P
- peeling verb form (present participle of «peel»: peel, peels, peeled, peeling); adjective (peeling); noun (peelings, usually plural)
Peeling is the -ing form of «peel»: taking the skin off fruit or vegetables, or a covering coming off. - peen noun (a peen, peens); verb (peen, peens, peened, peening)
The rounded or wedge-shaped end of a hammer head, opposite the flat striking face (as in ball-peen hammer). - peep verb (peep, peeps, peeped, peeping); noun (a peep, peeps)
To peep is to look quickly and secretly, often through a small hole or gap. - peer noun (a peer, peers); verb (peer, peers, peered, peering)
To peer means to look very carefully or with difficulty at something, often narrowing your eyes or leaning forward. - peg noun (a peg, pegs); verb (peg, pegs, pegged, pegging)
A peg is a small hook or stick on a wall for hanging things, like coats. - pelage noun (pelage, uncountable)
1) (science, formal) The fur, hair or wool covering a mammal's body. - pelican noun (a pelican, pelicans)
A pelican is a large water bird with a very long beak and a big stretchy pouch of skin under it, which it uses to scoop up fish. - pellet noun (a pellet, pellets)
A small hard ball or piece of something, such as food for animals, ice or metal. - pelt noun (a pelt, pelts); verb (pelt, pelts, pelted, pelting)
noun: The skin of an animal with the fur or hair still on it. - pelvic adjective (pelvic)
Of or near the pelvis, the bowl-shaped group of bones at the bottom of your body that joins your spine to your legs. - pelvis noun (a pelvis, pelvises or pelves)
1) The pelvis is the large ring of bones at the bottom of your spine that joins your legs to your body; your hips are part of it. - pen noun (pen, pens); verb (pen, pens, penned, penning)
A pen is a tool for writing or drawing with ink. - penalise verb (penalise, penalises, penalised, penalising)
To penalise someone is to punish them for breaking a rule or law, for example with a penalty, a fine or lost points. - penalty noun (a penalty, penalties)
A penalty is a punishment for breaking a rule or a law, such as paying money (a fine). - penance noun (penance, a penance, penances)
1) (church) Penance is something a person does to show they are sorry for a sin, such as saying prayers or doing a good deed, especially… - pencil noun (pencil, pencils); verb (pencil — to write in pencil)
A pencil is a thin stick of wood with grey graphite (called «lead») or colour inside, for writing and drawing. - pending adjective (pending); preposition (pending — formal)
Pending means waiting to be decided, done or finished. - pendulum noun (a pendulum, pendulums)
A pendulum is a weight hanging from a fixed point on a string or rod, which swings backwards and forwards. - penetrate verb (penetrate, penetrates, penetrated, penetrating)
To penetrate something is to go into it or through it, often with effort: the nail penetrated the wood. - penguin noun (a penguin, penguins)
1) A black-and-white sea bird that cannot fly, swims very well using its wings as flippers, and lives mostly in the cold far south. - penicillin noun (penicillin, uncountable)
1) A medicine made from a mould that kills many bacteria; it is an antibiotic used to treat infections. - peninsula noun (a peninsula, peninsulas)
A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost surrounded by water but joined to a larger piece of land on one side. - penitence noun (penitence, uncountable)
Feeling truly sorry for something wrong you did, and wanting to put it right. - penitent adjective (penitent); noun (a penitent, penitents)
Penitent means feeling and showing that you are sorry for doing wrong. - pennant noun (a pennant, pennants)
A pennant is a long, narrow flag shaped like a triangle, used on ships, at sports grounds or as decoration. - penniless adjective (penniless)
1) Having no money at all; very poor. - penny noun (penny, pennies, pence)
1) A penny is a coin. In the US and Canada a penny is 1 cent; in Britain a penny is 1p and 100 pence make 1 pound. 2) «Not a penny» means… - pennyworth noun (a pennyworth, pennyworths — UK, old-fashioned)
The amount of something you could buy for one penny: «a pennyworth of sweets». - pension noun (a pension, pensions); verb (pension off)
A pension is money paid regularly to someone who has retired, from the government or a former employer. - pensioner noun (a pensioner, pensioners)
A person who gets a pension — regular money paid after they stop working, usually because they are old. - pensively adverb (pensively), from the adjective pensive
1) In a thoughtful way, quietly thinking hard about something, often with a serious face. - pentagon noun (pentagon, pentagons; the Pentagon — a building)
A pentagon is a flat shape with 5 straight sides and 5 corners. - pentecost noun (Pentecost — proper noun, uncountable)
