voodoo doll

voodoo doll (singular)
voodoo dolls (plural)

A magic doll that you can do things to. Things you do to the doll are said to happen the person the doll stands for. These dolls are also used in witchcraft (witches call the doll a poppet).


-ly

Adding -ly to the end of a noun turns the word into an adjective thus adding further information about the word and the meaning you are giving it. The adjectives now have the extra meaning of "like (the noun), as in something that is characteristic of (the noun)".

If you say "He has manly facial features" you are saying that his facial features are typical facial features for a man.

Adding the suffix-ly to the end of an adjective turns the word into an adverb. The meaning of the word does not change, and still conveys the same idea. But it is a shorter and, sometimes, more elegant way of saying or writing it.

You can say, "Those are his usual clothes" or "That is how he usually dresses".

However, this tiny two letter suffix is versatile because it can also be used to change the meaning, most often when it is applied to verbs.

"Likely" ("it looks likely to rain") does not mean the same thing as when "like" is used here ("It looks more like drizzle than rain"). So, just through adding two letters to the end of a word, you can convey two totally different meanings.


lion

A type of big cat from Africa, India and some of Europe; Panthera leo.

We saw the lion in the zoo.


innocence

I miss the innocence I lost growing up.

He claims his innocence even after being in prison for years.

It is common to call learning about sex (or having sex for the first time) as "loosing innocence."

She lost her innocence when she was seventeen.


honesty

The quality of being honest. If you have honesty, you tell the truth.

Honesty is an important value. Always make sure to tell the truth, or else people would not trust you.


written

write (canonical)
writes (third-person singular)
wrote (past)
written (past participle)
writing (present participle)

Has your girlfriend written you a letter yet?


written

If something is written it is in writing.

We have a written letter from our CEO.

We talked about allowing it, but the written rules are still against it.


stakeholder

stakeholder (singular)
stakeholders (plural)

Someone who holds a stake for others. The holder has no interest in the stake.

Someone who has a stake in something. This means that the issue is important to that person, and will affect that person.


voting

vote (canonical)
votes (third-person singular)
voted (past)
voted (past participle)
voting (present participle)


strength

If you have strength your muscles are very powerful.

I don't have the strength to lift something that heavy.

Strength can also mean you are strong or tough is some other way, such as a strong mind or strong will.

She needed great strength to deal with her sickness and poverty.

The plan had may strengths, such as not needing many people and being easy to do.

The strength of the regiment was 3,000 soldiers.


employees

The plural form of employee; more than one (kind of) employee.


expressions

expression (singular)
expressions (plural)

The plural form of expression; more than one (kind of) expression.


jobless

If you are jobless you do not have a job.


spectrum

spectrum (singular)
spectra or spectrums (plural)

Specifically, a range of colors representing light of various frequencies.

The pattern of absorption or emission of radiation that is made by a substance when it is put in contact with an energy such as radiation, heat, electricity, etc.


etymology

etymology (singular)
etymologies (plural)

Etymology is the study of the history and change of words.

/ˌɛtəˈmɑlədʒi/


electrical

electrical (positive)
more electrical (comparative)
most electrical (superlative)

When something is electrical, it is related to electricity or electronics.


manure

animal feces, especially the feces of farm animals such as cows, horses, pigs and chickens; manure is often used as a fertilizer.


manure

manure (canonical)
manures (third-person singular)
manured (past)
manured (past participle)
manuring (present participle)


terror

I never felt such terror as when I was robbed at gunpoint.

The rabid dog was the terror of the neighborhood.

violence or the threat of violence for political reasons; terrorism.

The United States has declared a war on terror.

An annoying or unpleasant person, often a naughty child.

My little brother can be such a terror!


anchovy

A small saltwater fish of the Engraulidae family; anchovies are often used as food, especially on pizzas and in Caesar salads.


questionable

questionable (positive)
more questionable (comparative)
most questionable (superlative)

If something is questionable it is easy to question. That is, it is not likely to be true, and might be false.


innocent

innocent (positive)
more innocent (comparative)
most innocent (superlative)

If you are innocent you do not know evil.

How could he hurt an innocent child?!?

I was innocent once, but I've seen too many bad things since then.

If you are innocent of a crime you did not do that crime.

I swore to the police that I was innocent.


innocent

Someone who is innocent. That is, someone who lacks evil or the knowledge of evil.

If something bad happens to an innocent it means that the person did not deserve it.

He was a total innocent.

If you don't help save them, the blood of the innocents will be on your hand. (meaning, "...it will be your fault innocents have been hurt or killed.")


lessen

lessen (canonical)
lessens (third-person singular)
lessened (past)
lessened (past participle)
lessening (present participle)

If you lessen something, you make it less.


bang

A bang is a short loud noise like the sound of a door closing or a gun being shot.

The two cars hit with a big bang.


bang

bang (canonical)
bangs (third-person singular)
banged (past)
banged (past participle)
banging (present participle)

If something bangs, it makes repeated sudden loud noises.

If you bang someone, you engage in sexual intercourse with them.


BOB

A short way of saying "battery-operated boyfriend"; slang for a vibrator.

A short way of saying "back-of-the-book"; refers to stamps in a catalog that are not used on mail and are displayed near the end of a catalog.

A short way of saying "bottom of basket", often used as a reminder to empty shopping carts.


razor

A razor is a type of knife that is used to shave hair.


waiter

A waiter is the person at a restaurant who takes your order and brings the food to you.

I'm trying to get the waiter to bring our bill but he isn't looking this way.


expression

An expression is a way your face can look that shows how you feel. Smiles and frowns are expressions.

I could tell he was lying by the expression on his face.

An expression is a group of words, like a phrase or sentence, often one that is used by many people.

"Read between the lines" is a common expression for knowing meanings that are not written or spoken.

An expression is a group of numbers and variables.

The expression "2x + y - 3" was set equal eight in the equation.


affix

An affix is a sound or sounds added to a word. They can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a word. This might change the meaning of the word, or it may be needed for grammar. (Note: In formal English, affixes are added only to the beginning or end of the word.)


affix

affix (canonical)
affixes (third-person singular)
affixed (past)
affixed (past participle)
affixing (present participle)


bathroom

A bathroom is a room that has a bathtub or a shower.

In our house, the bathroom is very busy in the morning.

Excuse me, my son has to go to the bathroom. Is it upstairs?


nest

The home or bedding of some other animals.

The mother wolf built a nest in her den before she had her cubs.


nest

nest (canonical)
nests (third-person singular)
nested (past)
nested (past participle)
nesting (present participle)

When an animal builds or stays in its nest, especially when taking care of its babies there.

If somethings is nested in something else, it is inside it. Usually, this is used for several things, with the second thing in the first thing, the third things in the second thing—for however many things are nested. This is often used in coding and computer programing.

The computer program had nested for loops, that looked like this:


spirits

The plural form of spirit; more than one (kind of) spirit.

If you are in good spirits, you are happy.


spirits

spirit (canonical)
spirits (third-person singular)
spirited (past)
spirited (past participle)
spiriting (present participle)

The third-person singular form of spirit.


oval

A building that is the shape of an oval.


mule

A mule is the child of a horse and a donkey. Mules are often used to carry things for people or pull carts or plows.

A mule is a shoe that does not have support for the heel.

A mule is a person paid to smuggle drugs.


infix

An infix is an affix that is added to the middle of a word (in some languages). English does not use infixes. (Note: some vulgar words, most often fuck, are used as infixes in informal English.)


timer

A timer is a device that times something.

A timer tells you when a certain amount of time is over. You set the timer for the amount of time you want; after that amount of time it will let you know in some way (sometimes a bell will ring).

A timer tells you how much time has passed since it was started.


understood

understand (canonical)
understands (third-person singular)
understood (past)
understood (past participle)
understanding (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of understand.


ethics

ethics (singular)
ethic (singular)
ethics (plural)

The study of what is good and what is bad, or what should be good and bad. Ethics often is about making rules for how to act, and saying why certain things are bad.

She is studying ethics at the university.

"Do no harm" is the basis of medical ethics.

The plural form of ethic; more than one (kind of) ethic.


lions

The plural form of lion; more than one (kind of) lion.


waiters

The plural form of waiter; more than one (kind of) waiter.


amoral

amoral (positive)
more amoral (comparative)
most amoral (superlative)

If something is amoral it is not moral or immoral.

If something is amoral it does not come from morals.

The storm was an amoral force, that killed both good and bad people.

If someone is amoral they do not have morals. This means that this person does not know the difference between right and wrong.

He was totally amoral, and never even thought about whether to be good or evil.


aircraft

An aircraft is a flying vehicle, usually an airplane.

The army wants money to buy various aircraft, including helicopters and jets.


mice

The plural form of mouse; more than one (kind of) mouse.


torch

A torch is a device for making light. One end of it is on fire.

A torch is another word for a flashlight.


torch

torch (canonical)
torches (third-person singular)
torched (past)
torched (past participle)
torching (present participle)

If you torch something you set it on fire.

He was arrested for torching the building.


usually

You use usually to talk about what happens most of the time.

He usually takes a long time to get ready, but he can be fast too.

Usually they come by car so I don't think they'll walk.


equality

The state of being equal, of having the same value.

The equal treatment of all people even if they are different.


jenny-ass

jenny-ass (singular)
jenny-asses (plural)


electrician

electrician (singular)
electricians (plural)

An electrician is a person who fixes things related to electricity.

/ɪˌlɛkˈtrɪʃən/


chosen

choose (canonical)
chooses (third-person singular)
chose (past)
chosen (past participle)
choosing (present participle)


chosen

If something is chosen it is the one someone chose.

Medicine was his chosen profession.

Something chosen is the special one. That is chosen often means set aside for a special purpose.

Christians believe that Jesus was God's chosen one.

In some religions, a chosen people is a group of people that are special to God.

In the Bible, the Jews are God's chosen people.

The gospel choir was called "The Frozen Chosen" because they lived in a cold place and where born again Christians.


altogether

You use altogether to emphasize that something was done or happened completely and in every way.

