📖 W — The English dictionary · page 8

waterfowl — Everyday, meaning 1: Waterfowl are birds that swim and live on or near water, especially ducks, geese and swans.↗ Example: Ducks, geese and swans are waterfowl.↗ · The wetland reserve is home to thousands of waterfowl.↗ · Waterfowl have oily feathers that keep them dry.↗ · Many waterfowl fly south for the winter.↗ · Please don't feed bread to the waterfowl in the park — oats or seeds are better.↗ · We counted the waterfowl on the lake for our science project.↗

watering — Everyday, meaning 1: (verb) Giving water to plants or animals.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) The act of giving water.↗ e.g. The garden needs watering.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (adjective) Causing eyes or mouth to fill with water: watering eyes, mouth-watering food.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «A watering can» is a container with a spout for watering plants; «a watering hole» is a pool where animals drink, or (informal) a pub.↗ Example: I am watering the tomatoes.↗ · The garden needs watering every evening in summer.↗ · Fill the watering can at the outside tap.↗ · Chopping onions left me with watering eyes.↗ · The smell of baking was mouth-watering.↗ · Zebras gather at the watering hole.↗ · The gardener was near the gate, watering the dill and parsley, the carrots and parsnips.↗ · And he set the rods which he had peeled over against the flocks in the gutters in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink; and they conceived when they came to drink.↗ (Torah GEN.30.38, JPS 1917)↗ · Watering her ridges abundantly, settling down the furrows thereof, Thou makest her soft with showers; Thou blessest the growth thereof.↗ (Writings PSA.65.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Louder than the voice of archers, by the watering-troughs! there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts of His rulers in Israel.↗ (Prophets JDG.5.11, JPS 1917)↗

waterline — Everyday, meaning 1: The line along the side of a ship or boat where the water reaches.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A line or mark showing how high water has come, for example on a wall after a flood, or on a beach.↗ Example: The ship was painted red below the waterline.↗ · When we added marbles to our foil boat, the waterline rose up its side.↗ · A hole below the waterline can sink a ship.↗ · You can still see the waterline on the walls from last year's flood.↗ · The heavier the cargo, the lower the ship sits in the water.↗ · We marked the waterline on our model boat with a pen.↗

waterlogged — Everyday, meaning 1: Waterlogged ground is so full of water that it cannot soak up any more, so puddles stay on top.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A waterlogged boat or object is so full of water that it is heavy or sinks.↗ Example: The match was cancelled because the pitch was waterlogged.↗ · After days of rain, the fields were waterlogged.↗ · Plants can die in waterlogged soil.↗ · The old waterlogged boat sank to the bottom.↗ · My shoes got waterlogged in the stream.↗ · Clay soil gets waterlogged easily.↗

waterloo — Everyday, meaning 1: (a name) Waterloo is a town in Belgium where Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815 by British, Dutch, Belgian and Prussian armies.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Waterloo is a big railway station and area in London.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To meet your Waterloo means to suffer a final defeat after a long run of success.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: "Waterloo" is also a famous 1974 song by the Swedish band ABBA.↗ Example: Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.↗ · We took the train to London Waterloo.↗ · The champion finally met his Waterloo in the final.↗ · The Duke of Wellington led the British army at Waterloo.↗ · ABBA won Eurovision with "Waterloo".↗ · Waterloo is also a city in Ontario, Canada.↗

waterman — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A man who works on or with boats and water, or who carries and sells water.↗

watermark — Everyday, meaning 1: A faint picture or pattern pressed into paper, which you can see when you hold it up to the light; banknotes have them to show they are real.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A faint logo or word put over a digital picture or document to show who owns it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A mark showing how high water has reached, as in "high-water mark".↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) To put a watermark on paper or a picture.↗ Example: Hold the banknote up to the light and you will see the watermark.↗ · The photo had the photographer's name as a watermark.↗ · The school watermarked the test papers with its logo.↗ · A real banknote has a watermark; a fake one may not.↗ · The flood left a dirty watermark on the wall.↗ · Don't copy pictures with watermarks; they belong to someone else.↗ · + Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

