📖 S — The English dictionary · page 96

stiffness — Everyday, meaning 1: Stiffness is being hard to bend or move, like a new board or a stiff collar.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Stiffness in the body is a tight, achy feeling in your muscles or joints, often after exercise or sleeping badly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Stiffness in how someone acts is being too formal, cold or awkward, not relaxed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (science) Stiffness is how strongly a material or spring resists being bent or stretched.↗ Example: I felt some stiffness in my legs after the cross-country race.↗ · Gentle stretching helps reduce stiffness.↗ · Grandad's knees have a bit of stiffness in cold weather.↗ · The stiffness of the cardboard made it hard to fold.↗ · We measured the stiffness of three different rulers in science.↗ · There was a stiffness in her voice when she said hello.↗ · The stiffness of the new shoes gave me blisters.↗ · After the long car ride, the stiffness in my back made me groan.↗

stifle — Everyday, meaning 1: To stifle a sound is to hold it back so that nobody hears it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To stifle a fire or a person is to smother it or stop its breath or flame.↗ Example: She stifled a yawn.↗ · He stifled his giggle in his sleeve.↗ · The thick blanket stifled the flames.↗

stifled — Everyday, meaning 1: Held back so it is not heard or seen: a stifled laugh, a stifled yawn, a stifled cry.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Unable to breathe well because the air is hot or stuffy.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Stopped from growing or being free: stifled ideas.↗ Example: She gave a stifled giggle during the assembly.↗ · I heard a stifled cry from the cupboard.↗ · He stifled a yawn as the speech went on.↗ · We felt stifled in the hot, crowded bus.↗ · A stifled sob came from the next room.↗ · Too many rules stifled their ideas.↗ · At intervals, a half-stifled sigh was heard from its inmost soul; it was the soul of Helga.↗

stifling — Everyday, meaning 1: Stifling means very hot and airless, so that it is hard to breathe.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It can also mean making you feel trapped or held back.↗ Example: It was a stifling hot day.↗ · The room was stifling, so we opened the window.↗ · The air in the cave was stifling.↗

stile — Everyday, meaning 1: A stile is a set of steps or a step over a fence or wall that lets people climb over but stops animals like sheep and cows getting through.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It is common on country footpaths, especially in the UK and Ireland.↗ Example: We climbed over the stile into the field.↗ · The footpath goes over a wooden stile.↗ · Help Grandpa over the stile.↗ · The dog squeezed under the stile.↗ · A stile lets walkers cross but keeps the sheep in.↗ · «He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile.»↗ · Be careful: the stile is slippery when wet.↗ · She put down the candles whilst she got over the stile.↗

still — Everyday, meaning 1: Still means even now, or up to this time.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Still means not moving, or calm and quiet.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Still means even so, in spite of that.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Still can make a comparison stronger: «still more», «still better».↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Still water or still drinks have no bubbles.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (casual) «Still» at the end of a sentence means anyway, even so: «Lost the match.↗ Good game, still.»↗ (UK); «you still there?» checks if someone is listening.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (rude) «Are you still here?» or «still waiting…» can be cross or sarcastic.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (formal) Exams say «remain», «yet to be», «outstanding», «nevertheless», «notwithstanding» and «stationary» (not moving).↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: Continually or always, going on without stopping.↗ Example: She still has 12 apples.↗ · He still needs 5 more dollars.↗ · How many pages does she still have to read?↗ · There are still 8 birds.↗ · Keep still while I take the photo.↗ · The lake was still and quiet.↗ · It was raining, but we still went out.↗ · The baby is still asleep.↗ · Still or sparkling water, love?↗ · U still got them 2 tickets?↗ · Are you still going on about that one chip?↗ · Of a book of 120 pages, 45 have been read.↗ Determine the number of pages yet to be read.↗ · But Night stood still and mute.↗ · And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.↗ (Torah GEN.12.9, JPS 1917)↗ · For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, (Torah EXO.9.2, JPS 1917)↗ · And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.↗ (Torah GEN.35.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.↗ (Prophets JER.47.6, JPS 1917)↗ · That he should still live alway, that he should not see the pit.↗ (Writings PSA.49.10, JPS 1917)↗ · For all this they sinned still, and believed not in His wondrous works.↗ (Writings PSA.78.32, JPS 1917)↗ · And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.↗ (Torah GEN.12.9, JPS 1917) · But Night stood still and mute.↗ (Andersen's Fairy Tales) · Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)

