EASIER ENGLISHBASIC DICTIONARYSECOND EDITIONT pot

twist 343 tyre
sion. 2. to spin round ć Models twirled
round on the catwalk.
twist
twist /twst/
verb
1. to wind something
round something
ć She twisted the
string round a piece of stick.
2. to turn in
different directions
ć The path twisted
between the fields.
two
two /tu/
noun
the number 2 ć There are
only two peppermints left in the box.
ć
His son’s only two (years old), so he
can’t read yet.
ć She didn’t come home
until after two (o’clock).
tying
tying /taŋ/ present participle of tie
type
type /tap/
noun
a group of people, ani-
mals or things that are similar to each

other
ć This type of bank account pays
10% interest.
ć What type of accommo-
dation are you looking for?
í
verb
to
write with a computer or typewriter ć
Please type your letters – your writing’s
so bad I can’t read it.
ć She only typed
two lines and made six mistakes.
typewriter
typewriter /tapratə/
noun
a machine
which prints letters or numbers on a
piece of paper when keys are pressed
typical
typical /tpk(ə)l/
adjective
having the
usual qualities of a particular group or
occasion
ć Describe a typical day at
school. ć He’s definitely not a typical
bank manager.
tyre
tyre /taə/

noun
a ring made of rubber
which is put round a wheel
ć Check the
pressure in the car tyres before starting
a journey.
ć They used an old tyre to
make a seat for the garden swing.
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U
u
u /ju/, U
noun
the twenty-first letter of
the alphabet, between T and V
ugly
ugly /li/
adjective
unpleasant to look
at
ć What an ugly pattern! ć The part of
the town round the railway station is
even uglier than the rest.
(NOTE: uglier
– ugliest)
UK
UK
abbr

United Kingdom ć Exports from
the UK or UK exports rose last year.
umbrella
umbrella /m

brelə/
noun
a round
frame covered with cloth which you
hold over your head to keep off the rain
ć Can I borrow your umbrella? ć As it
was starting to rain, he opened his um-
brella.
ć The wind blew my umbrella in-
side out.
unable
unable /n

eb(ə)l/
adjective
not able to
do something
ć I regret that I am unable
to accept your suggestion.
ć She was
unable to come to the meeting.
(NOTE:
be unable to is a rather formal way of
saying can’t.)
unattractive

unattractive /nə

trktv/
adjective
not attractive ć Her husband is a rather
unattractive man.
ć The house is unat-
tractive from the outside.
unbearable
unbearable /n

beərəb(ə)l/
adjective
so bad that you cannot accept it or deal
with it
unbelievable
unbelievable /nb

livəb(ə)l/
adjec-
tive
which is difficult to believe
unbreakable
unbreakable /n

brekəb(ə)l/
adjec-
tive
which cannot be broken
uncertain

uncertain /n

st(ə)n/
adjective
not
sure, or not decided
ć She is uncertain
whether to accept the job.
ć He’s uncer-
tain about what to do next.
ć Their
plans are still uncertain.
uncle
uncle /ŋk(ə)l/
noun
a brother of your
father or mother
ć He was brought up
by his uncle in Scotland.
ć We had a
surprise visitor last night – old Uncle
Charles.
uncomfortable
uncomfortable /n

kmftəb(ə)l/
ad-
jective
not comfortable ć What a very
uncomfortable bed!

ć Plastic seats are
very uncomfortable in hot weather.
uncommon
uncommon /n

kɒmən/
adjective
strange or unusual
uncommunicative
uncommunicative /nkə

mjunkətv/
adjective
not saying
much, or not answering people
uncomplicated
uncomplicated /n

kɒmplketd/
adjective
easy to deal with or under-
stand
ć In children’s books, the writing
should be clear and uncomplicated.
ć
The procedure is relatively quick and
uncomplicated.
unconscious
unconscious /n


kɒnʃəs/
adjective
in
a physical condition in which you are
not aware of what is happening
ć He
was found unconscious in the street.
ć
She was unconscious for two days after
the accident.
uncontrolled
uncontrolled /nkən

trəυld/
adjec-
tive
which has not been controlled
under
under /ndə/
preposition
1. in or to a
place where something else is on top or
above
ć We all hid under the table. ć
My pen rolled under the sofa. 2. less
than a number
ć It took under two
weeks to sell the house.
ć The train goes
to Paris in under three hours.

ć Under
half of the members turned up for the
meeting.
ć The old table sold for under
£10.
underground
underground
1
/ndə

raυnd/
adverb
under the ground ć The ordinary rail-
way line goes underground for a short
distance.
ć Worms live all their life un-
derground.
í
adjective
built under the
ground
ć There’s an underground pas-
sage to the tower.
ć The hotel has an un-
derground car park.
underground
underground
2
/ndəraυnd/
noun

a
railway in a town, which runs under the
ground
ć Thousands of people use the
underground to go to work.
ć Take the
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underline 345 unfriendly
underground to go to Oxford Circus. ć
It’s usually quicker to get across town
by underground.
(NOTE: The London
Underground is often called the Tube.
In the United States, an underground
railway is called a subway.)
underline
underline
verb
to write a line under a
word or figure
ć He wrote the title and
then underlined it in red.
underneath
underneath /ndə

niθ/
preposition
under ć She wore a long green jumper

underneath her coat.
ć Can you see if
my pen is underneath the sofa?
í
ad-
verb
under ć He put the box of books
down on the kitchen table and my sand-
wiches were underneath!
understand
understand /ndə

stnd/
verb
1. to
know what something means
ć Don’t
try to talk English to Mr Yoshida – he
doesn’t understand it.
2. to have sympa-
thy for someone
ć She’s a good teacher
– she really understands children.
3. to
know why something happens or how
something works
ć I can easily under-
stand why his wife left him.
ć I still
don’t understand how to operate the

new laser printer.
(NOTE: understands
– understanding – understood
/
ndə

stυd/)
understanding
understanding /ndə

stndŋ/
noun
1. the ability to understand something ć
My understanding of how the Internet
works is severely limited.
2. sympathy
for someone else and their problems
ć
The boss showed no understanding
when she told him about her financial
difficulties.
ć The aim is to promote un-
derstanding between the two countries.
3. a private agreement ć We reached an
understanding with the lawyers.
ć The
understanding was that we would all go
to the office after lunch.
í
adjective

sympathetic ć His understanding atti-
tude was much appreciated.
underwater
underwater /ndə

wɔtə/
adjective
below the surface of the water ć How
long can you stay underwater?
ć He
dived and swam underwater for several
seconds.
ć She goes on holiday to the
Red Sea to do underwater photography.
underwear
underwear /ndəweə/
noun
clothes
worn next to your skin under other
clothes
(NOTE: no plural)
undo
undo /n

du/
verb
to open something
which is tied or fastened
ć The first
thing he did on getting home was to

undo his tie.
ć Undo your top button if
your collar is too tight.
(NOTE: undoes
/
n

dz/ – undid /n

dd/ – undone
/
n

dn/)
undress
undress /n

dres/
verb
to take your
clothes off
undressed
undressed /n

drest/
adjective
having
just taken off your clothes
ć The chil-
dren are getting undressed ready for

bed.
ć Are you undressed yet?
uneasy
uneasy /n

izi/
adjective
nervous and
worried
(NOTE: uneasier – uneasiest)
unemployed
unemployed /nm

plɔd/
adjective
without a job ć The government is en-
couraging unemployed teenagers to ap-
ply for training grants.
unemployment
unemployment /nm

plɔmənt/
noun
a lack of work ć The unemploy-
ment figures or the figures for unem-
ployment are rising.
uneven
uneven /n

iv(ə)n/

adjective
not
smooth or flat
unexpected
unexpected /nk

spektd/
adjective
which is surprising and not what was
expected
ć We had an unexpected visit
from the police.
ć His failure was quite
unexpected.
unexpectedly
unexpectedly /nk

spektdli/
ad-
verb
in an unexpected way
unfair
unfair /n

feə/
adjective
not fair ć It’s
unfair to expect her to do all the house-
work while her sisters don’t lift a finger
to help.

unfairly
unfairly /n

feəli/
adverb
in an unfair
way
unfairness
unfairness /n

feənəs/
noun
lack of
justice or fairness
unfortunate
unfortunate /n

fɔtʃ(ə)nət/
adjective
which makes you sad ć It was very un-
fortunate that she couldn’t come to see
us.
unfortunately
unfortunately /n

fɔtʃ(ə)nətli/
ad-
verb
which you wish was not true ć Un-
fortunately the train arrived so late that

she missed the meeting.
unfriendly
unfriendly /n

frendli/
adjective
not
acting like a friend
(NOTE: unfriendlier
– unfriendliest)
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ungrateful 346 unnecessary
ungrateful
ungrateful /n

retf(ə)l/
adjective
not
grateful
unhappily
unhappily /n

hpli/
adverb
in a sad
way
unhappy
unhappy /n


hpi/
adjective
sad, not
happy
ć He’s unhappy in his job be-
cause his boss is always criticising him.
ć She looked very unhappy when she
came out of the hospital.
ć The children
had an unhappy childhood.
(NOTE: un-
happier – unhappiest)
unhealthy
unhealthy /n

helθi/
adjective
not
healthy, especially often ill
ć I thought
her face was an unhealthy colour.
(NOTE: unhealthier – unhealthiest)
uniform
uniform /junfɔm/
noun
special
clothes worn by all members of an or-
ganisation or group
ć He went to the

fancy dress party dressed in a police-
man’s uniform.
ć Who are those people
in French army uniform?
ć What colour
is her school uniform?
ć The holiday
camp staff all wear yellow uniforms.
unimportant
unimportant /nm

pɔt(ə)nt/
adjec-
tive
not important
union
union /junjən/
noun
the state of being
joined together, or the process of joining
together
ć We support the union of these
various groups under one umbrella or-
ganisation.
unique
unique /ju

nik/
adjective
different to

anything else and therefore the only on
of its type
ć The stamp is unique, and so
is worth a great deal.
ć He’s studying
the unique vegetation of the island.
unit
unit /junt/
noun
1. one part of some-
thing larger
ć If you pass three units of
the course you can move to the next lev-
el.
2. one piece of furniture which can
be matched with others
ć The kitchen is
designed as a basic set of units with
more units which can be added later.
3.
the amount used to measure something
ć Kilos and pounds are units of weight.
4. a single number less than ten ć 63 has
six tens and three units.
unite
unite /ju

nat/
verb
to join together into

a single body
united
united /ju

natd/
adjective
joined to-
gether as a whole
ć Relief workers from
various countries worked as a united
team.
ć They were united in their desire
to improve their working conditions.
universal
universal /jun

vs(ə)l/
adjective
which is understood or experienced by
everyone in the world
ć There is a uni-
versal hope for peace in the region.
universe
universe /junvs/
noun
all space and
everything that exists in it, including the
earth, the planets and the stars
university
university /jun


vsti/
noun
an edu-
cational institution where students study
for degrees and where students and
teachers do research
ć You need to do
well at school to be able to go to univer-
sity.
ć My sister is at university. (NOTE:
The plural is universities.)
unkind
unkind /n

kand/
adjective
acting in an
unpleasant way to someone
ć It was un-
kind of him to keep talking about her
weight.
(NOTE: unkinder – unkindest)
unkindness
unkindness /n

kandnəs/
noun
the
action of treating someone unpleasantly

unless
unless /ən

les/
conjunction
except if ć
Unless we hear from you within ten
days, we will start legal action.
ć I think
they don’t want to see us, unless of
course they’re ill.
unlike
unlike /n

lak/
adjective
,
preposition
1.
totally different from ć He’s quite un-
like his brother.
2. not normal or typical
unlikely
unlikely /n

lakli/
adjective
1. not like-
ly
ć It’s unlikely that many people will

come to the show.
2. which is probably
not true
ć He trotted out some unlikely
excuse about how his train ticket had
been eaten by the dog.
unlimited
unlimited /n

lmtd/
adjective
with
no limits
unload
unload /n

ləυd/
verb
to remove a load
from a vehicle
unlock
unlock /n

lɒk/
verb
to open something
which was locked
unluckily
unluckily /n


lkli/
adverb
with bad
luck
unlucky
unlucky /n

lki/
adjective
not lucky, or
bringing bad luck
(NOTE: unluckier –
unluckiest)
unnecessary
unnecessary /n

nesəs(ə)ri/
adjective
which is not needed, or which does not
have to be done
ć It is unnecessary for
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unoccupied 347 upset
you to wear a suit to the party. ć She
makes a lot of unnecessary phone calls.
unoccupied
unoccupied /n


