Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Dictionary

astonish astonishes, astonishing, astonished VERB

If you are astonished by something or someone, you are very surprised.

astronaut astronauts NOUN

An astronaut is a person who travels in space.

astronomer astronomers NOUN

An astronomer is a scientist who studies the stars and planets.

at

PREPOSITION 1 You use at to say where someone or something is. Rajeev waited for me at the bus stop.

PREPOSITION 2 You use at to show the direction something is going in. I threw the snowball at my brother.

PREPOSITION 3 You use at to say when something happens. The party starts at six o’clock.

ate VERB

Ate is the past tense of eat.

atlas atlases NOUN

An atlas is a book of maps.

atmosphere atmospheres

NOUN 1 A planet’s atmosphere is the layer of air or other gas around it.

NOUN 2 You can use atmosphere to talk about the general mood of a place. In the classroom the atmosphere was relaxed.

atom atoms NOUN

An atom is the smallest part of any substance.

attach attaches, attaching, attached VERB

When you attach something to an object, you join the two things together.

attachment attachments NOUN

An attachment is a computer file that is attached to an e-mail or text message.

attack attacks, attacking, attacked VERB

If a person attacks somebody, they try to hurt them.

attempt attempts, attempting, attempted VERB

If you attempt something difficult, you try to do it.

attend attends, attending, attended VERB

If someone attends something like a meeting, they are present at it.

attention

NOUN 1 If something attracts your attention, you notice it suddenly.

NOUN 2 If you pay attention to someone, you listen carefully to them.

attic attics NOUN

An attic is a room at the top of a house, just under the roof.

attract attracts, attracting, attracted

VERB 1 If something or somebody attracts you, you find them interesting. Joe was attracted to the display by the flashing lights.

VERB 2 If something like a magnet attracts an object, it makes it move towards it.

attractive ADJECTIVE

If something is attractive, it is nice to look at.

audience audiences NOUN

An audience is a group of people watching or listening to something like a play, film, talk or piece of music.

August NOUN

August is the eighth month of the year. It has 31 days.

aunt aunts NOUN

Your aunt is the sister of one of your parents, or the wife of your uncle.

author authors NOUN

The author of a book is the person who wrote it.

authority authorities

NOUN 1 Authority is a quality that someone has that makes people take notice of what they say.

NOUN 2 The authorities are people like the police who have a lot of power.

autograph autographs NOUN

An autograph is the signature of a famous person.

automatic ADJECTIVE

An automatic machine is one that can do things on its own.

automatically ADVERB

autumn autumns NOUN

Autumn is the season between summer and winter. The weather cools and many trees lose their leaves.

available ADJECTIVE

If something is available, you can get it. Tickets are available now.

avalanche avalanches NOUN

An avalanche is a huge mass of snow and ice that falls down a mountain.

avenue avenues NOUN

An avenue is a wide road with trees on either side.

average averages

NOUN 1 An average is a result obtained by adding several amounts together and then dividing the total by the number of different amounts. If four children have a total of 36 sweets, the average is nine sweets per child.

ADJECTIVE 2 If something is average, it is the standard or usual thing.

avoid avoids, avoiding, avoided VERB

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

awake ADJECTIVE

If you are awake, you are not sleeping.

award awards NOUN

An award is a prize that you are given for doing something well.

aware ADJECTIVE

If you are aware of something, you know about it.

away

ADVERB 1 If you move away from somewhere, you move so that you are further from that place.

ADVERB 2 If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place. Katherine is away from school today.

awful ADJECTIVE

Something awful is very unpleasant or bad.

awkward

ADJECTIVE 1 If something is awkward, it is difficult to do or use.

ADJECTIVE 2 If people are awkward, they move in a clumsy way.

axe axes NOUN

An axe is a tool with a long handle and a heavy sharp blade at one end. It is used for chopping wood.

axis axes

NOUN 1 An axis is an imaginary line through the centre of something, around which it moves.

NOUN 2 An axis is also one of the two sides of a graph. A graph has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.

Bb

baby babies NOUN

A baby is a very young child.

back backs

NOUN 1 The back of something is the part opposite the front.

ADVERB 2 If you go back to a place, you go somewhere you have been before.

NOUN 3 Your back is the part of your body which is behind you, from your neck to the top of your legs.

NOUN 4 The back of an animal is the part on top, between its neck and the beginning of its tail.

back to front PHRASE If you have something on back to front, you are wearing it the wrong way round.

background backgrounds NOUN

The background of a picture is everything behind the main part.

backwards

ADVERB 1 If you move backwards, you move with your back facing in the direction you are going.

ADVERB 2 If you do something backwards, you do it in the opposite of the usual way. Let’s try counting backwards from one hundred.

bacon NOUN

Bacon is salted meat from a pig.

bacteria PLURAL NOUN

Bacteria are very tiny living things which break down waste. They can cause diseases.

bad worse, worst

ADJECTIVE 1 You say somebody is bad if they are naughty or wicked.

ADJECTIVE 2 If something is bad, it can hurt or upset you in some way.

badge badges NOUN

A badge is a sign people wear to show they belong to a school or club.

badger badgers NOUN

A badger is a strongly built animal with short legs and neck. It has long grey fur and a striped head.

badly ADVERB

If something is done badly, it is done in a way that is not successful or effective.

bag bags NOUN

A bag is a soft container for carrying or holding things.

bait NOUN

Bait is food used to trap animals.

bake bakes, baking, baked VERB

When you bake food, you cook it in an oven.

baker bakers NOUN

A baker makes and sells bread, cakes and pies.

balance balances, balancing, balanced VERB

When you balance, you keep steady. She tried to balance on one leg.