Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

choral

Said “kor-al” ADJECTIVE for a choir

chord chords

NOUN a group of three or more musical notes played together

chore chores

NOUN an uninteresting job that has to be done

chorus choruses

NOUN 1 a part of a song that is repeated after each verse

2 a large group of singers

chose

VERB the past tense of choose

chosen

VERB 1 the past participle of choose

2 When you are chosen, you are picked to do something. • I was chosen for the volleyball team.

christen christens, christening, christened

VERB When a priest christens someone, they name them in a ceremony where water is poured over their head as a sign that they are a member of the Christian church.

christening NOUN

Christian Christians

NOUN a person who believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings

Christianity NOUN

Christmas Christmases

NOUN a Christian festival held on December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ

chrome

Said “krome” NOUN metal plated with chromium, a hard, silver-grey metal

chromosome chromosomes

Said “krome-uh-soam” NOUN the part of a cell in living things that contains the genes that determine what characteristics the animal or plant will have

chronic

ADJECTIVE lasting a very long time or never stopping • He suffers from chronic hay fever.

chronological

ADJECTIVE arranged in the order in which things happened • Tell me the whole story in chronological order.

chronologically ADVERB

chrysalis chrysalises

NOUN a butterfly or moth when it is developing from being a caterpillar to being a fully grown adult

chrysanthemum chrysanthemums

NOUN a plant with large, brightly-coloured flowers

chuckle chuckles, chuckling, chuckled

VERB When you chuckle, you laugh quietly.

chunk chunks

NOUN a thick piece of something

SYNONYMS: hunk, lump, piece

church churches

NOUN a building where Christians go for religious services and worship

churchyard churchyards

NOUN an area of land around a church, often used as a graveyard

churn churns, churning, churned

NOUN 1 a container used for making milk or cream into butter

VERB 2 When you churn something, you stir it vigorously, for example when making milk into butter.

churn out

VERB If you churn out something, you produce it quickly in large numbers. • They churned out hundreds of leaflets advertising the dance.

chutney

NOUN a strong-tasting, thick sauce made from fruit, vinegar and spices

cider

NOUN an alcoholic drink made from apples

cigar cigars

NOUN a roll of dried tobacco leaves, which people smoke

cigarette cigarettes

NOUN a thin tube of paper containing tobacco, which people smoke

cinder cinders

NOUN Cinders are small pieces of burnt material left after something such as wood or coal has burned.

cinema cinemas

NOUN a place where people go to watch films

circle circles, circling, circled

NOUN 1 a regular, two-dimensional round shape. Every point on the edge is the same distance from the centre.

VERB 2 to move around in a circle • Seagulls circled overhead.

circular ADJECTIVE

circuit circuits

NOUN 1 the path of an electric current

2 a racecourse

3 A training circuit is a course of physical activities.

circulation circulations

NOUN 1 the movement of blood around a body

2 the number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold each time it is issued

circumference circumferences

NOUN 1 the outer line or edge of a circle

2 The length of this line is also called the circumference.

circumstance circumstances

NOUN The circumstances of a situation or event are the conditions that affect what happens. • He did well under difficult circumstances.

circus circuses

NOUN a travelling show performed in a large tent, with performers such as clowns and acrobats

cistern cisterns

NOUN a tank in which water is stored, such as in the roof of a house, or above a toilet

citizen citizens

NOUN The citizens of a country or city are the people who live in it or belong to it.

citrus fruit citrus fruits

NOUN Citrus fruits are juicy, sharp-tasting fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit.

city cities

NOUN a large town where many people live and work

civil

ADJECTIVE 1 relating to the citizens of a place

2 Someone who is civil is polite.

civilian civilians

NOUN a person who is not in the armed forces

civilization civilizations; also spelt civilisation

NOUN 1 a large group of people with a high level of organization and culture • We’re learning about the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Egypt.

2 a highly developed and organized way of life

civilized; also spelt civilised

ADJECTIVE 1 A civilized society is one with a highly developed social organization and a comfortable way of life.

2 A civilized person is polite and reasonable.

civil war civil wars

NOUN a war between groups of people who live in the same country

claim claims, claiming, claimed

VERB 1 If you claim that something is the case, you say that it is so.

2 If you claim something, you ask for it because you believe you have a right to it.

clamber clambers, clambering, clambered

VERB If you clamber somewhere, you climb there with difficulty. • We clambered over the rocks to get to the beach.

clammy clammier, clammiest

ADJECTIVE unpleasantly damp and sticky • The weather was very clammy.

clamp clamps, clamping, clamped

NOUN 1 a device that holds something firmly in place

VERB 2 When you clamp one thing to another, you fasten them together with a clamp.

clan clans

NOUN a group of families related to each other by being descended from the same ancestor

clang clangs, clanging, clanged

VERB When something made of metal clangs, or when you clang it, it makes a loud, ringing sound.

clank clanks, clanking, clanked

VERB When something clanks, it makes a loud, metallic sound.

clap claps, clapping, clapped

VERB 1 When you clap, you hit your hands together loudly to show that you have enjoyed something or that you approve of something.

NOUN 2 a sudden loud noise of thunder

clarify clarifies, clarifying, clarified

VERB If you clarify something, you make it clear and easier to understand.

clarification NOUN

clarinet clarinets

NOUN a woodwind instrument with a straight tube and a single reed in its mouthpiece

clarity

NOUN The clarity of something is its clearness. • The clarity of the water made me think it was very clean.

clash clashes, clashing, clashed

VERB 1 Colours or ideas that clash are so different that they do not go together. • Debbie’s red shirt clashed with her green shorts.

2 If one event clashes with another, they happen at the same time, so you cannot go to both.

3 If people clash with each other, they fight or argue.

clasp clasps, clasping, clasped

VERB 1 If you clasp something, you hold it tightly.

NOUN 2 a fastening such as a hook or a catch

class classes

NOUN 1 a group of pupils or students taught together, or a lesson that they have together

2 A class of people or things is a group of them of a particular type. • Beetles and ants belong to different classes of insect.

SYNONYMS: group, kind, type

classic

ADJECTIVE Something described as classic is considered a high quality example of something. • He has a classic car.