📖 D — The English dictionary · page 5

daybreak — Everyday, meaning 1: The time in the early morning when light first appears in the sky; dawn.↗ Example: We set off at daybreak to catch the early ferry.↗ · The rooster crows at daybreak.↗ · The soldiers waited until daybreak to cross the river.↗ · Farmers often work from daybreak till dusk.↗ · By daybreak the snow had covered the whole garden.↗ · Birds sing loudest just before daybreak, in the dawn chorus.↗ · Daybreak comes earlier in summer than in winter.↗ · At daybreak Jack rose and went out into the garden.↗ · So hath Beth-el done unto you because of your great wickedness; at daybreak is the king of Israel utterly cut off.↗ (Prophets HOS.10.15, JPS 1917)↗

daydream — Everyday, meaning 1: Pleasant thoughts you have while awake that take your mind away from what is around you: lost in a daydream.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To think about pleasant things instead of what you should be doing: stop daydreaming and listen.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A wish or plan that is not likely to come true.↗ Example: I was daydreaming about the holidays and missed the question.↗ · She stared out of the window, lost in a daydream.↗ · He daydreams about being a famous footballer.↗ · Stop daydreaming and finish your maths!↗ · Daydreams can give you ideas for stories.↗ · Don't daydream while crossing the road — look and listen.↗

daydreaming — Everyday, meaning 1: Daydreaming is thinking about happy or imagined things while you are awake, so you stop noticing what is around you.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Daydreaming can mean not paying attention, especially in class.↗ Example: Stop daydreaming and finish your sums!↗ · I was daydreaming about the holidays.↗ · She was caught daydreaming in class.↗ · Daydreaming can give you ideas for stories.↗ · He missed the bus because he was daydreaming.↗ · Don't go daydreaming near the road.↗

daylight — Everyday, meaning 1: Daylight is the natural light of the Sun during the day.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Daylight can also mean dawn, the time when it first gets light: «We left before daylight».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Daylight can also be a gap or opening through which light shows, as at the end of a tunnel.↗ Example: We need to get home while it's still daylight.↗ · Plants need daylight to grow.↗ · In winter there are fewer hours of daylight.↗ · The robbery happened in broad daylight!↗ · Open the curtains and let the daylight in.↗ · We set off before daylight to catch the sunrise.↗ · The clocks change for daylight saving time.↗ · That noise scared the living daylights out of me!↗ · The tin soldier could already see daylight shining where the arch ended.↗

dayspring — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: An old word for the dawn, the first light of day.↗ Example: Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, and caused the dayspring to know its place; (Writings JOB.38.12, JPS 1917)↗

daytime — Everyday, meaning 1: Daytime is the part of the day when it is light outside, between sunrise and sunset.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Used before another noun, it means happening during the day, as in daytime TV or a daytime nap.↗ Example: Owls sleep in the daytime and hunt at night.↗ · It is warmer in the daytime than at night.↗ · We only ride our bikes in the daytime.↗ · Squirrels are busy in the daytime.↗ · Daytime temperatures in Australia can reach 40 degrees in summer.↗ · Grandpa likes a short daytime nap.↗ · The park is open in the daytime only.↗ · Daytime TV is mostly quiz shows.↗ · In the daytime she never came out of her house; she only came out at night.↗ · And he cried as a lion: 'Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set in my ward all the nights.'↗ (Prophets ISA.21.8, JPS 1917)↗

daze — Everyday, meaning 1: A daze is a state where you cannot think clearly, after a blow or a shock.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To daze someone is to stun them or make them unable to think clearly.↗ Example: After the fall he walked about in a daze.↗ · The loud bang dazed the whole class.↗ · She woke up in a daze and did not know where she was.↗

dazed — Everyday, meaning 1: Unable to think clearly for a short time, because of a hit on the head, a shock, tiredness or great surprise.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (past form of the verb «daze») Made confused or stunned, as in «the bright light dazed him».↗ Example: After he fell off his bike, Tom looked dazed.↗ · She walked around in a daze after hearing the amazing news.↗ · The bird was dazed after flying into the window.↗ · The boxer was dazed by the punch.↗ · We came out of the cinema dazed by the bright sunshine.↗ · If a player seems dazed after a knock, they must stop playing.↗ · The action was so quick that Hako stood dazed, not knowing what to do.↗

dazzle — Everyday, meaning 1: When a bright light shines in your eyes so that you cannot see for a moment.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To amaze and impress someone very much with beauty, skill or cleverness.↗ Example: The bright headlights dazzled the driver.↗ · She dazzled everyone with her dancing.↗ · The snow was dazzling in the sunshine.↗ · The magician dazzled the crowd.↗ · He gave a dazzling smile.↗ · Don't dazzle people with your torch.↗ · Then they decorated it so beautifully that it was quite dazzling to look at.↗

dazzled — Everyday, meaning 1: Unable to see clearly for a moment because of a very bright light: «I was dazzled by the car's headlights».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very impressed by something amazing, beautiful or clever: «The audience was dazzled by the acrobats».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, past) Made someone unable to see, or amazed them: «The sun dazzled the drivers».↗ Example: I was dazzled by the bright sunlight when I came out of the cinema.↗ · The crowd was dazzled by the fireworks.↗ · The driver was dazzled by the low sun and slowed down.↗ · We were dazzled by the jewels in the Tower of London.↗ · The magician dazzled the children with his tricks.↗ · Don't shine your torch at me; I'm dazzled!↗ · The judges were dazzled by her singing.↗ · At the sight of her Houarn stopped, dazzled by her beauty.↗

