Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

See conjunction

conquer conquers, conquering, conquered

VERB 1 If you conquer something difficult or dangerous, you succeed in controlling it. • She conquered her fear of spiders.

2 to take control of a country by force

conqueror NOUN

conscience

NOUN the part of your mind that tells you what is right or wrong

conscientious

ADJECTIVE Someone who is conscientious takes great care over their work.

conscientiously ADVERB

conscious

ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is conscious is awake, rather than asleep or unconscious.

2 If you are conscious of something, you are aware of it.

3 A conscious action or effort is done deliberately.

consecutive

ADJECTIVE 1 Consecutive events or periods of time happen one after the other. • We had eight consecutive days of rain.

2 Consecutive numbers follow each other in order. For example, 1, 2, 3, 4 are consecutive numbers.

consecutively ADVERB

consent consents, consenting, consented

NOUN 1 permission to do something

2 agreement between two or more people • By common consent we went to France for the holiday.

VERB 3 If you consent to something, you agree to do it or allow it to happen.

consequence consequences

NOUN result or effect

conservation

NOUN the preservation of the environment

conservationist NOUN OR ADJECTIVE

conservative conservatives

NOUN 1 a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Britain

ADJECTIVE 2 Someone who is conservative does not like change or new ideas.

3 A conservative estimate or guess is a cautious or moderate one.

conservatory conservatories

NOUN a room with glass walls and a glass roof in which plants are kept

conserve conserves, conserving, conserved

VERB 1 If you conserve a supply of something, you make it last as long as possible. • I switched off my torch to conserve the battery.

2 If you conserve something, you keep it as it is and do not change it. • We should conserve this old building.

consider considers, considering, considered

VERB If you consider something, you think about it carefully.

considerable

ADJECTIVE A considerable amount of something is a lot of it.

considerate

ADJECTIVE Someone who is considerate thinks of other people’s needs and feelings.

consideration considerations

NOUN 1 careful thought about something

2 something that should be thought about when you are planning or deciding something

3 Someone who shows consideration pays attention to the needs and feelings of other people.

consist consists, consisting, consisted

VERB Something that consists of certain things is made up of them. • This bread consists of flour, yeast and water.

consistent

ADJECTIVE Something that is consistent does not change.

console consoles, consoling, consoled

Said “kon-sole” VERB 1 If you console someone who is unhappy, you comfort them and cheer them up.

Said “kon-sole” NOUN 2 a panel with switches or knobs for operating a machine

consonant consonants

NOUN all the letters of the alphabet that are not vowels

conspicuous

ADJECTIVE If something is conspicuous, you can see or notice it very easily.

conspiracy conspiracies

NOUN an illegal plan made in secret by a group of people

constable constables

NOUN a police officer of the lowest rank

constant

ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is constant happens all the time or is always there. • We could hear the constant sound of the waves pounding the shore.

2 If an amount or level is constant, it stays the same.

constellation constellations

NOUN a group of stars

constipated

ADJECTIVE Someone who is constipated finds it difficult to empty their bowels.

[from Latin constipare meaning to press together]

constipation NOUN

constitution constitutions

NOUN 1 The constitution of a country is the system of laws and principles by which it is governed.

2 Your constitution is your health.

construct constructs, constructing, constructed

VERB If you construct something, you build or make it.

construction constructions

NOUN 1 the process of building or making something

2 something built or made

constructive

ADJECTIVE helpful • The tennis coach made some constructive comments about my backhand.

consult consults, consulting, consulted

VERB 1 If you consult someone, you ask for their opinion or advice.

2 If you consult a book or map, you look at it for information.

consultation NOUN

consultant consultants

NOUN an experienced doctor who specializes in one type of medicine • a consultant heart surgeon

consume consumes, consuming, consumed

VERB 1 If you consume something, you eat or drink it.

2 To consume fuel or energy is to use it up.

consumer consumers

NOUN someone who buys things or uses services • magazines aimed at teenage consumers

consumption

NOUN The consumption of fuel or food is the using of it, or the amount used. • The consumption of ice cream rises in hot weather.

contact contacts, contacting, contacted

NOUN 1 If you are in contact with someone, you talk or write to them regularly. • I am in contact with a pen pal in France.

2 When things are in contact, they are touching each other.

VERB 3 If you contact someone, you telephone them or write to them.

contact lens contact lenses

NOUN small plastic lenses that you put in your eyes instead of wearing glasses, to help you see better

contagious

ADJECTIVE A contagious disease can be caught by touching people or things infected with it. • Measles is contagious.

contain contains, containing, contained

VERB 1 If a substance contains something, that thing is a part of it.

2 The things a box or room contains are the things inside it.

container containers

NOUN something that you keep things in, such as a box or a jar

contaminate contaminates, contaminating, contaminated

VERB If dirt, chemicals or radiation contaminate something, they make it impure and harmful.

contamination NOUN

contemplate contemplates, contemplating, contemplated

VERB 1 If you contemplate, you think very carefully about something. • She contemplated what she would do at the weekend.

2 If you contemplate something, you look at it for a long time.

contemporary

ADJECTIVE 1 produced or happening now

2 A contemporary work is one that was written at the time of the events it describes.

contempt

NOUN If you treat someone with contempt, you show no respect for them at all.

content

Said “kon-tent” ADJECTIVE 1 If you are content, you are happy and satisfied with your life.

2 If you are content to do something, you are willing to do it.

contents

Said “kon-tents” PLURAL NOUN 1 The contents of something like a box or a cake are the things in it.

2 The contents page of a book tells you what is in it.

contest contests

NOUN a competition or game

contestant contestants

NOUN someone who takes part in a competition

SYNONYMS: competitor, player

context contexts

NOUN The context of a word or sentence is the words or sentences that come before and after it, which help to make the meaning clear.

continent continents

NOUN 1 a very large area of land, such as Africa or Asia

2 In Britain, the mainland of Europe is sometimes called the Continent. [from Latin terra continens meaning continuous land]

continental

ADJECTIVE In Britain, continental means on, belonging to or typical of the mainland of Europe. • continental breakfast

continual

ADJECTIVE happening again and again • Mum had a continual stream of phone calls.