He plans to cut back on smoking slowly and not stop altogether.

The road got smaller and smaller until it disappeared altogether.

You use altogether to emphasize that something is like a description in every way.

I still dream, but my dreams are altogether different from my teenage dreams.

It is not altogether clear what happened to them in the police car.

You use altogether to show that a number or amount is the total.

It includes nine new programs: five half-hour sitcoms, one half-hour drama, a half-hour fantasy adventure and two one-hour dramas. Altogether, 5 1/2 hours of new shows will be introduced.

You use altogether to bring together a number of points that you have talked about.

So each idea is different in some way, but altogether, they seem to point to the same thing.


postage stamp

postage stamp (singular)
postage stamps (plural)

A small piece of paper that is placed on an item being mailed to show that the postage has been paid.


vortex

vortex (singular)
vortexes or vortices (plural)

A vortex is a whirlwind, whirlpool, or something else that moves in a spiral or column.

A vortex is anything with on-going violent or chaotic activity around a center point.

A vortex is anything which brings nearby things into its current.


publicity

If you have publicity, many people know about you. Most often, this means a making yourself known (gaining publicity).

We had a rally to gain publicity for our group.


induction

induction (singular)
inductions (plural)

A formal ceremony where a person is inducted into an office or into military service

Making an electric current by using a varying magnetic field.

The derivation of general principles from specific instances.

A proof of a theorem by first proving it for one integer and showing that if it is true for one integer then it must be true for other integers.

The use of rumors to confuse and complicate the story of a play or to tell the story without giving facts.

The development of a feature from part of a formerly homogenous field of cells in response to a morphogen whose source determines the feature's position and extent.


wicked

wickeder (comparative)
wickedest (superlative)
wicked (positive)
more wicked (comparative)
most wicked (superlative)

If you are wicked you often do evil things. More than that, a wicked person enjoys evil.

The wicked witch terrorized the peasants of the village.

A wicked act is something someone does that is very evil.

He will be punished for his wicked acts.

If something is wicked, it is excellent.

That was a wicked guitar solo!

If something is wicked, it has a wick in it.


wicked

wick (canonical)
wicks (third-person singular)
wicked (past)
wicked (past participle)
wicking (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of wick.


bitch

A cruel woman or a woman that is difficult to get along with.

I hate that bitch, she always treats me like shit.

Someone who is forced to have sexual intercourse with someone else.

He was the bitch for the other men in prison.

Someone who is controlled by someone else.

Everyone who works here is Kenny's bitch.

The rapper's song was about "bitches and hoes," just like his last one.

Damn, I can't believe that car is owned by a bitch.


bitch

bitch (canonical)
bitches (third-person singular)
bitched (past)
bitched (past participle)
bitching (present participle)

All you ever do is bitch about the food I cook for you!


airport

An airport is a place where airplanes land and take off.

I took a taxi to the airport for my flight to London.


elephants

The plural form of elephant; more than one (kind of) elephant.


officer

An officer is a person in an army who has much authority. A general and a captain are two types of officers.

A soldier must obey his commanding officer.

An officer is a policeman, often called a "police officer." (Note, "officer" is often better than "policeman" because the officer could be a woman or a man.)

Officer, can you help me, I've been robbed.

The thief was taken to jail by the officers.

He was arrested for hitting an officer.

An officer is someone who holds office (meaning, has authority).

The judge is an important officer of the court.

She is the chief executive officer, or CEO, for our company.


protactinium

A chemical element (symbol Pa) with atomic number 91.


donkey

An animal that is like a small horse with long ears. Donkeys are often used to carry things for people.

He loaded the wood on the donkey to bring back to the house.


potable

potable (positive)
more potable (comparative)
most potable (superlative)

If something is potable you can safely drink it.


stake

A stick or rod with a sharp point. A stake is usually hammered into the ground. Often, the stake is tied to rope to connect something (like a tent) to the ground.

We used four stakes to hold down our tent.

It is said a stake though the heart will kill a vampire.

The heretic was burned at the stake. (He was tied to very large stake (a pole) to be burned to death.)

If you have a stake in something it is important to you. Usually, this means it will affect you in some way, so you have a good reason to be interested.

I had a personal stake in hunger relief, since family had no food.

We all have a stake in finding peace.

Our company has a big stake in the findings, since we spent a lot of money on the research.


stake

stake (canonical)
stakes (third-person singular)
staked (past)
staked (past participle)
staking (present participle)

To put a stake into something. Most often, you would put the stake in the ground, but it could be put in something else.


unwind

unwind (canonical)
unwinds (third-person singular)
unwound (past)
unwound (past participle)
unwinding (present participle)

I just need to unwind after work.

The opposite of wind (verb). If you unwind something like a string or a scarf, you make it so that it is not around and around something anymore.

You need to unwind the string from the ball.


doll

A doll is a small model of a person. Dolls are often used as toys for children (most often girls).

A girl or woman, most often an attractive young woman.


curtains

The plural form of curtain; more than one (kind of) curtain.

This word is often used for a set of two curtains, one on each side (left and right) of the window.

An end (in reference to curtains closing at the end of a stage show).

It's curtains for you!


curtains

curtain (canonical)
curtains (third-person singular)
curtained (past)
curtained (past participle)
curtaining (present participle)

The third-person singular form of curtain.


disclaimer

disclaimer (singular)
disclaimers (plural)

Words that say that a person or group does not own or is not responsible for something

You are not able to return the toaster to the shop. You should have read the disclaimer.

A denial or waiver of a title, claim, interest, estate, or trust.

Saying, in front of everyone, that you do not own something, or that you are not responsible for something.


polygon

A polygon is a type of two-dimensional shape. It has three or more corners , which are connected by lines.


textbook

A textbook is a book that is used in school, university, or college to study an academic topic.

I had to bring my math textbook home so I could do my homework.


actor

An actor is a person (usually male) who performs as a character in a play or other theatrical work. A female performer is called either an actress or an actor.

The actor received a Tony Award.

The actors waited back stage.

Top movie actors are well paid.

Tom Cruise is a popular movie actor.


actress

An actress is a female who performs as a character in a play or other theatrical work.

The main actress went up and bowed to the audience.


immoral

immoral (positive)
more immoral (comparative)
most immoral (superlative)

If something is immoral it is something that is wrong or bad. That is, it is against what is moral.

Some religions say it is immoral to have sex with someone you are not married to.

If a person is immoral they do immoral things and have bad morals or is against what is moral.

She stopped dating him because he was so immoral.


sadism

enjoying causing pain to people or animals.

The noble was well known throughout the region for his sadism. He would often torture prisoners in the cruelest of punishments just for the joy of it.

A sex game where someone hurts someone else during sex.


jackass

A jackass is a rude or obnoxious person.


advise

advise (canonical)
advises (third-person singular)
advised (past)
advised (past participle)
advising (present participle)

If you advise someone to do something, you tell them that they should do it.

I'd advise you to study for the exam.

The coach advised the athlete to work harder.


squirrel

A squirrel is a small animal that lives in trees and has a bushy tail. They are related to rats and often eat nuts.

A squirrel is on the roof of my home.


adjust

adjust (canonical)
adjusts (third-person singular)
adjusted (past)
adjusted (past participle)
adjusting (present participle)

If you adjust something, you change it a little so that it fits or works better.

I had to adjust the cupboard door so that is would close easily.

If you adjust, you change the way you behave or think to suit a new situation.

I had to adjust to the way of living here.

They found it hard adjusting to life in a new country.


spirit

A spirit is a being that has no physical body, and cannot usually be seen or touched.

The people on the island believed in many gods and spirits that affected life.

A spirit is a part of you that cannot be seen or touched. Often this is important to religion and different from the soul (religions do not agree what the difference is).

They tried to talk to the spirit of their dead mother through a medium.

The preacher claimed the soul was the mind but the spirit was something more special.

If you have spirit, you are very excited about something or a very strong supporter.

People with school spirit always cheer for their schools team.

The spirit of a statement or rule is the idea or purpose for it.

What she did fit the spirit of the law, even though it brought the law as it was written.

In the spirit of fairness I let the younger children break some rules.

The spirit of the agreement was that we would have equal shares.

A spirit is a volatile liquid, like alcohol.


spirit

spirit (canonical)
spirits (third-person singular)
spirited (past)
spirited (past participle)
spiriting (present participle)

If you spirit something, you carry it away, usually in secret or mystery.


spirit

Another name for the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost).


useful

useful (positive)
more useful (comparative)
most useful (superlative)

good for a purpose. If something is useful it can be used for something.


picked

pick (canonical)
picks (third-person singular)
picked (past)
picked (past participle)
picking (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of pick.


elephant

An elephant is a very large animal with two long teeth called tusks and a long nose called trunk.

Elephants live in both Asia and Africa.


employee

An employee is someone who works for a company or another person.

He is an employee of this store.

I was declared "employee of the month" by my boss.

I was at lunch with my fellow employees.


buoy

A float in water that is used to mark something.


buoy

buoy (canonical)
buoys (third-person singular)
buoyed (past)
buoyed (past participle)
buoying (present participle)


yea

Yea can be used to tell how much. In this way it can either mean about or exactly "this much." (Often while by a showing how much with your hands.)

The pony was yea high. (While holding a hand where the top of the pony's head would be.)


musician

A musician is a person who makes music. Most often, this is someone whose job is to make music for other people.

My cousin is a musician for an orchestra in Texas.

There were five musicians in the band.


bolt

A kind of thick screw that is used with a nut and sometimes a washer.


bolt

bolt (canonical)
bolts (third-person singular)
bolted (past)
bolted (past participle)
bolting (present participle)


hawk

A hawk is a type of bird that eats meat.


hawk

hawk (canonical)
hawks (third-person singular)
hawked (past)
hawked (past participle)
hawking (present participle)

The vendors were hawking jewelry from little tables lining either side of the market square.

To cough or clear your throat loudly, sometimes coughing up phlegm.

Jim hawked up some spit and spat it on the sidewalk.

