Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

physique

Most sportspeople lift weights in the gym to improve their physique.

The upper body is the trunk or torso.

Some parts of the body:

ankle

arm

calf

chest

elbow

eye

eyelash

finger

foot

genitals

head

hip

knee

leg

lips

mouth

neck

shin

shoulder

teeth

thigh

toe

tongue

wrist

bog NOUN

A bog is an area of land that is always wet and spongy.

marsh

The marsh is full of wild flowers at this time of year.

morass

After the agricultural show had finished, the field was a morass.

quagmire

Thanks to the pouring rain, the fairground became a quagmire.

swamp

“Be careful of that swamp,” Holmes warned.

boil VERB

When a liquid boils, or when you boil it, it starts to bubble and give off steam.

bubble

The witch cackled as she stirred the potion bubbling in the cauldron.

steam

The geyser steamed for an hour before erupting violently.

bone NOUN

A bone is one of the hard white parts inside your body.

Some bones:

backbone

cheekbone

jawbone

kneecap

rib

skull

book NOUN

A book is a number of pages held together inside a cover.

A word for all books is literature.

Some other words for a book:

edition

hardback

paperback

publication

volume

work

Some types of book:

address book

album

annual

anthology

atlas

brochure

catalogue

cookbook

diary

dictionary

directory

encyclopedia

exercise book

guidebook

hymnbook

jotter

manual

notebook

novel

reference book

scrapbook

storybook

textbook

thesaurus

boring ADJECTIVE

Something boring is dull and uninteresting.

dreary

“That’s a dreary picture,” said Dad. “Who painted it?”

monotonous

The professor’s monotonous voice droned on through the hot afternoon.

tedious

Waiting in traffic jams is a tedious business.

ANTONYM: interesting

boss NOUN

Someone’s boss is the person in charge of the place where they work.

employer

My Dad’s employer is an American.

head

The shop assistant worked so hard, she soon became head of her department.

leader

The party leader hoped one day to be elected Prime Minister.

manager

Dad is manager of a supermarket. Mum is manager of a shoe shop.

supervisor

Carol’s supervisor let her have the afternoon off work to go to the doctor.

bossy ADJECTIVE

If you are bossy, you like to order other people around.

arrogant

The arrogant boss had a rather unfriendly management style.

domineering

The timid husband had a domineering wife.

overbearing

My Uncle Ted can be overbearing.

bother (1) NOUN

A bother is a trouble, fuss or difficulty.

inconvenience

We apologize for any inconvenience our repair work may cause you.

nuisance

“Toddlers can be a real nuisance – always getting in the way!” said Nurse Adams.

trouble

Miss Pollard apologized on arrival. “I don’t want to be any trouble to you,” she said.

bother (2) VERB

If something bothers you, you are worried about it.

concern

The pilot was clearly concerned about the poor weather.

disturb

The Kemps were disturbed by the disappearance of their dog.

fluster

My sister is easily flustered, especially if she’s in a hurry.

trouble

This latest news from Egypt troubles me greatly.

worry

“Don’t worry, you won’t forget your lines,” said Ajay.

bottom (1) NOUN

The bottom of something is the lowest part of it.

base

The base of the iceberg is hidden beneath the surface of the water.

foot

The chest of gold lay at the foot of a long, winding flight of stairs.

ANTONYM: top

bottom (2) NOUN

The bottom is the lowest part of an ocean, sea or river.

bed

To his utter delight, the prospector saw gold nuggets glinting on the river bed.

depths

The depths of the ocean are darker than we can imagine.

floor

The Titanic lay unseen and undisturbed on the sea floor for 70 years.

ANTONYM: surface

bottom (3) NOUN

Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on.

backside

“Ashraf, get off your backside and give me a hand!” Dad said.

behind

My behind ached for days after the injection.

buttocks

Horse riding develops the muscles in one’s buttocks and thighs.

posterior

The toddler fell on his posterior.

rear end

“Get lost, Alfie!” said Olly, and aimed a tennis ball at Alfie’s rear end.

bounce VERB

When an object bounces, it springs back from something after hitting it.

bound

The ball bounded off the post, straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.

ricochet Said “rik-osh-ay”

During the gun battle, bullets ricocheted off the walls in a terrifying fashion.

box NOUN

A box is a container with a firm base and sides, and usually a lid.

Types of box:

carton

case

casket

chest

container

crate

package

packet

trunk

brainy ADJECTIVE INFORMAL

Someone who is brainy is clever and good at learning things.

bright

“We’re looking for someone bright for the job,” the interviewer said.

brilliant

You could tell Narinder was brilliant from the start. He could read fluently at the age of two.

clever

My sister was always a lot cleverer than I was.

intelligent

Air-traffic controllers have to be intelligent and alert.

smart

“As you’re so smart, Rumpold, I’m promoting you!” the manager said.

brave ADJECTIVE

A brave person is willing to do dangerous things and does not show any fear.

bold

I’m not bold enough to ride that rollercoaster.

courageous

Many ordinary situations demand courageous behaviour.

daring

The daring stuntwoman jumped across ten cars on her motorbike.

fearless

The fearless St George rode straight towards the dragon.

intrepid

The intrepid explorer risked death to reach the Pole.

break (1) VERB

When an object breaks, or when it is broken, it becomes damaged or separates into pieces.

WORD POWER: This word tends to be used a lot. To make your writing more varied, try to use some of the alternative words suggested here instead.

crack

The giant egg cracked, and a pink beak pushed its way out.

fracture

“You have fractured your leg in three places,” said the doctor.

shatter

The windscreen shattered as the car careered into the barrier.

smash

At the fête, there’s a chance to smash plates by throwing balls at them.

snap

Sanjiv snapped the bar of chocolate in half and gave some to Kelly.

splinter

The boat’s hull splintered as the novice yachtsman rammed the pier.

break (2) NOUN

A break is a short period during which you rest or do something different.

breather INFORMAL

“Let’s stop for a breather,” suggested Josie.

interval

Between the two acts of the play there will be an interval of 15 minutes.

pause

There was a pause of several seconds before the audience started to applaud.