ɒkjυpad/
adjective
not being used by anyone
unpack
unpack /n

pk/
verb
to take things out
of cases in which they were sent or car-
ried
unpleasant
unpleasant /n

plez(ə)nt/
adjective
not pleasant ć There’s a very unpleas-
ant smell in the kitchen.
ć Try not to be
unpleasant to the waitress.
unreasonable
unreasonable /n

riz(ə)nəb(ə)l/
ad-
jective
not reasonable or fair
unselfish
unselfish /n


selfʃ/
adjective
thinking
only of other people
unsightly
unsightly /n

satli/
adjective
very un-
pleasant to look at
ć She has an unsight-
ly scar on her face.
unsuccessful
unsuccessful /nsək

sesf(ə)l/
adjec-
tive
which does not succeed
unsuitable
unsuitable /n

sutəb(ə)l/
adjective
not suitable
unsure
unsure /n

ʃυə/

adjective
not sure ć She
was unsure whether to go to work or to
stay at home.
ć I’m unsure as to which
route is the quickest.
untidy
untidy /n

tadi/
adjective
not tidy
(NOTE: untidier – untidiest)
untie
untie /n

ta/
verb
to open something
which is tied with a knot
(NOTE: unties
– untying – untied)
until
until /n

tl/
conjunction
up to the time
when
ć She was perfectly well until she

ate the strawberries.
ć He blew his
whistle until the police came.
í
prepo-
sition
,
conjunction
up to the time when
ć I don’t expect to be back until after ten
o’clock.
ć Until yesterday, I felt very
well.
untrue
untrue /n

tru/
adjective
not true
unusual
unusual /n

juυəl/
adjective
not nor-
mal or expected
ć It is unusual to have
rain at this time of year.
ć She chose a
very unusual colour scheme for her sit-

ting room.
unwell
unwell /n

wel/
adjective
in a bad state
of health
(NOTE: not used before a
noun:
the baby was unwell
but
a sick
baby
)
unwilling
unwilling /n

wlŋ/
adjective
not want-
ing to do something
up
up /p/
adverb
1. in or to a high place ć
Put your hands up above your head. ć
What’s the cat doing up there on the
cupboard?
(NOTE: up is often used af-

ter verbs:
to keep up, to turn up
.) 2. to
a higher position
ć His temperature
went up suddenly.
ć The price of petrol
seems to go up every week.
3. not in bed
ć The children were still up when they
should have been in bed.
ć They stayed
up all night watching films on TV.
ć He
got up at six because he had an early
train to catch.
ć It’s past eight o’clock –
you should be up by now.
4. completely,
entirely
ć The puddles dried up quickly
in the sun.
5. happening in an unpleas-
ant or dangerous way
ć Something’s up
– the engine has stopped!
í
preposition
1. in or to a high place ć They ran up the
stairs.

ć She doesn’t like going up lad-
ders.
2. along ć Go up the street to the
traffic lights and then turn right.
ć The
house is about two hundred metres up
the road.
ȣ what’s up? what’s the mat-
ter?
upon
upon /

pɒn/
preposition
1. on ć The
church was built upon a grassy hill.
2.
likely to happen soon ć The summer
holidays will soon be upon us again.
upper
upper /pə/
adjective
higher or further
up
ć The upper slopes of the mountain
are covered in snow.
ć He had a rash on
his right upper arm.
upright
upright /prat/

adjective
straight up ć
He got dizzy as soon as he stood up-
right.
ć Put the backs of your seats into
the upright position for landing.
ć She
picked up the vase and placed it upright
on the table.
upset
upset
1
/p

set/
adjective
very worried or
unhappy
ć His parents get upset if he
comes home late.
í
verb
1. to make
someone worried or unhappy
ć Don’t
upset your mother by telling her.
2. to
knock something over
ć He upset all
the coffee cups.

(NOTE: upsets – up-
setting – upset)
upset
upset
2
/pset/
noun
1. an unexpected
defeat
ć There was a major upset in the
tennis tournament when the number
three seed was beaten in the first round.
2. a slight illness because of something
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upside down 348 usually
you have eaten or drunk ć a stomach
upset
upside down
upside down /psad daυn/
adverb
with the top underneath ć Don’t turn
the box upside down – all the papers
will fall out.
ć The car shot off the road
and ended up upside down in a ditch.
ć
Bats were hanging upside down from
the branches.

upstairs
upstairs /p

steəz/
adverb
on or to the
upper part of something, e.g. a building
or bus
ć She ran upstairs with the letter.
ć I left my glasses upstairs. ć Let’s go
upstairs onto the top deck – you can see
London much better.
í
adjective
on the
upper floors of a building
ć We have an
upstairs kitchen.
ć We let the one of the
upstairs offices to an accountant.
up to date
up to date /p tə det/, up-to-date
adverb
with the latest information ć I
keep myself up to date on the political
situation by reading the newspaper eve-
ry day.
upwards
upwards /pwədz/
adverb

towards the
top
ć The path went upwards for a mile
then levelled off.
urban
urban /bən/
adjective
1. relating to
towns
ć They enjoy an urban lifestyle.
2. living in towns ć The urban fox has
become a menace in parts of London.
urge
urge /d/
noun
a strong wish to do
something
ć She felt an urge to punch
him on the nose.
í
verb
to advise some-
one strongly to do something
ć He
urged her to do what her father said.
ć
I would urge you to vote for the propos-
al.
ć Our lawyer urged us to be careful
and avoid breaking the law.

urgent
urgent /dənt/
adjective
which is im-
portant and needs to be done quickly
ć
He had an urgent message to go to the
police station.
ć She had an urgent op-
eration.
ć The leader of the council
called an urgent meeting.
ć This parcel
is urgent and needs to get there tomor-
row.
us
us /əs, s/
object pronoun
meaning me
and other people
ć Mother gave us each
50p to buy ice cream.
ć Who’s there? –
It’s us!
ć The company did well last
year – the management have given us a
bonus.
use
use
1

/juz/
verb
1. to take something
such as a tool and do something with it
ć Did you use a sewing machine to
make your curtains?
ć The car’s worth
quite a lot of money – it’s hardly been
used.
ć Do you know how to use a com-
puter?
ć Can I use this knife for cutting
meat?
2. to take a substance and do
something with it
ć Don’t use the tap
water for drinking.
ć Does this car use
much petrol?
ć Turn down the heating –
we’re using too much gas.
use
use
2
/jus/
noun
1. a purpose ć Can you
find any use for this piece of cloth?
2.
the fact of being used ć The coffee ma-

chine has been in daily use for years.
3.
˽ to make use of something to use
something
ć You should make more use
of your bicycle.
used
used /juzd/
adjective
which is not new
ć a shop selling used clothes
used to
used to /juzt tu/ showing that some-
thing happened often or regularly in the
past
ć There used to be lots of small
shops in the village until the supermar-
ket was built.
ć When we were children,
we used to go to France every year for
our holidays.
ć The police think he used
to live in London.
ć He used not to
smoke a pipe.
(NOTE: The forms used in
the negative and questions:
He used
to work in London
,

He didn’t use to
work in London
or
He used not to work
in London
,
Didn’t he use to work in
London?
)
useful
useful /jusf(ə)l/
adjective
who or
which can help you do something
ć I
find these scissors very useful for open-
ing letters.
ć She’s a very useful person
to have in the office.
useless
useless /jusləs/
adjective
which is not
useful
user
user /juzə/
noun
a person who uses a
tool or a service
ć We have mailed the

users of our equipment about the possi-
ble design fault.
usual
usual /juuəl/
adjective
done or used
on most occasions
ć She took her usual
bus to the office.
ć Is it usual for him to
arrive so late?
usually
usually /juuəli/
adverb
in most cases
or on most occasions
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utensil 349 utilise
utensil
utensil /ju

tens(ə)l/
noun
a tool or ob-
ject used when cooking
ć knives, bowls
and other kitchen utensils
utilise

utilise /jutlaz/, utilize
verb
to use
something
(
formal
) ć He’s keen to uti-
lise his programming skills.
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V
v
v /vi/, V
noun
the twenty-second letter of
the alphabet, between U and W
V
V /vi/
noun
the Roman numeral for five
or fifth
ć King George V
vacant
vacant /vekənt/
adjective
empty and
available for you to use
ć There are six
rooms vacant in the new wing of the ho-

tel.
ć Is the toilet vacant yet?
vacation
vacation /və

keʃ(ə)n/
noun
1.
espe-
cially US
a holiday ć The family went
on vacation in Canada.
2. a period
when the universities and law courts are
closed
ć I’m spending my vacation
working on a vineyard in Italy.
vague
vague /ve/
adjective
with no details
vain
vain /ven/
adjective
very proud of your
appearance or achievements
ć He’s al-
ways combing his hair – he’s very vain.
(NOTE: Do not confuse with vein.)
valid

valid /vld/
adjective
1. which can be
lawfully used for a particular time
ć
Travellers must have a valid ticket be-
fore boarding the train.
ć I have a sea-
son ticket which is valid for one year.
ć
He was carrying a valid passport. 2.
which is acceptable because it is true ć
That is not a valid argument or excuse.
ć She made several valid points in her
speech.
valley
valley /vli/
noun
a long piece of low
land through which a river runs
ć Fog
forms in the valleys at night.
ć A lot of
computer companies are based in the
Thames Valley.
valuable
valuable /vljυəb(ə)l/
adjective
1.
worth a lot of money ć Be careful, that

