h ['āch] -n

  1. the 8th letter of the English alphabet
  2. a graphic representation of this letter
  3. a speech counterpart of orthographic h
  4. a graphic device for reproducing the letter h
  5. one designated hesp. as the eighth in order or class
  6. something shaped like the letter H
  7. half
  8. harbor
  9. hard; hardness
  10. hect-; hecto-
  11. height
  12. high
  13. hit
  14. horse
  15. hour
  16. humidity
  17. hundred
  18. husband

H -abbr

  1. Hamiltonian
  2. henry
  3. heroin
  4. hydrogen

ha ['hä] -interj

  1. used esp. to express surprise, joy, or triumph
  2. hectare

HA -abbr

  1. hour angle

Hab -abbr

  1. Habacuc; Habakkuk

Ha·ba·cuc ['ha-bə-,kək, hə-'ba-kək] -n

  1. habakkuk

Ha·bak·kuk ['ha-bə-,kək, hə-'ba-kək] -n

  1. a Hebrew prophet of seventh century b.c.Judah who prophesied an imminent Chaldean invasion
  2. a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

ha·ba·ne·ra [,(h)ä-bə-'ner-ə] -n

  1. a Cuban dance in slow duple time
  2. the music for the habanera

ha·ba·ne·ro [,(h)ä-bə-'n(y)er-ō] -n

  1. a very hot roundish chili pepper ( Capsicum chinense) that is usu. orange when mature

hab corp -abbr

  1. habeas corpus

habdalah [,häv-də-'lä, häv-'dȯ-lə] -n

(variant of havdalah)

  1. a Jewish ceremony marking the close of a Sabbath or holy day

ha·be·as cor·pus ['hā-bē-əs-'kȯr-pəs] -n

  1. any of several common-law writs issued to bring a party before a court or judge
  2. habeas corpus ad subjiciendum
  3. the right of a citizen to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as a protection against illegal imprisonment

habeas corpus ad sub·ji·ci·en·dum [-,ad-səb-,ji-sē-'en-dəm, -,ji-shē-; -,äd-su̇b-,yi-kē-'en-du̇m] -n

  1. a writ for inquiring into the lawfulness of the restraint of a person who is imprisoned or detained in another's custody

hab·er·dash·er ['ha-bə(r)-,da-shər] -n

  1. a dealer in notions
  2. a dealer in men's clothing and accessories

hab·er·dash·ery [-,da-sh(ə-)rē] -n

  1. goods sold by a haberdasher
  2. a haberdasher's shop

ha·ber·geon ['ha-bər-jən; hə-'bər-jē-ən, -jən] -n

  1. a medieval jacket of mail shorter than a hauberk
  2. hauberk

Ha·ber process ['hä-bər-] -n

  1. a catalytic process for synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen

hab·ile ['ha-bəl, -,bī(-ə)l] -adj

  1. having general skill : able, skillful

ha·bil·i·ment [hə-'bi-lə-mənt] -n

  1. characteristic apparatus : trappings
    • the habiliment s of civilization -- W. P. Webb
  2. the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion usu. used in pl.
  3. clothes usu. used in pl.

ha·bil·i·tate [hə-'bi-lə-,tāt] -vb, n

  1. to make fit or capable (as for functioning in society)
  2. clothe, dress
  3. to qualify oneself

hab·it ['ha-bət] -n

  1. clothing
  2. a costume characteristic of a calling, rank, or function
    • a nun's habit
  3. a costume worn for horseback riding
  4. manner of conducting oneself : bearing
  5. bodily appearance or makeup
    • a man of fleshy habit
  6. the prevailing disposition or character of a person's thoughts and feelings : mental makeup
  7. a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior
    • her habit of taking a morning walk
  8. a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance
  9. an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary
    • got up early from force of habit
  10. addiction
    • a drug habit
  11. characteristic mode of growth or occurrence
    • a grass similar to Indian corn in habit
  12. characteristic assemblage of forms at crystallization leading to a usual appearance
  13. shape

habit -vt

  1. clothe, dress

hab·it·able ['ha-bə-tə-bəl also hə-'bi-tə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being lived in : suitable for habitation

ha·bi·tant [-'täⁿ] -n

  1. inhabitant, resident
  2. a settler or descendant of a settler of French origin working as a farmer in Canada

hab·i·tat ['ha-bə-,tat] -n

  1. the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows
  2. the typical place of residence of a person or a group
  3. a housing for a controlled physical environment in which people can live under surrounding inhospitable conditions (as under the sea)
  4. the place where something is commonly found

hab·i·ta·tion [,ha-bə-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the act of inhabiting : occupancy
    • not fit for human habitation
  2. a dwelling place
  3. settlement, colony

hab·itform·ing ['ha-bət-,fȯr-miŋ] -adj

  1. inducing the formation of an addiction
    • a habitforming drug

ha·bit·u·al [hə-'bi-ch(ə-)wəl, ha-, -'bi-chəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. having the nature of a habit : customary
    • habitual candor
    • habitual behavior
  2. doing, practicing, or acting in some manner by force of habit
    • habitual drunkards
  3. resorted to on a regular basis
    • our habitual diet
  4. inherent in an individual
    • habitual grace

ha·bit·u·ate [hə-'bi-chə-,wāt, ha-, -chü-,āt] -vb

  1. to make used to something : accustom
  2. frequent
  3. to cause habituation
  4. to undergo habituation
    • habituate to a stimulus

ha·bit·u·a·tion [-,bi-chə-'wā-shən, -chü-'ā-] -n

  1. the process of habituating : the state of being habituated
  2. tolerance to the effects of a drug acquired through continued use
  3. psychological dependence on a drug after a period of use
  4. decrease in responsiveness upon repeated exposure to a stimulus

hab·i·tude ['ha-bə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. native or essential character
  2. habitual association
  3. habitual disposition or mode of behavior or procedure
  4. custom

ha·bi·tue [hə-'bi-chə-,wā, ha-, -,bi-chə-'] -n

  1. a person who may be regularly found in or at a particular place or kind of place
    • cafe habitue s
  2. devotee
    • an Internet habitue

hab·i·tus ['ha-bə-təs] -n

  1. habit
  2. body build and constitution esp. as related to predisposition to disease

ha·boob [hə-'büb] -n

  1. a violent dust storm or sandstorm esp. of Sudan

ha·ek ['hä-,chek] -n

  1. a diacritic placed over a letter (as in ) to modify it : an inverted circumflex

ha·cen·da·do [,(h)ä-sᵊn-'dä-(,)dō] -n

  1. the owner or proprietor of a hacienda

ha·chure [ha-'shu̇r] -n

  1. a short line used for shading and denoting surfaces in relief (as in map drawing) and drawn in the direction of slope

hachure -vt

  1. to shade with or show by hachures

ha·ci·en·da [,(h)ä-sē-'en-də] -n

  1. a large estate esp. in a Spanish-speaking country : plantation
  2. the main dwelling of a hacienda

hack ['hak] -vb

  1. to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows
  2. to cut or shape by or as if by crude or ruthless strokes
    • hack ing out new election districts
  3. annoy, vex often used with off
  4. to clear or make by or as if by cutting away vegetation
    • hack ed his way through the brush
  5. to manage successfully
    • just couldn't hack the new job
  6. tolerate
    • I can't hack all this noise
  7. to make chopping strokes or blows
    • hack ed at the weeds
  8. to make cuts as if by chopping
    • hack ing away at the work force
  9. to play inexpert golf
  10. to cough in a short dry manner
  11. loaf usu. used with around
  12. to write computer programs for enjoyment
  13. to gain access to a computer illegally
  14. an implement for hacking
  15. nick, notch
  16. a short dry cough
  17. a hacking stroke or blow
  18. restriction to quarters as punishment for naval officers usu. usedin the phrase under hack
  19. a usu. creative solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation
  20. hackney
  21. taxicab
  22. cabdriver
  23. a horse let out for common hire
  24. a horse used in all kinds of work
  25. a horse worn out in service : jade
  26. a light easy saddle horse
  27. a three-gaited saddle horse
  28. a ride on a horse
  29. a person who works solely for mercenary reasons : hireling
    • party hack s
  30. a writer who works on order
  31. a writer who aims solely for commercial success
  32. hacker
  33. working for hire esp. with mediocre professional standards
    • a hack journalist
  34. performed by, suited to, or characteristic of a hack
    • hack writing
  35. hackneyed, trite
  36. to ride or drive at an ordinary pace or over the roads esp. as distinguished from racing or hunting
  37. to operate a taxicab
  38. to ride (a horse) at an ordinary pace
  39. to rear (a young hawk) in a state of partial liberty esp. prior to the acquisition of flight and hunting capabilities
  40. a guard esp. at a prison

hack·a·more ['ha-kə-,mȯr] -n

  1. a bridle with a loop capable of being tightened about the nose in place of a bit or with a slip noose passed over the lower jaw

hack·ber·ry ['hak-,ber-ē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Celtis) of trees and shrubs of the elm family with small often edible berries
  2. its wood

hack·er ['ha-kər] -n

  1. one that hacks
  2. a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity
    • a tennis hacker
  3. an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer
  4. a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system

hack·ie ['ha-kē] -n

  1. cabdriver

hack·le ['ha-kəl] -n

  1. one of the long narrow feathers on the neck or saddle of a bird
  2. the neck plumage of the domestic fowl
  3. a comb or board with long metal teeth for dressing flax, hemp, or jute
  4. erectile hairs along the neck and back esp. of a dog
  5. temper, dander
    • the issue raised some hackle s
  6. an artificial fishing fly made chiefly of the filaments of a cock's neck feathers
  7. filaments of cock feather projecting from the head of an artificial fly

hackle ['ha-k(ə-)liŋ] -vt, n

  1. to comb out with a hackle

hack·ly ['ha-k(ə-)lē] -adj

  1. having the appearance of something hacked : jagged

hack·man ['hak-mən] -n

  1. cabdriver

hack·ma·tack ['hak-mə-,tak] -n

  1. tamarack

hack·ney ['hak-nē] -n

  1. a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving
  2. a trotting horse used chiefly for driving
  3. any of an English breed of rather compact usu. chestnut, bay, or brown high-stepping horses
  4. one that works for hire
  5. a carriage or automobile kept for hire

hackney -adj

  1. kept for public hire
  2. hackneyed
  3. done or suitable for doing by a drudge
  4. to make common or frequent use of
  5. to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace
  6. to make sophisticated or jaded

hackney coach -n

  1. a coach kept for hire
  2. a four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses and having seats for six persons

hack·neyed ['hak-nēd] -adj

  1. lacking in freshness or originality
    • hackneyed slogans

hack·saw ['hak-,sȯ] -n, vb

  1. a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame that is used for cutting hard materials (as metal)

hack·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. literary, artistic, or professional work done on order usu. according to formula and in conformity with commercial standards

had ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

ha·dal ['hā-dᵊl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being the parts of the ocean below 6000 meters (about 20,000 feet)

had·dock ['ha-dək] -n

  1. an important food fish ( Melanogrammus aeglefinussyn. Gadus aeglefinus) of the cod family occurring on both sides of the No. Atlantic that has a black lateral line and dark patch above the pectoral fin

