Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

“Ted, will you make up your mind!” Dad demanded impatiently.

reach a decision

My parents reached a decision: we were going to move house.

decision NOUN

A decision is a choice or judgment that is made about something.

choice

Daniel faced a choice – to continue and risk getting lost, or to go back the way he had come.

conclusion

I came to the conclusion that I hadn’t been working hard enough.

judgment

The panel’s judgment was that Mrs Flaherty had been fairly treated.

verdict

The courtroom fell silent as the jury’s verdict was announced.

decorate VERB

If you decorate something, you make it more attractive by adding things to it.

adorn

For the wedding, the gate to the churchyard was adorned with flowers.

festoon

The whole of Wall Street was festooned with tickertape streamers.

trim

The Christmas tree was trimmed with tinsel.

decrease VERB

If something decreases, or if you decrease it, it becomes less.

decline

Bird-lovers are worried that the number of house sparrows is declining.

diminish

The glow from the fire diminished as the dogs slumbered on.

dwindle

Once the mines closed, the valley population began to dwindle.

lessen

The driver decided to lessen his speed, as the engine was overheating.

reduce

Reducing your salt intake will help you to stay healthy.

ANTONYM: increase

deep (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is deep, it goes a long way down from the surface.

bottomless

“The way you spend, you must think I’ve got bottomless pockets!” Dad grumbled.

yawning

The earth shook violently, and a yawning hole opened up in the street.

ANTONYM: shallow

deep (2) ADJECTIVE

Deep can mean great or intense.

intense

Van Gogh painted vibrant pictures with intense colour.

profound

The discovery of penicillin had a profound effect on medicine.

strong

A strong wind blew the sailing boat safely back on course.

deep (3) ADJECTIVE

A deep sound is a low one.

bass

The bass sound of the foghorn echoed through the mist.

low

Mrs Quail’s voice is so low that she is sometimes mistaken for a man on the telephone.

ANTONYM: high

defeat (1) VERB

If you defeat someone or something, you win a victory over them, or cause them to fail.

beat

“I hope my team beats yours,” Pete said cheekily to Smithy.

conquer

To conquer Wales was King Edward’s lifelong wish.

overcome

The girl overcame her disability to become a great champion.

overpower

Legions of screeching auks overpowered the tiny band of travellers.

rout

The forces of evil in Narnia were routed in the last battle.

defeat (2) NOUN

A defeat is the state of being beaten or of failing.

beating

Class 3a crowed that the team from 3b had taken a beating.

conquest

The conquest of England by the Normans in 1066 was a turning point in history.

downfall

The dictator’s downfall was sudden and spectacular.

pasting INFORMAL

Mighty Hawk took a severe pasting from the new wrestler.

trouncing INFORMAL

“What a trouncing,” Mitch moaned.

ANTONYM: victory

defence NOUN

Defence is the action that is taken to protect someone or something against attack.

immunity

The nurse assured me that the vaccination would give immunity from measles.

protection

“Our paint offers ten-year protection from the rain,” the advert boasted.

resistance

“Resistance is useless. Come out with your hands up!” bawled the loudspeaker.

safeguard

Taking out insurance acts as a safeguard against misfortune.

A country’s defences are its armed forces and its weapons.

defend (1) VERB

If you defend someone or something, you protect them from harm or danger.

fortify

The manor house was fortified by the addition of a large wall around it.

guard

Brushing your teeth helps guard against decay and keeps your breath fresh.

protect

King Edward protected the castle with no fewer than six main gates!

safeguard

The sentries safeguarded the palace.

➔ See shelter (1)

defend (2) VERB

If you defend a person or their ideas, you argue in support of them.

justify

Anita justified hitting the boy by claiming that he had hit her first.

speak up for

Amal spoke up for his friend, despite the bully’s threats.

stick up for INFORMAL

“Thank you for sticking up for me,” said Lisa gratefully.

support

Dad supported me when our neighbour complained about the noise.

definite ADJECTIVE

Something that is definite is clear and unlikely to be changed.

certain

“It is certain that I will be having a birthday party,” Molly told us.

guaranteed

My uncle secured us guaranteed seats for the big game.

positive

The contestant gave a very positive answer. Sadly, it was the wrong one.

sure

Being sulky is a sure way to lose friends.

ANTONYM: uncertain

definitely ADVERB OR INTERJECTION

Definitely can mean certainly and without doubt.

absolutely

“Are you able to play?” I asked. “Absolutely!” came Deepak’s reply.

beyond any doubt

Beyond any doubt, the German was the best racing driver in the world.

certainly

The coach admitted, “We’ve certainly got a good team this year.”

plainly

The witness was plainly going to say nothing.

unquestionably

The banquet was unquestionably the largest meal he had ever eaten.

delay (1) NOUN

If there is a delay, something does not happen until later than planned or expected.

hold-up

At the last minute, there was a hold-up in the live TV broadcast.

pause

After a pause, the mayor continued his speech.

postponement

Owing to the storms, there was a 24-hour postponement in the rocket launch.

setback

There were a few minor setbacks before the house was built.

wait

We had a slight wait before being ushered in to meet the prince.

delay (2) VERB

If something delays you, it makes you late or slows you down.

hinder

My baby brother did his best to hinder Mum’s vacuum cleaning.

hold up

Traffic was held up by a burst water main.

slow down

Our progress was slowed down by a crawling tractor in front.

deliberate ADJECTIVE

If you do something that is deliberate, you do it on purpose.

calculated

The head teacher took a calculated risk and told staff to put the stalls outdoors.

conscious

“I want you to make a conscious effort to get to school on time,” Mrs Lenster said.

intentional

The referee decided that the dangerous tackle was intentional, and sent the player off.

ANTONYM: unintentional

delicious ADJECTIVE

Delicious food or drink tastes very nice.

appetizing

The waiter brought round all sorts of appetizing titbits.

delectable

“Thank you, that was a delectable meal, Mrs Kean,” Marie said politely.

scrumptious INFORMAL

I think meringues are scrumptious. My sister hates them.

tasty

Some cheese is tasty. Some tastes like rubber.

ANTONYM: horrible

depend (1) VERB

If you depend on someone or something, you trust them and rely on them.

bank on

Mr Marshall said he was banking on me to score a few goals.

count on

I was counting on Dennis to give me some good passes.

rely on

Lyra knew she could rely on the huge bear to come to her aid.

trust

The owners trusted you to put the correct money in the box.