watermelon — Everyday, meaning 1: A large round or oval fruit with a hard green skin and sweet, juicy red or pink flesh with black seeds.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The juicy flesh of this fruit as food.↗ Example: We ate watermelon at the beach on a hot day.↗ · A watermelon is mostly water.↗ · Mum cut the watermelon into eight equal slices.↗ · Don't swallow the seeds, spit them out.↗ · Watermelons grow on long vines on the ground.↗ · A whole watermelon is heavy, so carry it with two hands.↗ · I would like some more watermelon, please.↗ · Charley laughed, and said he would let the old man off if he would treat to a watermelon.↗

waterproof — Everyday, meaning 1: Waterproof means not letting water in or through.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A waterproof is a coat that keeps the rain off (UK).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To waterproof something means to treat it so water cannot get through.↗ Example: Take your waterproof jacket in case it rains.↗ · We tested which materials are waterproof.↗ · My watch is waterproof, so I can swim with it.↗ · Plastic is waterproof but paper is not.↗ · Wellington boots are waterproof.↗ · Dad waterproofed the tent before the trip.↗ · Put on your waterproofs before we go out.↗

watershed — Everyday, meaning 1: A watershed is a line of high land, such as a ridge, that divides two areas whose rivers flow in different directions.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (US) A watershed is the whole area of land whose water drains into one river or lake.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A watershed is an important moment when things change: a watershed in her life.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK) The watershed is the time in the evening after which TV programmes for adults can be shown.↗ Example: Rain falling on this side of the hills flows into a different river: the ridge is the watershed.↗ · Everything that drains into the lake is its watershed.↗ · Joining the team was a watershed in his life.↗ · That film is shown after the watershed, so it's not for children.↗ · We must keep our watershed clean to have clean water.↗ · The discovery was a watershed moment in science.↗

waterside — Everyday, meaning 1: The waterside is the land along the edge of a river, lake or sea.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective) Waterside describes things found by the water: a waterside cafe, waterside plants.↗ Example: We had a picnic at the waterside.↗ · Ducks and moorhens live along the waterside.↗ · The Rat's house was right at the waterside.↗ · Waterside paths can be slippery.↗ · They ate at a waterside cafe by the harbour.↗ · Willows grow well by the waterside.↗ · Canoe, canoe, float to the waterside; That is my mother calling me.↗

waterspout — Everyday, meaning 1: A waterspout is a column of water shooting up or out, such as a spout or a whirling tube of water over the sea.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A waterspout is also a spout on a roof or cliff that pours out water.↗ Example: Was it a waterspout, or a heavy sea rolling suddenly upon them?↗ · Springs of water flowed out of the cliff in thick waterspouts.↗ · The gushing waterspout took many strange forms.↗

watertight — Everyday, meaning 1: Watertight means so closely made that no water can get in or out.↗ Example: The hat was a deep tarpaulin, watertight, with a broad brim.↗ · Check the boat is watertight before you go out.↗ · Our story needs a watertight reason for the bear's escape.↗

waterway — Everyday, meaning 1: A waterway is a river, canal or other stretch of water that boats can travel along.↗ Example: The canal was an important waterway for carrying coal.↗ · Boats carry goods along the waterways of Europe.↗ · The Mississippi is a busy American waterway.↗ · Rubbish in waterways harms fish and birds.↗ · Venice has many narrow waterways instead of streets.↗ · The town grew up beside a great waterway.↗

waterworks — Everyday, meaning 1: A building or system that cleans water and sends it through pipes to people's homes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Tears; "turn on the waterworks" means to start crying, often to get sympathy.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (UK, euphemism) The body's system for making and passing urine (wee).↗ e.g. "trouble with the waterworks".↗ Example: The town's waterworks clean river water so we can drink it.↗ · We visited the old Victorian waterworks on our school trip.↗ · As soon as she lost the game, she turned on the waterworks.↗ · Here come the waterworks; my little brother has dropped his ice cream.↗ · Grandad went to the doctor about his waterworks.↗ · A new waterworks was built to supply the growing city.↗