Grandpa sat on the front porch, hawking and wheezing, as he packed his pipe with tobacco.


actors

The plural form of actor; more than one (kind of) actor.


officers

The plural form of officer; more than one (kind of) officer.


buck

A male of another animal, such as the ferret.

The buck stops here. – Harry S. Truman, an American president


buck

buck (canonical)
bucks (third-person singular)
bucked (past)
bucked (past participle)
bucking (present participle)

If an animal bucks, it tried to throw a person off its back.


supplier

A supplier is someone who supplies something. Most often, this is a company that supplies another company with things it needs.

The car factory needs a new supplier for car parts.


accent

An accent is the particular way that somebody's speech sounds.

I can speak French, but I do it with an English accent.


accent

accent (canonical)
accents (third-person singular)
accented (past)
accented (past participle)
accenting (present participle)

:
 This short entry needs someone to make it better. You can help Wiktionary by adding to it.


baggage

Another word for luggage; bags and other containers that people use to carry things when they travel. Also, the things (most often clothes) carried in the bags.

Things you keep with you from the past. Usually this means emotions or memories, most often bad feelings.

An army's portable equipment; its baggage train.


privilege

privilege (singular)
privileges (plural)

A privilege is something special you are allowed to do or have. That is, not everyone is allowed to do or have it.

Being able to drive is a privilege not a right.

He was punished by having his privileges taken away.

The privilege of the rich lords angered ordinary people in the French revolution.


hare

A type of small animal with long ears, similar to a large rabbit.

The slow tortoise beat the fast hare in the race by not quitting.


peripheral

peripheral (positive)
more peripheral (comparative)
most peripheral (superlative)

If something is peripheral, it is on the periphery or boundary of it.

If something is peripheral, it is beside the point.

If something is peripheral, it is not important; it is unimportant.

If something is peripheral, it is auxiliary to it.

If something is peripheral, it is found on the peripheral nervous system.


peripheral

peripheral (singular)
peripherals (plural)

A peripheral is a machine that is connected to a computer, such as a printer or scanner.


rabbit

Our pet rabbit liked vegetables and could run very fast.


stakes

The plural form of stake; more than one (kind of) stake.

Stakes are what you will win or lose if you try something.

The stakes are high in this game. If we loose we will be out of the championship.

The criminal was in a high stakes game of cat and mouse with the police.


stakes

stake (canonical)
stakes (third-person singular)
staked (past)
staked (past participle)
staking (present participle)

The third-person singular form of stake.


perennial

If something is perennial it is there every year, or through many years.

If a plant is perennial it live through the winter and may live for many years. A tree is perennial.


perennial

perennial (singular)
perennials (plural)

A perennial is a plant that lives for many years.

I have both annuals and perennials in my garden.


Grim Reaper

death; the Grim Reaper is death shown as a skeleton in a black robe with a hood and a scythe (an old farm tool for cutting grain). He reaps (harvests) the souls of dying people.


actresses

The plural form of actress; more than one (kind of) actress.


vein

A vein is a tube in the body that carries blood back to the heart.

A vein is a bump or line in a leaf where sap flows.

A vein is a fissure, cleft, or cavity in the earth.


conspiracy

conspiracy (singular)
conspiracies (plural)

A secret plan between two or more people to do something.

There was a conspiracy among the king's advisers to overthrow the king.

A plan between two or more people to commit a crime.


objectionable

objectionable (positive)
more objectionable (comparative)
most objectionable (superlative)

If something is objectionable, you are likely to object to it.

Before removing objectionable material, you'll have to decide what will offend people.


napalm

A very flammable, thick liquid that is made to stick to things while burning; napalm is used during war to cause a lot of death and destruction, especially in wooded areas.

The soldiers dropped napalm on the enemy to destroy their camp.


napalm

napalm (canonical)
napalms (third-person singular)
napalmed (past)
napalmed (past participle)
napalming (present participle)

The soldiers napalmed the enemy to destroy their camp.


wank

wank (canonical)
wanks (third-person singular)
wanked (past)
wanked (past participle)
wanking (present participle)

If you wank, you have sex alone, and touch your penis or vagina or breasts; you masturbate.

If you wank, you touch another person's penis in a sexual way; to give a hand job.


wank

He’s having a wank.

You utter wank!

This opera is wank.

Did you see that thing on Channel 4? Yeah, it was wank.

This shit is a whole lot of wank.


vow

A vow is a promise. Often, a vow is a special promise that is made formally or in front of other people.

I took a vow never to hurt anyone.

They said their wedding vows, promising to love each other the rest of their lives.

The monks took a vow of silence.


vow

vow (canonical)
vows (third-person singular)
vowed (past)
vowed (past participle)
vowing (present participle)

If you vow, to do something, you make a promise to do it.

We vowed never to betray each other.


autumn

The season when the weather is getting colder, after summer and before winter.


stream

A stream is a very small river or creek.

A stream is something that comes in an order without stopping (like water in a stream).

Stop interrupting me, you are breaking my stream of thought.

The data stream from Florida suddenly stopped.


stream

stream (canonical)
streams (third-person singular)
streamed (past)
streamed (past participle)
streaming (present participle)

If something streams, it comes in a flow, usually in order and often not stopping.

The website offered streaming music and video files.


alone

alone (positive)
more alone (comparative)
most alone (superlative)

If someone is alone, they are not with other people.

She looked around to make sure that she was alone before opening the desk.

If someone is alone, they have no friends or people they know.

He felt very alone in Canada and wanted to go home.


alone

If you do something alone, you do it without other people.

She went walking alone because she wanted to think.

When you talk about something alone, you mean only that thing.

It will take weeks for the planning alone.

We can't open it. The owner alone has the key.


shave

shave (canonical)
shaves (third-person singular)
shaved (past)
shaved (past participle)
shaving (present participle)

When you shave hair, you remove all of it with a sharp object such as a razor.

After getting up in the morning, Trevor shaved off a day's growth of beard.

When you shave meat, you cut it into very thin slices.

The butcher shaved a quarter pound of roast beef, which I put in a sandwich.


shave

A shave is the act of shaving (hair being removed).


valuable

valuable (positive)
more valuable (comparative)
most valuable (superlative)

If something is valuable it has great value. That is, it would cost a large amount of money.

Gold is a very valuable metal.

Your life is more valuable than any amount of money you could have.


valuable

I keep my valuables in a safe deposit box at the bank.


pollutant

pollutant (singular)
pollutants (plural)

A pollutant is something that makes the air, soil or water dirty or polluted.

insecticides, herbicides, and detergents are all examples of water pollutants.


swearword


submerged

submerge (canonical)
submerges (third-person singular)
submerged (past)
submerged (past participle)
submerging (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of submerge.

The submarine submerged quickly.


submerged

submerged (positive)
more submerged (comparative)
most submerged (superlative)

Something that is submerged is underwater.

Jimmy was completely submerged when he was swimming.


glasses

glass (singular)
(pair of) glasses (singular)
glasses (plural)

The plural form of glass; more than one (kind of) glass.

Glasses are worn over the eyes to help you see.

I've had to wear glasses since I was nine years old.


triangle

A triangle is a shape that has three sides and three angles.

A triangle is an instrument that is made out of metal and is shaped like a triangle.

/ˈtraɪəŋɡəl/

/ˈtraɪˌæŋɡəl/


larynx

larynx (singular)
larynges or larynxes (plural)

The larynx is a part of your body that is inside your throat.

Your larynx makes your voice and keeps food out of your lungs.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-larynx.wav


weasel

A weasel is a small, thin animal that eats meat.

Pop goes the weasel!

A weasel is a sneaky or dishonest person, someone you cannot trust.

That little weasel took all my money!


crap

I have to take a crap.

Something that is not good or is of poor quality.

This food is crap!

The college student wrote a 10,000-word essay on Shakespeare, but the professor judged it to be nothing but utter crap.


crap

crap (canonical)
craps (third-person singular)
crapped (past)
crapped (past participle)
crapping (present participle)


crap

A saying that shows worry, fear, surprise, disgust, annoyance or dismay.

Oh crap! The other driver's going to hit my car!

Crap! I lost again.


requests

The plural form of request; more than one (kind of) request.


requests

request (canonical)
requests (third-person singular)
requested (past)
requested (past participle)
requesting (present participle)

The third-person singular form of request.


sessile

If an animal is sessile it is attached to something (such as a rock or the ground). It cannot leave what it is attached too.

A coral is sessile, it cannot leave its reef.

barnacles are also sessile, they are attached to things like ships.

If something is sessile it attaches directly to what it grows from. It does not have a stalk or stem.

The species of flower was known for its sessile leaves.

The growth on her larynx was sessile.


bunny

My pet bunny is so cute.


stunts

The plural form of stunt; more than one (kind of) stunt.


stunts

stunt (canonical)
stunts (third-person singular)
stunted (past)
stunted (past participle)
stunting (present participle)

The third-person singular form of stunt.


hawks

The plural form of hawk; more than one (kind of) hawk.


hawks

hawk (canonical)
hawks (third-person singular)
hawked (past)
hawked (past participle)
hawking (present participle)


Muscovy duck

Muscovy duck (singular)
Muscovy ducks (plural)

A large duck that lives in Mexico, Central and South America.


-graphy

A writing about a subject or the study of a subject.


DoS

"denial of service", a way of attacking a computer (hacking) in a network.


waitresses

The plural form of waitress; more than one (kind of) waitress.


waitresses

waitress (canonical)
waitresses (third-person singular)
waitressed (past)
waitressed (past participle)
waitressing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of waitress.


larynges

The plural form of larynx; more than one (kind of) larynx.


habitations

habitation (singular)
habitations (plural)

The plural form of habitation; more than one (kind of) habitation.


ferret

A small animal that eats meat. Ferrets often hunt rabbits and other small animals. Ferrets are similar to weasels and are related to weasels.


ferret

ferret (canonical)
ferrets (third-person singular)
ferreted (past)
ferreted (past participle)
ferreting (present participle)

If you "ferret something out" you search for it and find it. You could be trying to find something, or to solve a problem (find the answer). Often, this means you have to go through a lot of material to find a little bit you want.

