| aardvark |
a large mammal with a long snout, long ears, a long tail, and with long fur mostly around its legs. Aardvarks are active at night, when they use their powerful claws to dig open ant or termite nests. They catch their food with their long, sticky tongue. Aardvarks live in southern and central Africa. Although they are sometimes called anteaters, aardvarks are not closely related to any other kind of mammal. |
| accelerate |
When you accelerate, you increase the speed or rate of something. If a driver accelerates while they are driving, they make their car go faster. [1/2 definitions] |
| accent |
An accent is the usual way that people in a particular area speak their language. [1/3 definitions] |
| acceptance |
If there is acceptance of something, people approve of it, or at least they don't fight against it. If there is acceptance of a person or group, people welcome them or are not against allowing them to join their group. [1/2 definitions] |
| accomplishment |
If you try to do something that is hard, it is an accomplishment when you finish it. An accomplishment is something that a person has done or finished in a successful way. People are often proud of their accomplishments or just happy that they were able to do them. |
| account |
If you have an account at a bank, it means that you can keep your money there. You can put more money into your account or take money out of your account when you need it. The bank sends a letter by mail each month to tell you how much money you have in your account. Some people don't get a letter but see their account on their computers. [1/5 definitions] |
| accountant |
An accountant is a person who keeps track of how a business spends its money, gives advice about spending money, and often makes sure the company is paying a correct amount of tax to the government each year. All businesses have to report to the government how much money they make and pay a correct amount of tax. Some companies only use an accountant when they are reporting their income to the government and need to figure out how much tax they have to pay. People who have regular jobs also use accountants sometimes if their money affairs are complicated. |
| achievement |
An achievement is something that is completed with success using hard work or skill. People usually feel good about their achievements. |
| addiction |
If a person has an addiction, their body sends out signals that they must continue to take or take more of a certain a drug or similar substance. These signals cause a desire for the drug that is very, very strong, and it can make people do things that they would not normally do just to get it. Addiction is something that can ruin people's lives. Some drugs cause addiction, but most drugs that people take as medicine do not. |
| adolescence |
Adolescence is the period in a person's life between their childhood and their adulthood. |
| adolescent |
An adolescent is a person who is in the process of changing from a child into an adult. When we think of an adolescent, we usually think of a teenager or someone in their early twenties. |
| adopt |
When you adopt something, you accept a new thing and make it your own. When people adopt a baby, the baby becomes part of their family. When people adopt pets, they bring them into their home and care for them for a long time. [1/2 definitions] |
| adore |
If you adore someone, you love them intensely. When you adore someone, you may see them as perfect, and you may not see their faults. [2/3 definitions] |
| adviser |
An adviser is a person who helps you decide what to do by giving you information or by giving you their opinion. An adviser often has special knowledge of something and that's why they are able to help. |
| advocate |
An advocate is someone who speaks or acts in favor of something and tries to get other people to join their cause. [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. |
| agitation |
Agitation is a kind of tool that some people use to cause change, usually in a place where people work or in society in general. Agitation is the stirring up of strong feelings in people with the purpose of making them upset about their treatment or condition and wanting change. Sometimes this leads to protests or even violent behavior. [1/3 definitions] |
| agreement |
Some agreements are a serious and special promise. If someone accepts this type of agreement, it means that they will be breaking a rule or a law if they do not do what they promise. Usually this kind of agreement is written on paper, and a person signs their name on the paper to accept it. [1/4 definitions] |
| airport |
An airport is a large area of land where airplanes come and go and get fuel for their engines. When you are going on a trip by airplane, you first go to an airport. |
| alga |
"Alga" is the singular form of the word "algae." Algae are living things that live mainly in water and make their food by using light from the sun. Algae are similar to plants, but they are not usually considered to be plants because they are different in some ways. For example, algae don't have roots and leaves like plants do. Most forms of algae are very helpful for animals and people. Seaweed is a kind of algae, which many people eat and can also be used in making other things. Fish and other water animals use algae for food. |
| algae |
organisms that live mainly in the water and make their food through photosynthesis. Algae are different from plants in that they have no true leaves, roots, or stems. Seaweeds are one form of algae, but there are many others, including a large number that cannot be seen without a microscope. "Algae" is the plural form of the word "alga." |