📖 S — The English dictionary · page 85

sprite — Everyday, meaning 1: A small magical creature like a fairy or elf in stories, often playful or mischievous.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (computing) A small picture or character that moves around in a computer game, such as in Scratch.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) A rare flash of red light high above a thunderstorm.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Sprite (with a capital S) is a lemon-lime fizzy drink brand.↗ Example: In Scratch, make the sprite move ten steps.↗ · A water sprite lived in the river in the fairy tale.↗ · Change your sprite's costume to make it look like it's walking.↗ · The mischievous sprite hid the farmer's boots.↗ · Red sprites flash high above thunderclouds.↗ · Can I have a Sprite with my lunch?↗ · “That's glorious fun!” said the sprite.↗

sprocket — Everyday, meaning 1: A sprocket is a wheel with teeth around its edge that fit into the links of a chain or the holes in a film or tape, so that it can turn it or be turned by it.↗ On a bicycle, the toothed wheels the chain goes round are sprockets.↗ Example: The bike chain slipped off the sprocket.↗ · The front sprocket has more teeth than the back one.↗ · Sprockets and chains are used in bicycles and motorbikes.↗ · Old film had little sprocket holes along its edges.↗ · We built a model with plastic sprockets in D and T.↗ · Oil the chain so it runs smoothly over the sprockets.↗ · If the front sprocket has 40 teeth and the back has 20, the back wheel turns twice for each turn of the pedals.↗

sprout — Everyday, meaning 1: To sprout is to start to grow: a seed sprouts when it puts out its first shoot.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sprout is a young new shoot of a plant.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A (Brussels) sprout is a small green vegetable like a tiny cabbage.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To sprout can also mean to appear suddenly: «New shops sprouted up.».↗ Example: Our beans sprouted after three days.↗ · Old potatoes start to sprout in the cupboard.↗ · We ate bean sprouts in the stir-fry.↗ · Brussels sprouts are served at Christmas dinner.↗ · Leaves sprouted on the trees in spring.↗ · The boy seemed to sprout taller every week.↗ · New houses sprouted up all over town.↗ · And there was the end of the army that had sprouted from the dragon's teeth.↗ · For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.↗ (Writings JOB.14.7, JPS 1917)↗

spruce — Everyday, meaning 1: A spruce is a tall evergreen tree with short needles and hanging cones; it often grows in cold places.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spruce is the light wood of this tree.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (adjective) Spruce means neat, clean and smart in appearance.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To spruce up something or someone is to make them look neater and smarter.↗ Example: A spruce keeps its needles all winter.↗ · The forest was full of tall spruces.↗ · We bought a spruce for our Christmas tree.↗ · Let's spruce up the classroom before parents' evening.↗ · Dad looked very spruce in his new suit.↗ · The violin was made of spruce.↗ · She spruced herself up for the party.↗ · And ‘Quack, quack, quack.’↗ Drakestail is off again, singing and spruce as before.↗

spud — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ) A spud is a potato.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old, tool) A spud is a small digging tool with a narrow blade, for weeding.↗ Example: Can you peel the spuds for dinner?↗ · We had jacket spuds with beans.↗ · Grandad grows spuds in the garden.↗ · Mashed spuds are my favourite.↗ · In 1845 a disease destroyed Ireland's spuds.↗ · There's a bag of spuds in the cupboard.↗ · My friend's nickname is Spud.↗

spur — Everyday, meaning 1: A spur is a small metal spike or wheel on the back of a rider's boot, used to push a horse to go faster.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To spur someone on is to encourage them to try harder or go faster.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A spur is something that makes you act: «a spur to action».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «On the spur of the moment» means suddenly, without planning.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: In geography a spur is a ridge of high land that sticks out from a hill or mountain into a valley.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: A spur is a sharp point on the back of the leg of some birds, such as a rooster.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (a name) Spurs is the nickname of Tottenham Hotspur football club and San Antonio Spurs basketball team.↗ Example: The cowboy's spurs jingled as he walked.↗ · The crowd's cheers spurred her on to win the race.↗ · On the spur of the moment, we decided to go to the beach.↗ · The river winds between interlocking spurs.↗ · The rooster had sharp spurs on its legs.↗ · The fire spurred the town to build a new fire station.↗ · He supports Spurs, not Arsenal.↗ · Good marks spurred him to work even harder.↗ · Hot with excitement, the Tsar spurred his horse on yet faster.↗ · Some late editors to cover the difficulty of this passage, have given SPR, SPUR, SIPR, pointing them to read Separ, Seepur, Saypar.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Therefore the LORD doth set upon high the adversaries of Rezin against him, and spur his enemies; (Prophets ISA.9.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; and they shall fight every one against his brother, and everyone against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.↗ (Prophets ISA.19.2, JPS 1917)↗