Ha·de·an ['hā-,dē-ən, hā-'dē-ən] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or being the aeon of history between the formation of the solar system and the formation of the first rocks on the earth

Ha·des ['hā-(,)dēz] -n

  1. pluto
  2. the underground abode of the dead in Greek mythology
  3. sheol
  4. hell

ha·dith [hə-'dēth] -n

  1. a narrative record of the sayings or customs of Muhammad and his companions
  2. the collective body of traditions relating to Muhammad and his companions

hadj ['haj] -n

(variant of hajj)

  1. the pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed as a religious duty for Muslims

Had·ley cell ['had-lē-] -n

  1. a pattern of atmospheric circulation in which warm air rises near the equator, cools as it travels poleward at high altitude, sinks as cold air, and warms as it travels equatorward
  2. a similar atmospheric circulation pattern on another planet (as Mars)

hadn't ['ha-dᵊnt, -dᵊn, dial also 'ha-tᵊn(t) or 'hant]

  1. had not

had·ron ['ha-,drän] -n, adj

  1. any of the subatomic particles (as protons and neutrons) that are made up of quarks and are subject to the strong force

had·ro·saur ['ha-drə-,sȯr] -n

  1. any of a family (Hadrosauridae) of medium-sized bipedal herbivorous dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous with long flat snouts and an often crested skull

hadst ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

hae ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

haem ['hēm] -n

(variant of heme)

  1. the deep red iron-containing prosthetic group C 34H 32N 4O 4Fe of hemoglobin and myoglobin

haem- -comb form

(variant of hem-)

  1. blood
    • hem agglutination
    • hemo flagellate

haema- -comb form

(variant of hema-)

  1. hem-
    • hema cytometer

haemat- -comb form

(variant of hemat-)

  1. hem-
    • hemato genous

hae·ma·tite ['hē-mə-,tīt] -n, adj

(variant of hematite)

  1. a reddish-brown to black mineral consisting of ferric oxide, constituting an important iron ore, and occurring in crystals or as earthy red ocher

haet ['hāt] -n

  1. a small quantity : whit, bit

haf·fet ['ha-fət] -n

  1. cheek, temple

haf·ni·um ['haf-nē-əm] -n

  1. a metallic element that resembles zirconium in its chemical properties, occurs esp. in zirconium minerals, and readily absorbs neutrons

haft ['haft] -n

  1. the handle of a weapon or tool
  2. to set in or furnish with a haft

haf·ta·rah [häf-'tȯr-ə, ,häf-tə-'rä] -n

  1. one of the biblical selections from the Books of the Prophets read after the parashah in the Jewish synagogue service

hag ['hag] -n, adj

  1. an ugly, slatternly, or evil-looking old woman
  2. a female demon
  3. an evil or frightening spirit : hobgoblin
  4. witch
  5. quagmire, bog
  6. a firm spot in a bog

Hag -abbr

  1. Haggai

Ha·gar ['hā-,gär, -gər] -n

  1. a concubine of Abraham driven into the desert with her son Ishmael because of Sarah's jealousy according to the account in Genesis

hag·fish ['hag-,fish] -n

  1. any of a family (Myxinidae) of marine cyclostomes that are related to the lampreys and in general resemble eels but have a round mouth surrounded by barbels and that feed upon other fishes and invertebrates by boring into their bodies

Hag·ga·dah [hə-'gä-də, hä-, -'gȯ-] -n, adj

  1. aggadah
  2. the book of readings for the seder service

hag·ga·dist [-'gä-dist, -'gȯ-] -n, adj

  1. a haggadic writer
  2. a student of the Haggadah

Hag·gai ['ha-gē-,ī, 'ha-,gī] -n

  1. a Hebrew prophet who flourished about 500 b.c.and who advocated that the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt
  2. a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scriptures

hag·gard ['ha-gərd] -adj, adv, n

  1. not tamed
  2. wild in appearance
  3. having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt
    • haggard faces looked up sadly from out of the straw -- W. M. Thackeray

haggard -n

  1. an adult hawk caught wild
  2. an intractable person

hag·gis ['ha-gəs] -n

  1. a traditionally Scottish dish that consists of the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep or a calf minced with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the animal

hag·gle ['ha-gəl] -vb, n

  1. to cut roughly or clumsily : hack
  2. to annoy or exhaust with wrangling
  3. bargain, wrangle
    • haggling over the price

haggle -n

  1. an act or instance of haggling

hagi- -comb form

  1. holy
    • hagio scope
  2. saints
    • hagio graphy

Ha·gi·og·ra·pha [,ha-gē-'ä-grə-fə, ,hā-, -jē-] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. writings

ha·gi·og·ra·pher [-fər] -n

  1. a writer of hagiography

ha·gio·graph·ic [,ha-gē-ə-'gra-fik, ,hā-, -jē-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being hagiography
  2. excessively flattering
    • a hagiographic biography
  3. of or relating to the Hagiographa

ha·gi·og·ra·phy [-gē-'ä-grə-fē, -jē-] -n

  1. biography of saints or venerated persons
  2. idealizing or idolizing biography

ha·gi·ol·o·gy [-gē-'ä-lə-jē, -jē-] -n, adj

  1. literature dealing with venerated persons or writings
  2. a list of venerated figures

ha·gio·scope ['ha-gē-ə-,skōp, 'hā-jē-] -n, adj

  1. an opening in the interior walls of a cruciform church so placed as to afford a view of the altar to those in the transept

hag·ride ['hag-,rīd] -vt

  1. harass, torment

hah ['hä] -interj

(variant of ha)

  1. used esp. to express surprise, joy, or triumph
  2. hectare

haha [(')hä-'hä] -interj

  1. used to express amusement or derision
  2. sunk fence

hahn·ium ['hä-nē-əm] -n

  1. dubnium

Hai·da ['hī-də] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska
  2. the language of the Haida people

haik ['hīk] -n

  1. a voluminous piece of usu. white cloth worn as an outer garment in northern Africa

hai·ku ['hī-(,)kü] -n

  1. an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing usu. five, seven, and five syllables respectively
  2. a poem in this form usu. having a seasonal reference

hail ['hāl] -n

  1. precipitation in the form of small balls or lumps usu. consisting of concentric layers of clear ice and compact snow
  2. something that gives the effect of a shower of hail
    • a hail of rifle fire
  3. to precipitate hail
    • it was hail ing hard
  4. to pour down or strike like hail
  5. used as a salutation
  6. used to express acclamation
    • hail to the chief -- Sir Walter Scott
  7. salute, greet
  8. to greet with enthusiastic approval : acclaim
  9. to greet or summon by calling
    • hail a taxi
  10. to call out
  11. to call a greeting to a passing ship
  12. an exclamation of greeting or acclamation
  13. a calling to attract attention
  14. hearing distance
    • stayed within hail

hailfel·low ['hāl-,fe-(,)lō] -adj, n

  1. hail-fellow-well-met

hailfel·lowwellmet [-lō-,wel-'met, -lə-,wel-] -adj, n

  1. heartily friendly and informal : comradely

Hail Mary -n

  1. a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession
  2. a long forward pass in football thrown into or near the end zone in a last-ditch attempt to score as time runs out

hail·stone ['hāl-,stōn] -n

  1. a pellet of hail

hail·storm [-,stȯrm] -n

  1. a storm accompanied by hail

hair ['her] -n, adj

  1. a slender threadlike outgrowth of the epidermis of an animal
  2. one of the usu. pigmented filaments that form the characteristic coat of a mammal
  3. the hairy covering of an animal or a body part
  4. the coating of hairs on a human head
  5. haircloth
  6. a minute distance or amount
    • won by a hair
  7. a precise degree
    • aligned to a hair
  8. nature, character
  9. a filamentous structure that resembles hair
    • leaf hair

hair ball -n

  1. a compact mass of hair formed in the stomach esp. of a shedding animal (as a cat) that cleanses its coat by licking

hair·breadth ['her-,bretth, -,breth, -,bredth] -n

  1. a very small distance or margin

hairbreadth -adj

  1. very narrow : close
    • a hairbreadth escape

hair·brush ['her-,brəsh] -n

  1. a brush for the hair

hair cell -n

  1. a cell with hairlike processes
  2. one of the sensory cells in the auditory epithelium of the organ of Corti

hair·cloth ['her-,klȯth] -n

  1. any of various stiff wiry fabrics esp. of horsehair or camel hair used for upholstery or for stiffening in garments

hair·cut [-,kət] -n

  1. the act or process of cutting and shaping the hair
  2. hairdo

hair·do [-,dü] -n

  1. a way of wearing the hair : coiffure

hair·dress·er [-,dre-sər] -n

  1. a person whose occupation is the dressing or cutting of hair
  2. barber

hair·dress·ing [-,dre-siŋ] -n

  1. the action or process of washing, cutting, curling, or arranging the hair
  2. the occupation of a hairdresser
  3. a preparation for grooming and styling the hair

haired ['herd] -adj

  1. having hair esp. of a specified kind usu. used in combination
    • dark- haired

hair follicle -n

  1. the tubular epithelial sheath that surrounds the lower part of the hair shaft and encloses at the bottom a vascular papilla supplying the growing basal part of the hair with nourishment

hair·line [-'līn] -n, adj

  1. : a very slender line: as
  2. a tiny line or crack on a surface
    • a hairline bone fracture
  3. a fine line connecting thicker strokes in a printed letter
  4. hairbreadth
  5. a textile design consisting of lengthwise or crosswise lines usu. one thread wide
  6. a fabric with such a design
  7. the outline of scalp hair esp. on the forehead
  8. the way the hair frames the face

hair·net [-,net] -n

  1. a net worn over the hair to keep it in place

hair·piece [-,pēs] -n

  1. supplementary hair (as a switch) used in some feminine coiffures
  2. toupee

hair·pin [-,pin] -n

  1. a pin to hold the hair in place
  2. a long U-shaped pin
  3. something shaped like a hairpin
  4. a sharp U-shaped turn in a road

hairpin -adj

  1. having the shape of a hairpin
    • a hairpin turn
  2. having hairpin turns
    • a steep hairpin road

hairrais·er ['her-,rā-zər] -n

  1. thriller

hairrais·ing [-,rā-ziŋ] -adj, adv

  1. causing terror, excitement, or astonishment
    • hairraising stories

hair seal -n

  1. any of a family (Phocidae) of seals having a coarse hairy coat, the hind limbs reduced to swimming flippers, and no external ears called also true seal

hair shirt -n

  1. a shirt made of rough animal hair worn next to the skin as a penance
  2. one that irritates like a hair shirt

hair·split·ter ['her-,spli-tər] -n, adj or n

  1. one that makes excessively fine distinctions in reasoning

hair spray [-,sprā] -n

  1. a liquid sprayed on the hair to keep it in place after styling

hair·spring [-,spriŋ] -n

  1. a slender spiraled recoil spring that regulates the motion of the balance wheel of a timepiece

hair·streak [-,strēk] -n

  1. any of a subfamily (Theclinae of the family Lycaenidae) of small butterflies usu. having striped markings on the underside of the wings and thin filamentous projections from the hind wings

hair·style ['her-,stī(-ə)l] -n

  1. hairdo

hair·styl·ing [-,stī-liŋ] -n

  1. the work of a hairstylist

hair·styl·ist [-,stī-list] -n

  1. hairdresser
  2. a person who does creative styling of coiffures

hairtrigger -adj

  1. immediately responsive to the slightest stimulus
    • a hairtrigger temper
  2. delicately adjusted or easily disrupted

hair trigger -n

  1. a gun trigger so adjusted as to permit the firearm to be fired by a very slight pressure

hair·worm ['her-,wərm] -n

  1. any of a phylum (Nematomorpha) of elongated worms that have separate sexes, are parasitic in arthropods as larvae, and are free-living in water as adults called also horsehair worm
  2. any of a genus ( Capillaria) of nematode worms that include serious parasites of the alimentary tract of fowls and tissue and organ parasites of mammals

hairy ['her-ē] -adj, n

  1. covered with hair or hairlike material
  2. having a downy fuzz on the stems and leaves
  3. made of or resembling hair
  4. tending to cause nervous tension (as from danger)
    • a hairy adventure
  5. difficult to deal with or comprehend
    • a hairy math problem

hairy cell leukemia -n

  1. a chronic leukemia that is usu. of B cell origin and is characterized by malignant cells with a ciliated appearance

hairychest·ed [-,ches-təd] -adj

  1. characterized by esp. exaggerated or stereotypical manliness

hairy vetch -n

  1. a Eurasian vetch ( Vicia villosa) extensively cultivated as a cover and early forage crop

hairy woodpecker -n

  1. a common No. American woodpecker ( Picoides villosus) closely resembling the downy woodpecker but larger with a longer bill