Do you think you can ferret the names we need out of the list.


swear word

swear word (singular)
swear words (plural)

A swear word is a word that is not nice to say and is impolite and/or offensive.


amphibious

If an animal is amphibious it lives in water when it is young and lives on land when it is an adult.

Frogs are amphibious.

If something is amphibious it happens or can function on land and in water.

The DUKW is an amphibious vehicle that was used during World War II.


zinc

Zinc is a type of metal, (symbol Zn) with an atomic number of 30 on the periodic table.


zinc

zinc (canonical)
zincs (third-person singular)
zinced (past)
zinced (past participle)
zincing (present participle)

If you zinc something, you cover it with zinc.


boyfriends

boyfriend (singular)
boyfriends (plural)

The plural form of boyfriend; more than one (kind of) boyfriend.


creak

A type of sound. The sound of a door with rusty hinges is a creak.

I heard a strange creak from my car's engine.


creak

creak (canonical)
creaks (third-person singular)
creaked (past)
creaked (past participle)
creaking (present participle)

The door creaked as I opened it.


tele-

A way to give information quickly over long distances; telegraph.


Anschluss

When Austria and Germany became one country in 1938.


marriages

The plural form of marriage; more than one (kind of) marriage.


reaper

Someone who reaps; someone who harvests grain.

The were several reapers in our wheat field yesterday.


reaper

Short for the Grim Reaper, the angel of death.

"Seasons don't fear the Reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain. We could be like they are ... come on baby, don't fear the Reaper." -- Blue Oyster Cult, "The Reaper"


developments

development (singular)
developments (plural)

The plural form of development; more than one (kind of) development.


advantage

advantage (singular)
advantages (plural)

An advantage is a condition or circumstance that favors success.

An advantage is when someone has superiority over someone else.

An advantage is a benefit, gain, or profit.


advantage

advantage (canonical)
advantages (third-person singular)
advantaged (past)
advantaged (past participle)
advantaging (present participle)

If you advantage a person, you provide them with an advantage.


impolite

When something is impolite, it is not polite.

It is considered impolite to talk while someone else is speaking.


expensive

expensive (positive)
more expensive (comparative)
most expensive (superlative)

Something that is expensive costs a lot of money to buy or takes a lot of effort to get.

A pencil that cost $100 is very expensive.


girlfriends

girlfriend (singular)
girlfriends (plural)

The plural form of girlfriend; more than one (kind of) girlfriend.


present participle

present participle (singular)
present participles (plural)

In English, a present participle is a verb form that ends in -ing. Present participles are commonly used to form the progressive aspect.

In the following examples, the present participle is underlined:

They kept breaking the rules.

They are helping her.


abuse

Abuse is touching or acting towards someone in a way that will likely hurt them.

The girls suffered terrible physical and sexual abuse from their father.

An abuse is an act of using something in the wrong way.


abuse

abuse (canonical)
abuses (third-person singular)
abused (past)
abused (past participle)
abusing (present participle)

If you abuse something, you misuse it; you use something improperly.

If you abuse something, you injure it; you hurt it; you treat it with cruelty or damage it.

If you abuse somebody, you rape them; you assault them.

If you abuse somebody, you berate them; you insult or revile them.

Child abuse is prohibited in America.


motorcycle

motorcycle (singular)
motorcycles (plural)

A motorcycle is a vehicle with two wheels and an engine.


motorcycle

motorcycle (canonical)
motorcycles (third-person singular)
motorcycled (past)
motorcycled (past participle)
motorcycling (present participle)

When you motorcycle, you ride or use a motorcycle.


defense forces


acquisitions

acquisition (singular)
acquisitions (plural)

The plural form of acquisition; more than one (kind of) acquisition.


bin

Clean up this room and throw that junk in the bin.

The ship was carrying bins of apples


bin

bin (canonical)
bins (third-person singular)
binned (past)
binned (past participle)
binning (present participle)

If you bin something, you throw it away.


combinations

combination (singular)
combinations (plural)

The plural form of combination; more than one (kind of) combination.


cruise ship

cruise ship (singular)
cruise ships (plural)

A passenger ship used for pleasure; the travels of the ship, its stops, and the entertainment it provides are all part of the experience.


grim

grim (positive)
grimmer (comparative)
grimmest (superlative)

If you are grim you are very serious, and might be thinking about bad things like loss, sadness, or death.

I was in a grim mood after my grandmother died.


capacities

The plural form of capacity; more than one (kind of) capacity.


motorcycles

The plural form of motorcycle; more than one (kind of) motorcycle.


motorcycles

The third-person singular form of motorcycle.


kilometers

kilometer (singular)
kilometers (plural)

The plural form of kilometer; more than one (kind of) kilometer.


ran

run (canonical)
runs (third-person singular)
ran (past)
run (past participle)
running (present participle)


poets

The plural form of poet; more than one (kind of) poet.


fuzzy

fuzzy (positive)
fuzzier (comparative)
fuzziest (superlative)

If something is fuzzy it is covered with fuzz.

I like to pet my dog because he's fuzzy.

My memory of the accident is pretty fuzzy.

I can see fine out of my left eye, but when I look at things with my right eye they're a little fuzzy.

Most of the pictures turned out fine, but a few are fuzzy.


violations

violation (singular)
violations (plural)

The plural form of violation; more than one (kind of) violation.


reservations

reservation (singular)
reservations (plural)

The plural form of reservation; more than one (kind of) reservation.


retirement home

retirement home (singular)
retirement homes (plural)

A building or facility where older people live. Retirement homes often provide extra care for those who need it.


crimes

The plural form of crime; more than one (kind of) crime.


revisions

The plural form of revision; more than one (kind of) revision.


emotions

The plural form of emotion; more than one (kind of) emotion.


newb

A newb is someone that is new to a game, or someone that has a new character; a newbie.

That guy must be a newb at this video game. He has no idea how to play.


mouse

A mouse is a very small animal that is similar to a small rat.

The mouse ran across the room.

A mouse is a device used to control a computer.

He clicked his mouse.


mouse

mouse (canonical)
mouses (third-person singular)
moused (past)
moused (past participle)
mousing (present participle)

If you mouse, you move around with caution; you move like a mouse.

If you mouse, you hunt for mice; you try to catch mice.


waitress

A waitress is a woman who serves at a restaurant; a female waiter.

I'm trying to get the waitress to bring our bill but she isn't looking this way.


waitress

waitress (canonical)
waitresses (third-person singular)
waitressed (past)
waitressed (past participle)
waitressing (present participle)

If you waitress, you work as a waitress.

I waitress on the weekends to earn extra money.


tryouts

The plural form of tryout; more than one (kind of) tryout.


consonants

consonant (singular)
consonants (plural)

The plural form of consonant; more than one (kind of) consonant.


malls

The plural form of mall; more than one (kind of) mall.


finals

The plural form of final; more than one (kind of) final.


afternoons

afternoon (singular)
afternoons (plural)

The plural form of afternoon; more than one (kind of) afternoon.


daffodil

A daffodil is a bulbous plant, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, with yellow flowers and a trumpet-shaped corona.

There is a garden with many daffodils.

A bright yellow color, like that of a daffodil.


DOS

Any computer operating system that is stored on a disk and read into memory.

They began developing DOS's in the 1970's.

A group of operating systems that include PC-DOS, Microsoft DOS (MS-DOS), and others that look and work the same way.

Windows replaced DOS on most computers in the 1990s.

DR-DOS is real DOS with complete open-source code.


lionesses

The plural form of lioness; more than one (kind of) lioness.


narcissus

narcissus (singular)
narcissuses or narcissi (plural)

Any of several bulbous flowering plants of the genus Narcissus; narcissi usually have white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers.


maintenances

maintenance (singular)
maintenances (plural)

The plural form of maintenance; more than one (kind of) maintenance.


conspiracies

conspiracy (singular)
conspiracies (plural)

The plural form of conspiracy; more than one (kind of) conspiracy.


futures

The plural form of future; more than one (kind of) future.


versions

The plural form of version; more than one (kind of) version.

The older versions of the Main Page are pretty basic in their design.


occasions

The plural form of occasion; more than one (kind of) occasion.


boring

boring (positive)
more boring (comparative)
most boring (superlative)

If something is boring, it is not interesting or makes you want to do something else.

Go to work, come home, sleep: life is so boring.

A boring lesson is rarely a useful lesson.

She's so boring. All she does is talk about clothes all the time.


boring

bore (canonical)
bores (third-person singular)
bored (past)
bored (past participle)
boring (present participle)


movements

The plural form of movement; more than one (kind of) movement.

Our dog is nervous around new people. If you make any quick movements, she will likely bark at you.


academia

Academia is a word for the group of people who are a part of the scientific and cultural community; this group of people have attended a university and/or do research.


armed forces

The military forces of a nation, such as the army, navy, air force, marines and, sometimes, coast or border guards; these forces are armed with weapons.


comprehensions

comprehension (singular)
comprehensions (plural)

The plural form of comprehension; more than one (kind of) comprehension.


faiths

The plural form of faith; more than one (kind of) faith.


principles

principle (singular)
principles (plural)

The plural form of principle; more than one (kind of) principle.


rabbits

The plural form of rabbit; more than one (kind of) rabbit.


towns

The plural form of town; more than one (kind of) town.


meals

The plural form of meal; more than one (kind of) meal.


seabirds

The plural form of seabird; more than one (kind of) seabird.


Narcissus

A hero who was known for his beauty and pride.

The common name for species of Narcissus is narcissi.


valuables

The plural form of valuable; more than one (kind of) valuable.


hangings

The plural form of hanging; more than one (kind of) hanging.


lads

The plural form of lad; more than one (kind of) lad.


teachers

The plural form of teacher; more than one (kind of) teacher.


doves

The plural form of dove; more than one (kind of) dove.


tryout

A tryout is test of the to see how good someone or something is at a task.

Jane is going to that tryout for the fall musical. I hope she makes it; she has a wonderful singing voice.


statements

statement (singular)
statements (plural)

The plural form of statement; more than one (kind of) statement.


ears

The plural form of ear; more than one (kind of) ear.


livings

The plural form of living; more than one (kind of) living.


unable

When something is unable to do something, it cannot do it; it is not able to do it.

