Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

acrobat acrobats

NOUN an entertainer who performs difficult gymnastic acts

[from Greek akrobates meaning someone who walks on tiptoe]

acrobatic ADJECTIVE

acrobatics PLURAL NOUN

acronym acronyms

NOUN a word made up of the initial letters of a phrase • NATO is an acronym, and stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

across

PREPOSITION OR ADVERB 1 If you go across a place, you go from one side of it to the other. • We walked across Hyde Park.

2 Something that is situated across a road or river is on the other side of it.

act acts, acting, acted

VERB 1 If you act, you do something. • We have to act quickly in an emergency.

2 If you act in a particular way, you behave in that way. • You’re acting like a baby.

3 If you act in a play or film, you play a role in it.

NOUN 4 a single thing someone does • The rescue was a brave act.

5 An Act of Parliament is a law passed by the government.

6 Stage plays are divided into parts called acts.

action actions

NOUN 1 something you do for a particular purpose

2 a physical movement, such as jumping

active

ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is active moves around a lot or does a lot of things.

2 In grammar the active, or the active voice, is the form of the verb in which the subject of the sentence is the person or thing doing the action, rather than having it done to them. For example, the sentence The dog bit Ben is in the active voice. In the passive voice the subject is acted upon: Ben was bitten by the dog.

ANTONYM: passive

activity activities

NOUN 1 a situation in which a lot of things are happening at the same time • There was a great deal of activity in the hall as we got ready for the school play.

2 something you do for pleasure, such as gymnastics or music

actor actors

NOUN a man or woman whose job is performing in plays or films

actress actresses

NOUN a woman whose profession is acting

actual

ADJECTIVE real, rather than imaginary or guessed at • You guessed I was eleven – my actual age is twelve.

actually ADVERB

acute

ADJECTIVE 1 severe or intense • She had an acute pain in her arm.

2 In mathematics, an acute angle measures less than 90 degrees.

3 Someone who is acute is intelligent.

AD

ADJECTIVE You use AD in dates to show the number of years after the birth of Jesus Christ.

[an abbreviation of the Latin Anno Domini meaning the year of Our Lord]

adapt adapts, adapting, adapted

VERB 1 If you adapt to something, you get used to it.

2 If you adapt something, you change it so that it can be used in a new way.

adaptable

ADJECTIVE If you are adaptable, you change easily in a new situation or to suit new circumstances.

add adds, adding, added

VERB 1 If you add something to a number of things, you put it with those things. • Each girl added more wood to the pile.

2 If you add numbers together, or add them up, you work out the total. • Two and three added together are five (2 + 3 = 5).

adder adders

NOUN a small, poisonous snake

addiction addictions

NOUN If you have an addiction to something, you cannot stop doing it or wanting it.

addition additions

NOUN 1 the process of adding two or more numbers together

2 something that is added to something else • The addition of sugar would improve the taste of these plums.

additional

ADJECTIVE extra or more

additive additives

NOUN something that is added to something else, such as food

address addresses, addressing, addressed

NOUN 1 Your address is the number of the house where you live, together with the name of the street and the town or village.

VERB 2 If someone addresses a letter to you, they write your name and address on it.

3 If you address a group of people, you speak to them formally.

There are two ds and two ss in address.

adenoids

PLURAL NOUN small lumps of flesh at the back of the throat

adequate

ADJECTIVE just enough for what is needed

SYNONYMS: enough, satisfactory, sufficient

adhesive adhesives

NOUN 1 a substance used to stick things together, such as glue

ADJECTIVE 2 If something is adhesive, it sticks to other things.

adjective adjectives

NOUN a word that adds to the description of a noun. For example, large and old are both adjectives.

adjust adjusts, adjusting, adjusted

VERB 1 If you adjust something, you change its position or alter it in some other way. • She adjusted her pillow to make herself more comfortable.

2 If you adjust to a new situation, you get used to it.

adjustment NOUN

administration administrations

NOUN the work of managing and supervising an organization

admiral admirals

NOUN a senior officer in the navy

admire admires, admiring, admired

VERB If you admire someone or something, you respect and approve of them.

admirer NOUN

admission admissions

NOUN 1 If you are allowed admission to a place, you may go into it.

2 If you make an admission, you confess to something or agree that it is true.

admit admits, admitting, admitted

VERB 1 If you admit something, you agree that it is true.

2 If you admit to something, you agree that you did something you shouldn’t have done.

3 To admit someone or something to a place is to allow them to enter it.

admittance

NOUN the right to enter somewhere • There will be no admittance to the party after eight o’clock.

adolescent adolescents

NOUN a young person who is no longer a child, but is not yet an adult

[from Latin adolescere meaning to grow up]

adolescence NOUN

adopt adopts, adopting, adopted

VERB If someone adopts a child, they take them into their family as their son or daughter by a legal process.

[from Latin adoptare meaning to choose for oneself]

adorable

ADJECTIVE loveable and attractive

adore adores, adoring, adored

VERB If you adore someone, you feel deep love and admiration for them.

adoration NOUN

adult adults

NOUN a mature and fully developed person or animal

advance advances, advancing, advanced

VERB 1 To advance is to move forward.

NOUN 2 An advance is progress in something. • There have been many scientific advances in the past century.

PHRASE 3 If you do something in advance of something, you do it beforehand. • We booked our holiday well in advance.

advanced

ADJECTIVE If something is advanced, it is at a high level, or ahead in development or progress. • The children in the top group do advanced maths exercises.

advantage advantages

NOUN 1 a benefit, or something that puts you in a better position • The advantage of e-mail is that it is quicker than the post.

PHRASE 2 If you take advantage of someone, you treat them unfairly for your own benefit.

3 If you take advantage of something, you make use of it.

adventure adventures

NOUN something that is exciting, and perhaps even dangerous

adverb adverbs

NOUN a word that tells you how, when, where or why something happens or something is done. For example, she walked slowly, he came yesterday, they live here.

[from Latin adverbium meaning added word]

advert

NOUN an abbreviation for advertisement

advertise advertises, advertising, advertised

VERB If you advertise something, you tell people about it in a newspaper, on a poster or on TV.

advertisement advertisements