Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

uncoordinated

My Dad is a very uncoordinated dancer.

coat (1) NOUN

An animal’s coat is the fur or hair on its body.

fleece

In a blur of movement, the shearer had the sheep’s fleece off in seconds.

fur

Stephanie sobbed into her dog Cassie’s fur.

hide

The hide of cows is treated to make leather.

The fur from certain dead animals is called a pelt.

coat (2) NOUN

A coat is a piece of clothing with long sleeves, that you wear over other clothes.

A waistcoat is a sleeveless piece of clothing, often worn under a suit or jacket, which buttons up at the front.

Types of coat:

anorak

blazer

bomber jacket

duffel coat

jacket

kagoul

mackintosh

overcoat

raincoat

waterproof

cold ADJECTIVE

If something is cold, it has a very low temperature.

ANTONYMS: hot or warm

Words for cold weather:

arctic

biting

bitter

bleak

chilly

freezing

frosty

harsh

icy

nippy

perishing

raw

snowy

wintry

Words for feeling cold:

chilled to the bone

freezing

frozen

frozen to the marrow

numb

perished

shaking

shivering

collapse (1) VERB

If something such as a building collapses, it falls down suddenly.

cave in

The miners were trapped when the roof of the passage caved in.

crumple

As the charges exploded, the walls crumpled to the ground.

give way

In 1879, the poorly built Tay Bridge in Scotland gave way in a storm.

collapse (2) VERB

If a person collapses, they fall down suddenly because they are ill.

faint

I nearly fainted when I saw our angry neighbour brandishing my ball.

pass out

The parade ground was so hot that several soldiers passed out.

collect VERB

If you collect things, you gather them together for a special reason.

assemble

For the exhibition, the gallery assembled paintings from all over the world.

cluster

Interested buyers clustered around the beautiful bronze statue.

compile

The editor compiled an anthology of poems.

gather

“Gather your tools up before you run off,” Dad reminded me.

collection NOUN

A collection is a group of things brought together over a period of time.

array

The shelf held a dazzling array of trophies.

compilation

The book is a compilation of short stories by famous writers.

A collection of poems is an anthology.

colour NOUN

The colour of something is the way that it looks in the light.

Some colours:

black

blue

brown

green

grey

orange

pink

purple

red

violet

white

yellow

come VERB

If you come to a place, you move there or arrive there.

arrive

As soon as we arrived, my auntie started hugging people.

materialize

In no time at all, thanks to Ratty, a splendid tea had materialized.

show up INFORMAL

Josh showed up at the very last minute, just when we had started to panic.

turn up

Sarah and I weren’t expecting Faith to turn up, but she did.

come about VERB

If something comes about, it happens.

happen

Mr Abiola was walking past the shop when the robbery happened.

occur

The incident occurred at the swimming pool.

take place

The party will take place from three to five o’clock on Saturday afternoon.

comfortable (1) ADJECTIVE

Something that is comfortable makes you feel relaxed.

comfy INFORMAL

Our sofa is comfy – at least our dog Wuffles thinks so!

cosy

The hobbit was extremely reluctant to leave his cosy home.

relaxing

On holiday, Mum loves a relaxing sauna.

restful

The seaside resort had a restful atmosphere.

comfortable (2) ADJECTIVE

If you are comfortable, you are at ease and relaxed.

at ease

Sir George was the sort of person to make you feel at ease straight away.

contented

Gran was contented in her little flat.

relaxed

After a week of her holiday, Mrs Archer felt completely relaxed.

ANTONYM: uncomfortable

common ADJECTIVE

Something that is common exists in large numbers or happens often.

average

The average person doesn’t know much about nuclear physics.

everyday

In a quarry, explosions are an everyday occurrence.

normal

It was normal for Harry to take his granny up a morning cup of tea.

ordinary

It started off like any ordinary day at work.

standard

“A standard-class ticket, please,” I said to the train guard.

usual

The usual lunch on Friday is fish.

ANTONYM: uncommon

company NOUN

A company is a business that sells goods or provides a service.

business

My father runs an electrical business.

corporation

Mrs Fletcher’s tiny company belongs to a huge global corporation.

firm

Mum’s firm is paying for her to go on a management course.

competition NOUN

A competition is an event in which people take part to find out who is the best at something.

championship

Wimbledon is a famous tennis championship.

contest

The two villages faced each other in a tug-of-war contest.

event

The Olympic Games is the world’s leading sporting event.

tournament

Our school entered two teams in the Under-11 netball tournament.

complain VERB

If you complain, you say that you are not happy about something.

bleat

Sam kept bleating that he had lost his pen.

fuss

The customer was fussing over a minute mark on the desk.

grouse

“It’s no good grousing now. You had your chance and didn’t take it,” said Gran.

grumble

Mum always grumbles about the dreadful state of my room.

moan

All my big sister ever does is moan!

whinge

The millionaire rock star was always whingeing about how unfair life is.

complete (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is complete, none of it is missing.

entire

At the end, the entire cast took a bow.

full

“Pay me the full amount now,” the greedy landlord insisted.

whole

“I swear to tell the whole truth,” the witness declared to the court.

complete (2) ADJECTIVE

Complete can mean to the greatest degree possible.

absolute

“You’re talking absolute rubbish,” the major replied to the private.

sheer

The winning jockey leapt off his horse in sheer joy.

thorough

The disobedient little girl made a thorough nuisance of herself.

utter

Chander felt an utter fool dressed as a clown.

complete (3) VERB

If you complete something, you finish it.

conclude

Professor Boffin concluded his talk and then asked if there were any questions.

end

The crowd was in tears as he ended his speech.

finalize

The airline staff finalized arrangements for the plane to take off.

finish

When Gran had finished her tea she turned on the radio.

round off

We rounded off our day out with a delicious meal in a steakhouse.

wrap up INFORMAL

“OK, darlings, we’ll wrap it up for today,” the film director announced.

ANTONYM: begin

completely ADVERB

Completely can mean totally, absolutely and utterly.

absolutely

By the end of the sponsored swim, Kalil was absolutely exhausted.