I am unable to climb that mountain because I am too weak.


corrupt

corrupt (positive)
more corrupt (comparative)
most corrupt (superlative)

If someone is corrupt, they are weak in morals; it is depraved or perverted.

The Government here is corrupt, so we'll move to escape them.

If something is corrupt, it is not correct; it is with lots of errors in it.

The text of the manuscript is corrupt.

It turned out that the program was corrupt – that's why it wouldn't open.

If someone or something is corrupt, it is not pure; it is spoiled or tainted.

Prisoners of war are sometimes fed corrupt food.


corrupt

corrupt (canonical)
corrupts (third-person singular)
corrupted (past)
corrupted (past participle)
corrupting (present participle)

If you corrupt something or someone, you make them corrupt; you change them from good to bad.

Don't you dare corrupt my son with those disgusting pictures!


Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands are islands in the Pacific Ocean. Some people group the Pacific Islands with Australia and New Zealand to make Oceania.


plot

A plot is the course of a story. It is the main things that happen in a story.

A plot is a scheme for people to do something secretly.


plot

plot (canonical)
plots (third-person singular)
plotted (past)
plotted (past participle)
plotting (present participle)

If you plot something, you plan to do a crime or something bad.


violets

The plural form of violet; more than one (kind of) violet.

My boyfriend gave me a bouquet of violets for my birthday because he knows they're my favorite flower.


polygons

The plural form of polygon; more than one (kind of) polygon.


lesbians

The plural form of lesbian; more than one (kind of) lesbian.


beers

The plural form of beer; more than one (kind of) beer.


hiatus

hiatus (singular)
hiatus or hiatuses (plural)

I'm taking a hiatus from work.

The plural form of hiatus; more than one (kind of) hiatus.


paths

The plural form of path; more than one (kind of) path.


speakers

The plural form of speaker; more than one (kind of) speaker.


chins

The plural form of chin; more than one (kind of) chin.


organizations

organization (singular)
organizations (plural)

The plural form of organization; more than one (kind of) organization.

If you like to donate to non-profit organizations there are many in the city to choose from.


adverbs

The plural form of adverb; more than one (kind of) adverb.


psychologies

psychology (singular)
psychologies (plural)

The plural form of psychology; more than one (kind of) psychology.


natures

The plural form of nature; more than one (kind of) nature.


potatoes

The plural form of potato; more than one (kind of) potato.


coordinations

coordination (singular)
coordinations (plural)

The plural form of coordination; more than one (kind of) coordination.


insurances

insurance (singular)
insurances (plural)

The plural form of insurance; more than one (kind of) insurance.


amendments

amendment (singular)
amendments (plural)

The plural form of amendment; more than one (kind of) amendment.


ideologies

The plural form of ideology; more than one (kind of) ideology.


borrow

borrow (canonical)
borrows (third-person singular)
borrowed (past)
borrowed (past participle)
borrowing (present participle)

If you borrow something from someone, you use it and then you give it back to them.

Governments need to make it easier for students to borrow money for school.

The company has also borrowed heavily from the Boston Federal Reserve Bank – some $1.6 billion last month alone.

Can I borrow your car and show my dad I can drive?

If you borrow words or ideas from somebody, you use them in your own writing or speaking.

Many people want to throw the war "down the memory hole", to borrow a phrase from Orwell's 1984.

The choreographer borrowed a number from Swan Lake for his satirical ballet called Birds in Ballet.


hospitals

The plural form of hospital; more than one (kind of) hospital.


abler

able (positive)
abler (comparative)
ablest (superlative)

The comparative form of able; more able.


squirrels

The plural form of squirrel; more than one (kind of) squirrel.

I feed nuts to the squirrels that live in my yard.


gals

The plural form of gal; more than one (kind of) gal.


cameras

The plural form of camera; more than one (kind of) camera.

I'm taking a bunch of disposable cameras with me when I go on vacation.


skills

The plural form of skill; more than one (kind of) skill.


humans

The plural form of human; more than one (kind of) human.


oddities

The plural form of oddity; more than one (kind of) oddity.


worths

The plural form of worth; more than one (kind of) worth.


bambakophobia

Bambakophobia is the fear of thinking about or touching cotton.


coals

The plural form of coal; more than one (kind of) coal.


bedpans

The plural form of bedpan; more than one (kind of) bedpan.


horses

The plural form of horse; more than one (kind of) horse.


albatrosses

albatross (singular)
albatrosses (plural)

The plural form of albatross; more than one (kind of) albatross.


clever

cleverer (comparative)
cleverest (superlative)
clever (positive)
more clever (comparative)
most clever (superlative)

A person that is clever is able to think quickly and sharply.

He is a very clever salesman. He almost got me into buying his product.

A clever idea or concept is one that is original and new.

That is a clever invention. I have never seen something like that before.


eyebrows

The plural form of eyebrow; more than one (kind of) eyebrow.


footballs

The plural form of football; more than one (kind of) football.


palate

A person's palate is his ability to taste.


intermediates

intermediate (singular)
intermediates (plural)

The plural form of intermediate; more than one (kind of) intermediate.


interjection

interjection (singular)
interjections (plural)

An interjection is a word that shows an emotion. It is not grammatically part of the sentence.

The word Yikes is an interjection in the phrase "Yikes, what a scare."


duties

The plural form of duty; more than one (kind of) duty.


bonus

A bonus is something extra or more that is added.

John got a bonus because he played very well.


zippers

The plural form of zipper; more than one (kind of) zipper.


minimums

minimum (singular)
minimums or minima (plural)

The plural form of minimum; more than one (kind of) minimum.


resort

buildings in a scenic area where people can go on vacation or to relax; resorts are like hotels that provide extra entertainment to their guests.

Dan and Sarah went to an expensive resort in Jamaica for their honeymoon.


resort

resort (canonical)
resorts (third-person singular)
resorted (past)
resorted (past participle)
resorting (present participle)

To choose to do something you don't want to do because you have no other choice.

All my friends were too busy to help me move so I had to resort to calling a moving company and it cost me $100 dollars an hour!

I just sorted these files last week and didn't think I'd have to do it again for awhile, but I had to resort them this morning.


newspaper

newspaper (singular)
newspapers (plural)

A newspaper is something you read for the news. It is usually published on cheap paper.

"democracy can't exist without newspapers." (The Independent, London, 2 March 2009)


reap

reap (canonical)
reaps (third-person singular)
reaped (past)
reaped (past participle)
reaping (present participle)

If you reap something, you harvest it, most often grain.

It was time to reap the corn, so we hired some people to help with it.

If you reap something, you get the results of your actions.

Jesus said, "As you sow, so shall you reap ".

When I lost everything I was only reaping the rewards of my foolishness.


path

A path is a way to get to a place. It is like a small road, often made of dirt.

That path leads into the woods.

The planets follow an elliptical path.


volumes

The plural form of volume; more than one (kind of) volume.


newspapers

The plural form of newspaper; more than one (kind of) newspaper.

I have a stack of newspapers in my kitchen that needs to be recycled.


prove

proved (past participle)
prove (canonical)
proves (third-person singular)
proved (past)
proven (past participle)
proving (present participle)

When you prove something, you demonstrate that it is for real and true.

I will prove my method is more effective than yours.

The hypothesis has not been proven to our satisfaction.


furniture

furniture (singular)
furnitures (plural)

Furniture are items used to decorate a room or make it more comfortable.


eyelash

An eyelash is one of the hairs that grows on the eyelid.


introduction

introduction (singular)
introductions (plural)

An introduction is the first or opening part

This is the introduction to the book.

The introduction to the first movement of the symphony is slow and majestic.

The winners received their prizes after their introductions to the audience.

An introduction is when something is announced.

The winner of the prize will be announced during the introduction portion of the opening ceremonies.

An introduction is a social process for making two people acquainted.

My introduction to Dr. Sagan was cordial.

Dr. Sagan was silent during our introduction.

Karen was responsible for my introduction to Dr. Sagan.

A process for making someone familiar with a certain area, topic, or field.

Lisa's introduction to horseback riding was a disaster.


apology

An apology is words or actions that show you are sorry.

Thank you both very much, and again, my apologies for keeping you both waiting so late.

Japan has never offered an official apology for Pearl Harbor.

If you make no apologies for something, you think it was the right thing to do.

The company president makes no apologies for those high profits, saying people should be pleased the industry is so strong.


papers

The plural form of paper; more than one (kind of) paper.

official documents or identification, such as a passport.

He lost his papers while travelling and had a hard time getting home.


religious

religious (positive)
more religious (comparative)
most religious (superlative)

If something is religious, it is related to or about religion.

Religious beliefs can be very important in choosing a marriage partner.

All of the major religious traditions regard theft and murder as evil.

If someone is religious, they believe in a religion and follow its rules.

Because Buddhism forbids the wearing of shoes on pagoda grounds, the deeply religious Mon troops remain barefoot while climbing a rocky cliff there.

If someone is religious about doing something, they do it on a regular schedule or every chance that they get.

We have been less than religious about our daily exercise.


telegram

A telegram is a message sent through a telegraph.


centimeters

centimeter (singular)
centimeters (plural)

The plural form of centimeter; more than one (kind of) centimeter.


glyph

A glyph is a picture, symbol, or letter that is carved into stone.

The cave had many glyphs carved into its walls.

A glyph is a non-spoken symbol that represents something.

Letters, which form words, are glyphs.


rookie

A rookie is a person who is new at something.

Mark was the rookie of the team because he was just drafted.


oddity

That's quite an oddity you have there. I think people would pay to see something that rare.


serpent

A serpent is a snake, or an animal that looks like a snake.

