📖 V — The English dictionary · page 3

vandal — Everyday, meaning 1: A vandal is a person who deliberately damages or destroys property.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (history) The Vandals were a group of people who attacked Rome long ago.↗ Example: Vandals broke the bus shelter.↗ · Someone sprayed graffiti; the police are looking for the vandals.↗ · The park bench was damaged by vandals.↗ · The Vandals were an ancient tribe.↗ · Don't be a vandal; respect property.↗ · Vandals smashed the school windows.↗

vandalism — Everyday, meaning 1: Damaging or destroying other people's property or public things on purpose, such as breaking windows or spraying paint.↗ Example: Smashing the bus shelter glass was an act of vandalism.↗ · The park closed after vandalism to the swings.↗ · Graffiti on the school wall counts as vandalism.↗ · Vandalism costs the council thousands of pounds each year.↗ · The police are looking into the vandalism at the station.↗ · Our class cleaned up after the vandalism in the playground.↗

vane — Everyday, meaning 1: A weather vane is a pointer on top of a building that turns in the wind to show which way the wind is blowing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A flat blade, such as on a windmill or fan, that is turned by wind or water.↗ Example: The weather vane points north today.↗ · We made a weather vane from a straw and a pencil.↗ · The rooster on the church is a weather vane.↗ · Wind turns the vanes of the windmill.↗ · A weather vane shows where the wind comes from.↗ · The vane spun in the storm.↗

vanilla — Everyday, meaning 1: Vanilla is a sweet flavour that comes from the seed pods of a kind of orchid plant.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Vanilla is a flavour of ice cream, cake and other sweets.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Informally, «vanilla» means plain or ordinary, with nothing special added.↗ Example: I'd like a vanilla ice cream, please.↗ · Add a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake mix.↗ · Vanilla comes from the pod of an orchid.↗ · Of 20 pupils, 8 chose vanilla, 7 chose chocolate and 5 chose strawberry.↗ · The cupcakes smelled of vanilla.↗ · It was just a vanilla phone with no extra features.↗

vanish — Everyday, meaning 1: To vanish means to disappear suddenly or in a way you cannot explain.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To vanish also means to stop existing, like an animal or a way of life that is gone for ever.↗ Example: The magician made the rabbit vanish.↗ · My pencil seems to have vanished!↗ · The sun vanished behind the clouds.↗ · The cat vanished under the bed.↗ · Many kinds of animals have vanished from the Earth.↗ · The ghost vanished into thin air.↗ · The fog vanished as the sun came up.↗ · The dream was over; it had vanished.↗ · Thou hidest Thy face, they vanish; Thou withdrawest their breath, they perish, and return to their dust.↗ (Writings PSA.104.29, JPS 1917)↗ · What time they wax warm, they vanish, when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.↗ (Writings JOB.6.17, JPS 1917)↗

vanishing — Everyday, meaning 1: Disappearing suddenly or completely, so you cannot see it any more.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Becoming fewer or smaller until almost gone: vanishing forests.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In art and maths: the vanishing point is where parallel lines in a perspective drawing seem to meet.↗ Example: The Cheshire Cat began vanishing, starting with its tail.↗ · The magician did a vanishing trick with a coin.↗ · The sun was vanishing behind the hills.↗ · Rainforests are vanishing because of logging.↗ · Draw the road narrowing to a vanishing point.↗ · Every time I buy biscuits they keep vanishing!↗ · The ship was vanishing over the horizon.↗ · Neither man nor horse woke till the coach was seen vanishing away in the distance.↗