glass is valuable!
ć The burglars stole
everything that was valuable.
2. useful
or helpful
ć She gave me some very val-
uable advice.
value
value /vlju/
noun
an amount of mon-
ey which something is worth
ć the fall
in the value of the yen
ć He imported
goods to the value of £500.
ć Items of
value can be deposited in the hotel safe
overnight.
í
verb
to consider something
as being valuable
ć She values her
friendship with him.
van
van /vn/
noun
a covered goods vehicle
ć A delivery van ran into the back of my

car.
ć Our van will call this afternoon to
pick up the goods.
vanish
vanish /vnʃ/
verb
to disappear sud-
denly
ć The magician made the rabbit
vanish.
variation
variation /veəri

eʃ(ə)n/
noun
a change
from one state or level to another
ć The
variation in colour or the colour varia-
tion is because the cloth has been dyed
by hand.
ć The diagram shows the var-
iations in price over a period of six
months.
variety
variety /və

raəti/
noun
1. differences ć

Her new job, unlike the old one, doesn’t
lack variety.
2. a different type of plant
or animal in the same species
ć Do you
have this new variety of rose?
ć Is this a
new variety of potato?
various
various /veəriəs/
adjective
several dif-
ferent
ć The shop sells goods from var-
ious countries.
ć I’ll be out of the office
today – I have to see various suppliers.
vary
vary /veəri/
verb
1. to be different in dif-
ferent situations, or change within cer-
tain limits
ć The temperature varies
from 8 degrees C at night to 18 degrees
C during the day.
2. to be different ć
Prices of flats vary from a few thousand
pounds to millions.
(NOTE: varies –

varying – varied)
vase
vase /vɑz/
noun
a container used for cut
flowers, or simply for decoration
vast
vast /vɑst/
adjective
extremely big, of-
ten extremely wide
ć vast differences in
price
ć A vast ship suddenly appeared
out of the fog.
vegetable
vegetable /vedtəb(ə)l/
noun
a plant
which is grown to be eaten but which is
not usually sweet
ć We grow potatoes,
carrots and other sorts of vegetables in
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vegetarian 351 vigilant
the garden. ć The soup of the day is veg-
etable soup.
ć Green vegetables are a

good source of dietary fibre.
vegetarian
vegetarian /ved

teəriən/
noun
a
person who eats only fruit, vegetables,
bread, eggs, etc., but does not eat meat,
and sometimes not fish
ć a range of
vegetarian dishes
ć Our children are all
vegetarians.
vehicle
vehicle /vik(ə)l/
noun
a machine
which carries passengers or goods, e.g.
a car or bus
ć a three-wheeled vehicle ć
Goods vehicles can park at the back of
the building.
vein
vein /ven/
noun
a small tube in the body
which takes blood back to the heart
ć
The veins in her legs are swollen. (NOTE:

Do not confuse with vain.)
verb
verb /vb/
noun
a word which shows an
action, being or feeling, such as ‘to hit’
or ‘to thank’
verbal
verbal /vb(ə)l/
adjective
spoken and
not written down
ć She gave me a ver-
bal account of what had happened.
ć It
was a verbal agreement between the two
of us.
verdict
verdict /vdkt/
noun
a decision made
in a court
verse
verse /vs/
noun
1. a group of lines
which form a part of a song or poem
ć
We sang all the verses of the National
Anthem.

ć She read the first verse to the
class.
2. poetry ć He published a small
book of verse.
(NOTE: no plural in this
sense)
version
version /vʃ(ə)n/
noun
1. a description
of what happened as seen by one person
ć The victim told her version of events
to the jury.
2. a type of something, e.g. a
work of art or model of car
ć This is the
film version of the novel.
ć He bought
the cheapest version available.
vertical
vertical /vtk(ə)l/
adjective
standing
or rising straight up
ć He drew a few
vertical lines to represent trees.
ć We
looked at the vertical cliff and wondered
how to climb it.
very

very /veri/
adverb
used to make an ad-
jective or adverb stronger
ć It’s very hot
in the car – why don’t you open a win-
dow?
ć Can you see that very tall pine
tree over there?
ć The time seemed to
go very quickly when we were on holi-
day.
í
adjective
used to make a noun
stronger
ć He did his very best to get
tickets.
ć The scene takes place at the
very beginning of the book.
vessel
vessel /ves(ə)l/
noun
a ship ć Ve ssels
from all countries crowded into the har-
bour.
via
via /vaə/
preposition
through ć We

drove to London via Windsor.
ć We are
sending the payment via our office in
London.
ć The shipment is going via the
Suez Canal.
vibration
vibration /va

breʃ(ə)n/
noun
a fast
and continuous shaking movement
vicious
vicious /vʃəs/
adjective
cruel and vio-
lent
ć a vicious attack on an elderly
lady
victim
victim /vktm/
noun
a person who is at-
tacked or who is in an accident
ć The
victims of the train crash were taken to
the local hospital.
ć She was the victim
of a violent attack outside her front

door.
ć Earthquake victims were housed
in tents.
victory
victory /vkt(ə)ri/
noun
the fact of win-
ning something, e.g. a battle, a fight or a
game
ć the American victory in the Ol-
ympics
ć They won a clear victory in the
general election.
ć The guerrillas won a
victory over the government troops.
(NOTE: The plural is victories.)
video
video /vdiəυ/
noun
1. a machine which
records TV programmes
ć Don’t forget
to set the video for 8 p.m. before you go
out.
2. a magnetic tape on which you
can record TV programmes or films for
playing back on a television set
ć She
bought a box of blank videos.
(NOTE:

The plural is videos.)
view
view /vju/
noun
1. what you can see
from a certain place
ć You can get a
good view of the sea from the church
tower.
ć We asked for a room with a sea
view and were given one looking out
over the bus depot.
2. a way of thinking
about something
ć In his view, the gov-
ernment ought to act now.
vigilant
vigilant /vdlənt/
adjective
staying
very aware of possible danger
ć The
disease particularly affects young chil-
dren, so parents must remain vigilant.
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village 352 vocabulary
village
village /vld/

noun
a small group of
houses in the country, like a little town,
often with a church, and usually some
shops
ć They live in a little village in the
Swiss Alps.
ć The village shop sells just
about everything we need.
vine
vine /van/
noun
a climbing plant which
produces grapes
vinegar
vinegar /vnə/
noun
a liquid with a
sour taste, usually made from wine,
used in cooking and for pickling
violence
violence /vaələns/
noun
action which
is intended to hurt someone
ć Acts of vi-
olence must be punished.
violent
violent /vaələnt/
adjective

1. very
strong
ć The discussion led to a violent
argument.
ć A violent storm blew all
night.
2. using force to hurt people ć
Her husband was a very violent man.
violently
violently /vaələntli/
adverb
1. with
physical force, often with the intention
of hurting
ć This horse threw him vio-
lently onto the ground.
ć She hurled the
bottle violently across the table.
2. with
great feeling
ć She violently rejected the
accusations made against her.
ć He re-
acted violently to the injection.
ć The
oysters made her violently sick.
violin
violin /vaə

ln/

noun
a musical instru-
ment with strings that hold under your
chin and play with a bow
virtual
virtual /vtʃuəl/
adjective
almost ć
The company has a virtual monopoly of
French wine imports.
ć His grandfather
has become a virtual recluse.
virtually
virtually /vtʃuəli/
adverb
almost ć
These shirts have been reduced so much
that we’re virtually giving them away.
ć
It’s virtually impossible to get tickets for
the concert.
virtual reality
virtual reality /vtʃυəl ri

lti/
noun
the simulation of a real-life scene or real
events on a computer
virus
virus /varəs/

noun
1. a very small liv-
ing thing that causes disease by living in
the bodies of people or animals
ć Scien-
tists have isolated a new flu virus.
ć
Shingles is caused by the same virus as
chickenpox.
2. a part of a computer pro-
gram which is designed to destroy files
on someone else’s computer
ć You m ust
check the program for viruses.
(NOTE:
The plural is viruses.)
visible
visible /vzb(ə)l/
adjective
which can
be seen
visibly
visibly /vzbli/
adverb
in a way which
everyone can see
vision
vision /v(ə)n/
noun
1. your ability to

see
ć After the age of 50, the vision of
many people begins to fail.
2. a thing
which you imagine
ć He had visions of
himself stuck in London with no pass-
port and no money.
ć She had visions of
him being arrested for drug smuggling.
visit
visit /vzt/
noun
a short stay with some-
one or in a town or a country
ć They had
a visit from the police.
ć We will be
making a short visit to London next
week.
ć The manager is on a business
visit to China.
í
verb
to stay a short
time with someone or in a town or coun-
try
ć I am on my way to visit my sister
in hospital.
ć They are away visiting

friends in the north of the country.
ć The
group of tourists are going to visit the
glass factory.
ć He spent a week in Scot-
land, visiting museums in Edinburgh
and Glasgow.
visitor
visitor /vztə/
noun
a person who
comes to visit
ć How many visitors
come to the museum each year?
ć We
had a surprise visitor yesterday – the
bank manager!
vital
vital /vat(ə)l/
adjective
extremely im-
portant
ć It is vital that we act quickly.
ć Oxygen is vital to human life.
vitamin
vitamin /vtəmn/
noun
an essential
substance which is found in food and is
needed for growth and health

vivid
vivid /vvd/
adjective
1. very bright ć
vivid yellow sunflowers ć the vivid col-
ours of the Mediterranean beach
2. rep-
resenting real events clearly
ć She has a
vivid imagination.
ć I had a really vivid
dream last night.
ć She gave a vivid ac-
count of her experiences at the hands of
the kidnappers.
vocabulary
vocabulary /vəυ

kbjυləri/
noun
1. all
the words used by a person or group of
persons
ć specialist legal vocabulary ć
She reads French newspapers to im-
prove her French vocabulary.
2. a print-
ed list of words
ć There is a German-
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voice 353 voyage
English vocabulary at the back of the
book.
(NOTE: The plural is vocabular-
ies.)
voice
voice /vɔs/
noun
a sound made when
you speak or sing
ć I didn’t recognise
his voice over the telephone.
ć The
chairman spoke for a few minutes in a
low voice.
volcano
volcano /vɒl

kenəυ/
noun
a mountain
which lava, ash and gas may flow out of
from time to time
(NOTE: The plural is
volcanoes.)
volume
volume /vɒljum/
noun

1. the amount
of sound
ć She turned down the volume
on the radio.
ć He drives with the car
radio on at full volume.
2. the amount
which is contained inside something
ć
What is the volume of this barrel? 3. one
book, especially one in a series
ć Have
you read the third volume of his history
of medieval Europe?
voluntary
voluntary /vɒlənt(ə)ri/
adjective
1.
done because you want to do it, and
done without being paid
ć Many retired
people do voluntary work.
2. done will-
ingly, without being forced
ć He made
a voluntary contribution to the fund.
volunteer
volunteer /vɒlən

tə/

noun
a person
who offers to do something without be-
ing paid or being forced to do it
ć The
school relies on volunteers to help with
the sports day.
ć The information desk
is manned by volunteers.
í
verb
to offer
to do something without being paid or
being forced to do it
ć He volunteered
to collect the entrance tickets.
ć Will an-
yone volunteer for the job of washing
up?
vote
vote /vəυt/
noun
the act of marking a pa-
per, holding up your hand, etc., to show
your opinion or to show who you want
to be elected
ć How many votes did you
get?
ć There were only ten votes against
the plan.

