Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

continue continues, continuing, continued

VERB 1 If you continue to do something, you keep doing it.

2 If something continues, it does not stop.

3 You say something continues when it starts again after stopping. • She paused for a moment, then continued.

continuous

ADJECTIVE happening all the time without stopping • The television made a continuous buzzing noise.

contour contours

NOUN 1 The contour of something is its general shape or outline.

2 On a map, a contour is a line joining points of equal height.

contract contracts, contracting, contracted

Said “con-trakt” NOUN 1 a legal agreement about the sale of something or work done for money • He was given a two-year contract.

Said “con-trakt” VERB 2 When something contracts, it gets smaller or shorter. • Metals contract with cold and expand with heat.

ANTONYM: expand

contraction contractions

NOUN a shortened form of a word or words, often marked by an apostrophe • “I’ve” is a contraction of “I have”.

contradict contradicts, contradicting, contradicted

VERB If you contradict someone, you say that what they have just said is wrong.

contradiction NOUN

contrary

ADJECTIVE 1 Contrary ideas, opinions or attitudes are completely different from each other.

PHRASE 2 On the contrary is used to contradict something that has just been said.

contrast contrasts, contrasting, contrasted

Said “con-trast” NOUN 1 a great difference between things • the contrast between town and country

Said “con-trast” VERB 2 If you contrast things, you describe or emphasize the differences between them.

contribute contributes, contributing, contributed

VERB 1 If you contribute to something, you do something to make it successful. • Everyone contributed to the class project.

2 If you contribute money to something, you help to pay for it. • We contributed some money to the appeal for the homeless.

SYNONYMS: donate, give

contribution NOUN

control controls, controlling, controlled

NOUN 1 If you have control over something, you are able to make it work the way you want it to.

2 The controls on a machine are the knobs or other devices used to work it.

VERB 3 If someone controls a country or an organization, they make the decisions about how it is run.

4 If someone controls something such as a machine, they make it work the way they want it to.

PHRASE 5 If something is out of control, nobody has any power over it. • The fire was out of control.

controversial

ADJECTIVE Something that is controversial causes a lot of discussion and argument, because many people disapprove of it. • The film was controversial.

convalescent convalescents

NOUN someone who is resting while recovering from an illness

convenient

ADJECTIVE If something is convenient, it is easy to use or it makes something easy to do. • It’s convenient living close to the bus stop.

convenience NOUN

convent convents

NOUN 1 a building where nuns live

2 a school run by nuns

conventional

ADJECTIVE Someone who is conventional thinks or behaves in an ordinary and accepted way.

converge converges, converging, converged

VERB When things meet or join at a particular place, they converge. • The roads converge after three kilometres.

convergence NOUN

conversation conversations

NOUN When people have a conversation, they talk to each other.

convert converts, converting, converted

VERB 1 If you convert something, it changes from one thing to another. • Dad converted the loft into a workshop.

2 If someone converts you, they persuade you to change your religious or political beliefs.

3 In mathematics, convert means to change a number from one form to another. These are equal to each other. For example, you can convert a fraction to a decimal (½ = 0.5).

convex

ADJECTIVE A convex surface bulges outwards, rather than being level or curving inwards.

See concave

ANTONYM: concave

convey conveys, conveying, conveyed

VERB 1 If someone conveys people or things to a place, they take them there.

2 If you convey information, ideas or feelings, you tell people about them.

conveyor belt conveyor belts

NOUN a moving strip used in factories for moving objects along

convict convicts, convicting, convicted

Said “kon-vikt” VERB 1 If a law court convicts someone of a crime, it says they are guilty of it.

Said “kon-vikt” NOUN 2 someone serving a prison sentence

convince convinces, convincing, convinced

VERB If you convince someone of something, you persuade them to do it or that it is true. • I convinced mum and dad to let me go on the school trip.

convoy convoys

NOUN a group of ships or vehicles travelling together

cook cooks, cooking, cooked

VERB 1 When you cook, you prepare food for eating by boiling, baking or frying it.

NOUN 2 a person whose job is to prepare food

cooker cookers

NOUN an apparatus for cooking food

cookery

NOUN the art of preparing and cooking food

cookie cookies

NOUN 1 a sweet biscuit • a chocolate cookie

2 a small file placed on a user’s computer by a website • This website uses cookies.

cool cooler, coolest; cools, cooling, cooled

ADJECTIVE 1 Something cool has a low temperature but is not cold.

2 If you are cool in a difficult situation, you stay calm.

VERB 3 When something cools, it becomes less warm.

cooperate cooperates, cooperating, cooperated

VERB 1 When people cooperate, they work or act together.

2 If you cooperate, you do what someone asks you to do.

cooperative cooperatives

ADJECTIVE 1 A cooperative person does what they are asked to do willingly and cheerfully.

NOUN 2 a business or organization run by the people who work for it, and who share its profits

coordinates

PLURAL NOUN a pair of numbers or letters that tell you exactly where a point is on a grid, map or graph

cop cops

NOUN INFORMAL a policeman

cope copes, coping, coped

VERB If you cope, you are able to do something even if the circumstances are difficult. • I managed to cope with my homework and with looking after my little brother at the same time.

copper

NOUN a soft, reddish-brown metal

copy copies, copying, copied

NOUN 1 something made to look like something else • a copy of a famous painting

2 A copy of a book, newspaper or record is one of many identical ones produced at the same time. • a copy of today’s newspaper

VERB 3 If you copy what someone does, you do the same thing.

4 If you copy something, you make a copy of it.

copyright copyrights

NOUN If someone has the copyright on a piece of writing or music, it cannot be copied or performed without their permission.

coral corals

NOUN a hard substance that forms in the sea from the skeletons of tiny animals called corals

cord cords

NOUN 1 strong, thick string

2 electrical wire covered in rubber or plastic

corduroy

NOUN heavy, ribbed cloth made of cotton

core cores

NOUN the most central part of an object or place • an apple core • the earth’s core

cork corks

NOUN 1 a soft, light substance that forms the bark of a Mediterranean tree