vanity — Everyday, meaning 1: Being too proud of how you look or what you can do; caring too much about being admired.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Bible, old) Something worthless or empty; «vanity of vanities, all is vanity» (Ecclesiastes) means everything in this life passes away.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A vanity or vanity unit is a cupboard under a bathroom basin, or a dressing table.↗ Example: Toad's vanity got him into trouble again and again.↗ · The crow's vanity made it open its beak and drop the cheese.↗ · It's not vanity to brush your hair.↗ · «Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,» says the preacher in Ecclesiastes.↗ · Her vanity made her look in every mirror.↗ · The new bathroom has a white vanity with two drawers.↗ · Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers.↗ · They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; they have provoked Me with their vanities; and I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation.↗ (Torah DEU.32.21, JPS 1917)↗ · This also is vanity and a great evil.↗ (Writings ECC.2.21, JPS 1917)↗ · Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; all is vanity.↗ (Writings ECC.12.8, JPS 1917)↗ · This also is vanity and a striving after wind.↗ (Writings ECC.2.26, JPS 1917)↗

vanquish — Everyday, meaning 1: To vanquish is to defeat someone completely in a fight or contest.↗ It is a stronger word than beat.↗ Example: The hero vanquished the dragon.↗ · The vanquished giant fled into the hills.↗ · Good often vanquishes evil in the end.↗ · Beware lest ye say: 'We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man!'↗ (Writings JOB.32.13, JPS 1917)↗

vantage — Everyday, meaning 1: A position that gives you a good view or an advantage: «a vantage point» is a high or good place to watch from.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Advantage.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (tennis, old UK) Advantage after deuce.↗ Example: From our vantage point on the hill we could see the whole town.↗ · The owl watched from a vantage point in the oak tree.↗ · Let's find a good vantage point to watch the parade.↗ · From her vantage at the window, she saw everything.↗ · The spy chose a vantage point behind the wall.↗ · We climbed the tower for the best vantage point.↗

vape — Everyday, meaning 1: To breathe in and out the vapour (mist) from an electronic cigarette.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A vape: an electronic cigarette, a small battery device that heats a liquid, usually with nicotine and flavours, into a mist.↗ Example: Vapes usually contain nicotine, which is addictive.↗ · Vaping is not safe for children and teenagers.↗ · It's against the law to sell vapes to children.↗ · If someone offers you a vape, you can just say «No thanks».↗ · The school has a rule against vaping.↗ · The sweet flavours of vapes are meant to attract young people.↗ · Vape batteries can overheat and catch fire.↗

vapor — Everyday, meaning 1: Vapor is a mist or gas made when water or another liquid heats up, like steam.↗ Example: Hot vapor rose from the kettle.↗ · A cloud of vapor covered the meadow.↗ · Sulphurous vapor came up out of the cave.↗

vaporise — Everyday, meaning 1: To turn a liquid or a solid into a gas or vapour, usually by heating it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To destroy something completely so that almost nothing is left, as with a ray or a huge blast in stories.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) To disappear suddenly, as if into thin air.↗ Example: When water boils, it vaporises and turns into steam.↗ · The puddle vaporised in the hot sun by lunchtime.↗ · In the film, the alien's ray vaporised the rock in a flash.↗ · A drop of perfume vaporises quickly, so you can smell it across the room.↗ · Our teacher heated the ice until it melted and then vaporised.↗ · My pocket money seems to vaporise the moment I get to the shop.↗ · Liquids vaporise faster when it is hot and windy.↗

vapour — Everyday, meaning 1: Vapour is a gas made when a liquid is heated or evaporates, especially water vapour.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Vapour is tiny drops of liquid in the air that you can see, like mist or steam.↗ Example: Water turns into water vapour when it is heated.↗ · Clouds form when water vapour cools.↗ · The window was misty with vapour from the shower.↗ · Hot vapour from the kettle can burn you.↗ · Open a window to let the paint vapour out.↗ · Water vapour is a gas.↗ · The cold glass was covered in drops from the vapour in the air.↗ · Evaporation turns liquid into vapour.↗ · Almost unconsciously he opened it, and a purple vapour came pouring out.↗ · Fire and hail, snow and vapour, stormy wind, fulfilling His word; (Writings PSA.148.8, JPS 1917)↗ · For He draweth away the drops of water, which distil rain from His vapour; (Writings JOB.36.27, JPS 1917)↗ · As vapours and wind without rain, so is he that boasteth himself of a false gift.↗ (Writings PRO.25.14, JPS 1917)↗