í
verb
to mark a paper, to hold
up your hand, etc., to show your opinion
or to show who you want to be elected
ć
Fifty per cent of the people voted in the
election.
ć We all voted to go on strike.
voter
voter /vəυtə/
noun
a person who votes
or who has the right to vote
vowel
vowel /vaυəl/
noun
one of the five let-
ters, a, e, i, o and u, which represent
sounds made without using the teeth,
tongue or lips
(NOTE: The letters repre-
senting sounds which are not vowels
are consonants. Note also that in
some languages ‘y’ is a vowel.)
voyage
voyage /vɔd/
noun
a long journey,
especially by ship or spacecraft

ć the
voyages of Sir Francis Drake
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W
w
w /db(ə)lju/, W
noun
the twenty-third
letter of the alphabet, between V and X
wade
wade /wed/
verb
to walk through water
ć They waded into the sea.
wag
wag /w/
verb
to move something from
side to side or up and down
ć The dog
ran up to him, wagging its tail.
ć The
grandmother wagged her finger at the
little boy who was picking the flowers.
(NOTE: wags – wagging – wagged)
wage
wage /wed/, wages /wedz/
noun

money paid, usually in cash each week,
to a worker for work done
ć The compa-
ny pays quite good wages.
ć She is
earning a good wage or good wages in
the pizza restaurant.
wagon
wagon /wən/
noun
a railway truck
used for carrying heavy loads
waist
waist /west/
noun
1. the narrow part of
the body between the bottom of the
chest and the hips
ć She measures 32
inches round the waist or has a 32-inch
waist.
2. the part of a piece of clothing,
e.g. a skirt, trousers or dress, that goes
round the middle of your body
ć The
waist of these trousers is too small for
me.
(NOTE: Do not confuse with
waste.)
wait

wait /wet/
verb
to stay where you are,
and not do anything until something
happens or someone comes
ć Wait here
while I call an ambulance.
ć They had
been waiting for half an hour in the rain
before the bus finally arrived.
ć Wait a
minute, my shoelace is undone.
ć Don’t
wait for me, I’ll be late.
waiter
waiter /wetə/
noun
a man who brings
food and drink to customers in a restau-
rant
waitress
waitress /wetrəs/
noun
a woman who
brings food and drink to customers in a
restaurant
(NOTE: The plural is wait-
resses.)
wake
wake /wek/

verb
1. to stop someone’s
sleep
ć The telephone woke her or she
was woken by the telephone.
ć I banged
on her door, but I can’t wake her.
ć He
asked to be woken at 7.00.
2. to stop
sleeping
ć He woke suddenly, feeling
drops of water falling on his head.
(NOTE: wakes – waking – woke
/
wəυk/ – woken)
wake up
phrasal verb
1. to stop some-
one’s sleep
ć He was woken up by the
sound of the dog barking.
2. to stop
sleeping
ć She woke up in the middle of
the night, thinking she had heard a
noise.
ć Come on, wake up! It’s past ten
o’clock.
ć He woke up to find water

coming through the roof of the tent.
Wales
Wales /welz/
noun
a country to the west
of England, forming part of the United
Kingdom
ć There are some high moun-
tains in North Wales.
ı Welsh (NOTE:
capital: Cardiff; people: the Welsh;
languages: Welsh, English)
walk
walk /wɔk/
verb
1. to go somewhere on
foot
ć The baby is ten months old, and
is just starting to walk.
ć She was walk-
ing along the high street on her way to
the bank.
ć We walked slowly across the
bridge.
ć The visitors walked round the
factory.
˽ to walk someone home to go
with someone who is walking home
ć It
was getting late, so I walked her home.

2. to take an animal for a walk ć He’s
gone to walk the dog in the fields.
ć She
walks her dog every morning.
í
noun
1.
a usually pleasant journey on foot ć
Let’s all go for a walk in the park. 2. a
distance which you cover on foot
ć It’s
only a short walk to the beach.
ć It’s
only five minutes’ walk from the office to
the bank or the bank is only a five min-
utes’ walk from the office.
wall
wall /wɔl/
noun
a structure made from
things such as bricks or stones, built up
to make one of the sides of a building, of
a room or to surround a space
ć The
walls of the restaurant are decorated
with pictures of film stars.
ć There’s a
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wallet 355 wash
clock on the wall behind my desk. ć He
got into the house by climbing over the
garden wall.
wallet
wallet /wɒlt/
noun
a small flat leather
case for carrying things such as credit
cards and banknotes in your pocket
wallpaper
wallpaper /wɔlpepə/
noun
paper
with different patterns on it, covering
the walls of a room
ć The wallpaper
was light green to match the carpet.
wander
wander /wɒndə/
verb
to walk around
without any particular aim
ć They wan-
dered round the town in the rain.
want
want /wɒnt/
verb
1. to hope that you will
do something, that something will hap-

pen, or that you will get something
ć
She wants a new car for her birthday. ć
Where do you want to go for your holi-
days?
ć He wants to be a teacher. 2. to
ask someone to do something
ć The
manager wants me to go and see him.
ć
I want those windows painted. 3. to
need something
ć With five children,
what they want is a bigger house.
ć You
want to take some rest.
war
war /wɔ/
noun
a period of fighting be-
tween countries
ć Millions of soldiers
and civilians were killed during the war.
ć In 1914 Britain was at war with Ger-
many or Britain and Germany were at
war.
ward
ward /wɔd/
noun
a room or set of rooms

in a hospital, with beds for patients
ć
The children’s ward is at the end of the
corridor.
ć She was taken into the acci-
dent and emergency ward.
wardrobe
wardrobe /wɔdrəυb/
noun
a tall cup-
board in which you hang your clothes
ć
He moved the wardrobe from the land-
ing into the bedroom.
warehouse
warehouse /weəhaυs/
noun
a large
building where goods are stored
ć Our
goods are dispatched from the central
warehouse to shops all over the country.
warm
warm /wɔm/
adjective
1. fairly hot ć
The temperature is below freezing out-
side but it’s nice and warm in the office.
ć The children tried to keep warm by
playing football.

ć Are you warm
enough, or do you want another blan-
ket?
ć This coat is not very warm. ć The
winter sun can be quite warm in Febru-
ary.
2. pleasant and friendly ć We had a
warm welcome from our friends.
ć She
has a really warm personality.
í
verb
to
make something hotter
ć Come and
warm your hands by the fire.
ć I’ll
warm some soup.
warmth
warmth /wɔmθ/
noun
the fact of being
warm or feeling warm
ć It was cold and
rainy outside, and he looked forward to
the warmth of his home.
warn
warn /wɔn/
verb
1. to inform someone

of a possible danger
ć Children are
warned not to play on the frozen lake.
ć
The group was warned to look out for
pickpockets.
ć The guide warned us that
there might be snakes in the grass.
2. to
inform someone that something is likely
to happen
ć The railway has warned
that there will be a strike tomorrow.
ć
The weather forecast warned of storms
in the English Channel.
(NOTE: You
warn someone of something, or warn
someone that something may hap-
pen.)
warning
warning /wɔnŋ/
noun
news about a
possible danger
ć He shouted a warn-
ing to the children.
ć The government
issued a warning about travelling in
some countries in the area.

ć Each
packet of cigarettes has a government
health warning printed on it.
í
adjec-
tive
which informs about a danger ć
Red warning flags are raised if the sea
is dangerous.
ć Warning notices were
put up round the building site.
wary
wary /weəri/
adjective
aware of a possi-
ble problem with someone or something
ć I am very wary of any of his ideas for
making money.
(NOTE: warier – wari-
est)
was
was /wəz, wɒz/ past tense of be
wash
wash /wɒʃ/
verb
to clean something us-
ing water
ć Cooks should always wash
their hands before touching food!
ć I

must wash the car before we go to the
wedding.
ć The moment I had washed
the windows it started to rain.
ć His
football shirt needs washing.
í
noun
the action of cleaning, using water ć
The car needs a wash. ć He’s in the
bathroom, having a quick wash.
wash up
phrasal verb
to clean objects
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washbasin 356 wave
such as dirty cups, plates, knives and
forks with water
ć It took us hours to
wash up after the party.
ć My brother’s
washing up, while I’m sitting watching
the TV.
washbasin
washbasin /wɒʃbes(ə)n/
noun
a con-
tainer for holding water for washing the

hands and face, which has taps and is
usually attached to the wall of a bath-
room
washing
washing /wɒʃŋ/
noun
clothes which
have been washed, or which are ready to
be washed
ć Put the washing in the
washing machine.
ć She hung out the
washing to dry.
washing machine
washing machine /wɒʃŋ mə

ʃin/
noun
a machine for washing clothes
(NOTE: A machine for washing plates
and cutlery is a dishwasher.)
wasp
wasp /wɒsp/
noun
an insect which has
black and yellow bands of colour round
its body and which can sting
waste
waste /west/
noun

1. an unnecessary
use of time or money
ć It is a waste of
time asking the boss for a rise.
ć That
computer is a waste of money – there
are plenty of cheaper models.
2. things
which are no use and are thrown away
ć
Put all your waste in the rubbish bin. í
verb
to use more of something than you
need
ć Don’t waste time putting your
shoes on – jump out of the window now.
ć We turned off all the heating so as not
to waste energy.
(NOTE: wastes – wast-
ing – wasted)
í
adjective
useless and
ready to be thrown away
ć Waste prod-
ucts should not be dumped in the sea.
ć
Recycle all your waste paper.
watch
watch /wɒtʃ/

verb
1. to look at and no-
tice something
ć Did you watch the TV
news last night?
ć We went to the sports
ground to watch the football match.
ć
Everyone was watching the children
dancing.
2. to look at something care-
fully to make sure that nothing happens
ć Watch the saucepan – I don’t want the
potatoes to burn.
ć Can you watch the
baby while I’m at the hairdresser’s?
í
noun
1. an object like a little clock
which you wear on your wrist
ć She
looked at her watch impatiently.
ć What
time is it? – my watch has stopped.
(NOTE: The plural in this sense is
watches) 2.
the activity of watching
something carefully
ć Visitors should
be on the watch for pickpockets.