spurn — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: To refuse or push away something with scorn.↗ Example: My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither spurn thou His correction; (Writings PRO.3.11, JPS 1917)↗

spurned — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: To reject something with scorn or contempt, as if refusing to have anything to do with it.↗ Example: And the LORD saw, and spurned, because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters.↗ (Torah DEU.32.19, JPS 1917)↗

spurt — Everyday, meaning 1: To spurt is for a liquid to shoot out suddenly and fast in a stream, like water from a burst pipe.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spurt is a sudden short burst of speed, energy or effort.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A spurt is also a short gush of liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A growth spurt is a time when a child grows taller very quickly.↗ Example: Water spurted out of the broken pipe.↗ · Juice spurted out when I squeezed the orange.↗ · She put on a spurt and won the race.↗ · He had a growth spurt and needs new trousers.↗ · I work in spurts, then take a break.↗ · Blood was spurting from the cut, so we called for help.↗ · The fountain spurted water high into the air.↗ · The puppy had a sudden spurt of energy.↗ · The blood spurted out freely, and she fell to the ground as if she was dead.↗

sputnik — Everyday, meaning 1: Sputnik was the first man-made satellite sent into orbit around the Earth, by the Soviet Union.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Any of the Soviet satellites with that name.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The word is Russian for «fellow traveller» or «satellite».↗ Example: Sputnik was the first satellite to orbit the Earth.↗ · Sputnik sent beeping radio signals.↗ · Sputnik started the space race.↗ · The satellite was a shiny metal ball with four long aerials.↗ · Sputnik orbited the Earth in about 96 minutes.↗ · We made a model of Sputnik in class.↗

sputter — Everyday, meaning 1: To sputter is to make short, hissing or spitting noises, as a fire or a match does when it burns.↗ Example: She struck one, and it sputtered as it burnt.↗ · The tree began to sputter and burn like a candle.↗

spy — Everyday, meaning 1: A spy is a person who secretly collects information about another country, group or person.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To spy on someone is to watch them secretly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spy something is to see or notice it: «I spy with my little eye…».↗ Example: The spy sent a secret message in code.↗ · Stop spying on me!↗ · Let's play «I spy» in the car.↗ · I spy something beginning with «t».↗ · She spied a coin under the sofa.↗ · In the war, spies hid secret plans in shoes.↗ · The spy wore a disguise so nobody knew him.↗ · “Do you suspect me of being a spy sent by the ogre?”↗ · And we said unto him: We are upright men; we are no spies.↗ (Torah GEN.42.31, JPS 1917)↗ · And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.↗ (Torah NUM.13.25, JPS 1917)↗ · We are all one man's sons; we are upright men, thy servants are no spies.'↗ (Torah GEN.42.11, JPS 1917)↗ · David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come of a certainty.↗ (Prophets 1SA.26.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And the house of Joseph sent to spy out Beth-el — now the name of the city beforetime was Luz.↗ (Prophets JDG.1.23, JPS 1917)↗ · But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying: 'As soon as ye hear the sound of the horn, then ye shall say: Absalom is king in Hebron.'↗ (Prophets 2SA.15.10, JPS 1917)↗

squabble — Everyday, meaning 1: To squabble is to argue noisily about something small and unimportant.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A squabble is a small, silly argument.↗ Example: My brother and I squabbled over the last slice of pizza.↗ · Stop squabbling and take turns!↗ · The twins had a squabble about whose turn it was.↗ · Seagulls squabbled over a chip on the beach.↗ · The kids squabbled all the way to the seaside.↗ · It was just a little squabble; they were friends again by lunchtime.↗ · The politicians squabbled about the new road.↗ · Without me they'll be orphans left, and from door to door have to beg their bread and squabble with dogs."↗

