📖 W — The English dictionary · page 21

widowhood — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The time or state of being a widow.↗ Example: And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.↗ (Torah GEN.38.19, JPS 1917)↗ · So they were shut up unto the day of their death, in widowhood, with their husband alive.↗ (Prophets 2SA.20.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.↗ (Prophets ISA.54.4, JPS 1917)↗

width — Everyday, meaning 1: Width is how wide something is, the distance from one side to the other.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A width of a swimming pool is one swim across its short side.↗ Example: The width of the room is 4 meters.↗ · The length is twice the width.↗ · Find the area if the length is 6 and the width is 3.↗ · The width is 2 cm less than the length.↗ · The sofa will not fit through the width of the door.↗ · I swam ten widths of the pool today.↗ · Measure the width of your book with a ruler.↗ · The road is 8 metres in width.↗ · Its body was so big that it looked like the trunk of a large pine tree and it took up the whole width of the bridge.↗

wield — Everyday, meaning 1: To wield a sword, axe or tool is to hold it and use it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To wield power or influence is to have it and use it.↗ Example: The knight wielded his shining sword.↗ · The woodcutter wielded his axe.↗ · The queen wields great power in the land.↗ · It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees.↗ (Writings PSA.74.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And in every place where the appointed staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps; and in battles of wielding will He fight with them.↗ (Prophets ISA.30.32, JPS 1917)↗

wife — Everyday, meaning 1: A wife is the woman a person is married to.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old) In old stories and old phrases, "wife" can mean simply a woman, as in "old wives' tale".↗ Example: Mr Patel's wife is a nurse.↗ · The farmer and his wife milked the cows.↗ · They became husband and wife at the wedding.↗ · My uncle's wife is my aunt.↗ · The king and his wife waved from the balcony.↗ · "Cracking your knuckles gives you big hands" is just an old wives' tale.↗ · A man and his wife share 24 apples equally, so each gets 12.↗ · His wife drove the kids to footy practice.↗ · But his wife called after him:--↗ · These are the sons of Adah Esau's wife.↗ (Torah GEN.36.12, JPS 1917)↗ · These were the sons of Basemath Esau's wife.↗ (Torah GEN.36.13, JPS 1917)↗ · These are the sons of Basemath Esau's wife.↗ (Torah GEN.36.17, JPS 1917)↗ · and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David's wife.↗ (Prophets 2SA.3.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.↗ (Prophets 1SA.18.27, JPS 1917)↗ · Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.↗ (Writings PSA.109.9, JPS 1917)↗

wifi — Everyday, meaning 1: Wifi (also written Wi-Fi) is a way of connecting phones, tablets, computers and other devices to the internet or to each other without wires, using radio waves.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In everyday talk, «the wifi» means the wireless internet connection in a place: «The wifi is down».↗ Example: What's the wifi password?↗ · The wifi isn't working, so I can't watch my show.↗ · The cafe has free wifi.↗ · My tablet connects to the wifi at school.↗ · The wifi signal is weak in my bedroom.↗ · Wifi sends information by radio waves.↗

wig — Everyday, meaning 1: A wig is a covering of real or false hair worn on the head to hide baldness, for a costume or to change how someone looks.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (law, UK) In some countries judges and barristers wear white wigs in court as part of their uniform.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, wig out) To wig out means to become very upset or panic.↗ Example: The actor wore a long blonde wig in the play.↗ · Judges in England still wear white wigs in some courts.↗ · Rich men in old portraits wore powdered wigs.↗ · My aunt wore a wig while she was having treatment for cancer.↗ · I bought a rainbow wig for the fancy-dress party.↗ · Don't wig out, we'll find your homework.↗ (slang)↗ · The wind blew the clown's wig right off.↗ · A BALD KNIGHT, who wore a wig, went out to hunt.↗

wiggle — Everyday, meaning 1: To wiggle is to move with small quick movements from side to side or up and down.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A wiggle is one such small quick movement.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A wiggly line is one that goes from side to side in little waves.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal) «Wiggle room» means a little freedom to change something.↗ Example: Wiggle your toes in the warm sand.↗ · The worm wiggled across the path.↗ · My loose tooth wiggles when I touch it.↗ · The puppy wiggled its whole body with joy.↗ · The dancers wiggled their hips to the music.↗ · Draw a wiggly line under the title.↗ · He tried to wiggle out of doing the dishes.↗ · Get a wiggle on or we'll miss the bus!↗ · “Now just wiggle your shoulders this way,” he said, “and let go.”↗