1) (church) Pentecost is the Christian feast that remembers the Holy Spirit coming to Jesus' disciples, fifty days after Easter… - pentecostal adjective (Pentecostal); noun (a Pentecostal, Pentecostals)
1) (church) Pentecostal describes Christian churches that put strong weight on the Holy Spirit's gifts — such as healing, lively praise… - peony noun (peonies)
1) A large garden flower with big round pink, red or white blooms and thick, full petals. - people noun (person, people; «peoples» = nations; formal: persons)
People means more than one person: men, women and children. - pepper noun (pepper — uncountable spice; a pepper, peppers — vegetable); verb (pepper, peppers, peppered, peppering)
A hot-tasting powder made from dried, crushed peppercorns, used to season food (salt and pepper). - peppercorn noun (a peppercorn, peppercorns)
A peppercorn is a small dried berry of the pepper plant; it is ground up to make black or white pepper. - peppermint noun (peppermint — uncountable; a peppermint, peppermints)
Peppermint is a mint plant with a strong, fresh, cool taste and smell. - pepperoni noun (pepperoni, uncountable; a slice of pepperoni)
1) Pepperoni is a spicy dried sausage, usually made of pork and beef, sliced thin and often put on pizza. - peppery adjective (peppery, more peppery, most peppery)
1) Tasting hot and spicy, full of pepper. 2) Quick to get angry; bad-tempered. - peradventure adverb (old use)
1) Perhaps, maybe; a word from old stories, used when someone is not sure. - perambulator noun (perambulators) (old use)
1) A pram: a small carriage on wheels in which a baby is pushed along by a nurse. - perceive verb (perceive, perceives, perceived, perceiving) — formal
To notice or become aware of something through the senses: perceive a sound. - perceived verb, past of perceive (perceive, perceives, perceived, perceiving); adjective (a perceived threat)
Noticed or became aware of something, by seeing, hearing or understanding. - percent noun (percent — plural same); adjective and adverb (percent); also per cent (UK)
1) Out of every hundred; a part of 100. The sign is %. «50 percent» means 50 out of 100, which is a half. - percentage noun (a percentage, percentages)
A percentage is a number written as a part of 100, using the sign %, as 25% means 25 out of every 100. - perceptible adjective (more perceptible, most perceptible)
1) Able to be seen, heard, felt or noticed, even if only just. - perceptibly adverb (perceptibly)
1) In a way that can be noticed or seen, even if only a little: "It grew perceptibly colder." - perception noun (perception, perceptions)
Noticing and understanding things with your senses — seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling. - perch noun (a perch, perches; fish plural perch or perches); verb (perch, perches, perched, perching)
A perch is a branch, bar or stick where a bird sits. - perchance adverb (old use)
1) Perhaps; possibly, by chance. - percussion noun (percussion; uncountable); adjective (percussion instruments)
1) Percussion means musical instruments that you play by hitting, shaking or scraping them, such as drums, tambourines, triangles, cymbals… - perdition noun (perdition, uncountable)
Perdition is everlasting punishment after death, often meaning hell, in old Christian language. - peregrine noun (a peregrine, peregrines); adjective (peregrine, formal, old = wandering)
A peregrine, or peregrine falcon, is a bird of prey that dives at amazing speed to catch other birds in the air. - perfect adjective; verb (perfect, perfects, perfected, perfecting)
Perfect means with no mistakes or faults at all. - perfection noun (perfection, uncountable)
The state of being perfect, with no faults at all. - perfectly adverb (perfectly)
1) Perfectly means in a perfect way, without any mistakes. 2) Perfectly means completely or very: «perfectly safe», «perfectly fine». - perfidious adjective
1) Not to be trusted; breaking promises and betraying people who trusted you. - perforation noun (a perforation, perforations)
A small hole, or one of a line of small holes, made in paper so it can be torn off neatly. - perform verb (perform, performs, performed, performing)
To perform is to act, sing, dance or play music for an audience. - performance noun (a performance, performances; performance, uncountable)
A performance is a show of acting, music or dance in front of an audience. - performer noun (a performer, performers)
A person who entertains an audience by acting, singing, dancing, playing music or doing tricks. - perfume noun (perfume, perfumes); verb (perfume, perfumes, perfumed — less common)
A liquid with a nice strong smell that people put on their skin. - perhaps adverb
1) Perhaps means maybe; it is possible but not certain. 2) Used to make a request or idea sound polite. - peril noun (a peril, perils; also uncountable)
1) Great danger. 2) Something that is dangerous, a risk. - perilous adjective
1) Full of danger; likely to hurt or kill you. - perimeter noun (perimeter, perimeters)