ć Keep
a watch on the potatoes to make sure
they don’t burn.
(NOTE: no plural)
watch out
phrasal verb
to be careful ć
Watch out! there’s a car coming!
water
water /wɔtə/
noun
the liquid which
falls as rain and forms rivers, lakes and
seas. It makes up a large part of the bod-
ies of living creatures, and is used for
drinking and in cooking; also in indus-
trial processes.
ć Can we have three
glasses of water please?
ć Cook the
vegetables in boiling water.
ć Is the tap
water safe to drink?
ć The water tem-
perature is 60°.
(NOTE: no plural:
some
water
;
a drop of water

) í
verb
to pour
water on the soil round a plant to make
it grow
ć Because it is hot we need to
water the garden every day.
ć She was
watering her pots of flowers.
waterfall
waterfall /wɔtəfɔl/
noun
a place
where a stream falls down a steep drop
waterlogged
waterlogged /wɔtəlɒd/
adjective
waterlogged ground is full of water, so
the surface stays wet for a long time
ć
After so much rain, the waterlogged golf
course had to be closed.
ć Most plants
cannot grow in waterlogged soil.
waterproof
waterproof /wɔtəpruf/
adjective
which does not let water go through ć
waterproof clothing ć These boots
aren’t waterproof – my socks are soak-

ing wet.
wave
wave /wev/
noun
1. a raised mass of wa-
ter on the surface of the sea, a lake or a
river
ć Waves were breaking on the
rocks.
ć Watch out for big waves on the
beach.
ć The sea was calm, with hardly
any waves.
2. an up and down move-
ment of your hand
3. a regular curve on
the surface of hair
ć His hair has a nat-
ural wave.
4. a sudden increase in some-
thing
ć A wave of anger surged through
the crowd.
í
verb
1. to move up and
down in the wind
ć The flags were wav-
ing outside the town hall.
2. to make an

up and down movement of the hand
when saying ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’ or for
attracting attention
ć They waved until
the car was out of sight.
ć They waved
goodbye as the boat left the harbour.
˽
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waver 357 wear
to wave to someone to signal to some-
one by moving your hand up and down
ć When I saw him I waved to him to
cross the road.
waver
waver /wevə/
verb
to be unable to de-
cide what to do
ć He is still wavering
about whether or not to leave the com-
pany.
wax
wax /wks/
noun
a solid substance made
from fat or oil, used for making things
such as candles and polish

ć She
brought a tin of wax polish and started
to polish the furniture.
way
way /we/
noun
1. the direction in which
something can be found or in which
someone or something is going
ć Do
you know the way to the post office?
ć
The bus is going the wrong way for the
station.
ć She showed us the way to the
railway station.
ć They lost their way
and had to ask for directions.
ć I’ll lead
the way – just follow me.
2. the means of
doing something
ć My mother showed
me the way to make marmalade.
ć Isn’t
there any other way of making it?
ć He
thought of a way of making money
quickly.
ć The way she said it implied it

was my fault.
3. ˽ to make your way to
go to a place with some difficulty
ć Can
you make your way to passport control?
ć He made his way to the tourist infor-
mation office.
4. the distance between
one place and another
ć The nearest
bank is quite a long way away.
ć He’s
got a long way to go before he qualifies
as a doctor.
5. a path or road which goes
somewhere
ć Our neighbours across
the way.
ć I’ll walk the first part of the
way home with you.
6. a particular di-
rection from here
ć a one-way street ć
Can you tell which way the wind is
blowing?
ć This way please, everybody!
7. a space where someone wants to be or
which someone wants to use
ć Get out
of my way – I’m in a hurry.

ć It’s best to
keep out of the way of the police for a
moment.
ć I wanted to take a short cut,
but there was a lorry in the way.
way in
way in /we n/
noun
an entrance
way out
way out /we aυt/
noun
an exit ć This
is the way out of the car park.
ć He
couldn’t find the way out in the dark.
way up
way up /we p/
noun
a way in which
something stands
we
we /wi/
pronoun
used by someone
speaking or writing to refer to himself or
herself and others
ć He said we could
go into the exhibition.
ć We were not al-

lowed into the restaurant in jeans.
ć We
had a wonderful holiday – we all en-
joyed ourselves enormously.
(NOTE:
When it is the object we becomes us:
We gave it to him
;
He gave it to us
.
When it follows the verb to be, we usu-
ally becomes us:
Who is it? – It’s us!
)
weak
weak /wik/
adjective
1. not strong ć Af-
ter his illness he is still very weak.
ć I
don’t like weak tea.
2. not effective ć a
weak leader
ć a weak argument 3. not
having knowledge or skill
ć She’s
weaker at science than at maths.
ć
French is his weakest subject. (NOTE:
weaker – weakest. Do not confuse

with week.)
wealth
wealth /welθ/
noun
a large amount of
money and property which someone
owns
ć His wealth was acquired in
business.
(NOTE: no plural)
wealthy
wealthy /welθi/
adjective
(
of a person
)
very rich (NOTE: wealthier – wealthi-
est)
weapon
weapon /wepən/
noun
an object such
as a gun or sword, which you fight with
ć nuclear weapons ć The crowd used
iron bars as weapons.
wear
wear /weə/
verb
1. to have something
such as clothes or jewellery on your

body
ć What dress are you wearing to
the party?
ć When last seen, he was
wearing a blue raincoat.
ć She’s wear-
ing her mother’s earrings.
ć She wears
her hair very short.
2. to damage some-
thing or make it thin through using it
ć
I’ve worn a hole in the heel of my sock.
(NOTE: wears – wearing – wore /wɔ/
– worn /
wɔn/)
wear out
phrasal verb
1. to use some-
thing so much that it becomes broken
and useless
ć Walking across the USA,
he wore out three pairs of boots.
2. ˽ to
wear yourself out to become very tired
through doing something
ć She wore
herself out looking after the old lady.
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weather 358 welcome
weather
weather /weðə/
noun
conditions out-
side, e.g. if it is raining, hot, cold or sun-
ny
ć What’s the weather going to be like
today?
ć If the weather gets any better,
then we can go out in the boat.
weave
weave /wiv/
verb
1. to make cloth by
twisting fibres over and under each oth-
er
ć The cloth is woven from the wool of
local sheep.
ć The new weaving ma-
chines were installed last week.
2. to
make something by a similar method,
but using things such as very thin pieces
of wood or the dried stems of plants
ć
She learnt how to weave baskets. (NOTE:
weaves – weaving – wove /
wəυv/ –

woven /
wəυvən/)
web
web /web/
noun
1. a net spun by spiders
ć The garden is full of spiders’ webs in
autumn.
2. ˽ the web the thousands of
websites and webpages within the Inter-
net, which users can visit
webpage
webpage /webped/
noun
a single file
of text and graphics, forming part of a
website
website
website /websat/
noun
a collection of
pages on the Web which have been pro-
duced by one person or organisation and
are linked together
wedding
wedding /wedŋ/
noun
a marriage cer-
emony, when two people are officially
made husband and wife

ć This Saturday
I’m going to John and Mary’s wedding.
wedge
wedge /wed/
noun
a solid piece of
something such as wood, metal or rub-
ber in the shape of a V
ć Put a wedge
under the door to hold it open.
Wednesday
Wednesday /wenzde/
noun
the day
between Tuesday and Thursday, the
third day of the week
ć She came for tea
last Wednesday.
ć Wednesdays are al-
ways busy days for us.
ć Can we meet
next Wednesday afternoon?
ć Wednes-
day the 24th would be a good date for a
meeting.
ć The 15th is a Tuesday, so the
16th must be a Wednesday.
weed
weed /wid/
noun

a wild plant that you
do not want in a garden or crop
week
week /wik/
noun
a period of seven days,
usually from Monday to Sunday
ć
There are 52 weeks in the year. ć The
firm gives us two weeks’ holiday at
Easter.
ć It’s my aunt’s 80th birthday
next week.
ć I go to the cinema at least
once a week.
(NOTE: Do not confuse
with weak.)
weekend
weekend /wik

end/
noun
Saturday and
Sunday, or the period from Friday
evening to Sunday evening
ć We’re go-
ing to the coast for the weekend.
ć Why
don’t you come to spend next weekend
with us in the country?

ć At weekends,
we try to spend time in the garden.
weekly
weekly /wikli/
adjective
,
adverb
which
happens or is published once a week
ć
We have a weekly paper which tells us
all the local news.
ć The weekly rate for
the job is £250.
ć Are you paid weekly
or monthly?
weigh
weigh /we/
verb
1. to measure how
heavy something or someone is
ć Can
you weigh this parcel for me?
ć They
weighed his suitcase at the check-in
desk.
ć I weighed myself this morning.
2. to have a particular weight ć This
piece of meat weighs 100 grams.
ć How

much do you weigh?
ć She only weighs
40 kilos.
weight
weight /wet/
noun
1. how heavy some-
thing is
ć What’s the maximum weight
of parcel the post office will accept?
2.
how heavy a person is ć His weight is
less than it was a year ago.
3. something
which is heavy
ć If you lift heavy
weights like paving stones, you may hurt
your back.
(NOTE: Do not confuse with
wait.)
weird
weird /wəd/
adjective
strange in a way
that makes you feel nervous or fright-
ened
welcome
welcome /welkəm/
verb
1. to greet

someone in a friendly way
ć The staff
welcomed the new assistant to the office.
ć When we arrived at the hotel we were
welcomed by a couple of barking guard
dogs.
2. to be pleased to hear news ć I
warmly welcome the result of the elec-
tion.
ć I would welcome any sugges-
tions as to how to stop the water seeping
into the basement.
(NOTE: welcomes –
welcoming – welcomed)
í
noun
the
action of greeting someone
ć There was
not much of a welcome from the staff
when we arrived at the hotel.
í
adjec-
tive
met or greeted with pleasure ć They
made me very welcome.
ȣ you’re wel-
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welfare 359 what
come! a reply to ‘thank you’ ć Thanks
for carrying the bags for me – you’re
welcome!
welfare
welfare /welfeə/
noun
the act or prac-
tice of providing the things which peo-
ple need and which help them to be
healthy
ć The club looks after the wel-
fare of the old people in the town.
ć The
government has taken measures to re-
form the welfare system.
well
well /wel/
adverb
1. in a way that is satis-
factory
ć He doesn’t speak Russian very
well.
ć Our business is small, but it’s
doing well.
ć Is the new computer work-
ing well?
2. very much ć He got back
from the office late – well after eight
o’clock.

ć You should go to the Tower of
London – it’s well worth a visit.
ć There
were well over sixty people at the meet-
ing.
ć She’s well over eighty. í
adjec-
tive
healthy ć She’s looking well after
her holiday!
ć The secretary’s not very
well today – she’s had to stay off work.
ć It took him some weeks to get well af-
ter his flu.
í
interjection
used for start-
ing a sentence
ć Well, I’ll show you
round the house first.
ć Well now, we’ve
done the washing up so we can sit and
watch TV.
í
noun
a very deep hole dug
in the ground with water or oil at the
bottom
ȣ as well also ć When my aunt
comes to stay she brings her two cats

and the dog as well.
ć You can’t eat fish
and chips and a meat pie as well!
ȣ as
well as
in addition to ć Some newsa-
gents sell groceries as well as newspa-
pers.
ć She ate a slice of cheesecake as
well as two scoops of ice cream.
ȣ well
done
used for praising someone for
their success
ć Well done, the England
team!
ć Well done to all of you who
passed the exam!
well-known
well-known /wel nəυn/
adjective
known by a lot of people
well-paid
well-paid /wel ped/
adjective
earning
a good salary
Welsh
Welsh /welʃ/
adjective

relating to Wales
ć We will be going climbing in the
Welsh mountains at Easter.
í
noun
1. ˽
the Welsh the people of Wales ć The
Welsh are proud of their heritage.
ć The
Welsh are magnificent singers.
2. the
language spoken in Wales
ć Welsh is
used in schools in many parts of Wales.
went
went /went/ past tense of go
were
were /wə, w/ 1st person plural past of
be. 2nd person plural past of be. 3rd
person plural past of
be
west
west /west/
noun
the direction in which
the sun sets
ć The sun sets in the west
and rises in the east.
ć We live in a vil-
lage to the west of the town.

