📖 W — The English dictionary · page 33

wretch — Everyday, meaning 1: A wretch is a bad or mean person, used as an insult or in anger.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A wretch can also be a poor, unhappy person who is to be pitied.↗ Example: "Wretch!↗ You have killed my wife!"↗ · "Ah, wretch of a human being!"↗ · The poor wretch had no food or shelter.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗

wretched — Everyday, meaning 1: Very unhappy, ill or miserable: «I felt wretched with flu.».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Very poor or bad in quality: «They lived in wretched huts.».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal, annoyed) Used to show you are cross with something: «This wretched computer won't work!».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Wretched can also describe a person who is wicked and deserves scorn.↗ Example: Toad felt wretched in his cold cell.↗ · The wretched dog has eaten my homework!↗ · The refugees lived in wretched tents.↗ · I felt wretched after staying up so late.↗ · «Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.»↗ · Mole felt wretched when he lost his way in the Wild Wood.↗

wretchedly — Everyday, meaning 1: Wretchedly means in a very unhappy, miserable way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wretchedly means very badly or poorly.↗ Example: He lived wretchedly in a cold attic.↗ · The toy was wretchedly made and broke at once.↗ · The thorns held them fast, and they died wretchedly.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗

wretchedness — Everyday, meaning 1: Wretchedness is great misery, sadness or unhappiness.↗ Example: She felt the wretchedness of being lost.↗ · He lived in wretchedness for years.↗ · The wretchedness of the poor family made everyone sad.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗ · And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness.'↗ (Torah NUM.11.15, JPS 1917)↗

wriggle — Everyday, meaning 1: To wriggle means to twist and turn your body quickly from side to side.↗ e.g. "the worm wriggled in my hand".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To wriggle into or out of something means to get into or out of it by twisting.↗ e.g. "he wriggled into his wetsuit".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To wriggle out of something means to avoid doing it by being clever or making excuses.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) A wriggle is a twisting movement.↗ Example: The worm wriggled across the path.↗ · Stop wriggling and sit still!↗ · The puppy wriggled out of my arms.↗ · She wriggled into her tight jeans.↗ · He tried to wriggle out of doing the dishes.↗ · The tadpoles wriggled in the pond.↗ · The rope was loose, so the prisoner wriggled free.↗

wriggling — Everyday, meaning 1: Wriggling means twisting and turning your body with quick small movements.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wriggling (out of something) means trying to avoid doing something or to escape from a difficult situation.↗ Example: A wriggling worm came up after the rain.↗ · Stop wriggling and sit still!↗ · The puppy kept wriggling out of my arms.↗ · The fish was wriggling on the line.↗ · He was wriggling out of doing the washing-up.↗ · The baby was wriggling in her pram.↗ · The caterpillar was wriggling along the leaf.↗ · She was wriggling her body in distress.↗

wriggly — Everyday, meaning 1: Wriggly describes something that twists and turns its body a lot, like a worm or a fish.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wriggly also describes a person, especially a child, who cannot keep still.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A wriggly line is wavy, with lots of little bends.↗ Example: We found three wriggly worms under the stone.↗ · The wriggly baby wouldn't stay still for the photo.↗ · The fish was so wriggly I couldn't hold it.↗ · Draw a wriggly line under the spelling mistake.↗ · Tadpoles are tiny wriggly creatures.↗ · The class was wriggly after lunch.↗

wright — Everyday, meaning 1: A wright is an old word for a person who makes or builds things, used now mostly at the end of words: playwright, shipwright, wheelwright.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wright is a common family name; the Wright brothers flew the first powered aeroplane.↗ Example: Shakespeare was a famous playwright.↗ · The wheelwright made a new wheel for the cart.↗ · A shipwright builds and repairs ships.↗ · The Wright brothers built the first powered aeroplane.↗ · Mrs Wright is our new teacher.↗ · The playwright watched her play from the back row.↗