squad — Everyday, meaning 1: A squad is a small group of people who work or train together, especially a sports team or a group of soldiers or police.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A squad is the full group of players a coach can choose a team from.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang) Your squad is your group of close friends: «me and my squad».↗ Example: I made the netball squad this year!↗ · The coach named an eighteen-player squad for the final.↗ · Squad training is on Tuesday after school.↗ · The bomb squad made the old shell safe.↗ · A squad of soldiers marched past.↗ · Me and my squad are going to the park.↗ · The whole squad cheered when Amira scored.↗

squadron — Everyday, meaning 1: A squadron is a group of ships, aircraft or soldiers that fight together as one unit.↗ Example: On the left hand of the second squadron.↗ · I was on board the Denmark, in Steene Bille's squadron.↗

squall — Everyday, meaning 1: To squall is to cry out loudly and harshly, as in fright or anger.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A squall is a sudden, strong gust of wind, often with rain.↗ Example: The rabbit squalled out, as if he was mad.↗ · Brer Bull-frog up and began to squall.↗

squalling — Everyday, meaning 1: To squall is to cry or scream loudly and harshly, the way a baby or an angry animal does.↗ Example: The baby began squalling as soon as the lights went out.↗ · The cat squalled when the dog came near.↗ · She stopped squalling and wiped her eyes.↗ · He squalled with pain after he fell off the wall.↗

squander — Everyday, meaning 1: To squander something is to waste it foolishly, especially money, time or a chance.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To squander a chance or talent is to fail to use it well.↗ Example: He squandered all his pocket money on sweets.↗ · Don't squander your time on silly games.↗ · The team squandered a three-goal lead.↗ · She squandered her chance to win.↗ · In the Bible story, the younger son squandered his father's money.↗ · It's a pity to squander such talent.↗ · They squandered the water during the drought.↗ · The two eldest of these lived in rioting and feasting, and thus wasted and squandered their father’s wealth till nothing remained, and they found themselves in want and misery.↗

square — Everyday, meaning 1: A square is a flat shape with four equal sides and four right angles (square corners).↗ A square has 4 sides.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A square is an open place in a town with buildings around it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The square of a number is the number multiplied by itself: the square of 5 is 25.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Square units measure area: square meters, square feet.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Square means having the shape of a square or a right angle.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: To square something is to make it square or to multiply it by itself.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: «A square meal» is a good full meal; «all square» means even or equal.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (casual, old slang) A square is a dull person who does not follow fashion: «Don't be such a square.».↗ Everyday, meaning 9: (casual) To square up is to pay what you owe: «I'll square up with you later»; «we're square» means we owe each other nothing.↗ Everyday, meaning 10: (rough) «Square up to someone» means get ready to fight them.↗ Everyday, meaning 11: (formal) «Quadrilateral with equal sides» and «raised to the second power» are stiff words in exams.↗ Everyday, meaning 12: A square root of a number is the number that, multiplied by itself, gives that number back: the square root of 25 is 5.↗ Example: A square has sides of 6 cm.↗ · Find the area of the square.↗ · The room is 20 square meters.↗ · The square of 5 is 25.↗ · A chessboard has 64 squares.↗ · The market is held in the town square.↗ · Can I have a square of chocolate?↗ · Fold the paper to make a square.↗ · gave u 5 last week, now u gave me 5, we're square (casual)↗ · He squared up to me in the playground, the idiot.↗ (rough)↗ · We won fair and square, 3–2.↗ · A quadrilateral possessing four sides of equal length, each measuring 7 cm; determine its area.↗ (formal exam)↗ · He tried it by square root and by cube root.↗ · Four-square it shall be and double: a span shall be the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof.↗ (Torah EXO.28.16, JPS 1917)↗ · It was four-square; they made the breastplate double; a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being double.↗ (Torah EXO.39.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt make the altar of acacia-wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be four-square; and the height thereof shall be three cubits.↗ (Torah EXO.27.1, JPS 1917)↗ · So also made he for the entrance of the temple door-posts of olive-wood, within a frame four-square; (Prophets 1KI.6.33, JPS 1917)↗ · And the hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve broad, square in the four sides thereof.↗ (Prophets EZK.43.16, JPS 1917)↗ · And all the doors with their posts were square in the frame; and light was over against light in three ranks.↗ (Prophets 1KI.7.5, JPS 1917)↗