ć Their
house has a garden that faces west or a
west-facing garden.
í
adjective
in or to
the west
ć She lives on the west coast of
the United States.
ć The west part of the
town is near the river.
í
adverb
towards
the west
ć Go west for about ten kilo-
metres, and then you’ll come to the na-
tional park.
ć The river flows west into
the ocean.
western
western /westən/
adjective
from or in
the west
ć Great Britain is part of West-
ern Europe.
ć The Western part of Can-
ada has wonderful scenery.
wet

wet /wet/
adjective
1. covered in water or
other liquid
ć She forgot her umbrella
and got wet walking back from the
shops.
ć The chair’s all wet where he
knocked over his beer.
ć The baby is wet
– can you change her nappy?
2. raining
ć The summer months are the wettest
part of the year.
ć There’s nothing I like
better than a wet Sunday in London.
3.
not yet dry ć Watch out! – the paint’s
still wet.
(NOTE: wetter – wettest)
whale
whale /wel/
noun
a very large creature
that lives in the sea
ć You can take a
boat into the mouth of the river to see
the whales.
what
what /wɒt/

adjective
asking a question ć
What kind of music do you like? ć What
type of food does he like best?
í
pro-
noun
1. the thing which ć Did you see
what was in the box?
ć What we like to
do most on holiday is just to visit old
churches.
2. asking a question ć What’s
the correct time?
ć What did he give
you for your birthday?
ć What hap-
pened to his car?
(NOTE: When what
used to ask a direct question, the verb
is put before the subject:
What’s the
time?
but not when it is used in a state-
ment:
They don’t know what the time
is
.) í
adverb
showing surprise ć What

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whatever 360 whether
a huge meal! ć What beautiful weather!
í
interjection
showing surprise ć What!
did you hear what he said?
ć I won the
lottery! – What!
whatever
whatever /wɒt

evə/
pronoun
1. it does
not matter what
(
form of ‘what’ used for
emphasis; in questions
) ć You can
have whatever you like for Christmas.
ć
She always does whatever she feels like
doing.
ć I want that car whatever the
price.
2. used instead of ‘what’ for em-
phasis in questions

ć ‘I’ve sold the car.’
‘Whatever for?’
ć Whatever made him
do that?
ć Whatever does that red light
mean?
wheat
wheat /wit/
noun
a plant of which the
grain is used to make flour
(NOTE: no
plural)
wheel
wheel /wil/
noun
1. a round object on
which a vehicle such as a bicycle, a car
or a train runs
ć The front wheel and the
back wheel of the motorbike were both
damaged in the accident.
ć We got a flat
tyre so I had to get out to change the
wheel.
2. any similar round object
which turns
ć a steering wheel ć gear
wheels
í

verb
to push something along
which has wheels
ć He wheeled his mo-
torbike into the garage.
ć She was
wheeling her bike along the pavement.
ć The waiter wheeled in a sweet trolley.
wheelbarrow
wheelbarrow /wilbrəυ/
noun
a
large container with one wheel at the
front and two handles, used by people
such as builders and gardeners for push-
ing heavy loads around
wheelchair
wheelchair /wiltʃeə/
noun
a chair on
wheels which people who cannot walk
use to move around
ć a special entrance
for wheelchair users
when
when /wen/
adverb
at what time (
asking
a question

) ć When is the last train for
Paris?
ć When did you last go to the
dentist?
ć When are we going to get
paid?
ć Since when has he been wear-
ing glasses?
ć I asked her when her
friend was leaving.
(NOTE: After when
used to ask a direct question, the verb
is put before the subject:
When does
the film start?
;
When is he coming?
but
not when it is used in a statement:
He
doesn’t know when the film starts.
;
They can’t tell me when he is coming
.)
í
conjunction
1. at the time that ć
When he was young, the family was liv-
ing in London.
ć When you go on holi-

day, leave your key with the neighbours
so they can feed the cat.
ć Do you re-
member the day when we all went for a
picnic in the park?
ć Let me know when
you’re ready to go.
2. after ć When the
speaker had finished, he sat down.
ć
Wash up the plates when you’ve finished
your breakfast.
3. even if ć The sales-
man said the car was worth £5,000
when he really knew it was worth only
half that.
whenever
whenever /wen

evə/
adverb
at any time
that
ć Come for tea whenever you like.
ć We try to see my mother whenever we
can or whenever possible.
where
where /weə/
adverb
1. (

asking a ques-
tion
) in what place, to what place ć
Where did I put my glasses? ć Do you
know where the restaurant is?
ć Where
are the knives and forks?
ć Where are
you going for your holiday?
2. in a place
in which
ć Stay where you are and don’t
move.
ć They still live in the same house
where they were living twenty years ago.
ć Here’s where the wire has been cut.
(NOTE: After where used to ask a direct
question, the verb is put before the
subject:
Where is the bottle?
but not
when it is used in a statement:
He
doesn’t know where the bottle is
.)
whereas
whereas /weər

z/
conjunction

if you
compare this with the fact that
ć He
likes tea whereas she prefers coffee.
wherever
wherever /weər

evə/
adverb
1. to or in
any place
ć You can sit wherever you
want.
ć Wherever we go on holiday, we
never make hotel reservations.
ć The
police want to ask her questions, wher-
ever she may be.
2. used instead of
‘where’ for emphasis
ć Wherever did
you get that hat?
whether
whether /weðə/
conjunction
1. used to
mean ‘if’ for showing doubt, or for
showing that you have not decided
something
ć Do you know whether

they’re coming?
ć I can’t make up my
mind whether to go on holiday now or
later.
2. used for referring to either of
two things or people
ć All employees,
whether managers or ordinary staff,
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which 361 who
must take a medical test. (NOTE: Do not
confuse with weather.)
which
which /wtʃ/
adjective
,
pronoun
1. (
ask-
ing a question
) what person or thing ć
Which dress are you wearing to the
wedding?
ć Which boy threw that
stone?
2. (
only used with things, not
people

) that ć The French restaurant
which is next door to the office.
ć
They’ve eaten all the bread which you
bought yesterday.
while
while /wal/
conjunction
1. at the time
that
ć He tried to cut my hair while he
was watching TV.
ć While we were on
holiday someone broke into our house.
ć Shall I clean the kitchen while you’re
having a bath?
2. showing difference ć
He likes meat, while his sister is a vege-
tarian.
ć Everyone is watching TV,
while I’m in the kitchen making the din-
ner.
3. although (
formal
) ć While there
may still be delays, the service is much
better than it used to be.
í
noun
a short

time
ć It’s a while since I’ve seen him.
ȣ in a while in a short time, soon ć I’ll
be ready in a while.
whine
whine /wan/
verb
1. to make a loud high
noise
ć You can hear the engines of the
racing cars whining in the background.
ć The dogs whined when we locked
them up in the kitchen.
2. to complain in
a loud high voice that annoys other peo-
ple
ć She’s always whining about how
little money she has.
(NOTE: Do not con-
fuse with wine. Note also: whines –
whining – whined.)
whip
whip /wp/
noun
a long, thin piece of
leather with a handle, used to hit ani-
mals to make them do what you want
ć
The rider used her whip to make the
horse run faster.

í
verb
to hit someone
or an animal with a whip
ć He whipped
the horse to make it go faster.
(NOTE:
whips – whipping – whipped)
whirl
whirl /wl/
verb
to turn round quickly ć
She put on her new skirt and whirled
around for every one to see.
ć The chil-
dren’s paper windmills whirled in the
wind.
whiskey
whiskey /wski/
noun
Irish or Ameri-
can whisky
whisky
whisky /wski/
noun
an alcoholic drink,
made in Scotland from barley
ć The
company produces thousands of bottles
of whisky every year.

(NOTE: The plural
is whiskies.)
whisper
whisper /wspə/
verb
to speak very qui-
etly, so that only the person you are talk-
ing to can hear
ć He whispered instruc-
tions to the other members of the gang.
ć She whispered to the nurse that she
wanted something to drink.
í
noun
a
quiet voice, or words spoken very quiet-
ly
ć She spoke in a whisper.
whistle
whistle /ws(ə)l/
noun
1. a high sound
made by blowing through your lips
when they are almost closed
ć She gave
a whistle of surprise.
ć We heard a
whistle and saw a dog running across
the field.
2. a simple instrument which

makes a high sound, played by blowing
ć He blew on his whistle to stop the
match.
í
verb
1. to blow through your
lips to make a high sound
ć They
marched along, whistling an Irish song.
ć He whistled for a taxi. 2. to make a
high sound using a small metal instru-
ment
ć The referee whistled to stop the
match.
white
white /wat/
adjective
of a colour like
snow or milk
ć A white shirt is part of
the uniform.
ć A white car will always
look dirty.
ć Her hair is now completely
white.
ć Do you take your coffee black
or white?
í
noun
1. a person whose

skin is pale
ć Whites are in the minority
in African countries.
2. a white part of
something
ć the white of an egg ć The
whites of his eyes were slightly red.
3. a
white wine
ć A glass of house white,
please.
white lie
white lie /wat la/
noun
a lie about
something unimportant, especially a lie
told in order not to upset someone
(
informal
)
who
who /hu/
pronoun
1. (
asking a ques-
tion
) which person or persons ć Who
phoned?
ć Who are you talking to? ć
Who spoke at the meeting? 2. the person

or the people that
ć The men who came
yesterday morning work for the electric-
ity company.
ć Anyone who didn’t get
tickets early won’t be able to get in.
ć
There’s the taxi driver who took us
home last night.
(NOTE: After an object,
who can be left out:
There’s the man I
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whoever 362 will
saw at the pub
. When who is used to
ask a direct question, the verb is put
after ‘who’ and before the subject:
Who is that man over there?
, but not
when it is used in a statement:
I don’t
know who that man is over there
.
When who is used as an object, it is
sometimes written whom /
hum/ but
this is formal and not common:

the
man whom I met in the office
;
Whom
do you want to see?
)
whoever
whoever /hu

evə/
pronoun
(
emphatic
form of ‘who’
) no matter who, anyone
who
ć Whoever finds the umbrella can
keep it.
ć Go home with whoever you
like.
whole
whole /həυl/
adjective
all of something
ć She must have been hungry – she ate
a whole apple pie.
ć We spent the whole
winter in the south.
ć A whole lot of
people went down with flu.