The perimeter is the length all the way around a shape. - period noun (a period, periods); adjective (period — of a past age, e.g. period costume)
1) A period is a length of time. 2) At school, a period is one lesson in the timetable. 3) In American English, a period is the dot (.) at… - periodic adjective (periodic; periodically — adverb)
Periodic means happening again and again, at regular times or now and then. - periodical noun (a periodical, periodicals); adjective (periodical)
noun: A magazine or journal that comes out regularly, such as every week, month or three months. - periodically adverb (periodically)
Periodically means happening again and again, from time to time. - peripheral adjective (peripheral); noun (a peripheral, peripherals)
Peripheral means at the edge or outside part of something, not in the middle. - periscope noun (a periscope, periscopes)
1) A long tube with mirrors at each end that lets you see over or around something, used in submarines and in toys. - perish verb (perish, perishes, perished, perishing)
To die, especially in an accident, disaster or war. - perishable adjective (perishable, more perishable); noun (perishables — plural)
Perishable food goes bad or rotten quickly, like milk, meat and fruit. - periwinkle noun (a periwinkle, periwinkles; periwinkle — colour)
A periwinkle is a small sea snail with a spiral shell, found on rocks at the seashore. - perjury noun (perjury — uncountable)
1) (law) Perjury is the crime of telling a lie in court after promising to tell the truth. 2) It can also mean breaking a solemn promise. - perky adjective (perky, perkier, perkiest)
1) Cheerful, lively and full of energy. 2) Standing up straight and bright: «perky ears». - permafrost noun (permafrost — uncountable)
1) Ground that stays frozen all year round for at least two years in a row, found in very cold places like the Arctic, Siberia, Alaska and… - permanent adjective (permanent); noun (a permanent — old: a perm)
Lasting for ever or for a very long time; not changing: «a permanent marker». - permanently adverb (from «permanent»)
1) For ever, or for a very long time, without changing or ending. 2) All the time; always (permanently tired — informal exaggeration). - permeate verb (permeate, permeates, permeated, permeating)
To spread through every part of something: "The smell of bread permeated the house.". - permissible adjective (permissible)
1) (formal) Permissible means allowed by the rules or by law. 2) (formal) Permissible means acceptable. - permission noun (permission — usually uncountable; permissions in computing)
Permission is when someone in charge says yes, you are allowed to do something. - permit verb (permit, permits, permitted, permitting); noun (a permit, permits)
To allow someone to do something, or allow something to happen. - pernicious adjective
1) Very harmful; slowly causing damage, ruin or trouble. - perpendicularly adverb (from the adjective perpendicular)
1) Straight up and down, or at a right angle (a square corner) to a line or surface. - perpetrate verb (perpetrate, perpetrates, perpetrated, perpetrating)
1) (formal) To do something wrong, harmful or illegal, such as a crime or a trick. - perpetrator noun (a perpetrator, perpetrators)
1) (formal, law) A perpetrator is a person who does something wrong or harmful, especially a crime. - perpetual adjective (perpetual)
Lasting forever or for a very long time, never ending. - perpetually adverb (perpetually)
1) All the time, without stopping; forever. 2) Again and again, so often it seems constant: he is perpetually late. - perpetuate verb (perpetuate, perpetuates, perpetuated, perpetuating)
To make something continue for a long time, often something bad like a myth, an unfair idea or a problem. - perpetuity noun (perpetuity, uncountable)
Lasting for ever or for an endless time; mostly in the phrase «in perpetuity» (for ever). - perplexed adjective (more perplexed, most perplexed)
1) Puzzled and unsure, not able to understand something. - perplexity noun (plural perplexities)
1) Perplexity is a state of being puzzled and not knowing what to think or do. 2) (formal) A puzzling thing or problem. - persecute verb (persecute, persecutes, persecuted, persecuting)
1) To persecute people is to treat them cruelly and unfairly for a long time, especially because of their religion, race, beliefs or who… - persecution noun (persecution, uncountable; persecutions)
Cruel and unfair treatment of a person or group, especially because of their religion, race, beliefs or who they are. - persecutor noun (plural persecutors)
Someone who treats another person cruelly and unfairly again and again, to hurt or harm them. - perseverance noun (perseverance, uncountable)
Keeping on trying to do something even when it is hard, or when you fail at first.
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