Hai·tian ['hā-shən also 'hā-tē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Haiti
  2. haitian creole

Haitian Creole -n

  1. a French-based creole spoken by Haitians

hajj ['haj] -n

  1. the pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed as a religious duty for Muslims

hajji ['ha-jē] -n

  1. one who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca often used as a title

hake ['hāk] -n

  1. any of several marine food fishes (as of the genera Merlucciusand Urophycis) related to the Atlantic cod

ha·kim ['hä-kəm] -n

  1. an administrator in a Muslim country
  2. a physician in a Muslim country

hal- -comb form

  1. salt
    • halo phyte
  2. halogen
    • hal ide

ha·la·cha [hä-'lä-k̲ə, ,hä-lə-'k̲ä] -n, adj

  1. the body of Jewish law supplementing the scriptural law and forming esp. the legal part of the Talmud

ha·lal [hə-'läl] -adj

  1. sanctioned by Islamic law
  2. ritually fit for use
    • halal foods
  3. selling or serving food ritually fit according to Islamic law
    • a halal restaurant

ha·la·la [hə-'lä-lə] -n

  1. see riyal at

ha·la·tion [hā-'lā-shən] -n

  1. the spreading of light beyond its proper boundaries in a developed photographic image
  2. a bright ring that sometimes surrounds a bright object on a television screen

hal·berd ['hal-bərd, 'hȯl-] -n

  1. a weapon esp. of the 15th and 16th centuries consisting typically of a battle-ax and pike mounted on a handle about six feet long

hal·cy·on ['hal-sē-ən] -n

  1. a bird identified with the kingfisher and held in ancient legend to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation
  2. kingfisher

halcyon -adj

  1. of or relating to the halcyon or its nesting period
  2. calm, peaceful
  3. happy, golden
  4. prosperous, affluent

hale ['hāl] -adj

  1. free from defect, disease, or infirmity : sound
  2. retaining exceptional health and vigor
    • a hale and hearty old man
  3. haul, pull
  4. to compel to go

ha·ler ['hä-lər, -,ler] -n

  1. see koruna at

half ['haf, 'häf] -n

  1. either of two equal parts that compose something
  2. a part approximately equal to one of these
    • half the distance
    • the larger half of the fortune
  3. half an hour used in designation of time
  4. : one of a pair: as
  5. partner
  6. semester, term
  7. either of the two equal periods that together make up the playing time of some games (as football)
  8. the midpoint in playing time
    • the score was tied at the half
  9. half-dollar
  10. halfback
  11. being one of two equal parts
    • a half share
    • a half sheet of paper
  12. amounting to approximately half
    • a half mile
    • a half million
  13. falling short of the full or complete thing : partial
    • half measures
    • a half smile
  14. extending over or covering only half
    • a half window
    • a half mask
  15. in an equal part or degree
    • the crowd was half jeering, half respectful
  16. not completely : partially
    • half persuaded
  17. by any means : at all
    • her singing isn't half bad

halfandhalf [,haf-ᵊn-'haf, ,häf-ᵊn-'häf] -n, adj or adv

  1. : something that is approximately half one thing and half another: as
  2. a mixture of two malt beverages (as dark and light beer)
  3. a mixture of cream and whole milk

halfassed ['haf-'ast, 'häf-'äst] -adj, adv

  1. lacking significance, adequacy, or completeness
  2. lacking intelligence, character, or effectiveness

half·back ['haf-,bak, 'häf-] -n

  1. one of the backs stationed near either flank in football
  2. a player stationed immediately behind the forward line (as in field hockey, soccer, or rugby)

halfbaked [-'bākt] -adj

  1. poorly developed or carried out
    • a halfbaked idea
    • halfbaked research
  2. lacking adequate planning or forethought
    • a halfbaked scheme for getting rich
  3. lacking in judgment, intelligence, or common sense
  4. imperfectly baked : underdone

half bath -n

  1. a bathroom containing a sink and toilet but no bathtub or shower

half·beak [-,bēk] -n

  1. any of various narrow-bodied fishes of warm waters that have an elongated lower jaw and are grouped with the flying fishes (family Exocoetidae) or placed in their own family (Hemiramphidae)

halfblood [-'bləd] -adj

  1. having half blood or being a half blood

half blood -n

  1. the relation between persons having only one parent in common
  2. a person so related to another
  3. half-breed
  4. grade

half boot -n

  1. a boot with a top reaching above the ankle and ending below the knee

halfbound ['haf-,bau̇nd, 'häf-] -adj, n

  1. bound in material of two qualities with the material of better quality on the spine and corners

halfbred [-,bred] -adj, n

  1. having one purebred parent

halfbreed [-,brēd] -n, adj

  1. the offspring of parents of different races
  2. the offspring of an American Indian and a white person

half brother -n

  1. a brother related through one parent only

halfcaste ['haf-,kast, 'häf-] -n, adj

  1. one of mixed racial descent : half-breed

half cock -n

  1. the position of the hammer of a firearm when about half retracted and held by the sear so that it cannot be operated by a pull on the trigger
  2. a state of inadequate preparation or mental confusion
    • go off at half cock

halfcocked ['haf-'käkt, 'häf-] -adj

  1. being at half cock
  2. lacking adequate preparation or forethought
    • go off halfcocked

halfcourt ['haf-'kȯrt, 'häf-] -n

  1. a dividing line that separates a playing court into equal halves (as in basketball)
  2. the area comprising each half

half crown -n

  1. a British coin worth two shillings and sixpence used as legal tender until 1970

half dime -n

  1. a silver 5-cent coin struck by the U.S. mint in 1792 and from 1794 to 1873

half disme -n

  1. a half dime struck in 1792

halfdol·lar ['haf-'dä-lər, 'häf-] -n

  1. a coin representing one half of a dollar
  2. the sum of 50 cents

half duplex -n

  1. a mode of communication esp. with a computer via telephone line in which information can be sent in only one direction at a time

half eagle -n

  1. a 5-dollar gold piece issued by the U.S. from 1795 to 1916 and in 1929

halfglas·ses ['haf-'gla-səz] -n pl

  1. eyeglasses that have half lenses and are used for reading only

halfhardy -adj

  1. able to withstand a moderately low temperature but injured by severe freezing and surviving the winter in cold climates only if carefully protected

half·heart·ed ['haf-'här-təd, 'häf-] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking heart, spirit, or interest

half hitch -n

  1. a simple knot tied by passing the end of a line around an object, across the main part of the line, and then through the resulting loop

half hour ['haf-'au̇(-ə)r-lē, 'häf-] -n, adv or adj

  1. thirty minutes
  2. the middle point of an hour

halfknot ['haf-,nät, 'häf-] -n

  1. a knot intertwining the ends of two cords and used in tying other knots

halflength ['haf-'leŋ(k)th, 'häf-] -n

  1. something (as a portrait) that is or represents only half the complete length

halflife [-,līf] -n

  1. : the time required for half of something to undergo a process: as
  2. the time required for half of the atoms of a radioactive substance to become disintegrated
  3. the time required for half the amount of a substance (as a drug, radioactive tracer, or pesticide) in or introduced into a living system or ecosystem to be eliminated or disintegrated by natural processes
  4. a period of usefulness or popularity preceding decline or obsolescence
    • slang usually has a short halflife

halflight [-,līt] -n

  1. dim grayish light

half line -n

  1. a straight line extending from a point indefinitely in one direction only

halfmast [-'mast] -n

  1. a point some distance but not necessarily halfway down below the top of a mast or staff or the peak of a gaff
  2. to cause to hang at half-mast
    • halfmast a flag

halfmoon ['haf-,mün, 'häf-] -n, adj

  1. the moon when half its disk appears illuminated
  2. something shaped like a crescent
  3. the lunule of a fingernail

half nelson -n

  1. a wrestling hold in which one arm is thrust under the corresponding arm of an opponent and the hand placed on the back of the opponent's neck

half note -n

  1. a musical note with the time value of of a whole note

half·pen·ny ['hāp-nē, 'hā-pə-, US also 'haf-,pe-nē, 'häf-] -n, adj

  1. a former British coin representing one half of a penny
  2. the sum of half a penny
  3. a small amount

halfpint ['haf-,pīnt, 'häf-] -n

  1. half a pint
  2. a short, small, or inconsequential person
  3. of less than average size : diminutive

halfpipe ['haf-,pīp, 'häf-] -n

  1. a U-shaped high-sided ramp or runway used esp. in snowboarding, skateboarding, or in-line skating

half plane -n

  1. the part of a plane on one side of an indefinitely extended straight line drawn in the plane

half rest -n

  1. a musical rest corresponding in time value to a half note

half shell -n

  1. either of the valves of a bivalve

half sister -n

  1. a sister related through one parent only

halfslip ['haf-,slip, 'häf-] -n

  1. a topless slip with an elasticized waistband

halfsole -vt

  1. to put half soles on

half sole -n

  1. a shoe sole extending from the shank forward

half sovereign -n

  1. a British gold coin worth 10 shillings

halfspace ['haf-,spās, 'häf-] -n

  1. the part of three-dimensional euclidean space lying on one side of a plane

halfstaff [-'staf] -n

  1. half-mast

half step -n

  1. a walking step of 15 inches or in double time of 18 inches
  2. a musical interval (as E-F or B-C) equivalent to of an octave called also semitone

halftimber ['haf-'tim-bərd, 'häf-] -adj, n

  1. constructed of wood framing with spaces filled with masonry

half·time [-,tīm] -n

  1. an intermission between halves of a game or contest (as in football or basketball)

halftime -adj, adv

  1. involving or working half the standard hours

half title -n

  1. the title of a book appearing alone on a right-hand page immediately preceding the title page
  2. the page itself