stillbirth — Everyday, meaning 1: A stillbirth is when a baby has died before it is born, late in the mother's pregnancy, so it is born not alive.↗ Example: The family was very sad after the stillbirth of their baby.↗ · Doctors work hard to make stillbirths rarer.↗ · Good care for mothers can help prevent stillbirth.↗ · They planted a tree to remember the baby lost in a stillbirth.↗ · A stillbirth is a very sad event for any family.↗

stillness — Everyday, meaning 1: Stillness is being completely still, with no movement.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Stillness is being quiet and calm, with no noise.↗ Example: The stillness of the forest was broken by a bird call.↗ · In the stillness of the night, we heard an owl.↗ · The lake lay in perfect stillness.↗ · Let's sit in stillness for one minute and breathe.↗ · The hunter waited in total stillness.↗ · A shout broke the stillness of the morning.↗ · A sudden clamor of high-pitched voices broke the deadly stillness of the dawn.↗ · Only for God doth my soul wait in stillness; from Him cometh my salvation.↗ (Writings PSA.62.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Only for God wait thou in stillness, my soul; for from Him cometh my hope.↗ (Writings PSA.62.6, JPS 1917)↗

stilt — Everyday, meaning 1: Stilts are a pair of long poles with footrests that you stand on to walk high above the ground.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Stilts are also tall posts that hold a house or building up above water or the ground.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A stilt is a wading bird with very long thin pink legs.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To get on your stilts is an informal way to say to act proud and pompous, as if you are better than others.↗ Example: The clown walked on stilts at the fair.↗ · Houses on stilts stay dry when the river floods.↗ · I fell off my stilts twice before I got the hang of it.↗ · The stilt waded through the shallow lake.↗ · Stilt walkers led the carnival parade.↗ · The beach hut stands on wooden stilts.↗ · "Don't get on your stilts," said the crone, "and I'll answer you.↗

stimulant — Everyday, meaning 1: A stimulant is a substance that makes your body and brain more awake and active for a while, such as the caffeine in coffee, tea and cola.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Some stimulants are strong drugs, some used as medicine and some illegal, that can be harmful.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A stimulant can also be anything that gets something going or growing faster, like a stimulant to the economy or to the imagination.↗ Example: Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea and cola.↗ · Energy drinks contain stimulants, so they are not for kids.↗ · The doctor said the medicine is a mild stimulant.↗ · Some athletes have been banned for taking stimulants.↗ · A stimulant can make your heart beat faster.↗ · Nicotine in cigarettes is a stimulant and is very addictive.↗ · For Mum, a strong cup of tea is her morning stimulant.↗ · The new park was a stimulant for local businesses.↗

stimulate — Everyday, meaning 1: To stimulate means to make something more active or make it grow or work more.↗ e.g. "Exercise stimulates your heart."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To stimulate a person means to make them interested, excited or full of ideas.↗ e.g. "The trip stimulated my interest in rocks."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) In biology, to stimulate a nerve or sense is to make it react, for example light stimulates the eye.↗ Example: Puzzles stimulate your brain.↗ · Sunlight stimulates plants to grow.↗ · The museum visit stimulated our curiosity about Egypt.↗ · Coffee stimulates adults and keeps them awake.↗ · Bright colours stimulate babies' eyes.↗ · The government cut taxes to stimulate the economy.↗ · The teacher asked questions to stimulate a discussion.↗

stimulated — Everyday, meaning 1: Stimulated is the past form of «stimulate»: made something more active, or made it start or grow.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: If a person is stimulated, their mind is interested, excited and full of ideas.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) In the body, a nerve, muscle or sense is stimulated when something triggers it to react, like light stimulating the eye.↗ Example: The trip to the museum stimulated our interest in dinosaurs.↗ · Bright light stimulated the cells in the eye.↗ · The toddler was over-stimulated by the noisy party and started crying.↗ · Lower prices stimulated sales at the shop.↗ · The story stimulated lots of questions from the class.↗ · Warm weather stimulated the seeds to sprout.↗ · I felt stimulated and full of ideas after the science fair.↗

