Collins Dictionaries - Collins First Dictionary

She was confused about where to go.

consonant noun consonants

A consonant is any letter of the alphabet that is not a, e, i, o, or u.

The word “book” has two consonants in it.

container noun containers

A container is something that you use to keep things in, for example a box or a bottle.

control verb controls, controlling, controlled

If you control something, you can make it do what you want.

I can control the speed by pressing this button.

cook verb cooks, cooking, cooked

When you cook food, you make it hot and get it ready to eat.

Mum was cooking dinner.

cooker noun cookers

A cooker is a machine that you use to cook food.

cool adjective cooler, coolest

Something that is cool is quite cold.

Put the milk in the fridge to keep it cool.

copy noun copies

A copy is something that is made to look like another thing.

I made a copy of the drawing.

corn noun

Corn is a long vegetable. It is covered with yellow seeds that you eat.

corner noun corners

A corner is a place where two sides join together.

He stood at the corner of the street.

correct adjective

If something is correct, there are no mistakes in it.

cost noun costs

The cost of something is the amount of money you need to buy it.

The cost of the holiday was too high.

cot noun cots

A cot is a bed for a baby, with high sides to stop the baby from falling out.

cotton noun

1 Cotton is a kind of cloth that is made from the cotton plant.

2 Cotton is also thread that you use to sew with.

cough verb coughs, coughing, coughed

When you cough, you make air come out of your throat with a sudden, loud noise.

The smoke made us cough.

could verb

If you say you could do something, you mean that you were able to do it. Could comes from the word can.

I could see through the window.

couldn’t

Couldn’t is short for could not.

She couldn’t open the door.

count verb counts, counting, counted

1 When you count, you say numbers in order, one after the other.

I counted from one to ten.

2 When you count all the things in a group, you add them up to see how many there are.

The teacher counted the children in the class.

country noun countries

1 A country is a part of the world with its own people and laws.

He lives in a different country.

2 The country is land that is away from towns and cities. There are farms and woods in the country.

We went for a walk in the country.

cousin noun cousins

Your cousin is the son or daughter of your uncle or aunt.

cover verb covers, covering, covered

If you cover something, you put another thing over it.

She covered the table with a cloth.

cover noun covers

A cover is something that you put over another thing.

Put a cover over the sofa to keep it clean.

cow noun cows

A cow is a large animal that is kept on farms because it gives milk.

crab noun crabs

A crab is an animal with a hard shell that lives in the sea. Crabs have large claws on their front legs.

crack verb cracks, cracking, cracked

If something cracks, it becomes damaged, and lines appear on the surface where it has broken.

The window cracked.

crane noun cranes

1 A crane is a tall machine that can lift very heavy things.

2 A crane is also a large bird with a long neck and long legs. Cranes live near water.

crash noun crashes

1 A crash is an accident when a vehicle hits something.

There was a car crash outside the school.

2 A crash is also a sudden, loud noise.

He dropped the plates with a crash.

crawl verb crawls, crawling, crawled

When you crawl, you move along on your hands and knees.

The baby crawled along the floor.

crayon noun crayons

Crayons are pencils or sticks of wax in different colours that you use for drawing.

cream noun

Cream is a thick liquid that is made from milk. You can use it in cooking or pour it over puddings.

creature noun creatures

A creature is anything that is alive, but is not a plant.

Many creatures live in the forest.

creep verb creeps, creeping, crept

1 If you creep somewhere, you move in a very slow and quiet way.

He crept up the stairs.

2 If an animal creeps, it moves along close to the ground.

The mouse crept across the room.

crew noun crews

A crew is a group of people who work together on a ship or an aeroplane.

cricket noun crickets

1 Cricket is a game where two teams take turns to hit a ball with a bat and run up and down.

2 A cricket is also a small jumping insect that rubs its wings together to make a high sound.

cried

Look at cry.

The baby cried for its mother.

cries

Look at cry.

She always cries at sad films.

crocodile noun crocodiles

A crocodile is a large reptile with a long body, a long mouth and sharp teeth. Crocodiles’ mouths are in the shape of a letter V.

crop noun crops

Crops are plants that people grow for food, for example potatoes and wheat.

cross verb crosses, crossing, crossed

If you cross something, you go from one side of it to the other.

Cross the road where it is safe.

cross noun crosses

A cross is a mark that you write. It looks like .

She put a cross beside my name.

cross adjective crosser, crossest

If you are cross, you feel angry about something.

Mum was cross because we were late.

crowd noun crowds

A crowd is a lot of people together in one place.

A big crowd came to see the game.

crown noun crowns

A crown is a circle made of gold or silver and jewels that kings and queens wear on their heads.

cry verb cries, crying, cried

When you cry, tears come from your eyes. People cry when they are sad or hurt.

The baby started to cry.