í
noun
all of
something
ć She stayed in bed the
whole of Sunday morning and read the
newspapers.
ć The whole of the north of
the country was covered with snow.
ć
Did you watch the whole of the pro-
gramme?
(NOTE: Do not confuse with
hole.)
í
adverb
in one piece ć The
birds catch small fish and swallow them
whole.
whom
whom /hum/  who
whose
whose /huz/
pronoun
1. (
asking a
question
) which belongs to which per-
son
ć Whose is that car? ć Whose book

is this?
ć Whose money was stolen? 2.
of whom ć the family whose house was
burgled
ć the man whose hat you bor-
rowed
ć the girl whose foot you trod on
(NOTE: Do not confuse with who’s.)
why
why /wa/
adverb
1. for what reason ć
Why did he have to phone me in the mid-
dle of the TV film?
ć I asked the ticket
collector why the train was late.
2. giv-
ing a reason
ć She told me why she
couldn’t go to the party.
3. agreeing
with a suggestion
ć ‘Would you like
some lunch?’ ‘Why not?’
wicked
wicked /wkd/
adjective
very bad ć
What a wicked thing to say! ć It was
wicked of them to steal the birds’ eggs.

wide
wide /wad/
adjective
1. which measures
from side to side
ć The table is three
foot or three feet wide.
ć The river is not
very wide at this point.
2. including
many things
ć The shop carries a wide
range of imported goods.
ć She has a
wide knowledge of French painting.
ı
width í
adverb
as far as possible, as
much as possible
ć She opened her eyes
wide.
ć The door was wide open so we
just walked in.
widely
widely /wadli/
adverb
1. by a wide
range of people
ć It is widely expected

that he will resign.
2. over a wide area ć
Contamination spread widely over the
area round the factory.
ć She has trav-
elled widely in Greece.
widow
widow /wdəυ/
noun
a woman whose
husband has died and who has not mar-
ried again
width
width /wdθ/
noun
1. a measurement of
something from one side to another
ć I
need to know the width of the sofa.
ć
The width of the garden is at least forty
feet or the garden is at least forty feet in
width.
2. the distance from one side to
another of a swimming pool
ć She
swam three widths easily.
wife
wife /waf/
noun

a woman who is mar-
ried to a man
ć I know Mr Jones quite
well but I’ve never met his wife.
ć They
both came with their wives.
(NOTE: The
plural is wives /
wavz/.)
wig
wig /w/
noun
false hair worn on the
head
wild
wild /wald/
adjective
1. living naturally,
not with people as a pet
2. very angry or
very excited
ć He will be wild when he
sees what I have done to the car.
ć The
fans went wild at the end of the match.
3. not thinking carefully ć She made a
few wild guesses, but didn’t find the
right answer.
ć They had the wild idea
of walking across the Sahara.

í
adverb
without any control ć The crowds were
running wild through the centre of the
town.
wildlife
wildlife /waldlaf/
noun
birds, plants
and animals in their natural conditions
will
will /wl/
modal verb
1. used to form the
future tense
ć The party will start soon.
ć Will they be staying a long time? ć We
won’t be able to come to tea.
ć If you
ask her to play the piano, she’ll say
‘no’.
2. used as a polite way of asking
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willing 363 winter
someone to do something ć Will every-
one please sit down?
ć Will someone
close the curtains?

ć (formal) Won’t
you sit down?
3. used for showing that
you are keen to do something
ć Don’t
call a taxi – I’ll take you home.
ć The
car will never start when we want it to.
ć Don’t worry – I will do it. (NOTE: the
negative: will not is usually written
won’t /
wəυnt/. The past is: would,
negative: would not, usually written
wouldn’t. Note also that will is often
shortened to ’ll: he’ll = he will)
í
noun
1. someone’s desire that something will
happen
˽ against your will without
your agreement
ć He was forced to pay
the money against his will.
2. a legal
document by which a person gives in-
structions about what should happen to
his or her property after he or she dies
ć
He wrote his will in 1984. ć According
to her will, all her property is left to her

children.
ć Has she made a will yet? ȣ
at will whenever someone wants to ć
Visitors can wander around the gardens
at will.
willing
willing /wlŋ/
adjective
keen to help ć
Is there anyone who is willing to drive
the jeep?
ć I need two willing helpers to
wash the car.
win
win /wn/
verb
1. to beat someone in a
game, or be first in a race or competition
ć I expect our team will win tomorrow.
ć The local team won their match yes-
terday.
ć She won the race easily. 2. to
get something as a prize
ć She won first
prize in the art competition.
ć He won
two million pounds on the lottery.
ć
She’s hoping to win a new car in a com-
petition in the paper.

(NOTE: wins –
winning – won /
wn/) í
noun
the act
of winning a game, race or competition
ć The local team has only had two wins
so far this year.
ć We’re disappointed,
we expected a win.
wind
wind
1
/wnd/
noun
air moving outdoors
ć The wind blew two trees down in the
park.
ć There’s no point trying to use an
umbrella in this wind.
ć There’s not a
breath of wind – the sailing boats aren’t
moving at all.
wind
wind
2
/wand/
verb
to twist round and
round

ć He wound the towel round his
waist.
ć She wound the string into a
ball.
(NOTE: winds – winding –
wound /
waυnd/)
wind up
phrasal verb
1. to turn a key to
make a machine work
ć When did you
wind up the clock or wind the clock up?
2. to turn a key to make something go up
ć Wind up your window if it starts to
rain.
3. to be in a situation at the end of
a period
(
informal
) ć They wound up
owing the bank thousands of pounds.
window
window /wndəυ/
noun
1. an opening
in a surface such as a wall or door,
which is filled with glass
ć a seat by the
window

ć I looked out of the kitchen
window and saw a fox.
ć It’s dangerous
to lean out of car windows.
ć The bur-
glar must have got in through the bath-
room window.
2. any of several sections
of a computer screen on which informa-
tion is shown
ć Open the command win-
dow to see the range of possible com-
mands.
windy
windy /wndi/
adjective
when a strong
wind is blowing
(
informal
) (NOTE:
windier – windiest)
wine
wine /wan/
noun
an alcoholic drink
made from grapes
ć We had a glass of
French red wine.
ć Two glasses of white

wine, please.
ć Should we have some
white wine with the fish?
wing
wing /wŋ/
noun
1. one of the two parts
of the body, which a bird or butterfly
etc. uses to fly
ć The little birds were
flapping their wings, trying to fly.
ć
Which part of the chicken do you prefer:
a leg or a wing?
2. one of the two flat
parts sticking from the side of an air-
craft, which hold the aircraft in the air
ć
He had a seat by the wing, so could not
see much out of the window.
wink
wink /wŋk/
verb
to shut and open one
eye quickly, as a signal
ć She winked at
him to try to tell him that everything was
going well.
winner
winner /wnə/

noun
1. a person who
wins something
ć The winner of the
race gets a silver cup.
2. something
which is successful
ć His latest book is
a winner.
winter
winter /wntə/
noun
the coldest season
of the year, the season between autumn
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wipe 364 woman
and spring ć It’s too cold to do any gar-
dening in the winter.
ć We’re taking a
winter holiday in Mexico.
wipe
wipe /wap/
verb
to clean or dry some-
thing with a cloth
ć Wipe your shoes
with a cloth before you polish them.
ć

Use the blue towel to wipe your hands.
wire
wire /waə/
noun
1. a thin piece of metal
or metal thread
ć He used bits of wire to
attach the apple tree to the wall.
ć The
chip basket is made of woven wire.
2. ˽
(electric) wire thin metal thread along
which electricity flows, usually covered
with coloured plastic
ć The wires seem
to be all right, so there must be a prob-
lem with the computer itself.
wisdom
wisdom /wzdəm/
noun
general com-
mon sense and the ability to make good
decisions
wise
wise /waz/
adjective
having intelligence
and being sensible
ć It was a wise deci-
sion to cancel the trip.

ć I don’t think
it’s wise to keep all that money in the
house.
wish
wish /wʃ/
noun
1. what you want to hap-
pen
2. a greeting ć Best wishes for the
New Year!
ć Please give my good wish-
es to your family.
(NOTE: The plural is
wishes.)
í
verb
1. to want something
to happen
ć She sometimes wished she
could live in the country.
ć I wish you
wouldn’t be so unkind!
2. to hope some-
thing good will happen
ć She wished
him good luck in his interview.
ć He
wished me a Happy New Year.
ć Wish
me luck – it’s my exam tomorrow.

witch
witch /wtʃ/
noun
a woman believed to
have magic powers
(NOTE: The plural is
witches.)
with
with /wð, wθ/
preposition
1. showing
that things or people are together
ć She
came here with her mother.
ć My sister
is staying with us for a few days.
(NOTE:
with is used with many adjectives and
verbs:
to agree with
,
to be pleased
with
.) 2. something which you have ć
The girl with fair hair. ć They live in the
house with the pink door.
3. showing
something which is used
ć He was
chopping up wood with an axe.

ć Since
his accident he walks with a stick.
ć The
crowd attacked the police with stones
and bottles.
4. because of ć Her little
hands were blue with cold.
ć Half the
people in the office are ill with flu.
within
within /w

ðn/
preposition
inside an
area or period of time
ć The house is
within easy reach of the station.
ć We
are within walking distance of the shop.
ć I must go back for a another check
within three months.
ć They promised to
deliver the sofa within a week.
without
without /w

ðaυt/
preposition
1. not

with
ć They came on a walking holiday
without any boots.
ć She managed to
live for a few days without any food.
ć
He was stuck in Germany without any
money.
ć They were fined for travelling
without tickets.
2. not doing something
ć She sang for an hour without stop-
ping.
ć They lived in the hut in the forest
without seeing anybody for weeks.
witness
witness /wtnəs/
noun
1. a person who
sees something happen or who is
present when something happens
ć The
witness happened to be outside the
house when it was burgled.
2. a person
who is present when someone signs a
document
ć The contract has to be
signed in front of two witnesses.
ć His

sister signed as a witness.
í
verb
to be
present when something happens, and
see it happening
ć Did anyone witness
the accident?
witty
witty /wti/
adjective
clever and funny ć
She gave a witty and entertaining
speech.
(NOTE: wittier – wittiest)
wives
wives /wavz/ plural of wife
wobble
wobble /wɒb(ə)l/
verb
to move from
side to side in a way that is not smooth
or steady
ć The children made the jelly
wobble in their bowls.
ć Don’t wobble
the table when I’m pouring coffee.
woke
woke /wəυk/ past tense of wake
woken

woken /wəυk(ə)n/ past participle of
wake
wolf
wolf /wυlf/
noun
a wild animal like a
large dog, which usually lives in groups
in the forest
ć At night the wolves came
and howled outside the hut.
(NOTE: The
plural is wolves.)
woman
woman /wυmən/
noun
an adult female
person
ć The manager is an extremely
experienced woman.
ć There are very
few women in government.
ć There are
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won 365 work
more and more women bus drivers.
(NOTE: The plural is women /wmn/.)
won
won /wn/ past tense and past participle

of
win
wonder
wonder /wndə/
verb
1. to want to
know something
ć I wonder why the
room has gone quiet.
ć If you don’t ring
home, your parents will start wondering
what has happened.
2. to think about
something
ć I wonder how I can earn
more money.
ć He’s wondering what to
do next.
3. asking a question politely ć
We were wondering if you would like to
come for dinner on Saturday.
wonderful
wonderful /wndəf(ə)l/
adjective
ex-
tremely good or enjoyable
ć They had a
wonderful holiday by a lake in Sweden.
ć The weather was wonderful for the
whole holiday.