vaquita — Everyday, meaning 1: A very small porpoise that lives only in the northern Gulf of California, in Mexico, and is the most endangered sea mammal in the world.↗ Example: The vaquita is the smallest porpoise in the world.↗ · Only a few vaquitas are left in the wild.↗ · Vaquitas get trapped in fishing nets by mistake.↗ · A vaquita has dark rings around its eyes.↗ · Scientists are trying to save the vaquita.↗ · Vaquitas live only in one small part of the sea.↗

var — Everyday, meaning 1: In computer programming, «var» is a short keyword for «variable», a named box that holds a value (used in JavaScript and other languages).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: VAR in football (soccer) stands for «video assistant referee»: officials who watch replays on screens to help the referee.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «var.» is short for «variety» in plant names, and «var» can be short for «variance» in maths and statistics.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: In notes on old texts, "var." means a different wording found in another copy of the text.↗ Example: In JavaScript, «var age = 10;» makes a variable.↗ · The goal was cancelled after a VAR check.↗ · Fans waited while VAR looked at the replay.↗ · The referee went to the VAR screen.↗ · The seed packet says «Rosa var. alba».↗ · Newer JavaScript code uses «let» more than «var».↗

variable — Everyday, meaning 1: (adjective) Changing often or able to change: variable weather.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun, maths) A letter or symbol, such as x or n, that stands for a number we do not know or that can change.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun, science) Something that can change in an experiment, such as temperature or time.↗ Example: In 3 + x = 10, x is the variable, and x = 7.↗ · The weather in spring is variable.↗ · In our test, the only variable we changed was the amount of water.↗ · Keep every other variable the same for a fair test.↗ · The price of fruit is variable through the year.↗ · The heater has a variable setting from low to high.↗ · Author's archaic and variable spelling and hyphenation is preserved.↗

variance — Everyday, meaning 1: Variance is difference or disagreement.↗ The phrase «at variance» means not in agreement with someone or something.↗ Example: The two brothers were at variance over the gold.↗ · His words are at variance with his actions.↗ · The man was at variance with himself.↗ · This is at variance with tlie Sefer Yetzirah, which emphasizes the doctrine of creation from nothing by the statement: "He (Godi formed existence out of void, something out of nothing" (Mishnah '22i.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

variant — Everyday, meaning 1: A slightly different form or version of something, such as a different spelling of a word or a different version of a game.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A new form of a virus or other living thing whose genes have changed a little, for example a Covid variant.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (adjective, formal) Different from the usual form.↗ Example: "Grey" and "gray" are variants of the same word.↗ · We played a variant of tag where you freeze when caught.↗ · Scientists are watching a new variant of the flu virus.↗ · This puzzle is a variant of the one we did yesterday, with bigger numbers.↗ · Chess has many variants, and some use a round board.↗ · The shop sells three variants of the toy car in different colours.↗ · The new variant spread quickly through the town.↗ · However, the manuscript variant found in the present edition is certainly old, appearing already in the oldest extant versions of the SY in the commentary of Saadia Gaon.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

variation — Everyday, meaning 1: A change or difference in amount or level: variation in temperature.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Something slightly different from the usual form: a variation of a game.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) The differences between living things of the same kind.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (music) A new version of a tune.↗ Example: There is a lot of variation in the heights of children in our class.↗ · We played a variation of tag where you freeze.↗ · Temperature variation between day and night is large in the desert.↗ · Every snowflake shows variation in shape.↗ · This cake is a variation on Gran's recipe.↗ · The composer wrote ten variations on a simple tune.↗ · We should be able to trace this re-introduction by the variation in titles.↗