Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Dictionary

achievement NOUN

acid acids NOUN

Some acids give food a sharp, sour taste. Lemons and vinegar contain acid. Strong acid can burn your skin.

acid rain NOUN

Acid rain is rain that is mixed with dirty gases in the air. It can damage buildings, trees and fish.

acrobat acrobats NOUN

An acrobat is someone who does difficult and exciting tricks, like balancing on a high wire.

across PREPOSITION

If you go across something, you go from one side to the other.

act acts, acting, acted

VERB 1 When you act, you do something. He had to act quickly to put out the fire.

VERB 2 If you act in a play or film, you have a part in it.

NOUN 3 An act is something that you do.

action actions NOUN

An action is a movement of part of your body.

active

ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is active moves about a lot, or is very busy.

ADJECTIVE 2 In grammar, a verb in the active voice is one where the subject does the action, rather than having it done to them.

See voice

activity activities NOUN

Activity is when there are a lot of things happening.

actor actors NOUN

An actor is a man or woman whose job is to act in plays or films.

actress actresses NOUN

A female actor is sometimes called an actress.

See actor

actual ADJECTIVE

You describe something as actual when you mean it is real. The shop said the paint was red, but the actual colour was pink.

actually ADVERB

adapt adapts, adapting, adapted

VERB 1 If you adapt to something new, you change in some way that helps you.

VERB 2 If you adapt something, you change it to suit your needs. The book was adapted to make a film.

adaptable ADJECTIVE

Someone who is adaptable can change to deal with new situations.

add adds, adding, added

VERB 1 If you add something, you put it with whatever you have already. Put flour in the bowl and add an egg.

VERB 2 If you add numbers of things together, you find out how many you have. The sign + means add. 2 + 3 = 5. I have two marbles in the bag. If I add these three, it makes five altogether.

addition NOUN

Addition is adding numbers or things together.

address addresses NOUN

Your address is the name or number of your house, and the street and town where you live.

adjective adjectives NOUN

An adjective is a word that describes someone or something. “Beautiful” and “green” are adjectives.

See Adjective on page 269

admire admires, admiring, admired

VERB 1 When you admire someone, you think very highly of them.

VERB 2 When you admire something, you enjoy looking at it. They stopped the car to admire the view.

admit admits, admitting, admitted

VERB 1 If you admit something, you agree that it is true.

VERB 2 If people are admitted to a place, they are allowed to go in.

adopt adopts, adopting, adopted VERB

If a person adopts a child, they make the child their own by law.

adore adores, adoring, adored VERB

If you adore someone, you love them very much.

adult adults NOUN

An adult is a grown-up person or animal.

advance advances, advancing, advanced VERB

If someone advances, they move forward. The army advanced nine miles in one day.

advantage advantages NOUN

An advantage is something that helps you do better than other people. His long legs gave him an advantage in the race.

adventure adventures NOUN

If you are having an adventure, you are doing something exciting.

adverb adverbs NOUN

An adverb is a word that answers questions like how, when, where and why. In the sentence “The girl came quietly into the room”, the word “quietly” is an adverb telling you how the girl came in.

See Adverb on page 269

advertise advertises, advertising, advertised VERB

If you advertise something, you tell people about it through newspapers, posters or TV.

advertisement advertisements NOUN

An advertisement is a notice in the paper, or on a poster or TV, about a job or things for sale.

advice NOUN

If you give someone advice, you say what you think they should do.

advise advises, advising, advised VERB

When you advise someone, you tell them what you think they should do.

aerial aerials NOUN

An aerial is a wire that sends or receives radio or television signals.

aeroplane aeroplanes NOUN

An aeroplane is a flying vehicle with wings and one or more engines.

affect affects, affecting, affected VERB

When something affects someone or something else, it changes them in some way.

affection NOUN

Affection is a feeling of caring for someone.

afford affords, affording, afforded VERB

If you can afford something, you have enough money to buy it or do it.

afraid ADJECTIVE

Someone who is afraid thinks that something nasty might happen.

after PREPOSITION

If something happens after something else, it happens at a later time. We’ll watch television after supper.

afternoon afternoons NOUN

The afternoon is the time of day between 12 o’clock (noon) and about six o’clock in the evening.

afterwards ADVERB

If something happens afterwards, it happens after another event or time. We went swimming, and afterwards we had an ice cream.

again ADVERB

If you do something again, you do it once more.

against

PREPOSITION 1 If you play against someone, you are not on their side.

PREPOSITION 2 If you are against something, you are touching it and leaning on it. She felt tired and leaned against the tree.

age ages

NOUN 1 Your age is how old you are.

NOUN 2 An age is a special period in history, like the Stone Age.

ago ADVERB

If something happened four days ago, it is four days since it happened.

agree agrees, agreeing, agreed

VERB 1 If you agree with someone, you think the same about something.

VERB 2 If you agree to do something, you say you will do it.

agreement NOUN

ahead ADVERB

Something or someone who is ahead of you is in front of you.

My brother ran ahead of us.

aim aims, aiming, aimed

VERB 1 If you aim at something, you point a weapon at it.

VERB 2 If you aim to do something, you plan to do it.

air NOUN

Air is the mixture of gases that we breathe.

aircraft NOUN

An aircraft is a vehicle that flies. Helicopters and aeroplanes are aircraft.

airport airports NOUN

An airport is a place where aircraft land and take off.

alarm alarms

NOUN 1 An alarm is something like a bell or flashing light that warns you of something.

NOUN 2 Alarm is a feeling of fear.

He looked at the hungry bear in alarm.

album albums NOUN

An album is a book that you put things like stamps or photographs in.

alien aliens NOUN

In science fiction, an alien is a creature from outer space.

alight ADJECTIVE

If something is alight, it is burning.

alike ADJECTIVE

If two or more things are alike, they are the same in some way.

alive ADJECTIVE

If a person, animal or plant is alive, they are living now.

all ADJECTIVE

You say all when you mean the whole of a particular group or thing. Put all your toys away.