half·tone ['haf-,tōn, 'häf-] -n, adj

  1. half step
  2. any of the shades of gray between the darkest and the lightest parts of a photographic image
  3. a photoengraving made from an image photographed through a screen and then etched so that the details of the image are reproduced in dots
  4. an image (as one printed on an offset press or laser printer) that renders smooth variations of color in an original by means of dots assigned to areas of the image electronically

halftrack [-,trak] -n, adj

  1. an endless chain-track drive system that propels a vehicle supported in front by a pair of wheels
  2. a motor vehicle propelled by half-tracks
  3. one lightly armored for military use

halftruth [-,trüth] -n

  1. a statement that is only partially true
  2. a statement that mingles truth and falsehood with deliberate intent to deceive

half volley -n, vb

  1. a stroke of a ball (as in tennis) at the instant it rebounds from the ground

half·way ['haf-'wā, 'häf-] -adj, adv

  1. midway between two points
  2. partial

halfway house -n

  1. a place to stop midway on a journey
  2. a halfway place in a progression
  3. a residence for individuals after release from institutionalization (as for mental disorder, drug addiction, or criminal activity) that is designed to facilitate their readjustment to private life

halfwit ['haf-,wit, 'häf-] -n, adj

  1. a foolish or imbecilic person

halfworld [-,wərld] -n

  1. demimonde

hal·i·but ['ha-lə-bət also 'hä-] -n

  1. any of several marine flatfishes (esp. Hippoglossus hippoglossusof the Atlantic and H. stenolepisof the Pacific) that are widely used for food and include some of the largest bony fishes

ha·lide ['ha-,līd, 'hā-] -n

  1. a binary compound of a halogen with a more electropositive element or radical

hal·i·dom ['ha-lə-dəm] -n

  1. something held sacred

ha·lite ['ha-,līt, 'hā-] -n

  1. rock salt

hal·i·to·sis [,ha-lə-'tō-səs] -n

  1. a condition of having fetid breath

hall ['hȯl] -n

  1. the castle or house of a medieval king or noble
  2. the chief living room in such a structure
  3. the manor house of a landed proprietor
  4. a large usu. imposing building for public or semipublic purposes
  5. a building used by a college or university for some special purpose
  6. dormitory
  7. a college or a division of a college at some universities
  8. the common dining room of an English college
  9. a meal served there
  10. the entrance room of a building : lobby
  11. a corridor or passage in a building
  12. a large room for assembly : auditorium
  13. a place used for public entertainment

hallah ['k̲ä-lə, 'hä-] -n

(variant of challah)

  1. egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usu. braided or twisted before baking and is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays

Hall effect ['hȯl-] -n

  1. a potential difference observed between the edges of a conducting strip carrying a longitudinal current when placed in a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the strip

Hal·lel [hä-'lāl] -n

  1. a selection comprising Psalms 113118 chanted during Jewish feasts (as the Passover)

hal·le·lu·jah [,ha-lə-'lü-yə] -interj

  1. used to express praise, joy, or thanks

hallelujah -n

  1. a shout or song of praise or thanksgiving

hall·mark ['hȯl-,märk] -n

  1. an official mark stamped on gold and silver articles in England to attest their purity
  2. a mark or device placed or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness
  3. a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature
    • the dramatic flourishes which are the hallmark of the trial lawyer -- Marion K. Sanders

hallmark -vt

  1. to stamp with a hallmark

hallo ['hä-(,)lō; hä-'lō, hə-] -vi

(variant of hollo)

  1. to cry hollo : holler
  2. to call or cry hollo to
  3. to utter loudly : holler

Hall of Fame [-'fā-mər]

  1. a structure housing memorials to famous or illustrious individuals usu. chosen by a group of electors
  2. a group of individuals in a particular category (as a sport) who have been selected as particularly illustrious

hal·low ['ha-(,)lō] -vt

  1. to make holy or set apart for holy use
  2. to respect greatly : venerate

hal·lowed ['ha-(,)lōd, 'ha-ləd, in the Lord's Prayer often 'ha-lə-wəd] -adj

  1. holy, consecrated
    • the church stands on hallowed ground
  2. sacred, revered
    • the university's hallowed halls
    • hallowed customs

Hal·low·een [,ha-lə-'wēn, ,hä-] -n

  1. October 31 observed esp. with dressing up in disguise, trick-or-treating, and displaying jack-o'-lanterns during the evening

Hal·low·mas ['ha-lō-,mas, 'ha-lə-, -məs] -n

  1. all saints' day

halls of ivy

  1. university, college

Hall·statt ['hȯl-,stat; 'häl-,shtät, -,stät] -adj

  1. of or relating to the earlier period of the Iron Age in Europe

hal·lu·ci·nate [hə-'lü-sə-,nāt] -vb, n

  1. to affect with visions or imaginary perceptions
  2. to perceive or experience as a hallucination
  3. to have hallucinations

hal·lu·ci·na·tion [hə-,lü-sə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. perception of objects with no reality usu. arising from disorder of the nervous system or in response to drugs (as LSD)
  2. the object so perceived
  3. an unfounded or mistaken impression or notion : delusion

hal·lu·ci·na·to·ry [hə-'lü-sə-nə-,tȯr-ē, -'lüs-nə-] -adj

  1. tending to produce hallucination
    • hallucinatory drugs
  2. resembling, involving, or being a hallucination
    • hallucinatory dreams
    • a hallucinatory figure

hal·lu·ci·no·gen [hə-'lü-sə-nə-jən] -n, adj or n

  1. a substance that induces hallucinations

hal·lu·ci·no·sis [hə-,lü-sə-'nō-səs] -n

  1. a pathological mental state characterized by hallucinations

hal·lux ['ha-ləks] -n

  1. the innermost digit (as the big toe) of a hind or lower limb

hall·way ['hȯl-,wā] -n

  1. an entrance hall
  2. corridor

hal·ma ['hal-mə] -n

  1. a game played on a square board and having rules similar to those of Chinese checkers

ha·lo ['hā-(,)lō] -n

  1. a circle of light appearing to surround the sun or moon and resulting from refraction or reflection of light by ice particles in the atmosphere
  2. : something resembling a halo: as
  3. nimbus
  4. a region of space surrounding a galaxy that is sparsely populated with luminous objects (as globular clusters) but is believed to contain a great deal of dark matter
  5. a differentiated zone surrounding a central zone or object
  6. an orthopedic device used to immobilize the head and neck (as to treat fracture of neck vertebrae) that consists of a metal band placed around the head and fastened to the skull usu. with metal pins and that is attached by extensions to an inflexible vest called also halo brace
  7. the aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized person or thing

halo -vt

  1. to form into or surround with a halo
    • rainbows halo ed the waterfalls -- Michael Crawford

hal·o·car·bon ['ha-lə-,kär-bən] -n

  1. any of various compounds of carbon and one or more halogens

hal·o·cline ['ha-lə-,klīn] -n

  1. a usu. vertical gradient in salinity (as of the ocean)

halo effect -n

  1. generalization from the perception of one outstanding personality trait to an overly favorable evaluation of the whole personality

hal·o·gen ['ha-lə-jən] -n, adj

  1. any of the five elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine that form part of group VIIA of the periodic table and exist in the free state normally as diatomic molecules

halogen -adj

  1. containing, using, or being a halogen
    • a halogen lamp

ha·lo·ge·nate ['ha-lə-jə-,nāt, ha-'lä-jə-] -vt, n

  1. to treat or cause to combine with a halogen

hal·o·ge·ton [,ha-lə-'jē-,tän] -n

  1. a coarse annual Asian herb ( Halogeton glomeratus) of the goosefoot family that is a noxious weed in western U.S. ranges

hal·o·mor·phic [,ha-lə-'mȯr-fik] -adj

  1. developed in the presence of neutral or alkali salts or both

ha·lon ['hā-,län] -n

  1. a halocarbon that contains esp. bromine

hal·o·per·i·dol [,ha-lō-'per-ə-,dȯl, -,dōl] -n

  1. a depressant C 21H 23ClFNO 2of the central nervous system used esp. as an antipsychotic drug

hal·o·phile ['ha-lə-,fī(-ə)l] -n, adj

  1. an organism that flourishes in a salty environment

hal·o·phyte ['ha-lə-,fīt] -n, adj

  1. a plant (as saltbush or sea lavender) that grows in salty soil and usu. has a physiological resemblance to a true xerophyte

hal·o·thane ['ha-lə-,thān] -n

  1. a potent inhalational anesthetic C 2HBrClF 3that is nonexplosive and nonflammable

halt ['hȯlt] -adj

  1. lame
  2. to walk or proceed lamely : limp
  3. to stand in perplexity or doubt between alternate courses : waver
  4. to display weakness or imperfection : falter
  5. stop
  6. to cease marching or journeying
  7. discontinue, terminate
    • the project halt ed for lack of funds
  8. to bring to a stop
    • the strike halt ed subways and buses
  9. to cause the discontinuance of : end
    • halt hostilities

hal·ter ['hȯl-tər] -n

  1. a rope or strap for leading or tying an animal
  2. a headstall usu. with noseband and throatlatch to which a lead may be attached
  3. a rope for hanging criminals : noose
  4. death by hanging
  5. a woman's blouse or top that leaves the back, arms, and midriff bare and that is typically held in place by straps around the neck and across the back

halter [-t(ə-)riŋ] -vt

  1. to catch with or as if with a halter
  2. to put a halter on
  3. hang
  4. to put restraint upon : hamper

hal·ter·break ['hȯl-tər-,brāk] -vt

  1. to break (as a colt) to a halter

hal·tere ['hȯl-,tir, 'hal-] -n

  1. one of a pair of club-shaped organs in a dipteran fly that are the modified second pair of wings and function as sensory flight stabilizers

halt·ing ['hȯl-tiŋ] -adj, adv

  1. marked by a lack of sureness or effectiveness
    • spoke in a halting manner

hal·vah [häl-'vä; 'häl-(,)vä, -və] -n

  1. a flaky confection of crushed sesame seeds in a base of syrup (as of honey)

halve ['hav, 'häv] -vt

  1. to divide into two equal parts
  2. to reduce to one half
    • halving the present cost
  3. to share equally
  4. to play (as a hole in golf) in the same number of strokes as one's opponent

halv·ers ['ha-vərz, 'hä-] -n pl

  1. half shares : halves

halves ['haf, 'häf] -n

(variant of half)

  1. either of two equal parts that compose something
  2. a part approximately equal to one of these
    • half the distance
    • the larger half of the fortune
  3. half an hour used in designation of time
  4. : one of a pair: as
  5. partner
  6. semester, term
  7. either of the two equal periods that together make up the playing time of some games (as football)
  8. the midpoint in playing time
    • the score was tied at the half
  9. half-dollar
  10. halfback
  11. being one of two equal parts
    • a half share
    • a half sheet of paper
  12. amounting to approximately half
    • a half mile
    • a half million
  13. falling short of the full or complete thing : partial
    • half measures
    • a half smile
  14. extending over or covering only half
    • a half window
    • a half mask
  15. in an equal part or degree
    • the crowd was half jeering, half respectful
  16. not completely : partially
    • half persuaded
  17. by any means : at all
    • her singing isn't half bad

hal·yard ['hal-yərd] -n

  1. a rope or tackle for hoisting and lowering something (as sails)

ham ['ham] -n, adj

  1. the hollow of the knee
  2. a buttock with its associated thigh usu. used in pl.
  3. a cut of meat consisting of a thigh
  4. one from a hog
  5. a showy performer
  6. an actor performing in an exaggerated theatrical style
  7. a licensed operator of an amateur radio station
  8. a cushion used esp. by tailors for pressing curved areas of garments
  9. to execute with exaggerated speech or gestures : overact
    • ham it up for the camera
  10. to overplay a part