ć You passed your driv-
ing test first time? – Wonderful!
wood
wood /wυd/
noun
1. a hard material
which comes from a tree
ć The kitchen
table is made of wood.
ć She picked up
a piece of wood and put it on the fire.
ć
A wood floor would be just right for this
room.
(NOTE: no plural:
some wood
,
a
piece of wood
) 2. an area in which
many trees are growing together
ć The
path goes straight through the wood.
ć
Their house is on the edge of a wood.
(NOTE: The plural is woods. Do not
confuse with would.)
wooden
wooden /wυd(ə)n/
adjective

made out
of wood
ć In the market we bought little
wooden dolls for the children.
wool
wool /wυl/
noun
1. long threads of twist-
ed animal hair, used to make clothes or
carpets etc.
ć The carpet is made of
wool.
ć I need an extra ball of wool to
finish this pullover.
2. the hair growing
on a sheep
ć The sheep are sheared and
the wool sent to market in early summer.
woolly
woolly /wυli/
adjective
made out of
wool
ć She wore a woolly hat.
word
word /wd/
noun
1. a separate piece of
language, either written or spoken
ć

This sentence has five words. ć He al-
ways spells some words wrongly, such
as ‘though’.
2. something spoken ć She
passed me in the street but didn’t say a
word.
ć I’d like to say a few words about
Mr Smith who is retiring today.
3. a
promise which you have made
˽ to give
your word to promise
ć He gave his
word that the matter would remain con-
fidential.
˽ to keep your word to do
what you promised to do
ć He kept his
word, and the cheque arrived the next
day.
˽ to take someone’s word for it to
accept what someone says as being true
ć OK, I’ll take your word for it. ȣ to
have a word with someone
to speak
to someone
ć I must have a word with
the manager about the service.
ć The
salesgirl had made so many mistakes, I

had to have a word with her.
ȣ without
a word
without saying anything ć She
went out of the room without a word.
ȣ
word for word exactly as it is said or
written
ć Tell me what he said word for
word.
ć A word-for-word translation of-
ten doesn’t make any sense.
word processing
word processing /wd prəυsesŋ/
noun
using a computer to produce,
check and change texts, reports and let-
ters etc.
word processor
word processor /wd prəυsesə/
noun
1. a small computer which is used
to produce texts, reports and letters etc.
ć She offered to write the letter for me
on her word processor.
ć You can use
my word processor to type your letter if
you like.
2. a word-processing program
which allows you to create texts, edit

them and print them
wore
wore /wɔ/ past tense of wear
work
work /wk/
noun
1. things that you do
using your strength or your brain
ć
There’s a great deal of work still to be
done on the project.
ć There’s too much
work for one person.
ć If you’ve fin-
ished that piece of work, there’s plenty
more to be done.
ć Cooking for two
hundred people every day is hard work.
2. a job done regularly to earn money ć
He goes to work every day on his bicy-
cle.
ć Work starts at 9 a.m. and finishes
at 5 p.m.
ć Her work involves a lot of
travelling.
ć He is still looking for work.
3. something which has been made,
painted or written by someone
ć the
complete works of Shakespeare

ć An
exhibition of the work of local artists.
í
verb
1. to use your strength or brain to
do something
ć I can’t work in the gar-
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worker 366 worse
den if it’s raining. ć He’s working well
at school, we’re very pleased with his
progress.
ć Work hard and you’ll soon
get a better job.
2. to have a job ć She
works in an office in London.
ć He used
to work in his father’s shop.
ć She had
to stop working when her mother was
ill.
3. (
of a machine
) to run ć The com-
puters aren’t working.
ć The machine
works by electricity.
4. to make a ma-

chine run
ć She works the biggest print-
ing machine in the factory.
ć Do you
know how to work the microwave?
5. to
be successful
ć His plan worked well. ć
Will the plan work? ć If the cough med-
icine doesn’t work, you’ll have to see a
doctor.
work out
phrasal verb
1. to solve a
problem by looking at information or
calculating figures
ć I’m trying to work
out if we’ve sold more this year than
last.
˽ to work out at something to
amount to an amount
ć The total works
out at £10.50 per person.
2. to succeed
ć Everything worked out quite well in
the end.
˽ to work something out to
find a successful way of solving a prob-
lem
3. to do exercises ć He works out

every morning in the gym.
worker
worker /wkə/
noun
1. a person who
works
ć She’s a good worker. ć He’s a
fast worker.
2. a person who works in a
particular job
ć The factory closed
when the workers went on strike.
ć Of-
fice workers usually work from 9.30 to
5.30.
working
working /wkŋ/
adjective
relating to a
job or to work
ć the working population
of a country
ć The unions have com-
plained about working conditions in the
factory.
ć He came to the party in his
working clothes.
í
noun
a way or ways

in which something works
ć The work-
ings of a car engine are a complete mys-
tery to him.
ć I wish I could understand
the workings of local government!
working class
working class /wkŋ klɑs/
noun
a
group in society consisting of people
who work with their hands, usually
earning wages not salaries
workman
workman /wkmən/
noun
a man who
works with his hands
(NOTE: The plural
is workmen.)
works
works
plural noun
1. the moving parts of
a machine
ć I looked inside the clock
and there seems to be dust in the works.
2. a factory ć The steel works will be
closed next week for the Christmas hol-
idays.

í the works everything
(
informal
) ć They built a conservatory
with a fountain, automatic lighting, a
barbecue – the works!
workshop
workshop /wkʃɒp/
noun
a very
small factory where things are made or
repaired
world
world /wld/
noun
the earth on which
we live
ć Here is a map of the world. ć
She flew round the world twice last year.
ć He has to travel all over the world on
business.
ć A round-the-world ticket al-
lows several stopovers.
worm
worm /wm/
noun
a small thin animal
which has no arms or legs and lives in
the soil
ć Birds were pecking at the soil

for worms.
worn
worn /wɔn/ past participle of wear
worn out
worn out /wɔn aυt/
adjective
very
tired
ć He was worn out after the game
of rugby.
ć She comes home every
evening, worn out after a busy day at the
office.
worried
worried /wrid/
adjective
unhappy be-
cause you think something bad will hap-
pen or because something bad has hap-
pened
ć He had a worried look on his
face.
ć She’s looking worried. ć I’m
worried that we may run out of petrol.
worry
worry /wri/
verb
to make someone feel
anxious
ć She’s always looks so tired,

and that worries me.
(NOTE: worries –
worrying – worried)
í
noun
1. some-
thing that makes you anxious
ć Go on
holiday and try to forget your worries.
(NOTE: The plural is worries.) 2. the
state of being anxious
ć She is a great
source of worry for her family.
(NOTE:
no plural)
worse
worse /ws/
adjective
1. less good than
something else
ć It rained for the first
week of our holidays, and the second
week was even worse.
ć I think this film
is worse than the one I saw last week.
ć
Both children are naughty – but the little
girl is worse than her brother.
2. more ill
ć He’s much worse since he started tak-

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worship 367 wrestle
ing his medicine. í
adverb
not as well ć
He drives badly enough but his sister
drives even worse.
worship
worship /wʃp/
verb
1. to praise and
respect God
ć The ancient peoples wor-
shipped stone statues of their gods.
2. to
take part in a church service
ć They
worship regularly in the local church.
(NOTE: worships – worshipping –
worshipped)
worst
worst /wst/
adjective
worse than any-
thing else
ć I think this is the worst film
he’s ever made.
í

adverb
less well than
anything or anyone else or than at any
other time
ć It’s difficult to say which
team played worst.
ć She works worst
when she’s tired.
í
noun
a very bad
thing
ć This summer is the worst for fif-
ty years.
worth
worth /wθ/
adjective
1. ˽ to be worth
to have a certain value or price
ć This
ring’s worth a lot of money.
ć Gold is
worth more than silver.
ć The house is
worth more than £250,000.
2. ˽ to be
worth doing something to find some-
thing good or helpful to do
ć It’s worth
taking a map with you, as you may get

lost in the little streets.
ć His latest film
is well worth seeing.
ć The old castle is
well worth visiting or is well worth a
visit.
í
noun
a value ć Its worth will in-
crease each year.
ć She lost jewellery of
great worth in the fire.
ć Can you give
me twenty pounds’ worth of petrol?
would
would /wυd/
modal verb
1. used as a po-
lite way of asking someone to do some-
thing
ć Would you please stop talking?
ć Would someone please tell me where
the library is?
ć Would you like some
more tea?
2. used as the past of ‘will’ ć
He said he would be here for lunch. ć
She hoped she would be well enough to
come.
ć He wouldn’t go even if I paid

him.
3. used as the past of ‘will’, show-
ing something which often happens
ć
He would bring his dog with him, even
though we asked him not to.
ć My hus-
band forgot my birthday again this year
– he would!
4. used for showing some-
thing which often happened in the past
ć Every morning she would go and feed
the chickens.
ć He would always be
there waiting outside the station.
ć They
would often bring us flowers.
5. used
following a condition
ć I’m sure that if
they could come, they would.
ć I
would’ve done it if you had asked me to.
ć If she were alive, she would or she’d
be a hundred years old today.
ć If it
snowed we would or we’d go skiing.
(NOTE: The negative would not is usu-
ally written wouldn’t. Note also that
would is often shortened to ’d

she’d be
a hundred, he’d stay at home.
Note
also that would is only used with other
verbs and is not followed by to)
would rather
phrasal verb
to prefer
wound
wound
1
/wund/
noun
a cut made on
someone’s body, usually in fighting
í
verb
1. to hurt someone badly by cutting
into their flesh
ć Two of the gang were
wounded in the bank robbery.
2. to hurt
someone’s feelings
ć She was deeply
wounded by what he said.
wound
wound
2
/waυnd/ past tense and past par-
ticiple of

wind
wove
wove /wəυv/ past tense of weave
woven
woven /wəυv(ə)n/ past participle of
weave
wrap
wrap /rp/
verb
to cover something by
putting something over it
ć She
wrapped the parcel in paper.
(NOTE:
wraps -wrapping – wrapped)
í
noun
1. a type of shawl that is put round the
shoulders or the top part of the body
ć
She pulled her wrap closer around her.
2. a piece of material used to cover
something
ć Remove the wrap before
putting the dish in the microwave.
wrapping
wrapping /rpŋ/
noun
the paper or
plastic used to wrap something up

wreck
wreck /rek/
noun
1. a ship which has
been sunk or badly damaged
ć Divers
have discovered the wreck on the sea-
bed.
ć The wreck of the ‘Mary Rose’
was found in the sea near Southampton.
2. anything which has been damaged
and cannot be used
ć The police towed
away the wreck of the car.
ć Their house
is now a total wreck.
í
verb
to damage
something very badly
ć The ship was
wrecked on the rocks in the storm.
ć The
bank was wrecked by the explosion.
wrestle
wrestle /res(ə)l/
verb
to fight with
someone to try to throw him to the
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