN the part of the stamen in a flower where the pollen matures
anthology anthologies
NOUN a collection of writings by various authors, published in one book
[from Greek anthologia meaning flower gathering]
anti-
PREFIX against or opposite an antimalaria tablet
ANTONYM: pro-
antibiotic antibiotics
NOUN a drug or chemical used in medicine to kill bacteria and cure infections
anticipate anticipates, anticipating, anticipated
VERB If you anticipate an event, you are expecting it and are getting prepared for it.
anticipation NOUN
anticlimax anticlimaxes
NOUN If something is an anticlimax, it disappoints you because it is not as exciting as you expected, or because it occurs after something that was more exciting.
anticlockwise
ADJECTIVE OR ADVERB moving in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock
ANTONYM: clockwise
antidote antidotes
NOUN a chemical substance that works against the effects of a poison
NOUN a chemical substance that works against the effects of a poison
antique antiques
NOUN an object from the past that is collected because of its value or beauty
antiseptic