📖 A — The English dictionary · page 29

aluminium — Everyday, meaning 1: Aluminium is a light, silver-coloured metal that does not rust.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Aluminium is the metal used to make drink cans, foil, window frames and parts of planes.↗ Example: Drink cans are made of aluminium.↗ · Wrap the sandwiches in aluminium foil.↗ · Aluminium is light, so it is used in planes.↗ · A magnet will not stick to an aluminium can.↗ · We recycle aluminium cans at school.↗ · Aluminium does not rust.↗ · The ladder is made of aluminium.↗

alveolar — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Made by touching the tongue to the ridge just behind the upper teeth.↗

alway — Early Modern English, meaning 1: At all times, every time.↗ Example: And thou shalt set upon the table showbread before Me alway.↗ (Torah EXO.25.30, JPS 1917) · There we keep holiday alway, nor need we help from any in our joy.↗ (Celtic Fairy Tales) · So it was alway: the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night.↗ (Torah NUM.9.16, JPS 1917)

always — Everyday, meaning 1: Always means every time, with no exception.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Always means for all time, forever.↗ e.g. I will always love you.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Always can mean again and again, often in an annoying way: he is always losing his keys.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (casual) «As always» or «as per usual» means just as it happens every time, often said with a sigh.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (formal) The exam voice says «invariably», «without exception», «in all cases» or «at all times» where a child would say «always».↗ Example: We always subtract the smaller number from the bigger one.↗ · Ella always buys 2 apples on her way home.↗ · A week always has 7 days.↗ · Always look both ways before you cross the road.↗ · Always wash your hands before you eat.↗ · The sun always rises in the east.↗ · My little brother is always asking questions.↗ · Grandma always reads us a story at bedtime.↗ · ugh he's always late, as per usual↗ · You're always nicking my pens, get your own!↗ · Pupils shall at all times remain seated whilst the vehicle is in motion.↗ · A quantity multiplied by one invariably remains unchanged.↗ · But he always guarded it faithfully.↗ · And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.↗ (Torah DEU.6.24, JPS 1917)↗ · a land which the LORD thy God careth for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.↗ (Torah DEU.11.12, JPS 1917)↗ · Bible dictionaries generally give the word as Cherubim, but in Hebrew the initial letter is always K and not Ch.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · He will not always contend; neither will He keep His anger for ever.↗ (Writings PSA.103.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no oil.↗ (Writings ECC.9.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Behold, such are the wicked; and they that are always at ease increase riches.↗ (Writings PSA.73.12, JPS 1917)↗

amaranth — Everyday, meaning 1: An amaranth is a flower with bright red or purple blooms that keeps its colour for a long time.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In old poems, an amaranth is a flower that never fades.↗ Example: An amaranth grew in a garden near a rose-tree.↗ · Amaranth flowers keep their colour for a long time.↗ · The fable tells of an amaranth that envied the rose.↗

amass — Everyday, meaning 1: To amass is to gather a large number or amount of things, or money, over time: «amass a fortune».↗ Example: He amassed a fortune by trading in cloth.↗ · I had amassed a rich treasure of jewels.↗ · The squirrel amassed a huge pile of nuts for winter.↗

amateur — Everyday, meaning 1: An amateur is a person who does something for love or fun, not for pay and not as a trained expert.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «Amateur» describes such work: «an amateur play».↗ Example: The show was an amateur performance by children.↗ · My dad is an amateur painter who paints for fun.↗ · She is a keen amateur but not a professional.↗

amazed — Everyday, meaning 1: Amazed means very surprised, often in a happy way, because something is wonderful or hard to believe.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Amazed is also the past form of «amaze»: something amazed you when it surprised you greatly.↗ Example: I was amazed by the magic trick.↗ · We were amazed to see a whale near the beach.↗ · She was amazed that she had won the prize.↗ · The fireworks amazed everyone.↗ · Dad looked amazed when I tidied my room.↗ · The class was amazed when the volcano model erupted.↗ · I'm amazed you finished the puzzle so fast!↗ · Aladdin was so amazed that he could not say a word.↗ · They are amazed, they answer no more; words are departed from them.↗ (Writings JOB.32.15, JPS 1917)↗ · They saw, straightway they were amazed; they were affrighted, they hasted away.↗ (Writings PSA.48.6, JPS 1917)↗ · Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye exceeding amazed, saith the LORD.↗ (Prophets JER.2.12, JPS 1917)↗