Ham ['ham] -n

  1. a son of Noah held to be the progenitor of the Egyptians, Nubians, and Canaanites

hama·dry·ad [,ha-mə-'drī-əd, -,ad] -n

  1. wood nymph
  2. king cobra

hama·dry·as baboon [,ha-mə-'drī-əs-] -n

  1. a baboon ( Papio hamadryas) that has a reddish-pink muzzle and a large bare patch of pink skin on each buttock and that was venerated by the ancient Egyptians called also sacred baboon

ha·mal [hə-'mäl] -n

  1. a porter in countries of southwest Asia (as Turkey)

Ha·man ['hā-mən] -n

  1. a Persian minister in the book of Esther who is hanged after plotting a foiled massacre of the Jews

ha·man·tasch ['hä-mən-,täsh, 'hȯ-, -,tȯsh] -n

  1. a 3-cornered pastry with a filling (as of poppy seeds or prunes) traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday Purim

ha·mar·tia [,hä-,mär-'tē-ə] -n

  1. tragic flaw

ha·mate ['hā-,māt] -n

  1. a bone on the inner side of the second row of the carpus in mammals

ham·burg·er ['ham-,bər-gər] -n

  1. ground beef
  2. a patty of ground beef
  3. a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split typically round bun

hame ['hām] -n

  1. one of two curved supports attached to the collar of a draft horse to which the traces are fastened

hame ['hōm] -n

(variant of home)

  1. one's place of residence : domicile
  2. house
  3. the social unit formed by a family living together
  4. a familiar or usual setting : congenial environment
  5. the focus of one's domestic attention
    • home is where the heart is
  6. habitat
  7. a place of origin
    • salmon returning to their home to spawn
  8. one's own country
    • having troubles at home and abroad
  9. headquarters
    • home of the dance company
  10. an establishment providing residence and care for people with special needs
    • home s for the elderly
  11. the objective in various games
  12. home plate
  13. to or at one's home
    • go home
    • stayed home all day
  14. to a final, closed, or ultimate position
    • drive a nail home
  15. to or at an ultimate objective (as a goal or finish line)
  16. to a vital sensitive core
    • the truth struck home
  17. of, relating to, or being a home, place of origin, or base of operations
    • home office
  18. prepared, done, or designed for use in a home
    • home remedies
    • home cooking
    • a home videotape system
  19. operating or occurring in a home area
    • the home team
    • home games
  20. to go or return home
  21. to return accurately to one's home or natal area from a distance
  22. to proceed to or toward a source of radiated energy used as a guide
    • missiles home in on radar
  23. to proceed or direct attention toward an objective
    • science is homing in on the mysterious human process -- Sam Glucksberg
  24. to send to or provide with a home

hamfist·ed ['ham-,fis-təd] -adj

  1. ham-handed

hamhand·ed [-,han-dəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking dexterity or grace : heavy-handed

Ham·il·to·ni·an [,ha-məl-'tō-nē-ən] -n

  1. a function that is used to describe a dynamic system (as the motion of a particle) in terms of components of momentum and coordinates of space and time and that is equal to the total energy of the system when time is not explicitly part of the function

Ham·il·to·ni·an·ism [-nē-ə-,ni-zəm] -n, adj or n

  1. the political principles and ideas held by or associated with Alexander Hamilton that center around a belief in a strong central government, broad interpretation of the federal constitution, encouragement of an industrial and commercial economy, and a general distrust of the political capacity or wisdom of the common man

Ham·ite ['ha-,mīt] -n

  1. a member of a Hamitic-speaking people

Ham·it·ic [ha-'mi-tik, hə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Hamites or one of the Hamitic languages

Hamitic -n

  1. hamitic languages

Hamitic languages -n pl

  1. any of various groupings of non-Semitic Afro-Asiatic languages (as Berber, Egyptian, and Cushitic) that were formerly thought to make up a single branch of the Afro-Asiatic family

Ham·i·toSe·mit·ic [,ha-mə-(,)tō-sə-'mi-tik, hə-'mi-tō-] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or constituting the Afro-Asiatic languages

ham·let ['ham-lət] -n

  1. a small village

Ham·let ['ham-lət] -n

  1. a legendary Danish prince and hero of Shakespeare's play Hamlet

ham·mam [hə-'mäm] -n

  1. turkish bath

ham·mer ['ha-mər] -n

  1. a hand tool consisting of a solid head set crosswise on a handle and used for pounding
  2. a power tool that often substitutes a metal block or a drill for the hammerhead
  3. : something that resembles a hammer in form or action: as
  4. a lever with a striking head for ringing a bell or striking a gong
  5. an arm that strikes the cap in a percussion lock to ignite the propelling charge
  6. a part of the action of a modern gun that strikes the primer of the cartridge in firing or that strikes the firing pin to ignite the cartridge
  7. malleus
  8. gavel
  9. a padded mallet in a piano action for striking a string
  10. a hand mallet for playing on various percussion instruments (as a xylophone)
  11. a metal sphere thrown for distance in the hammer throw
  12. accelerator

hammer ['ha-mər-iŋ, 'ham-riŋ] -vb, n

  1. to strike blows esp. repeatedly with or as if with a hammer : pound
  2. to make repeated efforts
  3. to reiterate an opinion or attitude
    • the lectures all hammer ed away at the same points
  4. to beat, drive, or shape with repeated blows of a hammer
  5. to fasten or build with a hammer
  6. to strike or drive with a force suggesting a hammer blow or repeated blows
    • hammer ed the ball over the fence
    • tried to hammer me into submission
  7. to criticize severely

hammer and sickle -n

  1. an emblem consisting of a crossed hammer and sickle used esp. as a symbol of Soviet Communism

hammer and tongs -adv, adj

  1. with great force, vigor, or violence
    • went at it hammer and tongs

hammer dulcimer -n

  1. dulcimer called also hammered dulcimer

hammered -adj

  1. having surface indentations produced or appearing to have been produced by hammering
    • hammered copper
  2. drunk

ham·mer·head ['ha-mər-,hed] -n

  1. the striking part of a hammer
  2. blockhead
  3. any of a family (Sphyrnidae) of active voracious medium-sized sharks that have the eyes at the ends of lateral extensions of the flattened head

ham·mer·less [-ləs] -adj

  1. having the hammer concealed
    • a hammerless revolver

ham·mer·lock [-,läk] -n

  1. a wrestling hold in which an opponent's arm is held bent behind the back
  2. a strong hold

hammer mill -n

  1. a grinder or crusher in which materials are broken up by hammers

hammer out -vt

  1. to produce or bring about as if by repeated blows
    • hammered out an agreement

hammer price -n

  1. the price at which an item is sold at auction

ham·mer·stone ['ha-mər-,stōn] -n

  1. a prehistoric hammering implement consisting of a rounded stone

hammer throw -n

  1. a field event in which a usu. 16-pound metal sphere attached to a flexible handle is thrown for distance

ham·mer·toe ['ha-mər-,tō] -n

  1. a deformed claw-shaped toe and esp. the second that results from permanent angular flexion between one or both phalangeal joints

ham·mock ['ha-mək] -n

  1. a swinging couch or bed usu. made of netting or canvas and slung by cords from supports at each end

hammock -n

  1. hummock
  2. a fertile area in the southern U.S. and esp. Florida that is usu. higher than its surroundings and that is characterized by hardwood vegetation and deep humus-rich soil

ham·my ['ha-mē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by exaggerated and usu. self-conscious theatricality

ham·per ['ham-pər] -vt

  1. to restrict the movement of by bonds or obstacles : impede
  2. to interfere with the operation of : disrupt
  3. curb, restrain
  4. to interfere with : encumber

hamper -n

  1. a large basket usu. with a cover for packing, storing, or transporting articles (as food or laundry)

Hamp·shire ['ham(p)-,shir, -shər] -n

  1. any of a British breed of large hornless black-faced mutton-producing sheep called also Hampshire Down
  2. any of an American breed of black white-belted swine

ham·ster ['ham(p)-stər] -n

  1. any of a subfamily (Cricetinae) of small Old World rodents having very large cheek pouches

ham·string ['ham-,striŋ] -n

  1. either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee
  2. any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh
  3. a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped

hamstring [-,strəŋ] -vt

  1. to make ineffective or powerless : cripple
    • hamstrung by guilt
  2. to cripple by cutting the leg tendons

ham·u·lus ['ham-yə-ləs] -n

  1. a hook or hooked process (as of a bone)

ham·za ['ham-zə, 'häm-] -n

  1. the sign for a glottal stop in Arabic orthography usu. represented in English by an apostrophe

Han ['hän] -n

  1. a Chinese dynasty dated 206 b.c. a.d.220 and marked by centralized control through an appointive bureaucracy, a revival of learning, and the penetration of Buddhism
  2. the Chinese peoples esp. as distinguished from non-Chinese (as Mongolian) elements in the population

Han·a·fi ['ha-nə-(,)fē] -adj

  1. of or relating to an orthodox school of Sunni Muslim jurisprudence followed esp. in southern and central Asia

hand ['hand] -n

  1. the terminal part of the vertebrate forelimb when modified (as in humans) as a grasping organ
  2. the forelimb segment (as the terminal section of a bird's wing) of a vertebrate higher than the fishes that corresponds to the hand irrespective of its form or functional specialization
  3. : a part serving the function of or resembling a hand: as
  4. the hind foot of an ape
  5. the chela of a crustacean
  6. : something resembling a hand: as
  7. an indicator or pointer on a dial
    • the hand s of a clock
  8. index
  9. a cluster of bananas developed from a single flower group
  10. a branched rootstock of ginger
  11. a bunch of large leaves (as of tobacco) tied together usu. with another leaf
  12. personal possession usu. used in pl.
    • the documents fell into the hand s of the enemy
  13. control, supervision usu. used in pl.
    • left the matter in her hand s
  14. side, direction
    • men fighting on either hand
  15. one of two sides or aspects of an issue or argument
    • on the one hand we can appeal for peace, and on the other, declare war
  16. a pledge esp. of betrothal or bestowal in marriage
  17. style of penmanship : handwriting
    • wrote in a fancy hand
  18. signature
  19. skill, ability
    • tried her hand at sailing
  20. an instrumental part
    • had a hand in the victory
  21. a unit of measure equal to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) used esp. for the height of horses
  22. assistance or aid esp. involving physical effort
    • lend a hand
  23. participation, interest
    • had no hand in the decision
  24. a round of applause
  25. a player in a card game or board game
  26. the cards or pieces held by a player
  27. a single round in a game
  28. the force or solidity of one's position (as in negotiations)
    • trying to strengthen their hand
  29. a person who performs or executes a particular work
    • two portraits by the same hand
  30. a person employed at manual labor or general tasks
    • a ranch hand
  31. worker, employee
    • employed over a hundred hand s
  32. a member of a ship's crew
    • all hand s on deck
  33. a person skilled in a particular action or pursuit
  34. a specialist or veteran in a usu. designated activity or region
    • a China hand
  35. handiwork, doings
  36. style of execution : workmanship
    • the hand of a master
  37. the feel of or tactile reaction to something (as silk or leather)
  38. a punch made with a specified hand
    • knocked him out with a good right hand
  39. with the hands rather than by machine
  40. to touch or manage with the hands
  41. to deal with
  42. furl
  43. to lead, guide, or assist with the hand
    • hand a lady into a bus
  44. to give, pass, or transmit with the hand
    • hand a letter to her
  45. to present or provide with
    • hand ed him a surprise