A serpent is a musical instrument made of brass. It is called a serpent because the instrument looks like a snake.


swear

swear (canonical)
swears (third-person singular)
swore (past)
sworn (past participle)
swearing (present participle)

When you swear, you make a promise or an oath.


swear

A swear word; an impolite or offensive word.


larynxes

larynx (singular)
larynges or larynxes (plural)

The plural form of larynx; more than one (kind of) larynx.


constructions

construction (singular)
constructions (plural)

The plural form of construction; more than one (kind of) construction.


overpopulation

Overpopulation is when a place has too much of an animal or plant for it to be healthy. This usually refers to humans.

The overpopulation of our city is making life difficulty.

Overpopulation is a major issue today.

/ˌəʊvəˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃn̩/


luminous

luminous (positive)
more luminous (comparative)
most luminous (superlative)

The sun and the Moon are two luminous objects in the sky.


evidences

The plural form of evidence; more than one (kind of) evidence.


evidences

evidence (canonical)
evidences (third-person singular)
evidenced (past)
evidenced (past participle)
evidencing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of evidence.


bald

bald (positive)
balder (comparative)
baldest (superlative)

Someone who is bald has a head without hair on it.

When people grow old, many of them become bald because their fallen hair is not replaced any more.


businesses

The plural form of business; more than one (kind of) business.


hedgehog

A hedgehog is a small insect-eating mammal, whose back is completely covered with short spines.

When a hedgehog feels in danger of being attacked, it rolls itself into a ball to protect his belly.


joined

join (canonical)
joins (third-person singular)
joined (past)
joined (past participle)
joining (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of join.


frequency

frequency (singular)
frequencies (plural)

Something's frequency is how often it happens.

A frequency of one hertz is an event repeated once per second.


wines

The plural form of wine; more than one (kind of) wine.


wines

wine (canonical)
wines (third-person singular)
wined (past)
wined (past participle)
wining (present participle)


bat

A bat is a small, furry animal (a mammal) that has wings and can fly.

A bat is a special stick used to hit the ball in baseball, and in some other games.


bat

bat (canonical)
bats (third-person singular)
batted (past)
batted (past participle)
batting (present participle)

If you bat, you swing something or try to hit something.

She batted her eyelashes shyly.

The cat batted at the mouse with its paws.

The baseball player did not bat well in the game.


midget

A midget is a person little person. A midget's size is much smaller than normal.

He is a midget, only three feet (one meter) tall.

I think I could easily overcome this midget, but he proved to be surprisingly strong.


subordinate clause

subordinate clause (singular)
subordinate clauses (plural)

A subordinate clause is a clause inside another clause.

In the following sentences, the subordinate clause is underlined.


stunt

A stunt is something dangerous you might do to get attention.

Jumping over a river on a motorcycle is a dangerous stunt.

The actor did all his own stunts for the movie.

That last stunt almost got you killed!

A stunt is something that you do that gets you in trouble.

I was punished for the stunt I pulled [did] in school.


stunt

stunt (canonical)
stunts (third-person singular)
stunted (past)
stunted (past participle)
stunting (present participle)

To stunt something is to slow or stop its development.

He was very short because sickness had stunted his growth.


reference

reference (singular)
references (plural)

A reference is something that can be compared to.

When making your model, use the model I created as a reference.


reference

reference (canonical)
references (third-person singular)
referenced (past)
referenced (past participle)
referencing (present participle)

When you reference something, you cite it as a source.

Reference the dictionary for the definition of this word.

When you reference something, you mention it.


fraction

A fraction of the profits were donated to a local charity.

A fraction is a ratio, presented with a line between the numerator above and the denominator below.


g-force

G-force is another word for gravity, the force of universal attraction between particles of matter. Large bodies, like planets and moons, can attract smaller objects to them, giving these objects weight. The strength of g-force is different on each body.

On the Moon, astronauts weighing 200 kg move as easily as if they weighed 35 kg on Earth, because the g-force is six times lesser here.


black hole

black hole (singular)
black holes (plural)

A black hole is a round invisible astronomical body with no solid surface and is compact enough to attract light and swallow it. That's why it remains usually invisible.

Certain stars form a couple with a black hole, turning around each other : the matter of the star is progressively swallowed by the black hole.


modifier

A modifier is usually an optional word or phrase, describing the degree, quality, manner, frequency, etc. of something.

The word black is the modifier in the phrase a black cat.

The word quickly is the modifier in the clause he quickly arrived.


eyebrow

The eyebrow is the hair that grows on the bony ridge above the eye.


spinoff

A spinoff is something that has separated from its main component.

A spinoff has a main character that was also a character, though not a major one, in another television show, movie, or book.


interesting

interesting (positive)
more interesting (comparative)
most interesting (superlative)

If something is interesting, it makes you want to pay attention or do it more because it gives you new information or it entertains you.

That was a really interesting movie.

Thank you both very much for an interesting discussion.

Another thing I found interesting is that people should choose the cheaper one but they don't.

"Does it include women?" "Hmm... I don't know. That's an interesting question."

It's interesting to note that in films, bad guys never sing.


interesting

interest (canonical)
interests (third-person singular)
interested (past)
interested (past participle)
interesting (present participle)


reflexive

A verb is reflexive when it refers to the subject as the object noun.

In the sentence, "Mary bathed", bathed is reflexive since it refers to Mary bathing herself.


reservation

reservation (singular)
reservations (plural)

The act of reserving or withholding something.

I have reservations about telling him what I did. I'm afraid he'll break up with me if he knows.

land given to Native American people by the United States government.

If you make a reservation, you reserve or pay for a room or seat in advance to be sure that the room or seat will be available for you when you get there.

They made a reservation at the restaurant.

The area which separates opposite lanes of traffic on a divided road; a median or divider on a road.

/ˌrɛzəˈveɪʃən/

/ˌrɛzɚˈveɪʃən/


classes

The plural form of class; more than one (kind of) class.


classes

class (canonical)
classes (third-person singular)
classed (past)
classed (past participle)
classing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of class.


incorrect

incorrect (positive)
more incorrect (comparative)
most incorrect (superlative)

Incorrect things are wrong, or not correct.

He got points off for an incorrect answer on the quiz.


football

Football can mean a number of team sports where players kick a ball, like association football (soccer), American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football and rugby football.

A football is the ball used in a football game.


amaze

amaze (canonical)
amazes (third-person singular)
amazed (past)
amazed (past participle)
amazing (present participle)

If you amaze somebody, you make them feel very surprised.

It totally amazes me that he handles things as well as he does.

She's busy amazing the crowd with the many tricks she knows.

He was amazed when he found that the girl was a robot.


leader

A leader is someone who leads others and has them following him.

Kings, presidents, governors, and mayors are all different types of leaders.

A leader is someone who is the best at what he does.

Johntech is a leader in the microprocessor industry.


astrophysics

Astrophysics is the part of physical science that studies space bodies and our universe in general.

With the help of telescopes and satellites, astrophysics has made a great jump in our understanding of the universe since the last decades.


rainbows

The plural form of rainbow; more than one (kind of) rainbow.


rainbows

rainbow (canonical)
rainbows (third-person singular)
rainbowed (past)
rainbowed (past participle)
rainbowing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of rainbow.


application

application (singular)
applications (plural)

An application is a request for something. Often it is a paper form that you have to fill out to ask for something.

She filled out her applications for college and hoped she would hear soon whether she was accepted to any schools.

I have to go to the bank today to fill out an application for a loan.

An application is the way something is used.

The application of the new laws made things much more fair in the country.

If something has an application, it can be used.

She liked studying Latin in college, but found that a degree in Latin had few applications in the real world.

He told me I would need a special application to make my new printer work with my old computer.

Application is putting something onto something else, like a surface.

Kathleen was so light-skinned that she needed many applications of sunscreen each time she was at the beach to keep from getting sunburned.

The doctor said: "Application of this medicine to your cut will make it heal faster."

/ˌæpləˈkeɪʃən/


article

An article is a story or report that you can read in a newspaper, journal, or online.

An article is a member of a larger group.

A shirt is an article of clothing.


products

The plural form of product; more than one (kind of) product.


periodic table

periodic table (singular)
periodic tables (plural)

The periodic table is a chart that has all the elements in chemistry. Each element has an atomic number.


orbit

An orbit is a circular path achieved by an object that goes around another that is generally bigger.

The Earth's orbit around the sun is completed in nearly three hundred sixty-five days and a quarter of day.

An orbit is the hole in the skull containing the eyeball.

Cartoon characters sometimes have their eyeballs going out of their orbits in order to make their expression look funny.

An orbit is the sphere of influence a powerful person, organization or country can have.

During the Cold War, almost all Eastern European countries were in the orbit of the USSR.


comparable

comparable (positive)
more comparable (comparative)
most comparable (superlative)

If two things are comparable, then they are similar and can be compared to one another.

An elephant is comparable in size to a double-decker bus.


analyse

analyse (canonical)
analyses (third-person singular)
analysed (past)
analysed (past participle)
analysing (present participle)

If you analyse something, you study it carefully to understand it, often to see what it is made of.

They can make up questions, collect field data, and analyse that data on their computers.

The dust was analysed to determine its chemical contents.


beginning

beginning (singular)
beginnings (plural)

The beginning of something is where it starts from.

The beginning is the first part of something.

The beginning of the book introduced all the main characters.


beginning

begin (canonical)
begins (third-person singular)
began (past)
begun (past participle)
beginning (present participle)

It's beginning to get dark so you better come in soon.

She's been running 3 days a week for almost a month and she's finally beginning to lose some weight.


angles

The plural form of angle; more than one (kind of) angle.


angles

angle (canonical)
angles (third-person singular)
angled (past)
angled (past participle)
angling (present participle)

The third-person singular form of angle.


nostril

A nostril is one of the two holes at the bottom of the nose.

When you breathe using your nose, air goes through your nostril.


difficulty

difficulty (singular)
difficulties (plural)

The difficulty of something is how hard it is to do.

The student finished the homework with great difficulty.


snakes

The plural form of snake; more than one (kind of) snake.


snakes

snake (canonical)
snakes (third-person singular)
snaked (past)
snaked (past participle)
snaking (present participle)

The third-person singular form of snake.


opening

An opening is a place that someone or something can go through.

An opening is the first time a placed is opened to other people.