amazement — Everyday, meaning 1: Amazement is the feeling of being very surprised because something is wonderful or hard to believe.↗ Example: We watched in amazement as the rocket took off.↗ · To my amazement, my little brother cleaned his room.↗ · She stared at the giant cake in amazement.↗ · His face was full of amazement.↗ · To everyone's amazement, the shy girl sang a solo.↗ · The crowd gasped in amazement.↗ · Moreover I will make thee an amazement and a reproach, among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.↗ (Prophets EZK.5.14, JPS 1917)↗

amazing — Everyday, meaning 1: Very surprising and wonderful; causing great wonder or surprise.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Very good, excellent (an amazing film).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: -ing form of «amaze»: surprising someone greatly.↗ Example: The fireworks were amazing!↗ · You did an amazing job on your poster.↗ · It's amazing how fast a cheetah can run.↗ · The view from the top was amazing.↗ · She has an amazing memory for numbers.↗ · Amazingly, the cat came home after two weeks.↗ · Instead of «amazing», try «breathtaking» or «astonishing» in your story.↗ · The sixth time the King exclaimed, ‘It is amazing!’↗

amazingly — Everyday, meaning 1: In a way that causes great surprise.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very, extremely: «amazingly fast».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Used to say something is surprising: «Amazingly, nobody was hurt».↗ Example: She runs amazingly fast.↗ · Amazingly, the cake didn't burn.↗ · The view was amazingly beautiful.↗ · Amazingly enough, the dog found its way home.↗ · He did amazingly well in the spelling test.↗ · The ant can carry amazingly heavy loads for its size.↗ · The Frog enjoyed the water amazingly, and swam croaking about, as if he had done a good deed.↗

amazon — Everyday, meaning 1: The Amazon is a huge river in South America and the great rainforest around it, the largest rainforest in the world.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Amazon is a big company that sells things online and delivers them.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In Greek stories, the Amazons were a tribe of strong women warriors.↗ Example: The Amazon River flows across Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean.↗ · Jaguars, sloths and toucans live in the Amazon rainforest.↗ · Many trees in the Amazon are cut down each year.↗ · Mum ordered a new lunchbox from Amazon.↗ · The parcel from Amazon came the next day.↗ · In the Greek story, the Amazons were fierce warriors.↗ · The Amazon carries more water than any other river.↗ · But Hera, his implacable enemy, assuming the form of an Amazon, spread the report in the town that a stranger was about to carry off their queen.↗

ambassador — Everyday, meaning 1: An important official sent by one country to live in another and speak for their own country there.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person who represents or promotes something, like a school ambassador or brand ambassador.↗ Example: The British ambassador to the USA lives in Washington.↗ · She was chosen as a school eco ambassador.↗ · The ambassador met the president.↗ · Our football star is an ambassador for the charity.↗ · The embassy is where the ambassador works.↗ · Be a good ambassador for the school on the trip.↗ · So he resolved to send an ambassador to ask her in marriage.↗ · A wicked messenger falleth into evil; but a faithful ambassador is health.↗ (Writings PRO.13.17, JPS 1917)↗ · Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.↗ (Prophets ISA.33.7, JPS 1917)↗ · For his princes are at Zoan, and his ambassadors are come to Hanes.↗ (Prophets ISA.30.4, JPS 1917)↗