hand and foot -adv

  1. totally, assiduously

hand ax -n

  1. a short-handled ax intended for use with one hand
  2. a prehistoric stone tool having one end pointed for cutting and the other end rounded for holding in the hand

hand·bag ['han(d)-,bag] -n

  1. suitcase
  2. a bag held in the hand or hung from a shoulder strap and used for carrying small personal articles and money

hand·ball [-,bȯl] -n

  1. a game played in a walled court or against a single wall or board by two or four players who use their hands to strike the ball
  2. a small rubber ball used in handball

hand·bar·row [-,ba-(,)rō] -n

  1. a flat rectangular frame with handles at both ends that is carried by two persons

hand·bas·ket [-,bas-kət] -n

  1. a small portable basket usu. used in the phrase to hell in a handbasket denoting rapid and utter ruination

hand·bell [-,bel] -n

  1. a small bell with a handle
  2. one of a set tuned in a scale for musical performance

hand·bill [-,bil] -n

  1. a small printed sheet to be distributed (as for advertising) by hand

hand·blown [-'blōn] -adj

  1. made by glassblowing and molded by hand

hand·book [-,bu̇k] -n

  1. a book capable of being conveniently carried as a ready reference : manual
  2. a concise reference book covering a particular subject
  3. a bookmaker's book of bets
  4. a place where bookmaking is carried on

hand brake -n

  1. an emergency brake operated by a hand lever

hand·breadth [-,bretth, -,breth, -,bredth] -n

  1. any of various units of length varying from about 2 to 4 inches based on the breadth of a hand

hand·car ['han(d)-,kär] -n

  1. a small four-wheeled railroad car propelled by a hand-operated mechanism or by a small motor

hand·cart [-,kärt] -n

  1. a cart drawn or pushed by hand

hand·clasp ['han(d)-,klasp] -n

  1. handshake

hand·craft [-,kraft] -n

  1. handicraft

handcraft -vt

  1. to fashion by handicraft

hand·crafts·man [-,kraf(t)-smən] -n

  1. a person who is skilled in handicraft

hand·cuff [-,kəf] -n

  1. a metal fastening that can be locked around a wrist and is usu. connected by a chain or bar with another such fastening usu. used in pl.

handcuff -vt

  1. to apply handcuffs to : manacle
  2. to hold in check : make ineffective or powerless
    • handcuff ed by strict regulations

hand down -vt

  1. to transmit in succession (as from father to son)
  2. to make official formulation of and express (the opinion of a court)

hand·ed ['han-dəd] -adj

  1. having a hand or hands esp. of a specified kind or number usu. used in combination
    • a large- handed man
  2. using a specified hand or number of hands used in combination
    • right- handed
    • a one- handed catch

hand·ed·ness [-nəs] -n

  1. a tendency to use one hand rather than the other
  2. the property of an object (as a molecule) of not being identical with its mirror image : chirality
  3. either of the two configurations of an object that may exist in forms which are nonidentical mirror images

hand·fast ['han(d)-,fast] -n

  1. a contract or covenant esp. of betrothal or marriage

handfeed ['han(d)-'fēd] -vt

  1. to feed (as animals) by hand

hand, foot and mouth disease -n

  1. a usu. mild contagious disease esp. of young children that is caused by an enterovirus (species Human enterovirus A,esp. serotype Human coxsackievirus A16) and is characterized by vesicular lesions chiefly in the mouth and on the hands and feet

hand·ful ['han(d)-,fu̇l] -n

  1. as much or as many as the hand will grasp
  2. a small quantity or number
    • a handful of people
  3. as much as one can manage
    • the kids are quite a handful

hand glass -n

  1. a small mirror with a handle

hand·grip ['han(d)-,grip] -n

  1. a grasping with the hand
  2. handle
  3. hand-to-hand combat

hand·gun [-,gən] -n

  1. a firearm (as a revolver or pistol) designed to be held and fired with one hand

hand·held [-,held, -'held] -adj, n

  1. held in the hand
  2. designed to be operated while being held in the hand
    • handheld computers

hand·hold ['hand-,hōld] -n

  1. hold, grip
  2. something to hold on to (as in mountain climbing)

handhold·ing [-,hōl-diŋ] -n

  1. solicitous attention, support, or instruction (as in servicing clients)

hand·i·cap ['han-di-,kap, -dē-] -n

  1. a race or contest in which an artificial advantage is given or disadvantage imposed on a contestant to equalize chances of winning
  2. an advantage given or disadvantage imposed usu. in the form of points, strokes, weight to be carried, or distance from the target or goal
  3. a disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult
  4. a physical disability

handicap -vt

  1. to give a handicap to
  2. to assess the relative winning chances of (contestants) or the likely winner of (a contest)
  3. to put at a disadvantage

handicapped -adj

  1. having a physical or mental disability
  2. of or reserved for handicapped persons
    • handicapped parking spaces

hand·i·cap·per [-,ka-pər] -n

  1. a person who assigns handicaps
  2. a person who predicts the winners in a contest (as a horse race)
  3. a person who competes with a (specified) handicap (as in golf) usu. used in combination
    • a 5- handicapper

hand·i·craft ['han-di-,kraft, -dē-] -n

  1. manual skill
  2. an occupation requiring skill with the hands
  3. the articles fashioned by those engaged in handicraft

hand·i·crafts·man [-,kraf(t)-smən] -n

  1. a person who engages in a handicraft : artisan

hand·i·ly ['han-də-lē] -adv

  1. in a dexterous manner
  2. easily
    • defeated the other candidate handily
  3. conveniently nearby

hand in -vt

  1. submit
    • hand in your homework

hand in glove -adv

  1. in extremely close relationship or agreement
    • working hand in glove with the police

hand in hand -adv

  1. with hands clasped (as in intimacy or affection)
  2. in close association : together

hand·i·work ['han-di-,wərk, -dē-] -n

  1. work done by the hands
  2. work done personally
    • recognized her handiwork
  3. the product of handiwork

hand·ker·chief ['haŋ-kər-chəf, -(,)chif, -,chēf] -n

  1. a small usu. square piece of cloth used for usu. personal purposes (as blowing the nose) or as a clothing accessory
  2. kerchief

han·dle ['han-dᵊl] -n, adj

  1. a part that is designed esp. to be grasped by the hand
  2. something that resembles a handle
  3. title
  4. name
  5. nickname
  6. hand
  7. the total amount of money bet on a race, game, or event
  8. a means of understanding or controlling
    • can't quite get a handle on things

handle ['han(d)-liŋ, 'han-dᵊl-iŋ] -vb, adj

  1. to try or examine (as by touching, feeling, or moving) with the hand
    • handle silk to judge its weight
  2. to manage with the hands
    • handle a horse
  3. to deal with in writing or speaking or in the plastic arts
  4. to have overall responsibility for supervising or directing : manage
    • a lawyer handle s all my affairs
  5. to train and act as second for (a boxer)
  6. to put up with : stand
    • can't handle the heat
  7. to act on or perform a required function with regard to
    • handle the day's mail
  8. to engage in the buying, selling, or distributing of (a commodity)
  9. to act, behave, or respond in a certain way when handled or directed
    • a car that handle s well

han·dle·bar ['han-dᵊl-,bär] -n

  1. a straight or bent bar with a handle at each end
  2. one used to steer a bicycle or similar vehicle usu. used in pl.

handlebar mustache -n

  1. a heavy mustache with long sections that curve upward at each end

hand lens -n

  1. a magnifying glass to be held in the hand

han·dler ['han(d)-lər, 'han-dᵊl-ər] -n

  1. one that handles something
  2. a person in immediate physical charge of an animal
  3. a person who exhibits dogs at shows or field trials
  4. a person who trains or acts as second for a boxer
  5. a manager of a political or public figure or campaign

hand·less ['han(d)-ləs] -adj

  1. having no hands
  2. inefficient in manual tasks : clumsy

handling -n

  1. the action of one that handles something
  2. a process by which something is handled in a commercial transaction
  3. the packaging and shipping of an object or material (as to a consumer)
  4. the manner in which something is treated (as in a musical, literary, or art work)

hand·list ['han(d)-,list] -n

  1. a list (as of books) for purposes of reference or checking

hand·made ['han(d)-'mād] -adj

  1. made by hand or by a hand process

hand·maid·en [-,mā-dᵊn] -n

  1. a personal maid or female servant
  2. something whose essential function is to serve or assist
    • criticism is not the enemy of art but rather its handmaiden -- Gary Michael

handmedown ['han(d)-mē-,dau̇n] -adj, n

  1. put in use by one person or group after being used, discarded, or handed down by another
    • handmedown clothes
    • handmedown anecdotes
  2. ready-made and usu. cheap and shoddy

hand off ['hand-,ȯf] -vt, n

  1. to hand (a football) to a nearby teammate on a play
  2. to hand off a football

hand on -vt

  1. hand down

hand organ -n

  1. a barrel organ operated by a hand crank

hand·out ['hand-,au̇t] -n

  1. a portion of food, clothing, or money given to or as if to a beggar
  2. a folder or circular of information for free distribution
  3. a prepared statement released to the news media

hand out -vt

  1. to give without charge
  2. to give freely
  3. administer
    • handed out a severe punishment

hand over ['han-,dō-vər] -vt, n

  1. to yield control of

hand over fist -adv

  1. quickly and in large amounts
    • making money hand over fist

hand·pick ['han(d)-'pik] -vt

  1. to pick by hand as opposed to a machine process
  2. to select personally or for personal ends

hand·press [-,pres] -n

  1. a hand-operated press

hand·print [-,print] -n

  1. an impression of a hand on a surface

hand puppet -n

  1. puppet

hand·rail ['han(d)-,rāl] -n

  1. a narrow rail for grasping with the hand as a support

hand running -adv

  1. in unbroken succession

hand·saw ['han(d)-,sȯ] -n

  1. a saw designed to be used with one hand

handsbreadth [-,bretth, -,breth, -,bredth] -n

(variant of handbreadth)