We are going to the museum's opening.

/ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/


opening

open (canonical)
opens (third-person singular)
opened (past)
opened (past participle)
opening (present participle)

/ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/


idiotic

idiotic (positive)
more idiotic (comparative)
most idiotic (superlative)

If a person is called idiotic, they are acting like an idiot.

If a situation is described as idiotic, it is very foolish, stupid, or does not make much sense.


discount

discount (canonical)
discounts (third-person singular)
discounted (past)
discounted (past participle)
discounting (present participle)

If you discount something, you lower its price.


discount

A discount is a reduction of the price of something; a lowered cost.


anti-

Anti is put before a word to mean to be against or opposed to

Some people who are against the war led an antiwar protest.

Cars need antifreeze when the weather is cold.

Anti- causes a word to mean the opposite of what it usually means.

antimatter

antihero

antisocial


writes

write (canonical)
writes (third-person singular)
wrote (past)
written (past participle)
writing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of write.


bonds

The plural form of bond; more than one (kind of) bond.

When a person is in bonds, he is imprisoned or enslaved.


bonds

bond (canonical)
bonds (third-person singular)
bonded (past)
bonded (past participle)
bonding (present participle)


furry

furry (positive)
furrier (comparative)
furriest (superlative)

A furry animal has its body covered with fur, a dense area of thin hairs.

Children often like furry animals because they are smooth when touched.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-furry.wav


employment

employment (singular)
employments (plural)

His employment is with another store.

If he is late again, I will end his employment.


imagination

imagination (singular)
imaginations (plural)

Imagination is the ability to see something in your mind, or pretend that something false is true.

Children use imagination to see sticks as swords and fight monsters.

I used my imagination to figure out what a house built like that would look like.

I imagined myself inside of a car with my friends, riding past a forest, while it was a thunderstorm.

Imagination is the ability to think of something new, different, strange, or unusual.

The artist made this amazing artwork by using his imagination.

A person's imagination is how creative he can be.

The writer was well-known for his creative imagination.

/ɪˌmædʒəˈneɪʃən/


universe

The universe is the whole space we live in and everything it contains: our Milky Way and billions of other galaxies that are not all known are part of our universe.

According to recent theories, our universe would be bent on itself, being finite but having no frontiers.

A universe can also stand for a world or an area, fictional or not, considered in itself.

Musical universes are so varied that we cannot know them all.

A universe is also an imaginary set of worlds invented by someone.

The universe created by Tolkien is surprisingly dense and imaginative.

The complete set of numerous possibilities.

Among this universe of choices, just one will be the good one.


question mark

question mark (singular)
question marks (plural)

A question mark is the character ? used at the end of a sentence to mean this sentence is waiting for an answer.

In English the question mark appears immediately after the last word of the sentence, but in French a space between is needed.

A question mark can also stand for a question or a doubt, something uncertain or unknown.

He had no idea what she was thinking; it was one big question mark.


buildings

The plural form of building; more than one (kind of) building.


births

The plural form of birth; more than one (kind of) birth.


births

birth (canonical)
births (third-person singular)
birthed (past)
birthed (past participle)
birthing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of birth.


gums

The plural form of gum; more than one (kind of) gum.


gums

gum (canonical)
gums (third-person singular)
gummed (past)
gummed (past participle)
gumming (present participle)


diseases

The plural form of disease; more than one (kind of) disease.


diseases

disease (canonical)
diseases (third-person singular)
diseased (past)
diseased (past participle)
diseasing (present participle)

The third-person singular form of disease.


features

The plural form of feature; more than one (kind of) feature.

She has small, delicate facial features.


features

feature (canonical)
features (third-person singular)
featured (past)
featured (past participle)
featuring (present participle)

The third-person singular form of feature.

This movie features the talented John Smith.


google

google (canonical)
googles (third-person singular)
googled (past)
googled (past participle)
googling (present participle)

When you google, you are searching for something on the Internet using Google.

John will google topics that he would like to know more about.


google

Google is a popular and powerful search engine.

I found your page on Google.com

A google is an Internet search done using the search engine Google.

The google helped me find the website.


compounds

The plural form of compound; more than one (kind of) compound.


compounds

compound (canonical)
compounds (third-person singular)
compounded (past)
compounded (past participle)
compounding (present participle)

The third-person singular form of compound.


machine gun

machine gun (singular)
machine guns (plural)

A machine gun is a heavy automatic gun that weighs about 50 pounds and can shoot hundreds to thousands of bullets in a minute.

The first machine guns appeared around the Secession War during the 1860's. At this time they had several cannons rotating.


wormhole

A wormhole is a theoretical space tunnel that would begin with a black hole and end with a white hole; this tunnel would be a shortcut for space travel.

Though based on real scientific guesses, wormholes are largely used in some science-fiction works. If they really exist or not is still unsure.


allowed

allow (canonical)
allows (third-person singular)
allowed (past)
allowed (past participle)
allowing (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of allow.


joining

join (canonical)
joins (third-person singular)
joined (past)
joined (past participle)
joining (present participle)


won

win (canonical)
wins (third-person singular)
won (past)
won (past participle)
winning (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of win.


announce

announce (canonical)
announces (third-person singular)
announced (past)
announced (past participle)
announcing (present participle)

If you announce something, you make it public by telling people about it.

"There's been a change in plans," she announced, and her mother looked surprised.

Dun & Bradstreet announced its intention to split into three separate companies by fall.

They haven't announced the time of the next train yet.

Recently, Halliburton also announced a deal to buy U.K.-based PSL Energy Services Ltd.

If you announce somebody, you tell others that the person has arrived.


eyelid

The eyelid is a piece of skin that covers the eye. The eyelid can move back, allowing the eye to "open".

The doctor looked at his eyelids.

His eyelids felt heavy because he was tired.


oxygen

Oxygen is a chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8.

An oxygen is an atom of the element oxygen.


alarm

An alarm is a signal that something needs attention or a machine that makes the signal.

I wake up, without an alarm clock, at seven or eight a.m.

People in the restaurant ran out the emergency exit, sounding the alarm.

The safety system was known to be defective and had frequently sent out false alarms.

The hotel did not have fire alarms or a sprinkler system.

A fire in the fry pan set off the smoke alarm.

They watched with some alarm as the speeding car got closer.

This is completely natural and no cause for alarm.


alarm

alarm (canonical)
alarms (third-person singular)
alarmed (past)
alarmed (past participle)
alarming (present participle)

If you alarm someone, you make them feel worried or scared.

The school was alarmed by the number of children failing math.


conservative

conservative (positive)
more conservative (comparative)
most conservative (superlative)

If a person is conservative, they do not like change.

Latino families are thought to hold conservative and traditional views on family life.

The idea of gays in the military was deeply unpopular in that socially conservative state.

A conservative estimate, guess, etc. is one that is careful, and usually lower than the actual number/amount.

A very conservative estimate of the cost of delay is $6 per hour, but many believe that the true cost is much higher.

Conservative clothing, furniture, etc. is usually plain and similar to styles that have been common for a long time.

He is conservative in a gray suit and red tie.


conservative

conservative (singular)
conservatives (plural)

A person who likes things how they are now or how they used to be; a person who like the status quo; a person who does not like change.


noses

The plural form of nose; more than one (kind of) nose.


noses

nose (canonical)
noses (third-person singular)
nosed (past)
nosed (past participle)
nosing (present participle)


qualify

qualify (canonical)
qualifies (third-person singular)
qualified (past)
qualified (past participle)
qualifying (present participle)

If you qualify for something, you have what is needed to be allowed to get or do it.

Children must be under the age of six in order to qualify for a free meal.

The government needs to help people who don't qualify for health insurance.

If x qualifies y for z, x is needed to be allowed to get or do z and y has x.

Describe the education, training, and experience that qualify you for the job.

If x qualifies as y, it has what is needed to be considered y.

Today's game certainly qualifies as one of the best in history.

If you qualify an idea, you add something to explain that the idea isn't always true.

This is America and competition is our way of life. Having said this, I would like to qualify the statement and suggest that we need to work together too.

If a word or phrase qualifies another word or phrase, it limits or adds to the meaning of it.


allocate

allocate (canonical)
allocates (third-person singular)
allocated (past)
allocated (past participle)
allocating (present participle)

If you allocate something, you set it aside or plan to use it for a particular purpose. The term is often used with money or resources.

We need to change the way that the research money is being allocated.

The government is allocating scarce resources to the military when they should be used for growing food.


white hole

white hole (singular)
white holes (plural)

A white hole is the opposite of a black hole. There is no physical proof it exists yet, though it could exist based on mathematical calculations. Matter, the stuff that our Universe is made of, comes out of the white hole instead of being sucked in like with the black hole.

To explain what the matter swallowed by a black hole may become, certain scientists have imagined that there could be white holes through which matter would go out.


comma

A comma is the sign , used to make a short pause in a sentence.

A space is required after the comma, but not before.


agenda

An agenda is a list of things to be talked about, done, or otherwise dealt with.

I think there are some important domestic policy items on the agenda still.

The first three questions of the research agenda have to do with energy and the environment.

They often work against the management to pursue their own interests and agendas.

An agenda is a reason for doing something, usually a bad or secret reason.

The President may have a political agenda in saying this.


scalp

The scalp is part of the head where the hair grows from.


scalp

scalp (canonical)
scalps (third-person singular)
scalped (past)
scalped (past participle)
scalping (present participle)

When you scalp a person, you remove the part of the head where the hair grows from.


promise

When someone is making a promise to a person, he is saying what he plans to do for that person.

Jane was angry that John broke his promise to take her out to the movies.


promise

promise (canonical)
promises (third-person singular)
promised (past)
promised (past participle)
promising (present participle)

When a person promises, he states that he will make certain to do an action.

I promise that I will come back home by noon. You can trust me.


China

China is a country in Asia. It is officially called the People's Republic of China.

China is the area controlled by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan).


blob

A vague shape or amount; something without definite shape, especially a liquid or semi-solid substance.


blob

blob (canonical)
blobs (third-person singular)
blobbed (past)
blobbed (past participle)
blobbing (present participle)

If you blob something, you drop it in the form of a blob.


nickel

A nickel is a coin that is worth five cents.

