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Reverse Search
Reverse Search allows you to search within the full text of dictionary entries for words, word parts, and phrases.
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Example: Searching for "apple orange" identifies all entries that contain the word "apple" or "apples" or "orange" or "oranges."
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Example: Searching for "apple orange" identifies all entries that contain the word "apple" and the word "orange."
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a2 |
"A" has a meaning like "any." When you use "a" before a word, you are talking about any one of some group or kind of thing. When you say "a cat," it means any cat of all the cats in the world, or it means any cat of a group of cats. [1/3 definitions] |
abandon |
to give up (one's home, fort, ship, or the like) by leaving it. [1/3 definitions] |
abbreviate |
When you abbreviate a word, you use a shorter form of it, You often use just a few letters of the word to stand for the whole thing. We often abbreviate things like the names of months, names for the days of the week, and words in addresses like "Street" and "Road." [1/2 definitions] |
ablaze |
like fire in color. [1/2 definitions] |
about |
If a book is about trains, it means that the book tells you many things on the subject of trains. It might tell you things like where the first trains were built, what fuel trains use, or how fast trains travel. [1/9 definitions] |
academy |
An academy is a school. Usually an academy is a private school. People have to pay to go to a private school. Some academies focus on a particular type of thing, such as art, music, military training, or science. Academies give special classes for these things. Some academies are regular schools for school children, and some academies give classes for adult students, especially in things like music, drama, or art. |
accept |
When people accept something, they might not like it but they don't fight against it, or they stop fighting against it. They feel they don't have a choice, so they say to themselves, "Okay, that's just the way it is and I will have to live with it." [1/5 definitions] |
acceptance |
Acceptance is the act of taking something that someone wants to give to you. Acceptance is also the act of saying "yes" to something like an invitation or offer. [1/2 definitions] |
according to |
If you say that a certain movie is good according to your brother, it means that your brother says that the movie is good. You know that some people might not like the movie, but you are saying only what your brother thinks and not what other people might think. [1/2 definitions] |
accordion |
An accordion is an instrument for playing music. You hold an accordion in your arms to play it. It has black and white keys like a piano, but sound is made when air is forced through it. |
acid |
An acid is a kind of chemical substance. When something has a lot of acid in it, like lemons, it tastes sour. We eat and drink many things that contain acid. A very strong acid can be dangerous, though. It can burn something that it touches. [1/2 definitions] |
activist |
An activist is a person who fights to make some kind of change in the world or in the place where they work or live. Activists often fight for people's rights or for things like fair treatment and safety. |
ad |
a short form of "advertisement," a public notice that tells people about products for sale, events, employment opportunities, or the like. |
administration |
Administration is the directing or managing of things. In a school, students study and teachers teach, but there are also people who do administration. These people do the work of running the school. They do all kinds of different things like hiring teachers, disciplining students, making sure that the lights work, making sure that the school is cleaned, and making sure that the school's bills get paid. The principal does a lot of the administration of the school but there are others who take part in it too. [1/2 definitions] |
adore |
(informal) to like very much. [1/3 definitions] |
adverb |
An adverb is a certain kind of word in a sentence. When a word is an adverb, it often describes how or when or where we do things. Words like "tomorrow," "here," "there," "slowly," and "usually" are adverbs. Adverbs also go in front of other adverbs or adjectives to describe those words. If we say "This is very good cake," "good" is an adjective that tells us about the cake, and "very" is an adverb that tells us how good the cake is. |
advertise |
When you advertise for something, it means you are looking for a certain thing and you put up a notice somewhere, like in a newspaper or online list. In the notice, you tell people you are looking for this thing. Sometimes people advertise for things they want to buy from other people. Sometimes they advertise for a certain kind of person who they can pay to do some work for them. Let's say you want to buy a good but cheap bicycle, you could advertise for one in the newspaper. If somebody has one they want to sell, they will answer your notice. [1/3 definitions] |
affectionate |
When a person is affectionate, they do things to show their love or liking for other people or animals. Affectionate people often kiss or hug the people or animals that they care about, and they might also call them by sweet names like "Honey" or "Sweetheart." There are other ways that affectionate people show their love too. Also, we sometimes say that animals are affectionate if they do things that show they feel close to us. |
Afghan |
of or having to do with Afghanistan or with its people, culture, language, or the like. [1/3 definitions] |
afraid |
When you think that something could hurt you and you feel like running away from it, it means that you are afraid. Sometimes when you are afraid, you are worried that some bad thing might happen to you or to someone else. [1/2 definitions] |
agate |
a type of quartz that has forms or bands of different colors that look like clouds. [2 definitions] |
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