wring — Everyday, meaning 1: To wring something is to twist and squeeze it hard to get water out of it, as with a wet cloth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To wring your hands is to rub and twist them together because you are worried.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To wring a bird's neck means to twist it to kill it.↗ Example: Wring out the cloth before you wipe the table.↗ · She wrung her swimsuit over the sink.↗ · He was wringing his hands while he waited for the news.↗ · Our clothes were wringing wet after the storm.↗ · Twist the towel hard to wring the water out.↗ · The detective finally wrung the truth out of him.↗ · Weeping and wringing her hands, the girl went down to her mother.↗ · For the churning of milk bringeth forth curd, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.↗ (Writings PRO.30.33, JPS 1917)↗

wrinkle — Everyday, meaning 1: A wrinkle is a small line or fold in skin, cloth or paper.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To wrinkle is to make or get such lines, as when you wrinkle your nose or a shirt gets creased.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Informally, a wrinkle is a small problem or a clever new idea.↗ Example: Grandma has wrinkles around her eyes when she smiles.↗ · My fingers wrinkle after a long bath.↗ · He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the bin.↗ · Iron the shirt to get rid of the wrinkles.↗ · The old map was full of wrinkles and folds.↗ · We still need to iron out a few wrinkles in our plan.↗ · But every hundred years there came a wrinkle on my face.↗

wrinkly — Everyday, meaning 1: Having many wrinkles or creases: wrinkly skin, a wrinkly shirt.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, slang, rude) An old person; it can hurt feelings.↗ e.g. "the wrinklies".↗ Example: My fingers go wrinkly in the bath.↗ · Grandad has a wrinkly, smiley face.↗ · Your shirt is all wrinkly; hang it up.↗ · Raisins are just wrinkly grapes.↗ · The elephant has thick, wrinkly skin.↗ · "Let the wrinklies have the comfy chairs," joked Uncle Pete, and Nan laughed but rolled her eyes.↗

wrist — Everyday, meaning 1: Your wrist is the joint between your hand and your arm.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A wrist is also the part of a sleeve that covers this joint.↗ Example: I wear my watch on my left wrist.↗ · She fell and sprained her wrist.↗ · You can feel your pulse on your wrist.↗ · Wear wrist guards when you roller skate.↗ · He has a bracelet around his wrist.↗ · Bend and stretch your wrists before typing.↗ · His pet hawk had left his wrist and flown away.↗

wristband — Everyday, meaning 1: A wristband is a band of cloth, plastic, rubber or paper worn around the wrist, for example to soak up sweat, show you have paid for entry, show support for a cause, or carry information.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A wristband is also the strap of a watch or a smart device.↗ Example: At the festival we wore wristbands with Mum's phone number on them.↗ · The nurse put a hospital wristband on my arm.↗ · My friend wears a medical wristband because she is allergic to nuts.↗ · Show your wristband to get into the water park.↗ · The tennis player wiped his face with his wristband.↗ · We bought charity wristbands to raise money.↗ · Her fitness wristband counts her steps.↗ · Don't take off your wristband until we leave the park.↗

wristwatch — Everyday, meaning 1: A small clock you wear on a strap or band around your wrist.↗ Example: Grandpa gave me his old wristwatch.↗ · Check your wristwatch to see if it's playtime.↗ · My wristwatch has hands and numbers.↗ · A digital wristwatch shows the time as numbers.↗ · She wears her wristwatch on her left wrist.↗ · Soldiers used wristwatches in the First World War.↗

writ — Everyday, meaning 1: A writ is a formal written order from a court of law.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use, in tales and rhymes) Writ means written, the old past form of write.↗ Example: The court sent a writ to the farmer.↗ · "When they're writ upon your back," the rhyme says, meaning written there.↗ · The words were writ large on the wall.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗ · And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thy hand before their eyes.↗ (Prophets EZK.37.20, JPS 1917)↗