Nickel is an element in chemistry. It has a symbol of Ni and an atomic number of 28.


extraterrestrial

extraterrestrial (singular)
extraterrestrials (plural)

An extraterrestrial is a being coming from a world other than Earth, whose true existence has not yet been proved.

Popular representations of extraterrestrials often make them be little skinny humanoids with a large skull, wide black eyes and a green or grey skin.

An extraterrestrial can also be so an uncommon person that ordinary people think he or she cannot be from Earth.

Joseph von Neumann had so exceptional intellectual abilities that his neighbouring considered him an extraterrestrial.


extraterrestrial

extraterrestrial (positive)
more extraterrestrial (comparative)
most extraterrestrial (superlative)

Extraterrestrial can be applied to anything not coming from the Earth or not belonging to the Earth.

Meteorites falling on the Earth's ground come from outer space : they are extraterrestrial objects.


trip

Let us go on a trip to John Doe Mountain. I have not been there in a while.

A trip is when a person stumbles over something.

He broke his wrist after that nasty trip.


trip

trip (canonical)
trips (third-person singular)
tripped (past)
tripped (past participle)
tripping (present participle)

When a person trips, he stumbles over something.

Be careful of all the books on the floor. You do not want to trip.


funny

funny (positive)
funnier (comparative)
funniest (superlative)

Funny things keep people interested and can make people laugh.

That was a funny joke.

This rotten milk has a funny smell.


affair

Affairs are things that happen or are done, usually that are important enough to be in the news.

We're thinking less about foreign affairs, and more about what happens here inside the country.

He now writes a column for the newspaper and hosts a weekly public affairs program.

The whole affair with Bill Clinton was a terrible mess.

An affair is a romantic or sexual relationship between two people when at least one of them is married to somebody else.

There were many brief, desperate love affairs between English women and the American soldiers during the war.

She thinks her mother may be having an affair with a doctor.

Baseball is a love affair Japan shares with America.

An affair is something that is related to a particular individual or group.

What I do in my free time is my affair.

Policing on Indian reservations is the job of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.


accounting

account (canonical)
accounts (third-person singular)
accounted (past)
accounted (past participle)
accounting (present participle)


accounting

Accounting involves keeping records on financial information.

An accounting goes over an event that happened and the explanation for why it happened.


defy

defy (canonical)
defies (third-person singular)
defied (past)
defied (past participle)
defying (present participle)

When you defy someone, you refuse to do what he or she wants you to do.

He is going to defy her orders for him to come here.

When you defy something, you challenge it.

That politician is willing to defy public opinion, even if it is not politically popular.


drawing

draw (canonical)
draw (third-person singular)
draws (past)
drawn (past participle)
drawing (present participle)


drawing

He sketched a drawing of that vase.

A drawing is a contest where the person who wins is chosen randomly.


forest

A forest is an area covered with many trees, and sometimes by bushes and other plants.

Certain forests are so vast that people can easily be lost there.


phrase

Sheela liked to use that particular phrase whenever she disagreed with something.

A phrase is a group of words. Together, they act as a single unit in a sentence.

Within a noun phrase (NP), adjectives function as modifiers.


phrase

phrase (canonical)
phrases (third-person singular)
phrased (past)
phrased (past participle)
phrasing (present participle)

When you phrase an idea, you express it in words.


soporific

soporific (singular)
soporifics (plural)


soporific

soporific (positive)
more soporific (comparative)
most soporific (superlative)

If something is soporific, then it will make you or almost make you go to sleep.

The movie was soporific. I almost fell asleep.


cooking

Cooking is the action of using heat to prepare food. The most common sources of heat are stoves, ovens, and microwaves, but cooking can also be done over a flame. Cooking can make food hot, change its texture, and kill bacteria that might be living in it. Some people see cooking as a chore, while others see it as an art.

The school teaches the secrets of French cooking.

He also grew up with his family's love of good cooking.


cooking

cook (canonical)
cooks (third-person singular)
cooked (past)
cooked (past participle)
cooking (present participle)

An old woman was cooking food over an open fire.

Cooking fish is easy if you know how to do it.


Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia is a country that used to exist on the Balkan Peninsula. It has split up into Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Kosovo and Croatia.


unwillingly

un- + willing + -ly
unwilling + willingly

ety-affix

Doing something unwillingly is doing something because you have to even though you don't want to.

He began to clean his room unwillingly after being asked five times.


clumsy

clumsy (positive)
clumsier (comparative)
clumsiest (superlative)

A clumsy person is not skillful or graceful when performing a movement.

He is very clumsy. He might break the dishes.

A clumsy object or idea is one created without much planning.

This solution is clumsy. I do not think it will work.


nuts

The plural form of nut; more than one (kind of) nut.


nuts

nuts (positive)
more nuts (comparative)
most nuts (superlative)

If a person is nuts, they are crazy or insane.

You're going to jump out of a plane?! Are you nuts?!


nuts

nut (canonical)
nuts (third-person singular)
nutted (past)
nutted (past participle)
nutting (present participle)


baked

bake (canonical)
bakes (third-person singular)
baked (past)
baked (past participle)
baking (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of bake.


baked

baked (positive)
more baked (comparative)
most baked (superlative)

If food is baked, it was cooked by baking.

If a person is baked, they are high on drugs, usually marijuana.


flavors

The plural form of flavor; more than one (kind of) flavor.


flavors

flavor (canonical)
flavors (third-person singular)
flavored (past)
flavored (past participle)
flavoring (present participle)

The third-person singular form of flavor.


fumble

fumble (canonical)
fumbles (third-person singular)
fumbled (past)
fumbled (past participle)
fumbling (present participle)

Waiting for the interview, he fumbled with his tie.

He fumbled the key into the lock.

To feel around awkwardly while trying to find something.

He fumbled for his keys.

He fumbled his way to the light-switch.

He fumbled through his prepared speech.

The player fumbled the ball.


fumble

He's not playing well today. He's already had three fumbles.


sight

A sight is something that people want to see.

The Statue of Liberty is a popular sight in New York City.

A sight is a device that is attached onto a weapon and it is for a person to look into to aim the weapon at an intended target.


sight

sight (canonical)
sights (third-person singular)
sighted (past)
sighted (past participle)
sighting (present participle)

The farmers sighted something strange circling overhead.


understanding

understanding (singular)
understandings (plural)

A person's understanding of something is what they know or think about it.

Science helps us to gain a better understanding of natural processes.

An understanding is an agreement between two people.

We had an understanding. You should have fulfilled your end of the bargain.

Understanding is your ability to understand the feelings of other people.

Teachers must listen with kindness and understanding to what the young have to say.


understanding

understanding (positive)
more understanding (comparative)
most understanding (superlative)

An understanding person is able to easily see how someone else feels.

Thanks for being so understanding about how emotional and erratic I've been acting lately.


understanding

understand (canonical)
understands (third-person singular)
understood (past)
understood (past participle)
understanding (present participle)

Are you understanding what I'm saying?

I'm having a hard time understanding the calculus homework. Can you help me?


trespass

trespass (canonical)
trespasses (third-person singular)
trespassed (past)
trespassed (past participle)
trespassing (present participle)

When you trespass, you are going to a place that you are not allowed to.

Do not trespass that area restricted to visitors. You will be fined.


entertain

entertain (canonical)
entertains (third-person singular)
entertained (past)
entertained (past participle)
entertaining (present participle)

You entertain a person by keeping that person interested in what you are doing.

The comedian is able to entertain the audience for hours by telling jokes.

When you entertain an idea, you think about it.

I hope he will entertain the idea of inviting us over.


flavor

The flavor of something is how it tastes.

I do not like the flavor of this snack. I prefer something sweeter.

A flavor is something that adds taste to food.


flavor

When you flavor food or drink, you add a new taste to it.

He is going to flavor the dish with that new spice he bought at the supermarket.


risk

A risk is something bad that could possibly happen.

There are many risks associated with the stock market.

A risk is the chance of something bad happening.

The risk of us failing is too great.


risk

risk (canonical)
risks (third-person singular)
risked (past)
risked (past participle)
risking (present participle)

To risk something means to take a chance with something.

She risked hypothermia by swimming the English Channel.


appeal

An appeal is a strong or official request.

In an emotional appeal, Sevan asked the two groups to stop the fighting.

But as the problems in Iraq deepen, America may appeal directly to Iran for help.

The school launched an appeal to raise money for the new library.

An appeal is a request for an earlier decision to be changed, especially in law.

Her application was refused, her appeal was rejected, and when she failed to leave, she was arrested.

That decision was overturned on appeal.

His conviction is under appeal.

If something has appeal, people have good feelings about it, like it, or want it.

It was a type of game that had universal appeal to male and female.

That is part of the appeal of the ride, the sense of danger.

Beatty is still fabulous at 55, but will marriage dim his sex appeal?

Spike Lee is loved by the critics, but has never had huge audience appeal.


appeal

appeal (canonical)
appeals (third-person singular)
appealed (past)
appealed (past participle)
appealing (present participle)

If you appeal for something, you ask for it, often strongly or officially.

The people appealed for help as huge fires advanced towards their homes.

If you appeal a decision, you ask for it to be changed, especially in law.

The defense notified the State Supreme Court that it would appeal the conviction.

If you something appeals to you, you have good feelings about it, like it, or want it.

Adventure, money, sex, and violence appeal to large numbers of people.

You've got a product that you think will appeal to an audience that's under 21 years old,


viper

A viper is a short, rather massive poisonous snake with long front teeth that poison its victims by biting them.

Don't walk in the bush unprotected, you may be bitten by an viper!

A viper can also be a person who says bad things on other people.

This viper of a man will turn all of us mad!


X-rays

The plural form of X-ray; more than one (kind of) X-ray.


X-rays

X-ray (canonical)
X-rays (third-person singular)
X-rayed (past)
X-rayed (past participle)
X-raying (present participle)

The third-person singular form of X-ray.