| a2 |
When you are talking about some particular thing of a group or kind but it's not important which one of that group it is, you use "a" before the word. If you say "I saw a friend of mine," you know which friend you saw, but it's not important right now which friend it is. You are just introducing the idea of this person or thing into the conversation. [1/3 definitions] |
| a-1 |
a prefix that means "on," "at," "into," or "to." |
| a-2 |
a prefix that means "away," "from," or "off." [2 definitions] |
| aardvark |
An aardvark is an animal with a long nose, long ears, short fur, and powerful claws for digging. Aardvarks dig so that they can find insects to eat. Aardvarks live in Africa and make their homes in burrows. |
| abacus |
a device used for counting or calculating. An abacus has beads or other counters that slide along rods or in grooves. |
| abalone |
a large sea snail that has several shiny colors on the inside of its shell. Abalone are mollusks. People eat abalone meat and make decorations from the shells. |
| abandon |
If you abandon something that you have, you go away from it without any plan to return to get it. If someone abandons an animal or another person, they leave them and don't plan to ever come back. [1/3 definitions] |
| abandoned |
An abandoned thing is a thing that somebody has left behind without any plan to come back to it. |
| abdomen |
Your abdomen is the part of your body between your chest and your hips. Your abdomen contains your stomach and the other parts of your body that help you digest your food. [2 definitions] |
| ability |
When you have ability for a certain kind of thing, it means that you are good at it. Some words that have a similar meaning to "ability" are "skill" and "talent." [1/2 definitions] |
| -able |
a suffix that means capable or worthy of being the object of a certain action. [3 definitions] |
| able |
When you are able to do something, it means that you can do it. If someone is able to walk, it means that they can walk. [2 definitions] |
| aboard |
When you get aboard an airplane, boat, or train, it means that you get onto it to travel somewhere. [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. [7/9 definitions] |
| above |
When one thing is above another thing, it is higher than it. If a plane flies above the clouds, it means that the plane is flying higher than the clouds. [3/4 definitions] |
| abroad |
in or to a country that is not one's own. |
| abscess |
a sore that forms within the tissues of the body and is filled with pus. Abscesses can be caused by an infection. |
| absence |
When there is an absence of something, it means that there is none of it. If there is an absence of conversation between people, it means that no one is talking to anyone else. [1/3 definitions] |
| absolute |
If someone's power or authority is absolute, it means that it has no limits. If a king has absolute power, he can make whatever laws he wants and can break any laws he wants. [1/4 definitions] |
| absolutely |
When something is absolutely right, it is exactly right. If something is absolutely beautiful, "beautiful" is the exact word to describe this thing, and there is nothing about this thing that isn't beautiful. [2 definitions] |
| absorbent |
a material that soaks up liquid or moisture. [1/2 definitions] |