  1. any of various units of length varying from about 2 to 4 inches based on the breadth of a hand

hands down ['han(d)z-'dau̇n] -adv, adj

  1. without much effort : easily
  2. without question

hand·sel ['han(t)-səl] -n

  1. a gift made as a token of good wishes or luck esp. at the beginning of a new year
  2. something received first (as in a day of trading) and taken to be a token of good luck
  3. a first installment : earnest money
  4. earnest, foretaste

handsel [-s(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to give a handsel to
  2. to inaugurate with a token or gesture of luck or pleasure
  3. to use or do for the first time

hand·set ['han(d)-,set] -n

  1. a combined telephone transmitter and receiver mounted on a handheld device

hand·shake [-,shāk] -n

  1. a clasping usu. of right hands by two people (as in greeting or farewell)

handsoff ['han(d)z-'ȯf] -adj

  1. characterized by noninterference
    • a handsoff policy toward the internal affairs of other nations

hand·some ['han(t)-səm] -adj, adv, n

  1. appropriate, suitable
  2. moderately large : sizable
    • a painting that commanded a handsome price
  3. marked by skill or cleverness : adroit
  4. marked by graciousness or generosity : liberal
    • handsome contributions to charity
  5. having a pleasing and usu. impressive or dignified appearance

handson ['han(d)z-'ȯn, -'än] -adj

  1. relating to, being, or providing direct practical experience in the operation or functioning of something
    • handson training
  2. involving or allowing use of or touching with the hands
    • a handson museum display
  3. characterized by active personal involvement
    • a handson manager

hand·spike ['han(d)-,spīk] -n

  1. a bar used as a lever

hand·spring [-,spriŋ] -n

  1. an acrobatic feat in which the body turns forward or backward in a full circle from a standing position and lands first on the hands and then on the feet

hand·stand [-,stand] -n

  1. an act of supporting the body on the hands with the trunk and legs balanced in the air

handtohand ['han-tə-'hand, -də-] -adj

  1. involving physical contact or close enough range for physical contact
    • handtohand fighting

hand to hand -adv

  1. at very close range

handtomouth [-'mau̇th] -adj, adv

  1. having or providing nothing to spare beyond basic necessities
    • a handtomouth existence

hand truck -n

  1. a small hand-propelled truck
  2. truck

hand up -vt

  1. to deliver (an indictment) to a judge or higher judicial authority

hand·wheel ['han(d)-,(h)wēl] -n

  1. a wheel worked by hand

hand·work ['hand-,wərk] -n

  1. work done with the hands and not by machines : handiwork

hand·wo·ven [-'wō-vən] -adj

  1. produced on a hand-operated loom
  2. woven by hand
    • handwoven baskets

handwring·ing [-,riŋ-iŋ] -n

  1. an overwrought expression of concern or guilt

hand·write [-,rīt] -vt

  1. to write by hand

hand·writ·ing ['hand-,rī-tiŋ] -n

  1. writing done by hand
  2. the form of writing peculiar to a particular person
  3. something written by hand

hand·wrought ['hand-'rȯt] -adj

  1. fashioned by hand or chiefly by hand processes
    • handwrought silver

handy ['han-dē] -adj, n

  1. conveniently near
  2. convenient for use
  3. easily handled
  4. clever in using the hands esp. in a variety of useful ways
    • handy with a hammer as well as with a paintbrush

handy·man [-dē-,man] -n

  1. a person who does odd jobs
  2. one competent in a variety of small skills or inventive or ingenious in repair or maintenance work called also handyperson

hang ['haŋ] -vb, adj

  1. to fasten to some elevated point without support from below : suspend
  2. to suspend by the neck until dead often hanged in the past often used as a mild oath
    • I'll be hang ed
  3. to fasten so as to allow free motion within given limits upon a point of suspension
    • hang a door
  4. to adjust the hem of (a skirt) so as to hang evenly and at a proper height
  5. to furnish with hanging decorations (as flags or bunting)
  6. to hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner
    • hung his head in shame
  7. to apply to a wall
    • hang wallpaper
  8. to display (pictures) in a gallery
  9. to throw (as a curveball) so that it fails to break properly
  10. to make (a turn) esp. while driving
    • hang a right
    • hung a quick U-turn -- Tom Clancy
  11. base, found
    • something to hang our hopes on
  12. to remain suspended or fastened to some point above without support from below : dangle
  13. to die by hanging often hanged in the past
    • he hang ed for his crimes
  14. to be connected as something relevant or related
    • thereby hang s a tale -- Shak.
  15. to remain poised or stationary in the air
    • clouds hang ing low overhead
  16. linger, persist
  17. to be imminent : impend
    • doom hung over the nation
  18. to fall or droop from a usu. tense or taut position
  19. depend
    • election hang s on one vote
  20. to take hold for support : cling
    • she hung on his arm
  21. to keep persistent contact
    • dogs hung to the trail
  22. to maintain or continue holding a position
    • hang behind
  23. to stay even : keep up usu. used with with
    • trying to hang with the leader
  24. to be burdensome or oppressive
    • time hang s on his hands
  25. to be uncertain or in suspense
    • the decision is still hang ing
  26. to lean, incline, or jut over or downward
  27. to be in a state of rapt attention
    • hung on her every word
  28. to fit or fall from the figure in easy lines
    • the coat hang s loosely
  29. to pass time idly or in relaxing or socializing
    • hang ing at the beach
    often used with around or out
    • hung out with friends
  30. to fail to break or drop as intended
  31. the manner in which a thing hangs
  32. declivity, slope
  33. droop
  34. facility with or an understanding of something
    • can't get the hang of this
  35. a hesitation or slackening in motion or in a course

hang about -vi

  1. hang

han·gar ['haŋ-ər, 'haŋ-gər] -n

  1. shelter, shed
  2. a covered and usu. enclosed area for housing and repairing aircraft

hangar -vt

  1. to place or store in a hangar

hang around -vt

  1. to pass time or stay aimlessly in or at
    • hung around the house all day

hang back -vi

  1. to drag behind others
  2. to be reluctant

hang·dog ['haŋ-,dȯg] -adj

  1. sad, dejected
  2. sheepish

hangdog -n

  1. a despicable or miserable person

hang·er ['haŋ-ər] -n

  1. one that hangs or causes to be hung or hanged
  2. : something that hangs, overhangs, or is suspended: as
  3. a decorative strip of cloth
  4. a small sword formerly used by seamen
  5. a small wood on steeply sloping land
  6. : a device by which or to which something is hung or hangs: as
  7. a strap on a sword belt by which a sword or dagger can be suspended
  8. a loop by which a garment is hung up
  9. a device that fits inside or around a garment for hanging from a hook or rod

hang·eron [-,ȯn, -,än] -n

  1. one that hangs around a person, place, or institution esp. for personal gain

hanger steak -n

  1. a steak cut from the beef diaphragm

hang glider -n, vi

  1. a kitelike glider from which a harnessed rider hangs while gliding down from a cliff or hill

hang in -vi

  1. to refuse to be discouraged or intimidated : show pluck
    • hang in there

hanging -adj

  1. situated or lying on steeply sloping ground
  2. jutting out : overhanging
    • a hanging rock
  3. supported only by the wall on one side
    • a hanging staircase
  4. downcast in appearance
  5. adapted for sustaining a hanging object
  6. deserving, likely to cause, or prone to inflict death by hanging
  7. an execution by strangling or breaking the neck by a suspended noose
  8. : something hung: as
  9. curtain
  10. a covering (as a tapestry) for a wall
  11. a downward slope : declivity

hanging indention -n

  1. indention of all the lines of a paragraph except the first

hang·man ['haŋ-mən] -n

  1. one who hangs a condemned person
  2. a public executioner
  3. a game in which the object is for one player to guess the letters of an unknown word before the player who knows the word creates a stick figure of a hanged man by drawing one line for each incorrect guess

hang·nail [-,nāl] -n

  1. a bit of skin hanging loose at the side or root of a fingernail

hang off -vi

  1. hang back

hang on -vi

  1. to keep hold : hold onto something
  2. to persist tenaciously
    • a cold that hung on all spring
  3. hold on

hang·out ['haŋ-,au̇t] -n

  1. a favorite place for spending time
  2. a place frequented for entertainment or for socializing

hang out -vi

  1. to protrude and droop
  2. live, reside
  3. to display outside as an announcement to the public used chiefly in the phrase hang out one's shingle

hang·over ['haŋ-,ō-vər] -n

  1. something (as a surviving custom) that remains from what is past
  2. disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs
  3. a letdown following great excitement or excess

hang·tag ['haŋ-,tag] -n

  1. a tag attached to an article of merchandise giving information about its material and proper care

hang time -n

  1. the amount of time a kicked football remains in the air
  2. the length of time a leaping athlete is in the air

hang together -vi

  1. to remain united : stand by one another
  2. to have unity : form a consistent or coherent whole

Hang·town fry ['haŋ-,tau̇n-] -n

  1. an omelet or scrambled eggs containing oysters

han·gul ['hän-,gül] -n

  1. the alphabetic script in which Korean is written

hangup ['haŋ-,əp] -n

  1. a source of mental or emotional difficulty
  2. problem

hang up -vt

  1. to place on a hook or hanger designed for the purpose
    • hang up your coat
  2. to replace (a telephone receiver) on the cradle so that the connection is broken
  3. to keep delayed, suspended, or held up
  4. to cause to stick or snag immovably
    • the ship was hung up on a sandbar
  5. to break a telephone connection
  6. to become stuck or snagged so as to be immovable

ha·ni·wa ['hä-nə-,wä] -n pl

  1. large hollow baked clay sculptures placed on ancient Japanese burial mounds

hank ['haŋk] -n

  1. coil, loop
  2. a coiled or looped bundle (as of yarn) usu. containing a definite yardage
  3. any of a series of rings or clips by which a jib or staysail is attached to a stay

han·ker ['haŋ-kər] -vi, n

  1. to have a strong or persistent desire : yearn often used with for or after

han·kie ['haŋ-kē] -n

  1. handkerchief

han·kypan·ky [,haŋ-kē-'paŋ-kē] -n

  1. questionable or underhanded activity
  2. sexual dalliance

Han·o·ve·ri·an [,ha-nə-'vir-ē-ən, -'ver-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or supporting the German ducal house of Hanover
  2. of or relating to the British royal house that ruled from 1714 to 1901

Hanoverian -n

  1. a member or supporter of the ducal or of the British royal Hanoverian house
  2. any of a breed of horses of German origin bred to excel in equestrian competition (as dressage and jumping)

Han·sa ['han(t)-sə, 'hän-(,)zä] -n, n or adj

  1. a league orig. constituted of merchants of various free German cities dealing abroad in the medieval period and later of the cities themselves and organized to secure greater safety and privileges in trading
  2. a medieval merchant guild or trading association

Han·sard ['han(t)-sərd, 'han-,särd] -n

  1. the official published report of debates in the parliament of a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

hansel ['han(t)-səl] -n

(variant of handsel)

  1. a gift made as a token of good wishes or luck esp. at the beginning of a new year
  2. something received first (as in a day of trading) and taken to be a token of good luck
  3. a first installment : earnest money
  4. earnest, foretaste

Han·sen's disease ['han(t)-sənz-] -n

  1. leprosy

han·som ['han(t)-səm] -n

  1. a light 2-wheeled covered carriage with the driver's seat elevated behind called also hansom cab

hant ['hȯnt, 'hänt] -vb, n, adv

(variant of haunt)

