Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus

heat

Heat the mixture for five minutes.

book NOUN

A book is a number of pages held together inside a cover.

KINDS OF BOOKS:

album

atlas

diary

dictionary

encyclopedia

jotter

manual

notebook

novel

storybook

textbook

thesaurus

boring ADJECTIVE

Something boring is so dull that you have no interest in it.

dreary

We spent a dreary afternoon queuing for concert tickets.

dull

The film was so dull that William fell asleep in the middle of it.

monotonous

The television presenter droned on in a monotonous voice.

➔ mind-numbing

ANTONYM: exciting

bottom (1) NOUN

The bottom of something is the lowest part of it.

base

There were lots of fallen rocks at the base of the cliff.

bed

The bed of the river was sandy.

foot

They stopped at the foot of the mountain and looked up.

foundation

It was an old pillar. The foundation was crumbling.

bottom (2) NOUN

Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on.

behind

Llewelyn sat there so long that his behind went numb.

bum INFORMAL

“Does my bum look big in this?” Abdul’s teenage sister asked.

buttocks

A fall on the ice bruised his buttocks.

rear

While Tom was looking round the farm, a goat butted him in the rear.

box NOUN

A box is a container with straight sides, made from something stiff, like cardboard, wood or plastic.

carton

They took a carton of strawberries with them on the picnic.

case

When we moved, all our books were packed in cases.

chest

Tommy keeps his toys in a chest.

packet

Sarah wanted her own small packet of cereal for breakfast.

brave ADJECTIVE

If you are brave, you show you can do something even if it is frightening.

adventurous

Jack was adventurous and liked to explore new places.

bold

The kitten was bold enough to tap the dog on its nose.

courageous

The courageous dentist agreed to check the lion’s teeth.

daring

King Arthur’s knights did all sorts of daring deeds.

fearless

People doing extreme sports seem fearless.

➔ heroic; intrepid

ANTONYM: cowardly

break (1) VERB

If you break something, it splits into pieces or stops working.

chip

“Don’t bang that plate down or you’ll chip it,” said Mum.

crack

The ogre gazed at his reflection. This made the mirror crack.

crumble

She sat anxiously crumbling a piece of bread in her fingers.

fall apart

Jeremy gloomily watched his bookshelves fall apart.

shatter

Her voice is so loud it could shatter glass.

smash

There was a smash as the stereo hit the floor.

snap

Simone heard a twig snap behind her. She spun round in alarm.

splinter

The Snow Queen made the glass splinter into a thousand fragments.

break (2) NOUN

A break is a short rest or change.

interval

In the play there’s a short interval between two acts.

pause

There was a pause while the teacher hunted for her notes.

rest

“I’m exhausted,” said Daniel. “Let’s have a rest before we go out.”

bright (1) ADJECTIVE

Someone who is bright is quick at learning or noticing things.

brainy

My brother’s really brainy. He wants to go to university.

clever

“If you’re clever, you’ll put the watch together again,” said Jessie.

intelligent

Guide dogs have to be very intelligent.

sharp

“You’re very sharp,” said the old lady, “but you still haven’t solved the puzzle.”

smart

Some people think squirrels are smart, but they often can’t find nuts they’ve buried.

bright (2) ADJECTIVE

Bright lights and colours are strong and startling.

brilliant

Parrots’ brilliant colours make them easy to see.

colourful

The magician produced a colourful string of knotted scarves.

dazzling

They shaded their eyes against his dazzling white shirt.

glaring

Glaring headlights blinded Dad and he had to stop the car.

glowing

The bonfire was glowing in the dark.

bright (3) ADJECTIVE

Someone who is bright is cheerful and lively.

cheerful

I like Alex. He’s always so cheerful and jolly in class.

lively

Kamal felt lively and refreshed when he woke up.

bring VERB

If you bring something or someone, you have them with you when you arrive.

carry

He arrived carrying presents for everyone.

guide

You’ll need someone to guide you back if it’s dark.

lead

Firemen often have to lead people out of burning buildings.

take

Taxis were used to take guests to the wedding reception.

build VERB

If you build something, you make it by joining things together.

create

Dad created a wonderful tree house for us.

make

The children made an igloo with small blocks of snow.

put up

We put up a fence round the guinea pigs to keep them safe.

building NOUN

A building is a place, such as a house, that has walls and a roof.

BUILDINGS TO LIVE IN:

apartment

bungalow

castle

cottage

detached house

flat

semi-detached house

terraced house

BUILDINGS TO WORK IN:

factory

fire station

garage

hospital

laboratory

library

lighthouse

police station

shop

skyscraper

studio

windmill

BUILDINGS TO WORSHIP IN:

cathedral

chapel

church

mosque

synagogue

temple

bully VERB

Someone who bullies people hurts or frightens them.

frighten

The witch frightened him into helping her gather mushrooms.

threaten

One of the big boys threatened us.

torment

Stop tormenting your little sister.

bump NOUN

A bump is a raised, uneven part on a surface.

bulge

A bag of sweets made a bulge in his jacket pocket.

hump

There are humps here to slow down traffic.

lump

Our old mattress is full of lumps.

swelling

Chloe had a nasty swelling on her finger.

bump into VERB

If you bump into something, you hit it while you are moving.

bang into

The brakes on his bike failed and he banged into the fence.

collide with

In the dark our car collided with a tree.

hit

He ran into the road without looking and hit a cyclist.

strike

She struck a litter bin when she lost control of her skateboard.

bunch NOUN

A bunch is a group of things together, like flowers or grapes.

bouquet

The bride carried a bouquet of roses.

posy

Emma gave her mum a lovely posy of bright flowers.

spray

Sprays of holly brightened the hall.

bundle NOUN

A bundle is a number of small things gathered together.

batch

The first batch of letters arrived the next day.

collection

We put a collection of newspapers out for recycling.

heap

On the table was a heap of clothes for the charity shop.

pile

A pile of dirty washing was waiting to go to the launderette.

burn VERB

If something is burning, it is on fire.

blaze

A bonfire blazed in the garden.

flame

The fire began to flame green as it caught the ink.

flare

Suddenly a match flared in the darkness.

flicker

He blew gently on the spark and the fire began to flicker.

burst VERB

When something like a balloon or tyre bursts, it splits apart suddenly.

explode

One of the bottles exploded in the heat.

pop

The baby laughed with delight when the bubbles popped.