wiggly — Everyday, meaning 1: Wiggly means with many small curves or bends, not straight.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Moving with small quick twisting movements.↗ Example: Draw a wiggly line across the page.↗ · The worm was long and wiggly.↗ · My tooth is wiggly and will fall out soon.↗ · Tadpoles have wiggly tails.↗ · A wiggly line is not a straight line.↗ · The baby is so wiggly when I change her nappy.↗

wigwam — Everyday, meaning 1: A wigwam is a tent of skins, bark or mats, round or cone-shaped, used as a home by some North American peoples.↗ Example: The family sat round the fire in their wigwam.↗ · Many wigwams stood by the river.↗ · The boy ran back to his wigwam.↗

wild — Everyday, meaning 1: Living or growing in nature, not looked after by people: wild animals, wild flowers.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Of land: natural, with few people or buildings.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Not controlled; very noisy, excited or rough: a wild party, wild behaviour.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Of weather: stormy and strong.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Not sensible or a guess without thinking: a wild guess.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: Noun: the wild — nature, away from people.↗ Example: Lions are wild animals.↗ · We picked wild blackberries with Grandma.↗ · Never touch a wild animal, even if it looks friendly.↗ · The wind was wild last night.↗ · The crowd went wild when we scored.↗ · Pandas live in the wild in China.↗ · That was a wild guess, not a real answer.↗ · Don't eat wild mushrooms — some are poisonous.↗ · God who brought them forth out of Egypt is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox.↗ (Torah NUM.23.22, JPS 1917)↗ · the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the mountain-sheep.↗ (Torah DEU.14.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.'↗ (Torah GEN.16.12, JPS 1917)↗ · Who hath sent out the wild ass free?↗ (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Will the wild-ox be willing to serve thee?↗ (Writings JOB.39.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?↗ (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917)↗

wildcat — Everyday, meaning 1: A wildcat is a wild cat that looks like a big tabby, living in Europe, Africa and Asia; the Scottish wildcat is very rare.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In America, wildcat can mean any wild member of the cat family, like a bobcat.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A wildcat strike is a sudden strike by workers without the union's official approval.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal) A wildcat is a fierce, wild person.↗ Example: The Scottish wildcat is one of Britain's rarest animals.↗ · A wildcat looks like a tabby cat with a thick, ringed tail.↗ · Workers walked out in a wildcat strike.↗ · Wildcats hide in forests and hunt at night.↗ · She fought like a wildcat.↗ · Wildcats should not be kept as pets.↗ · It might have been a wildcat prowling low on soft, stealthy feet.↗

wildebeest — Everyday, meaning 1: A wildebeest is a large African antelope with curved horns, a long face, a mane and a beard; it is also called a gnu.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wildebeest live in big herds on the grasslands and travel long distances to find fresh grass and water.↗ Example: A wildebeest is also called a gnu.↗ · Thousands of wildebeest crossed the river.↗ · Lions hunt wildebeest on the savanna.↗ · The wildebeest herd moved north to find fresh grass.↗ · A baby wildebeest can walk minutes after it is born.↗ · Wildebeest eat grass and are herbivores.↗ · We watched a film about the great wildebeest migration.↗ · The stampede of wildebeest raised a huge cloud of dust.↗

