Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus

puncture

A nail punctured one of my tyres.

Cc

call (1) VERB

If you call, you phone or visit someone.

phone

I’ll phone you as soon as I get there.

ring

Give me a ring one day next week.

visit

Grandpa wants us to visit tomorrow.

call (2) VERB

If you call someone, you shout for them.

cry

“Where are you hiding?” she cried.

cry out

Rashid cried out in delight when he saw the otter.

shout

“Come on Ben. You’ll be late for school,” Mum shouted.

yell

“Come on in!” Tracy yelled. “The water is great!”

calm (1) ADJECTIVE

If something is calm, it is still and peaceful.

peaceful

Everything seemed peaceful in the church.

still

That afternoon the breeze had dropped and the air was still.

calm (2) ADJECTIVE

If you are calm, you do not seem worried or excited.

cool

She was surprisingly cool about the exciting news.

quiet

The children were very quiet until they saw the mouse.

car NOUN

A car is a road vehicle with wheels and an engine. It needs a driver and usually has room for passengers.

KINDS OF CARS:

convertible

estate

four-wheel drive

hatchback

limousine

minicab

people carrier

racing car

saloon

sports car

taxi

vintage car

care VERB

If you care about something, you are concerned about it.

be bothered

I am bothered about missing my swimming lessons.

be concerned

My brother is concerned about the world’s endangered wildlife.

mind

Gavin said he didn’t mind who won the game of chess.

careful (1) ADJECTIVE

If you are careful, you try to do things well.

accurate

The soldier had to be accurate. He had only one chance to hit the target.

thorough

We made a thorough search of the room.

careful (2) ADJECTIVE

If you are careful, you try to do things safely.

alert

In Australia there is a danger of bush fires, and people have to be alert.

cautious

The lifeguard taught them to be cautious around the pool.

wary

Joe was wary of the elephant - it was very large.

watchful

With a toddler, you have to be watchful all the time.

careless (1) ADJECTIVE

If you are careless, you do not take enough care.

messy

My little sister is a messy eater.

sloppy

Her knitting was sloppy, with dropped stitches everywhere.

untidy

The professor was untidy. Now he couldn’t find his papers.

careless (2) ADJECTIVE

Careless can also mean not being sensible about things.

reckless

Sam took a reckless leap over the river.

thoughtless

Only thoughtless people went out in the storm without a jacket.

carry VERB

When you carry something, you pick it up and take it with you.

move

He moved the plant over to the window.

take

We’d better take an umbrella.

transport

We need a van to transport our furniture.

catch (1) VERB

If you catch something, like measles, you get that illness.

come down with

“Stay away from me or you’ll come down with chickenpox too,” said Beth.

get

I don’t want to get this cold.

go down with

It’s just like Ross to go down with something at the wrong moment.

catch (2) VERB

If you catch somebody or something, you capture them.

arrest

The police want to arrest a man they suspect of burglary.

capture

Prison guards set a trap to capture the escaped prisoner.

trap

“Trap that spider,” said Granny, “then put it outside.”

change (1) VERB

When you change something, it becomes different.

alter

The tailor said he could soon alter the length of the trouser legs.

modify

Let’s modify the plan. We’ll go this afternoon instead.

reorganize

“Oh no!” cried Mrs Jones. “I’m going to have to reorganize everything.”

revise

The teacher said my story was good, but I should revise the ending.

change (2) VERB

When something changes, it becomes different.

develop

Caterpillars develop into moths or butterflies.

shift

The wind shifted to the west.

turn

Tadpoles soon turn into frogs.

change (3) VERB

If you change something, you replace it with something else.

exchange

“Can I exchange this blue shirt for a green one?” asked the customer.

swap

Henry wanted to swap his pop music CD for one of Rosie’s.

switch

I didn’t see him switch his old pen for my new one.

chase VERB

If you chase someone, you try to catch them.

follow

The boys followed the man they suspected of stealing a bike.

hunt

Our cat was out all night, hunting mice and rats.

pursue

Police pursued the speeding car for miles along the motorway.

trail

It was easy to trail the robber by following his footprints in the snow.

check VERB

If you check something, you make sure it is correct and safe.

examine

The witch frowned and examined the contents of the cauldron.

inspect

The mechanic inspected the car’s brakes.

make sure

Before we set off, I made sure we’d remembered everything.

test

He tested the ground in case it was boggy.

choose VERB

When you choose, you decide what to have or do.

elect

They quickly elected a new leader.

name

Each one named the person they wanted.

pick

He picked the biggest cake he could find.

select

They were told to select a book and read for the rest of the lesson.

take

We took the shortest way.

clean (1) VERB

If you clean something, you remove dirt from it.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF CLEANING:

bathe

brush

dust

mop up

polish

rinse

scour

scrub

shampoo

sponge

sweep

vacuum

wash

wipe

clean (2) ADJECTIVE

If something is clean, it is free from dirt.

blank

She took a blank sheet and began to write.

sparkling

Penelope polished the glasses until they were sparkling.

spotless

The floor was spotless by the time they’d finished mopping it.

clear (1) ADJECTIVE

If something you say or write is clear, it is easy to understand.