Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

dairy dairies

NOUN 1 a shop or company that supplies milk and milk products

2 In New Zealand, a dairy is a small shop selling groceries.

ADJECTIVE 3 Dairy products are foods made from milk, such as butter, cheese, cream and yogurt.

daisy daisies

NOUN a small, wild flower with a yellow centre and small, white petals

[from Old English deagesege meaning day’s eye, because the daisy opens in the daytime and closes at night]

Dalmatian Dalmatians

NOUN a large, smooth-haired white dog with black or brown spots

dam dams

NOUN a barrier built across a river to hold back water

damage damages, damaging, damaged

VERB If you damage something, you harm or spoil it.

damp damper, dampest

ADJECTIVE slightly wet

dampness NOUN

damson damsons

NOUN 1 a small, blue-black plum

2 the tree that damsons grow on

dance dances, dancing, danced

VERB 1 When you dance, you move around in time to music.

NOUN 2 a series of rhythmic movements that you do in time to music

3 a social event where people dance with each other

dandelion dandelions

NOUN a wild plant with yellow flowers that form a ball of fluffy seeds

[from Old French dent de lion meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the shape of the leaves]

dandruff

NOUN small, loose scales of dead skin in someone’s hair

danger dangers

NOUN the possibility that someone may be harmed or killed

SYNONYMS: peril, risk

dangerous

ADJECTIVE If something is dangerous, it is likely to cause hurt or harm. • It is dangerous to walk close to the edge of the cliff.

SYNONYMS: unsafe, hazardous

dangerously ADVERB

dangle dangles, dangling, dangled

VERB When something dangles, or when you dangle it, it swings or hangs loosely. • We sat by the pool and dangled our legs in the water.

dappled

ADJECTIVE marked with patches of a different or darker shade • The lawn was dappled with the shadows of the leafy trees.

dare dares, daring, dared

VERB 1 If you dare to do something, you have the courage to do it.

2 If you dare someone to do something, you challenge them to do it. • I dare you to ask him his name.

[from Old English durran meaning to venture or to be bold]

daredevil daredevils

NOUN a person who enjoys doing dangerous things

daring

ADJECTIVE 1 bold and willing to take risks

NOUN 2 the courage required to do things that are dangerous

daringly ADVERB

dark darker, darkest

ADJECTIVE 1 If it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly.

2 Dark colours have a lot of black, grey or brown tones in them.

dark NOUN

darken darkens, darkening, darkened

VERB If something darkens, it becomes darker than it was before. • The sky darkened as the storm approached.

darkness

NOUN being dark

darling darlings

NOUN You call someone darling if you love them or like them very much.

darn darns, darning, darned

VERB 1 When you darn a hole in a garment, you mend it with crossing stitches.

NOUN 2 A darn is the part of a garment that has been darned.

dart darts, darting, darted

NOUN 1 a small, pointed arrow

2 Darts is a game in which the players throw darts at a round board divided into numbered sections.

VERB 3 If you dart somewhere, you move there quickly and suddenly.

dash dashes, dashing, dashed

VERB 1 If you dash somewhere, you rush there.

NOUN 2 the punctuation mark (–) which may be used instead of brackets

dashboard dashboards

NOUN the instrument panel in a car

data

NOUN information, usually in the form of facts or statistics

Data is really a plural word, but is usually used as a singular word: Customer data is stored here.

database databases

NOUN a collection of information stored in a computer

date dates

NOUN 1 a particular day or year that can be named • What is your date of birth?

2 If you have a date, you have an appointment to meet someone.

3 a small, brown, sticky fruit with a stone inside. Dates grow on palm trees.

daughter daughters

NOUN Someone’s daughter is their female child.

dawdle dawdles, dawdling, dawdled

VERB If you dawdle, you are slow about doing something or going somewhere. • Don’t dawdle, we have to be there in ten minutes.

dawn dawns

NOUN the time in the morning when light first appears in the sky

day days

NOUN 1 the time taken between one midnight and the next. There are 24 hours in one day.

2 the period of light between sunrise and sunset

daydream daydreams, daydreaming, daydreamed

NOUN 1 pleasant thoughts about things that you would like to happen

VERB 2 When you daydream, you drift off into a daydream.

daylight

NOUN the part of the day when it is light

daytime

NOUN the part of the day when it is light

daze

PHRASE If you are in a daze, you are confused and bewildered.

dazzle dazzles, dazzling, dazzled

VERB If a bright light dazzles you, it blinds you for a moment.

dazzling ADJECTIVE

de-

PREFIX added to some words to mean removal or reversal of something • She debugged the computer program. • We had to defrost the windscreen before leaving.

dead

ADJECTIVE 1 no longer living

2 no longer functioning • The phone went dead.

ADVERB 3 precisely or exactly • We arrived dead on eight o’clock.

deadly deadlier, deadliest

ADJECTIVE 1 likely or able to cause death • a deadly disease

ADVERB OR ADJECTIVE 2 used to emphasize how serious or unpleasant something is • deadly dangerous • deadly serious

deaf deafer, deafest

ADJECTIVE Deaf people are unable to hear anything or unable to hear well.

deafening

ADJECTIVE A deafening sound is so loud that you cannot hear anything else.

deal deals, dealing, dealt

NOUN 1 an agreement or arrangement, especially in business

VERB 2 If you deal with something, you do what is necessary to sort it out.

3 When you deal cards, you give them out to the players.

PHRASE 4 A good deal or a great deal of something is a lot of it.

dear dearer, dearest

NOUN 1 You call someone dear as a sign of affection.

ADJECTIVE 2 Something that is dear is very expensive.

3 You use dear at the beginning of a letter, with the name of the person you are writing to. • Dear Sunita.

death deaths

NOUN the end of the life of a human being or other animal or plant

debate debates, debating, debated

NOUN 1 argument or discussion

2 a formal discussion in which opposing views are expressed

VERB 3 When people debate something, they discuss it in a formal way.

debit card debit cards

NOUN a plastic card that allows someone to buy goods using the money in their bank account

debris

NOUN fragments or rubble left after something has been destroyed • After the eruption, volcanic debris was found scattered for miles.

debt debts

NOUN a sum of money that someone owes

debut debuts

NOUN a performer’s first public appearance

decade decades

NOUN a period of ten years

decaffeinated

ADJECTIVE Decaffeinated coffee or tea has had most of the caffeine removed.

decathlon decathlons

NOUN an athletic competition in which competitors take part in ten different events

decay decays, decaying, decayed