wilderness — Everyday, meaning 1: A wilderness is a wild area of land that people have not changed, with no towns, farms or roads.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Bible) The wilderness is the desert where, the Bible says, the Israelites wandered for forty years and Jesus fasted for forty days.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In the wilderness (idiom): left out, without power or importance for a time.↗ Example: Bears live deep in the Canadian wilderness.↗ · The explorers crossed the frozen wilderness.↗ · Moses led the people through the wilderness.↗ · Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness.↗ · Our garden became a wilderness when nobody weeded it.↗ · The team spent years in the wilderness before winning again.↗ · A wilderness guide taught us to read a compass.↗ · The way gradually grew thicker of brushwood, as they rode along, till at last it became a trackless wilderness.↗ · And from the wilderness to Mattanah; (Torah NUM.21.18, JPS 1917)↗ · But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.↗ (Torah NUM.14.32, JPS 1917)↗ · And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying: (Torah NUM.3.14, JPS 1917)↗ · In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah; (Prophets JOS.15.61, JPS 1917)↗ · The burden of the wilderness of the sea.↗ (Prophets ISA.21.1, JPS 1917)↗ · and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land, (Prophets 1KI.9.18, JPS 1917)↗

wildfire — Everyday, meaning 1: A wildfire is a big fire that spreads out of control through forests, bush or grassland.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «Spread like wildfire» means spread very quickly, like news or a rumour.↗ Example: The wildfire spread quickly across the dry hills.↗ · Firefighters dropped water on the wildfire from planes.↗ · Many animals ran from the wildfire.↗ · Smoke from the wildfire made the sky orange.↗ · The rumour spread like wildfire through the school.↗ · Never leave a campfire burning, because it could start a wildfire.↗ · Our family has a plan in case of a wildfire.↗ · Wildfires are more common in hot, dry summers.↗

wildflower — Everyday, meaning 1: A wildflower is a flower that grows naturally without being planted by people.↗ Example: The field was full of poppies and other wildflowers.↗ · We planted a wildflower patch for the bees.↗ · Bluebells are wildflowers that grow in woods.↗ · Please don't pick wildflowers in the national park.↗ · We drew wildflowers in our nature journals.↗ · Australia has many wildflowers that grow nowhere else.↗

wildlife — Everyday, meaning 1: Wild animals, birds, insects and plants that live free in nature, not kept by people.↗ Example: We saw lots of wildlife on our walk.↗ · Please don't feed the wildlife.↗ · Kangaroos and koalas are Australian wildlife.↗ · The wetlands are home to rare wildlife.↗ · Litter can hurt wildlife.↗ · Keep your dog on a lead to protect wildlife.↗

wildly — Everyday, meaning 1: Wildly means in a wild, uncontrolled way, with lots of excited or fierce movement.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wildly means very much or extremely: «wildly popular», «wildly wrong».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A wildly growing plant grows freely, without anyone looking after it.↗ Example: The crowd cheered wildly when we scored.↗ · My heart was beating wildly before the race.↗ · He waved his arms wildly to get our attention.↗ · The dog barked wildly at the postman.↗ · Her guess of 5,000 was wildly wrong.↗ · The weather changed wildly from sunny to stormy.↗ · Flowers grew wildly along the old railway.↗ · The new game is wildly popular at our school.↗ · And the horse galloped on more wildly than before.↗

wile — Everyday, meaning 1: Wiles are clever tricks or charming ways used to persuade or fool someone.↗ Example: The fox used all his wiles to trick the crow.↗ · Despite her wiles, the guard did not let her in.↗ · The cat used its wiles to get an extra treat.↗ · Odysseus was famous for his wiles.↗ · He fell for the trickster's wiles.↗ · Only have a care of that money-lender, for even magic is not proof against their wiles!"↗

wilful — Everyday, meaning 1: A wilful person is stubborn and determined to do what they want, even when told not to.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, legal) A wilful action is done on purpose, deliberately, especially something bad: wilful damage.↗ Example: The wilful little goat would not come down from the wall.↗ · She was a wilful child who always wanted her own way.↗ · Breaking the window was wilful damage, not an accident.↗ · He wilfully ignored the warning signs.↗ · The wilful puppy pulled on its lead.↗ · The judge said the harm was wilful.↗

wilfulness — Everyday, meaning 1: Being determined to do what you want, even when told not to; stubbornness.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal, law) Doing something on purpose, knowing it is wrong.↗ Example: The princess's wilfulness made her run away from the palace.↗ · His wilfulness meant he would never listen to advice.↗ · The judge noted the wilfulness of the damage.↗ · The pony's wilfulness made it hard to ride.↗ · Her wilfulness sometimes helped her win, too.↗ · Parents found the toddler's wilfulness tiring.↗