Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus

undressed

“You can’t come in!” she shrieked. “I’m undressed!”

basic ADJECTIVE

Basic means the simplest things you need, or need to know.

chief

The chief thing to remember when hiking is to shut gates behind you.

essential

Water is an essential requirement for all living creatures.

important

An important rule is to check the traffic before you cross a road.

main

The main thing is not to panic if the fire alarm goes off.

standard

Our car is a standard model.

beautiful (1) ADJECTIVE

You say something is beautiful if it gives you great pleasure to look at or listen to.

amazing

There’s an amazing view of the countryside from here.

attractive

It’s an attractive village with a very old church in the centre.

enchanting

The castle has an enchanting garden.

fine

It was a fine day so Finlay went for a paddle at the beach.

glorious

“Summer weather here is absolutely glorious,” exclaimed Gran.

gorgeous

Princess Jane wore a gorgeous dress sparkling with jewels.

graceful

The ballerina performed a graceful curtsey for the audience.

incredible

It was an incredible building with dozens of turrets.

magnificent

The king wore magnificent robes.

pretty

There’s a pretty cottage round the corner.

spectacular

The fireworks were spectacular.

splendid

The singer had a splendid voice.

stunning

“Wow! Your new hairstyle is absolutely stunning!” said Fiona.

beautiful (2) ADJECTIVE

You say someone is beautiful if they are lovely to look at.

good

Mum looked really good in her new outfit.

good-looking

The girl next door’s really good-looking.

lovely

The princess looked lovely on her wedding day.

believe VERB

If you believe someone or something, you think what is said is true.

accept

She can’t accept that she is wrong.

trust

I trusted him, but it seems he was not telling the truth.

bend (1) VERB

When something bends, it becomes curved or crooked.

buckle

Her bike hit a rock that badly buckled the front wheel.

fold

The blacksmith heated a strip of iron and folded it in half.

twist

A man twisted long balloons into the shape of an animal.

bend (2) NOUN

A bend is a curve in something.

corner

The house you are looking for is round the next corner.

curve

Round a curve in the river was the waterfall where we ate our picnic.

loop

Loops in the mountain road made the drive scary.

bend (3) VERB

When you bend, you move your body forwards and downwards.

bow

The farmer bowed his back under a heavy sack of oats.

crouch

The girl crouched down in a field during a game of hide and seek.

lean

Sam leaned over and stroked the kitten.

stoop

Stooping down, she touched the track made by the deer.

better (1) ADJECTIVE

Something that is better than something else is of a higher standard or quality.

finer

I couldn’t have had a finer teacher.

greater

After all his study, he had a greater understanding of the subject.

better (2) ADJECTIVE

If you are feeling better after an illness, you are not feeling so ill.

healthier

Sean certainly looks much healthier now.

recovering

Grandma had a nasty fall but she is now recovering.

stronger

I felt really weak, but I’m getting stronger every day.

big (1) ADJECTIVE

Something or somebody big is large in size.

bulky

The parcel was too bulky to fit through the letterbox.

enormous

Lionel got squashed when an enormous dog sat on him.

giant

At the end of the party Uncle Simon set off a giant firework.

grand

The concert was in a very grand house.

great

There was a great gasp from the audience.

huge

Elephants are huge animals.

immense

This money will be an immense help to the new hospital.

large

Matt took a large bite of chocolate cake and grinned contentedly.

massive

A massive rock crashed to the ground in front of them.

mighty

There was a mighty roar from the crowd when we scored the winning goal.

vast

A vast mountain rose before them, its top lost in mist.

➔ colossal; gigantic; mammoth

big (2) ADJECTIVE

Sometimes big can mean important, or having a lot of influence.

important

“Hey, I think we’ve found something important,” said Carter.

serious

Burglary is a serious problem in this area.

bin VERB

If you bin something, you throw it away.

discard

Mum tried to persuade Dad to discard his old jacket.

scrap

She decided to scrap everything she’d written so far.

bind VERB

If you bind something, you tie something like string or cloth tightly round it so that it is held in place.

attach

In our first-aid class, we were taught to attach splints to a damaged limb.

fasten

The woodcutter always fastens the firewood with twine.

join

Simon used extra-strong tape to join the broken struts together.

tie

“I’ll tie a handkerchief round your leg to stop the bleeding,” said Mum.

bird NOUN

A bird is an animal with two legs, two wings and feathers.

PET BIRDS:

budgerigar

cockatiel

FARM BIRDS:

chicken

duck

goose

turkey

BIRDS THAT LIVE NEAR WATER:

coot

curlew

duck

flamingo

goose

gull

kingfisher

moorhen

pelican

penguin

puffin

stork

swan

BRITISH GARDEN BIRDS:

blackbird

blue tit

chaffinch

robin

sparrow

thrush

wren

BIRDS OF PREY:

buzzard

eagle

falcon

kestrel

owl

OTHER BIRDS:

emu

kiwi

kookaburra

ostrich

parrot

peacock

vulture

bit NOUN

A bit of something is a small piece of it.

chip

We found a chip of Roman pottery in the garden.

chunk

Henry broke off a chunk of chocolate.

crumb

Under the table, birds were pecking at leftover crumbs.

fragment

They were looking for fossils but found only a small fragment of bone.

morsel

Oliver was so hungry he ate up every last morsel of pie.

part

Julia liked the part in the film where owls brought messages.

piece

She couldn’t finish the jigsaw. There was one piece missing.

portion

Every guest had a portion of cheese.

scrap

There was an interesting scrap of paper at the crime scene.

shred

The kitten tore the curtains to shreds.

slab

A slab of white stone covered the mouth of the tomb.

speck

If there was a speck of dust my mum would find it.

body NOUN

Your body is every part of you.

boil VERB

When liquid boils, it bubbles.

bubble

Stew bubbled furiously on the stove.

foam

Warm the butter until it foams.

froth

Hot milk rose in the pan and frothed over the top.