write — Everyday, meaning 1: To write means to put letters, words or numbers on paper or a screen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To write a story, letter or song is to make it up and put it into words.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To write to someone is to send them a letter or message.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «Write down» means write so you will remember.↗ Example: She writes 2 pages a day.↗ · He wrote 5 letters.↗ · Write the number in words.↗ · How many pages will she write in a week?↗ · Roald Dahl wrote many books for children.↗ · Write your name at the top of the page.↗ · I wrote to my pen pal in New Zealand.↗ · Write down the homework so you don't forget.↗ · He wrote his little story on his hand-ker-chief.↗ · And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words.↗ (Torah EXO.34.28, JPS 1917)↗ · And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me.↗ (Torah DEU.5.22, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.↗ (Torah DEU.6.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thy heart.↗ (Writings PRO.7.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write iniquity; (Prophets ISA.10.1, JPS 1917)↗ · That Thou shouldest write bitter things against me, and make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.↗ (Writings JOB.13.26, JPS 1917)↗

writer — Everyday, meaning 1: A writer is a person who writes books, stories, poems, articles or scripts, especially as a job.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A writer is anyone who has written a particular thing, or someone who writes in a certain way.↗ Example: My favourite writer makes me laugh.↗ · The writer used lots of describing words.↗ · She wants to be a writer when she grows up.↗ · Who is the writer of this poem?↗ · Our class are young writers this term.↗ · The writer wanted us to feel sorry for the dog.↗ · He is a neat writer, so his handwriting is easy to read.↗ · Both these writers are inclined to trace the chief incidents to India.↗ · In essence the work was, doubtless, the crystallization of centuries of tradition by one writer, and it has been added to from time to time, by later authors, who have also revised it.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Presumably, the anatomy of slaughtered livestock would have been fairly familiar to many writers and readers of the time, while blessedly few indeed would have had first-hand knowledge of human innards.]↗ Like what did He make them?↗ (A city) [strife].↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · There have been also some writers (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write iniquity; (Prophets ISA.10.1, JPS 1917)↗ · My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter; I say: 'My work is concerning a king'; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.↗ (Writings PSA.45.2, JPS 1917)↗ · And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn on his side.↗ (Prophets EZK.9.3, JPS 1917)↗

writest — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «writest» means «you write», a form of «write».↗ e.g. To write means to put letters, words or numbers on paper or a screen.↗ Example: What writest thou on yonder smooth parchment, sealing it with thy seal, and intrusting it to the horsemen and servants, who ride away, far away, to the city of the Pope?↗ (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen)

writeth — Early Modern English, meaning 1: «writeth» means «writes», a form of «write».↗ e.g. To write means to put letters, words or numbers on paper or a screen.↗ Example: and the latter husband hateth her, and writeth her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;↗ (Torah DEU.24.3, JPS 1917)

writhe — Everyday, meaning 1: To writhe is to twist and turn the body, often in pain.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To writhe can mean to wriggle hard to get free of a hold.↗ Example: The worm writhed on the hook.↗ · He writhed in pain on the floor.↗ · The snake writhed on the dry stones.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗ · My heart doth writhe within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.↗ (Writings PSA.55.5, JPS 1917)↗

writhed — Everyday, meaning 1: Writhed means twisted and turned the body, in pain or in a struggle.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Writhed can mean wriggled hard to get free.↗ Example: The caterpillar writhed free of its shell.↗ · The dragon writhed on the pebbles.↗ · She writhed in her chair with embarrassment.↗ · Nothing for maths.↗

writhing — Everyday, meaning 1: Twisting and turning the body, usually because of pain, or wriggling like a snake or worm.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Feeling very embarrassed or upset: «writhing with embarrassment».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Writhing can also describe something, such as smoke, that twists and curls through the air.↗ Example: The worm was writhing on the path.↗ · The Mock Turtle learned Reeling and Writhing at school.↗ · He lay writhing in pain after the fall.↗ · The snake writhed as it slid across the sand.↗ · She was writhing with embarrassment.↗ · Call 999 (or 911, 112, 000, 111 in NZ) if someone is writhing in pain and badly hurt.↗ · They saw a blue smoke rising, writhing upward till it vanished in the blue ether.↗