stimulating — Everyday, meaning 1: Stimulating means interesting and exciting in a way that makes you think and want to know more.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Stimulating can mean making something more active, like a drink stimulating your brain.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: As a verb form, stimulating is what you are doing when you stimulate something: «They are stimulating growth».↗ Example: It was a really stimulating science lesson about volcanoes.↗ · Puzzles are a stimulating way to spend a rainy afternoon.↗ · The teacher made the classroom bright and stimulating.↗ · We had a stimulating discussion about whether robots can think.↗ · Coffee has a stimulating effect on the brain.↗ · Fertiliser works by stimulating plant growth.↗ · Grandma finds crosswords stimulating.↗ · The zoo gives the monkeys stimulating toys so they do not get bored.↗

stimulation — Everyday, meaning 1: Stimulation is making something more active, or the thing that does it: the stimulation of a muscle, of growth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Stimulation is something that makes the mind busy and interested.↗ e.g. "Children need play and stimulation."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) In biology, stimulation is when a nerve, sense or cell is made to react, for example by light, sound, touch or electricity.↗ Example: Babies need lots of stimulation from talking and play.↗ · Reading gives the brain good stimulation.↗ · Bored pets need more stimulation, like toys and walks.↗ · Electrical stimulation can help weak muscles.↗ · The noisy party was too much stimulation for the toddler.↗ · Puzzles provide mental stimulation for older people.↗ · The eye reacts to stimulation by light.↗

stimulus — Everyday, meaning 1: A stimulus is something that causes a living thing to react, such as light, sound, heat or touch.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A stimulus is something that encourages activity or growth, such as a reward or extra money.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (money) A stimulus is money a government spends to help the economy grow, such as stimulus payments.↗ Example: A bright light is a stimulus that makes your pupils shrink.↗ · The bell was a stimulus that made the dogs expect food.↗ · Plants grow towards the stimulus of light.↗ · Touching a hot pan is a stimulus; pulling your hand away is the response.↗ · The prize was a stimulus to work harder.↗ · The government gave a stimulus payment to families.↗ · Different stimuli make us react in different ways.↗ · Soul; the word is NPSh, which is commonly translated soul, meaning the living personality of man, animal or existing thing : it corresponds almost to the Theosophic Prana plus the stimulus of Kama.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

sting — Everyday, meaning 1: Of a bee, wasp, jellyfish or nettle: to hurt you by pushing a tiny sharp part or poison into your skin.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A noun: the wound or pain made by this.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To feel or cause a sharp burning pain: soap stings your eyes.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A noun: the sharp part of an insect that stings (also called a stinger).↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Of words: to hurt someone's feelings.↗ Example: A bee stung me on the finger.↗ · The wasp sting made my arm red and swollen.↗ · Shampoo stings if it gets in your eyes.↗ · Stinging nettles grow by the path, so wear long trousers.↗ · Jellyfish can sting you at the beach in Australia.↗ · Some people are allergic to bee stings and need a doctor quickly.↗ · A honeybee dies after it stings.↗ · Her mean words stung more than the fall.↗ · The Wasps said that they would keep guard and drive off thieves with their stings.↗

stinger — Everyday, meaning 1: A stinger is the sharp part on an insect or animal, such as a bee, wasp or scorpion, that it uses to sting.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A stinger can be an animal or plant that stings, like a stinging jellyfish (Australia) or a nettle.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) A stinger is a painful hit, remark or ending, something that «stings».↗ Example: A honeybee leaves its stinger in your skin.↗ · Mum scraped the stinger out with a bank card.↗ · A scorpion's stinger is at the end of its tail.↗ · The stingray's stinger is on its tail.↗ · We wore stinger suits when we swam at the beach in Queensland.↗ · The wasp waved its stinger at us.↗ · That last goal was a real stinger for the other team.↗ · Only female bees and wasps have stingers.↗ · Fionn would run his best to get away from that prickly stinger, but how he would run when it was his turn to deal the strokes!↗