watery — Everyday, meaning 1: Containing too much water; thin and weak: watery soup.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Full of water or wet: watery eyes.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Pale, weak in colour or light: a watery sun.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Like water or connected with water: a watery grave.↗ Example: The soup was watery and tasteless.↗ · My eyes go watery when I chop onions.↗ · A watery sun peeped through the clouds.↗ · She gave a watery smile through her tears.↗ · The paint was too watery to cover the paper.↗ · The pirates were sent to a watery grave.↗ · Pleasure-boats, with their swelling sails, skim lightly over the watery mirror, like white butterflies.↗

watt — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The unit used to measure power: how fast energy is used or produced.↗ One watt is one joule of energy every second.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name) James Watt was a Scottish engineer who improved the steam engine; the unit is named after him.↗ Example: An LED bulb uses only about 10 watts.↗ · The kettle uses 3,000 watts, or 3 kilowatts.↗ · A watt is a unit of power.↗ · The watt is named after James Watt.↗ · Which uses more watts, the hairdryer or the phone charger?↗ · The wind turbine makes two million watts, or two megawatts.↗

wave — Everyday, meaning 1: A moving ridge of water on the sea or a lake.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A movement of your hand to say hello, goodbye or to get attention.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: As a verb, to move your hand or something in your hand from side to side.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: In science, a way energy travels: sound waves, light waves.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A sudden rise of something.↗ e.g. "a heat wave", "a wave of sadness".↗ Everyday, meaning 6: A curl in hair.↗ Example: The waves crashed on the beach.↗ · Wave goodbye to Grandma.↗ · She waved to me from the bus.↗ · Sound travels in waves.↗ · It was a hot summer with a heat wave.↗ · Wave your arm if you need help in the sea.↗ · A huge wave knocked me over.↗ · The crowd did a Mexican wave.↗ · Now a wave came rolling onward.↗ · And the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave-offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.↗ (Torah LEV.9.21, JPS 1917)↗ · And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.↗ (Torah NUM.18.18, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto the LORD.↗ (Torah NUM.8.13, JPS 1917)↗ · For the waves of Death compassed me.↗ (Prophets 2SA.22.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and all Thy waves Thou pressest down.↗ (Writings PSA.88.8, JPS 1917)↗ · He made the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof were still.↗ (Writings PSA.107.29, JPS 1917)↗

waver — Everyday, meaning 1: To be unsure and keep changing your mind; to hesitate: she wavered between the red and the blue.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To become weaker or less steady: his courage wavered.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To move or shake unsteadily: the candle flame wavered.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Of a voice: to shake.↗ Example: She wavered between the two puppies.↗ · His voice wavered as he spoke.↗ · Toad's good resolutions wavered at the sound of a horn.↗ · The candle flame wavered in the wind.↗ · Her courage never wavered.↗ · He wavered at the edge of the diving board.↗ · But the prince did not waver, and declared he would abide by his words.↗ · Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in mine integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.↗ (Writings PSA.26.1, JPS 1917)↗ · If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, yea, return unto Me; and if thou wilt put away thy detestable things out of My sight, and wilt not waver; (Prophets JER.4.1, JPS 1917)↗

waving — Everyday, meaning 1: Moving your hand from side to side to say hello or goodbye, or to get attention.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Moving something up and down or side to side in the air, like waving a flag.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Moving gently with the wind, like grass or a flag waving.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Waving something away or aside: refusing it or ignoring it.↗ Example: Grandma is waving at us from the window.↗ · We stood on the platform waving goodbye.↗ · The fans were waving flags and cheering.↗ · A swimmer in trouble was waving one arm in the air.↗ · The tall grass was waving in the breeze.↗ · She's waving to get the teacher's attention.↗ · Why is that man waving at us?↗ Let's stay with Mum.↗ · Children lined the street, waving to the parade.↗ · Steamboats, with waving flags, pass swiftly by.↗ · And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the day of rest, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete; (Torah LEV.23.15, JPS 1917)↗ · And the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD; this is holy for the priest, together with the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine.↗ (Torah NUM.6.20, JPS 1917)↗