amber — Everyday, meaning 1: Amber is a hard, see-through, golden-yellow stone that formed from the sticky sap of ancient trees over millions of years.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Amber is a warm orange-yellow colour, like honey.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (UK, Ireland, Australia) The amber light is the middle traffic light between red and green that means «get ready to stop».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK) An amber warning is a medium-level weather warning: be prepared, take care.↗ Example: This piece of amber has a tiny fly trapped inside.↗ · The lights turned amber, so Dad slowed down.↗ · There is an amber warning for heavy snow tomorrow.↗ · Her eyes were a warm amber colour.↗ · Amber is fossilised tree resin, not a real stone made of minerals.↗ · The street lamps gave off an amber glow.↗ · On a pedestrian crossing, a flashing amber light means you may cross with care.↗ · Scientists found a feather from a dinosaur in amber.↗ · She wore a silk dress, golden bracelets, and large amber beads.↗

ambergris — Everyday, meaning 1: Ambergris is a waxy, grey substance made in the gut of sperm whales; it is sometimes found floating in the sea or washed up on beaches and was used in perfumes.↗ Example: Ambergris comes from sperm whales.↗ · People who find ambergris on the beach can sometimes sell it for lots of money.↗ · Ambergris was used in perfume to make the smell last.↗ · It has a sweet, earthy smell when old.↗ · Most perfumes now use man-made substitutes for ambergris.↗ · A lump of ambergris washed up on the shore.↗ · I found myself in a large, vaulted room, lighted by tapers, scented with aloes and ambergris, standing in golden candle-sticks, whilst gold and silver lamps hung from the ceiling.↗

ambient — Everyday, meaning 1: In the surroundings; around you, such as ambient temperature or ambient light.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ambient music is quiet, gentle music made to create a calm mood, not to be listened to closely.↗ Example: Keep the medicine at ambient temperature.↗ · The ambient noise in the canteen was very loud.↗ · Ambient light from the window lit the room.↗ · The spa played soft ambient music.↗ · Measure the ambient temperature before the experiment.↗ · The ice melted faster in the warm ambient air.↗

ambiguity — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, so it is not clear.↗

ambiguous — Everyday, meaning 1: Ambiguous means having more than one possible meaning, so it is unclear which one is meant.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ambiguous can mean uncertain or not clearly decided.↗ Example: «Let's eat, Grandma» and «Let's eat Grandma» show how a comma removes ambiguous meaning.↗ · The sign «Slow children» is ambiguous!↗ · Her answer was ambiguous: I couldn't tell if it was yes or no.↗ · The story has an ambiguous ending, so readers argue about what happened.↗ · Is 6 − 2 + 1 ambiguous?↗ Brackets make it clear.↗ · «I saw her duck» is ambiguous: a bird or a movement?↗ · The rules of the game were ambiguous, so we argued.↗ · Interpreting this ambiguous reply to signify the third summer, Hyllus controlled his impatience for three years, when, having collected a powerful army, he once more entered the Peloponnesus.↗

ambition — Everyday, meaning 1: A strong wish to do or become something special, like a big goal for the future.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The drive to be successful, powerful or rich; when there is too much of it, it can make people selfish.↗ Example: My ambition is to play football for my country.↗ · Her lifelong ambition was to visit Australia.↗ · He finally achieved his ambition of climbing the mountain.↗ · The teacher said our class is full of ambition.↗ · The king's ambition made him cruel to his people.↗ · Write about your greatest ambition in your diary.↗ · Too much ambition can make you forget your friends.↗ · So at last Jack's ambition was satisfied.↗

ambitious — Everyday, meaning 1: Ambitious means wanting very much to succeed, to be great, or to gain power.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An ambitious plan is one that is big and hard to carry out.↗ Example: The ambitious tailor wanted to be a prince.↗ · Eteocles was an ambitious prince who seized the throne.↗ · We have an ambitious plan to build a model town.↗

amble — Everyday, meaning 1: To amble is to walk slowly and calmly, without hurry.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An amble is a slow, easy walk.↗ Example: The wolf ambled off home.↗ · He was ambling towards the small round hut.↗ · We went for a slow amble in the park.↗