Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

burrow

Rabbits create warrens by burrowing into hillsides.

delve

The diggers delved deeper, looking for a glimmer of gold.

excavate

Rescue workers excavated the rubble to free the trapped people.

hollow out

We hollowed out a dip in the sand in which to build our camp fire.

scoop out

The squirrel scooped out a hole in the early snow to reach the acorns beneath.

dim ADJECTIVE

Something that is dim is lacking in brightness and badly lit.

faint

As they neared Mordor, faint lights shone in the hills beyond.

gloomy

The gloomy passages of the castle were lit by flaming torches on the walls.

shadowy

I had trouble finding my way across the shadowy room to reach the light switch.

vague

Ben Nevis was just a vague outline seen through the morning mist.

ANTONYM: bright

dinosaur NOUN

Dinosaurs are large animals that lived millions of years ago.

Some types of dinosaur:

apatosaurus

diplodocus

iguanodon

pterodactyl

stegosaurus

triceratops

tyrannosaurus

velociraptor

dirt NOUN

Dirt is any unclean substance such as dust, mud or stains.

filth

Below the sink, the shelf was caked with filth.

grime

Grime from a thousand mill chimneys had blackened the local buildings.

muck

It took me hours to clean the muck from the wheels of my bike.

dirty (1) ADJECTIVE

Something that is dirty is marked or covered with dirt.

filthy

“Get rid of that filthy rag,” my dad ordered.

grimy

The windows were so grimy we could barely see out of them.

grubby

Mum suggested my little brother wash his grubby hands.

mucky

My father enjoys mucky jobs like gardening.

mud-caked

Everywhere in the wood, mud-caked motorcyclists roared like angry wasps.

soiled

The sign said, “Please place soiled nappies in the bin provided”.

stained

The penny was badly stained, but came up shining after it was polished.

ANTONYM: clean

dirty (2) ADJECTIVE

Water that is dirty is made unclean by poisonous substances.

contaminated

The contaminated stream was an ominous red colour.

polluted

Polluted lakes and waterways cannot support any wildlife.

dirty (3) ADJECTIVE

Dirty language is unpleasant and offensive.

crude

“That joke is very crude and not funny at all,” the girl snapped.

foul

The player was sent off for using foul language.

rude

Rude words offend many people.

vulgar

“There’s no need to be vulgar,” Mum told my big sister.

disadvantage NOUN

A disadvantage is something that makes things difficult.

drawback

The drawback of being late for school was that I missed out on Nicky’s birthday cake.

handicap

My brother’s broken leg was a handicap to him for a couple of months.

inconvenience

Mum doesn’t find walking to work an inconvenience. It helps keep her slim.

snag

The only snag with the hotel was that it was a long way from the beach.

ANTONYM: advantage

disagree (1) VERB

If you disagree with someone, you have a different opinion or view from them.

argue with

“If you argue with me,” Mum said stiffly, “you will go to your room!”

differ

Dad and Mum differed in their attitude to bedtimes.

disagree (2) VERB

If you disagree with an action or proposal, you believe it is wrong.

dispute

The player disputed the umpire’s decision and was disqualified.

object to

Fran objected to what I’d said about her.

oppose

The mayor opposed the government’s policy on city traffic.

disappear VERB

If someone or something disappears, they go where they cannot be seen or found.

drop out of sight

The toddler had dropped out of sight before his mother realized he was not at her side.

evaporate

The wizard uttered his spell and evaporated into thin air.

fade

The flight of geese faded into the twilight.

melt away

The crowd melted away, taking their memories of the music with them.

vanish

Without a second thought, Hermione made herself vanish in an instant.

ANTONYMS: appear or reappear

disaster NOUN

A disaster is a very bad accident, such as an earthquake or a plane crash.

calamity

Mr and Mrs Hassan suffered a calamity when they lost all their savings.

catastrophe

The earthquake killed 1500 people – a catastrophe on a huge scale.

tragedy

The fire in the old couple’s home was a tragedy for them.

discuss VERB

When people discuss something, they talk about it in detail.

chat about

Lisa and I chatted about our favourite movie.

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