dazzlingly — Everyday, meaning 1: In a way that is so bright or so striking that you cannot look at it easily; very beautiful or brilliant.↗ Example: The queen stood dazzlingly in her gold dress.↗ · The sun shone dazzlingly on the snow.↗ · The fairy looked dazzlingly beautiful.↗

dc — Everyday, meaning 1: DC, d.c.: short for «direct current», electricity that flows in one direction only, as from a battery.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: D.C.: short for «District of Columbia», as in Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: DC.↗ e.g. DC Comics, an American comic company known for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK) DC.↗ e.g. Detective Constable, a police rank.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (music) D.C.: short for Italian «da capo», meaning «go back to the beginning» in sheet music.↗ Example: A battery gives DC, which flows one way only.↗ · We visited the White House in Washington, D.C.↗ · The plug for the laptop changes AC into DC.↗ · My brother collects DC comics about Batman.↗ · DC Patel from the police came to our school.↗ · At D.C. in the music, go back to the beginning.↗

ddt — Everyday, meaning 1: DDT is a strong chemical insecticide (short for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) that was once sprayed widely to kill mosquitoes, lice and crop pests.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: DDT was found to harm wildlife, especially birds of prey, whose eggshells became thin and broke; it was banned for farm use in many countries, though small amounts are still used against malaria mosquitoes in some places.↗ Example: DDT was sprayed on fields to kill insects.↗ · DDT made birds' eggshells too thin.↗ · Rachel Carson wrote about the dangers of DDT.↗ · DDT builds up in animals higher up the food chain.↗ · Many countries banned DDT for farming.↗ · Bald eagles recovered after DDT was banned in the USA.↗ · DDT was once used to kill lice on soldiers.↗ · Some countries still use DDT inside homes to fight malaria.↗

deacon — Everyday, meaning 1: (church) A deacon is a church minister below a priest, or in many Protestant churches a member chosen to help with services, care and practical work.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Bible) In the Bible, the first deacons were chosen to help share food fairly.↗ Example: The deacon read the Gospel at mass.↗ · Mr Jones is a deacon at our chapel.↗ · Deacons visit people who are ill.↗ · Stephen was one of the first deacons, the Bible says.↗ · She was ordained as a deacon.↗ · The deacon helped give out communion.↗

deactivate — Everyday, meaning 1: To deactivate something is to turn it off or stop it from working.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To deactivate an account is to close it or pause it so it cannot be used.↗ Example: Mum deactivated the burglar alarm when we got home.↗ · The agent had ten seconds to deactivate the bomb.↗ · You can deactivate your account in the settings.↗ · The robot was deactivated for the night.↗ · Cooking deactivates many germs in food.↗ · Don't deactivate the smoke alarm — it keeps you safe.↗

dead — Everyday, meaning 1: Dead means no longer alive.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Dead can mean not working: a dead battery, a dead phone.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Dead can mean very quiet or with nothing happening: the town is dead on Sundays.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Informally, dead means very or completely: dead easy, dead tired, dead ahead.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A dead end is a road that does not go anywhere.↗ Example: Our goldfish is dead; we buried it in the garden.↗ · Dead leaves fall from the trees in autumn.↗ · My phone is dead; I need to charge it.↗ · Don't touch a dead bird; it could carry germs.↗ · That puzzle was dead easy.↗ · The dog rolled over and played dead.↗ · We drove down the road, but it was a dead end.↗ · There was dead silence when the teacher walked in.↗ · She is not dead, is she?”↗ · And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.↗ (Torah NUM.16.48, JPS 1917)↗ · He that toucheth the dead, even any man's dead body, shall be unclean seven days; (Torah NUM.19.11, JPS 1917)↗ · And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying: (Torah GEN.23.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Wilt Thou work wonders for the dead?↗ (Writings PSA.88.11, JPS 1917)↗ · And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle.↗ (Prophets 2SA.19.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Then they sent to Jezebel, saying: 'Naboth is stoned, and is dead.'↗ (Prophets 1KI.21.14, JPS 1917)↗

deadline — Everyday, meaning 1: A deadline is the latest time or day by which something must be done or handed in.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) A line in a prison that prisoners must not cross.↗ Example: The deadline for the project is Friday.↗ · I finished my story just before the deadline.↗ · Mum works late when she has a deadline.↗ · The teacher extended the deadline by two days.↗ · If you miss the deadline, you lose marks.↗ · Newspapers have strict deadlines each night.↗ · We had a tight deadline to build the model.↗

deadly — Everyday, meaning 1: Able to kill or very likely to cause death: a deadly poison, a deadly snake.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very great or complete: deadly serious, deadly quiet.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In Australian slang, "deadly" can mean excellent or awesome, especially in Aboriginal English.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Very accurate and dangerous in a game: a deadly shot at goal.↗ Example: Some mushrooms are deadly, so never eat wild ones.↗ · The box jellyfish has a deadly sting.↗ · She was deadly serious about winning.↗ · A deadly silence filled the haunted house.↗ · Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas with no smell.↗ · The striker had a deadly shot.↗ · That new song is deadly, mate!↗ (Australian slang)↗ · The castle had a deadly trap behind the door.↗ · The bite was deadly and the Farmer felt that he must die.↗ · From the wicked that oppress, my deadly enemies, that compass me about.↗ (Writings PSA.17.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put My sword in his hand; but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.↗ (Prophets EZK.30.24, JPS 1917)↗