Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

cease ceases, ceasing, ceased

VERB 1 If something ceases, it stops.

2 If you cease doing something, you stop doing it.

ceiling ceilings

NOUN the roof inside a room

celebrate celebrates, celebrating, celebrated

VERB If you celebrate something, you do something special and enjoyable because of it. • We felt like celebrating the end of exams.

celebration NOUN

celebrity celebrities

NOUN a famous person

celery

NOUN a vegetable with long, pale green stalks

cell cells

NOUN 1 In biology, a cell is the smallest part of an animal or plant that can exist by itself. Humans, animals and plants are made up of millions of cells.

2 a small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is locked up

cellar cellars

NOUN a room underneath a building

cello cellos

Said “chel-oh” NOUN a large, stringed musical instrument that you play sitting down

cellist NOUN

Celsius

NOUN a scale for measuring temperature in which water freezes at 0 degrees (0 °C) and boils at 100 degrees (100 °C)

[named after Anders Celsius (1701–1744) who invented it]

cement

NOUN a grey powder that is mixed with sand and water to make concrete

cemetery cemeteries

NOUN an area of land where dead people are buried

census censuses

NOUN an official survey of the population of a country

cent cents

NOUN In some countries a cent is a unit of currency.

centenary centenaries

NOUN the hundredth anniversary of something

centigrade

NOUN another word for Celsius

centimetre centimetres

NOUN a unit of length (cm). One centimetre is equal to ten millimetres (mm).

centipede centipedes

NOUN a long, thin creature with many pairs of legs

[from Latin centum + pedes meaning a hundred feet]

central

ADJECTIVE 1 Something central is in the middle.

2 An idea that is central is the main idea.

central heating

NOUN a heating system in which water or air is heated and passed round a building through pipes and radiators

centre centres

NOUN 1 the middle of an object or area

2 a building where people go for activities, meetings, or help • We played badminton at the sports centre.

century centuries

NOUN a period of one hundred years

ceramic ceramics

Said “ser-ram-ic” NOUN 1 a hard material made by baking clay at very high temperatures

PLURAL NOUN 2 Ceramics is the art of making objects out of clay.

cereal cereals

NOUN 1 a food made from grain, often eaten with milk for breakfast

2 a plant that produces edible grain, such as wheat, oats, barley and rye

ceremony ceremonies

NOUN a formal event such as a wedding or prizegiving

certain

ADJECTIVE 1 If you are certain about something, you are sure it is true. • She is certain she wants to be a vet.

2 You use certain to refer to a particular person, place or thing. • I like certain animals, for example cats and dogs.

certainly

ADVERB without any doubt • “Will you be at the party?” “I certainly will.”

certificate certificates

NOUN an official piece of paper that proves that something took place • a birth certificate

chaffinch chaffinches

NOUN a small European bird with black and white wings

chain chains

NOUN 1 a number of metal rings linked together in a line

2 a number of things in a series or connected to each other • a chain of shops • a chain of events

chair chairs

NOUN a seat for one person to sit on, with a back and four legs

chalet chalets

NOUN a small wooden house with a sloping roof, especially found in mountain areas or holiday camps

chalk

NOUN a soft, white rock. Small sticks of chalk are used for writing or drawing on a blackboard.

chalky ADJECTIVE

challenge challenges, challenging, challenged

NOUN 1 something new and exciting that needs a lot of effort • Learning how to cook is a new challenge for me.

VERB 2 If someone challenges you, they suggest that you compete with them. • She challenged me to a game of table tennis.

challenging

ADJECTIVE If you find something challenging, you find it quite difficult.

chameleon chameleons

NOUN a lizard that is able to change the colour of its skin to match the colour of its surroundings

[from Greek khamai + leon meaning ground lion]

champagne champagnes

NOUN a sparkling white wine made in France

champion champions

NOUN a person who wins a competition

championship championships

NOUN a competition to find the best player or players of a particular sport

chance chances

NOUN 1 how possible or likely something is • I think we’ve got a good chance of winning.

2 an opportunity to do something • This is your chance to be a TV star!

3 a possibility that something dangerous or unpleasant may happen

PHRASE 4 Something that happens by chance happens unexpectedly, without being planned.

chancellor chancellors

NOUN the head of government in some European countries

Chancellor of the Exchequer

NOUN the government minister in charge of finance and taxes in Britain

change changes, changing, changed

NOUN 1 money you get back when you pay for something with more money than it costs

VERB 2 When something changes, or you change it, it becomes different. • The wind changed direction.

channel channels

NOUN 1 a wavelength on which television programmes are broadcast. It can also be the television station itself.

2 a passage for water or other liquid

3 The Channel, or the English Channel, is the stretch of sea between England and France.

chaos

NOUN a state of complete disorder • The demonstration ended in chaos.

chaotic ADJECTIVE

chapel chapels

NOUN 1 a section of a church or cathedral with its own altar

2 a type of small church

chapter chapters

NOUN one of the parts into which a book is divided

character characters

NOUN 1 all the qualities that make a person or a place special • She has a gentle character.

2 The characters in a film, play or book are the people in it.

characteristic characteristics

NOUN 1 a special quality about a person, place or thing

ADJECTIVE 2 typical of a place or person • Noise and traffic fumes are characteristic of cities.

charades

NOUN a party game where one team guesses what the other team is acting out

charcoal

NOUN burnt wood used as a fuel. Charcoal is also used for drawing.

charge charges, charging, charged

VERB 1 If someone charges you money, they ask you to pay for something you have bought or received.

2 rush forward • She charged into the room.

PHRASE 3 If you are in charge of someone or something, you are responsible for them. • I left him in charge of the shop while I went out.

chariot chariots

NOUN a two-wheeled open vehicle pulled by horses in ancient times

charity charities

NOUN 1 an organization that raises money to help people in need

2 money or other help given to people in need

charm charms, charming, charmed

NOUN 1 something you wear for good luck

2 the quality of being attractive and pleasant

VERB 3 If you charm someone, you use your charm to please them.

chart charts

NOUN a diagram or table showing information

chase chases, chasing, chased

VERB If you chase someone, you run after them or follow them in order to catch them or make them leave a place.