Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Thesaurus

Military means “connected with an army”.

Here are some more words associated with the military, or armed forces:

air force

battalion

brigade

cavalry

commando

company

garrison

legion

marine

navy

paratrooper

platoon

regiment

reinforcements

squad

squadron

around (1) PREPOSITION

You can use around when something is surrounding or encircling a place or object.

on all sides of

On all sides of the camp, a barbed-wire fence rose menacingly towards grim watchtowers.

on every side of

The word “Fragile” was written on every side of the box.

around (2) PREPOSITION

Around can mean at approximately the time or place mentioned.

about

“I’ll meet you at about three o’clock,” Kamilah whispered.

approximately

“The train will be approximately five minutes late,” said the announcer.

in the region of

The government spent in the region of 30 billion pounds on new roads.

roughly

The new garage will be roughly ten metres in length.

around (3) PREPOSITION OR ADVERB

You say around when things are in various places.

all over

Papers were scattered all over Mum’s office.

everywhere

In the wind, fallen leaves flew everywhere.

here and there

“I always find the odd bargain here and there,” said Gran cheerfully.

arrange (1) VERB

If you arrange to do something, or arrange something for someone, you make plans for it or make it possible.

fix

Mr Pearson fixed our soccer game for next Tuesday afternoon.

organize

Mum said she would organize a trip to the zoo during the holidays.

plan

Dad planned a secret birthday surprise for Mum.

prepare

Most good chefs prepare their menu well in advance.

settle

The old lady settled her affairs before she left town.

arrange (2) VERB

If you arrange objects, you set them out in a particular way.

group

For the photograph, all the wedding guests were grouped in front of the hall door.

organize

For the tournament, players were organized into teams of five.

place

The artist carefully placed the objects she was going to paint.

position

Guards were positioned outside the palace.

arrest VERB

If the police arrest someone, they take them to a police station because they believe they may have committed a crime.

capture

A search party captured the escaped prisoner in an isolated shack.

nick INFORMAL

The bloke next door got nicked for burglary the other day.

take someone into custody

Police officers cautioned the suspect and took her into custody.

arrive VERB

When you arrive at a place, you reach it at the end of your journey.

appear

The film star finally appeared, an hour late.

show up INFORMAL

Jeremy showed up just in time.

turn up

“If you turn up late, the coach will have gone,” warned the driver.

ANTONYM: depart

artist NOUN

An artist is a person who draws or paints, or produces other works of art such as novels or music.

Types of artist:

artist

film director

musician

novelist

painter

playwright

poet

potter

sculptor

writer

ashamed ADJECTIVE

If you are ashamed, you feel embarrassed or guilty.

embarrassed

Karen was embarrassed to find that the rain had streaked her make-up.

guilty

I hadn’t done anything, but I still felt guilty about the missing money.

humiliated

Jade felt humiliated after the coach had publicly blamed her for losing the game.

sorry

Misha was sorry that his stupid comment had caused so much upset.

ask (1) VERB

If you ask someone something, you put a question to them.

enquire or inquire

“If you want more information, enquire at the desk over there,” the woman said.

interrogate

Secret police interrogated the spy about his mission, but he told them nothing.

query

Mr Blake queried the bill, saying he’d been overcharged.

question

The suspicious-looking stranger was stopped and questioned about what she was doing.

quiz

My mum quizzed me about where I was going, and who with.

ask (2) VERB

If you ask for something, you say you would like to have it.

appeal

Our church appealed for money to help repair the roof.

apply

If you are travelling abroad, you must apply for a passport.

beg

I begged Mum to let me go to the party, but she said no.

beseech

“Have mercy on me, I beseech you!” the frog prince cried to the princess.

demand

The angry diner demanded to know what a beetle was doing in his pudding.

implore

“I implore you to think twice before running away,” said Emma.

plead

The princess pleaded to be set free by the wicked witch.

request

The soccer player requested a transfer to another club.

ask (3) VERB

If you ask someone to come or go somewhere, you invite them there.

ask someone round

The vicar asked us round for a cup of tea.

bid OLD-FASHIONED

His lordship bade me enter and enquired if I would drink wine with him.

invite

Whoopee! Della has invited me to her party.

summon

King Arthur summoned his knights to an assembly at the Round Table.

asleep ADJECTIVE

If you are asleep, your eyes are closed and your whole body is resting.

dead to the world INFORMAL

Dad was dead to the world in the armchair.

fast asleep

Jim, our dog, was fast asleep with his legs in the air.

sound asleep

I was so sound asleep that my little brother had to sit on me to wake me up.

ANTONYM: awake

➔ See sleep (1)

Animals that hibernate spend the winter in a state like a deep sleep.

attack (1) VERB

If a person or an animal attacks another person or animal, they use violence in order to hurt or kill them.

assault

The muggers assaulted the man, then tried to steal his wallet.

charge

The Light Brigade charged the enemy’s guns at full tilt.

mug

Unfortunately, some people are mugged on dark city streets.

raid

Police raided the house where the escaped criminal was living.

storm

Troops stormed the cliffs and succeeded in silencing the machine guns above.

ANTONYM: defend

In sport, to attack is to move forward.

attack (2) NOUN

An attack is a violent, physical action against someone or something.

assault

“This was a serious assault, for which you must pay,” said the judge grimly.

charge

The Light Brigade’s charge was brave but doomed.

invasion

The 1944 D-Day landings in France formed the biggest invasion in world history.

raid

The air raids continued night after night.

strike

The missile strike destroyed the buildings.

ANTONYM: defence

automatic ADJECTIVE

An automatic machine is programmed to do a task without needing a person to operate it.

automated

The new automated answering service kept Dad waiting for half an hour.

computerized

Most photocopiers are computerized these days.

robotic

In car factories, robotic arms put most of the parts together.

self-propelling

My self-propelling model glider worked by twisting an elastic band.

avoid (1) VERB

If you avoid someone or something, you keep away from them.

dodge

We dodged our nosy neighbour by hiding behind a tree as she went past.