  1. to visit often : frequent
  2. to continually seek the company of
  3. to have a disquieting or harmful effect on : trouble
    • problems we ignore now will come back to haunt us
  4. to recur constantly and spontaneously to
    • the tune haunt ed her
  5. to reappear continually in
    • a sense of tension that haunt s his writing
  6. to visit or inhabit as a ghost
  7. to stay around or persist : linger
  8. to appear habitually as a ghost
  9. a place habitually frequented
  10. ghost

han·ta·vi·rus ['hän-tə-,vī-rəs, 'hən-, 'han-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Hantavirus) of bunyaviruses transmitted esp. by rodent feces and urine and including viruses causing serious pulmonary disease or hemorrhagic fevers marked by renal necrosis

Hants -abbr

  1. Hampshire

Ha·nuk·kah ['hä-nə-kə, 'k̲ä-] -n

  1. an 8-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th of Kislev and commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after its defilement by Antiochus of Syria

hao ['hau̇] -n

  1. a monetary unit of Vietnam equal to dong

hao·le ['hau̇-lē, -(,)lā] -n

  1. one who is not descended from the aboriginal Polynesian inhabitants of Hawaii
  2. white

hap ['hap] -n

  1. happening
  2. chance, fortune
  3. happen
  4. clothe, cover
  5. something (as a bed quilt or cloak) that serves as a covering or wrap

ha·pa hao·le [,hä-pə-'hau̇-lē, -(,)lā] -adj

  1. of part-white ancestry or origin
  2. of white and Hawaiian ancestry

ha·pax le·go·me·non [,ha-,paks-li-'gä-mə-,nän, ,hä-,päks-, -nən] -n

  1. a word or form occurring only once in a document or corpus

ha'·pen·ny ['hāp-nē, 'hā-pə-] -n

  1. halfpenny

hap·haz·ard [(,)hap-'ha-zərd] -n

  1. chance

haphazard [-zər-drē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by lack of plan, order, or direction

hap·ki·do [,häp-'kē-dō] -n

  1. a Korean martial art based on kicking motions and incorporating elements of aikido

hapl- -comb form

  1. single
    • haplo logy
  2. haploid
    • hapl ont

hap·less ['ha-pləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. having no luck : unfortunate

hap·loid ['ha-,plȯid] -adj, n

  1. having the gametic number of chromosomes typically including one of each pair of homologous chromosomes

hap·lol·o·gy [ha-'plä-lə-jē] -n

  1. contraction of a word by omission of one or more similar sounds or syllables (as in mineralogyfor hypothetical mineralologyor pra-ble for probably)

hap·lont ['ha-,plänt] -n, adj

  1. an organism (as some primitive algae) having a diploid zygote that undergoes meiosis to produce haploid cells

hap·lo·type ['ha-plō-,tīp] -n

  1. a group of alleles of different genes (as of the major histocompatibility complex) on a single chromosome that are closely enough linked to be inherited usu. as a unit

hap·ly ['ha-plē] -adv

  1. by chance, luck, or accident

hap·pen ['ha-pən, -pᵊm] -vi

  1. to occur by chance often used with it
    • it so happen s I'm going your way
  2. to come into being or occur as an event, process, or result
    • mistakes will happen
  3. to do, encounter, or attain something by or as if by chance
    • I happen to know the answer
  4. to meet or discover something by chance
    • happen ed upon a system that worked -- Richard Corbin
  5. to come or go casually : make a chance appearance
    • he might happen by at any time
  6. to come esp. by way of injury or harm
    • I promise nothing will happen to you

hap·pen·chance ['ha-pən-,chan(t)s, 'ha-pᵊm-] -n

  1. happenstance

happening -n

  1. something that happens : occurrence
  2. an event or series of events designed to evoke a spontaneous reaction to sensory, emotional, or spiritual stimuli
  3. something (as an event) that is particularly interesting, entertaining, or important
  4. very fashionable : in
    • a happening hairstyle
  5. offering much stimulating activity
    • a happening dance club

hap·pen·stance ['ha-pən-,stan(t)s, 'ha-pᵊm-] -n, adj

  1. a circumstance esp. that is due to chance

hap·pi·ly ['ha-pə-lē] -adv

  1. in a fortunate manner
  2. as it fortunately happens
    • happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change -- P. A. Witteman
  3. by chance
  4. in a happy manner or state
  5. in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully

hap·pi·ness ['ha-pē-nəs] -n

  1. good fortune : prosperity
  2. a state of well-being and contentment : joy
  3. a pleasurable or satisfying experience
  4. felicity, aptness

hap·py ['ha-pē] -adj

  1. favored by luck or fortune : fortunate
    • a happy coincidence
  2. notably fitting, effective, or well adapted : felicitous
    • a happy choice
  3. enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment
    • is the happiest person I know
    • a happy childhood
  4. expressing, reflecting, or suggestive of happiness
    • a happy ending
  5. glad, pleased
    • I'm happy to meet you
  6. having or marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship : friendly
    • a happy office
  7. characterized by a dazed irresponsible state
    • a punch- happy boxer
  8. impulsively or obsessively quick to use or do something
    • trigger- happy
  9. enthusiastic about something to the point of obsession : obsessed
    • education-conscious and statistic- happy -- Helen Rowen

happy camper -n

  1. one who is content

hap·pygolucky [,ha-pē-gō-'lə-kē] -adj

  1. blithely unconcerned : carefree

happy hour -n

  1. a period of time during which the price of drinks (as at a bar) is reduced or hors d'oeuvres are served free

happy hunting ground -n

  1. the paradise of some American Indian tribes to which the souls of warriors and hunters pass after death to spend a happy hereafter in hunting and feasting
  2. a choice or profitable area of activity or exploitation

happy talk -n

  1. informal talk among the participants in a television news broadcast
  2. a broadcast format featuring such talk
  3. optimistic talk

Haps·burg ['haps-,bərg, 'häps-,bu̇rg] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to the German royal house to which belong the rulers of Austria from 1278 to 1918, the rulers of Spain from 1516 to 1700, and many of the Holy Roman emperors

hap·ten ['hap-,ten] -n, adj

  1. a small separable part of an antigen that reacts specif. with an antibody but is incapable of stimulating antibody production except in combination with a carrier protein molecule

hap·tic ['hap-tik] -adj

  1. relating to or based on the sense of touch
  2. characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch
    • a haptic person

hap·to·glo·bin ['hap-tə-,glō-bən] -n

  1. any of several forms of an alpha globulin found in blood serum that can combine with free hemoglobin in the plasma and thereby prevent the loss of iron into the urine

harakiri [,ha-ri-'kir-ē, -'ka-rē] -n

  1. ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty
  2. suicide

ha·ram [hä-'räm] -adj

  1. forbidden by Islamic law
    • haram foods

ha·rangue [hə-'raŋ] -n

  1. a speech addressed to a public assembly
  2. a ranting speech or writing
  3. lecture

harangue -vb, n

  1. to make a harangue : declaim
  2. to address in a harangue
    • haranguing me...on the folly of my ways -- Jay Jacobs

ha·rass [hə-'ras; 'her-əs, 'ha-rəs] -vt, n

  1. exhaust, fatigue
  2. to annoy persistently
  3. to create an unpleasant or hostile situation for esp. by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct
  4. to worry and impede by repeated raids
    • harass ed the enemy

har·bin·ger ['här-bən-jər] -n

  1. a person sent ahead to provide lodgings
  2. one that pioneers in or initiates a major change : precursor
  3. one that presages or foreshadows what is to come

harbinger -vt

  1. to be a harbinger of : presage

har·bor ['här-bər] -n, adj

  1. a place of security and comfort : refuge
  2. a part of a body of water protected and deep enough to furnish anchorage
  3. one with port facilities

harbor [-b(ə-)riŋ] -vb, n

  1. to give shelter or refuge to
  2. to be the home or habitat of
    • the ledges still harbor rattlesnakes
  3. contain
  4. to hold esp. persistently in the mind : cherish
    • harbor ed a grudge
  5. to take shelter in or as if in a harbor
  6. live

har·bor·age [-bə-rij] -n

  1. shelter, harbor

har·bor·mas·ter ['här-bər-,mas-tər] -n

  1. an officer who executes the regulations respecting the use of a harbor

harbor seal -n

  1. a small hair seal ( Phoca vitulina) of oceanic coasts in the northern hemisphere that often ascends rivers

har·bor·side ['här-bər-,sīd] -adj

  1. located next to a harbor

har·bour ['här-bər] -n, adj

(variant of harbor)

  1. a place of security and comfort : refuge
  2. a part of a body of water protected and deep enough to furnish anchorage
  3. one with port facilities

hard ['härd] -adj

  1. not easily penetrated : not easily yielding to pressure
  2. not capable of being spread : very firm
  3. having a harsh or acid taste
  4. strongly alcoholic
  5. characterized by the presence of salts (as of calcium or magnesium) that prevent lathering with soap
    • hard water
  6. of or relating to radiation of relatively high penetrating power : having high energy
    • hard X rays
  7. having or producing relatively great photographic contrast
    • a hard negative
  8. metallic as distinct from paper
    • hard money
  9. convertible into gold : stable in value
  10. usable as currency
    • paid in hard cash
  11. readily acceptable in international trade
  12. being high and firm
    • hard prices
  13. firmly and closely twisted
    • hard yarns
  14. having a smooth close napless finish
    • a hard worsted
  15. physically fit
    • in good hard condition
  16. resistant to stress or disease
  17. free of weakness or defects
  18. firm, definite
    • reached a hard agreement
  19. not speculative or conjectural : factual
    • hard evidence
  20. important or informative rather than sensational or entertaining
    • hard news
  21. close, searching
    • gave a hard look
  22. free from sentimentality or illusion : realistic
    • good hard sense
  23. lacking in responsiveness : obdurate, unfeeling
    • a hard heart
  24. difficult to bear or endure
    • hard luck
    • hard times
  25. oppressive, inequitable
    • sales taxes are hard on the poor
    • a hard restriction
  26. lacking consideration, compassion, or gentleness : callous
    • a hard greedy landlord
  27. incorrigible, tough
    • a hard gang
  28. harsh, severe, or offensive in tendency or effect
    • said some hard things
  29. resentful
    • hard feelings
  30. strict, unrelenting
    • drives a hard bargain
  31. inclement
    • hard winter
  32. intense in force, manner, or degree
    • hard blows
  33. demanding the exertion of energy : calling for stamina and endurance
    • hard work
  34. performing or carrying on with great energy, intensity, or persistence
    • a hard worker
  35. most unyielding or thoroughgoing
    • the hard political right
  36. characterized by sharp or harsh outline, rigid execution, and stiff drawing
  37. sharply defined : stark
    • hard shadows
  38. lacking in shading, delicacy, or resonance
    • hard singing tones
  39. sounding as in arcingand geeserespectively used of c and g
  40. suggestive of toughness or insensitivity
    • hard eyes
  41. difficult to accomplish or resolve : troublesome
    • hard problems
    • the true story was hard to come by
  42. difficult to comprehend or explain
    • a hard concept
  43. having difficulty in doing something
    • hard of hearing
  44. difficult to magnetize or demagnetize
  45. being at once addictive and gravely detrimental to health
    • such hard drugs as heroin
  46. resistant to biodegradation
    • hard detergents
    • hard pesticides such as DDT
  47. being, schooled in, or using the methods of the natural sciences and esp. of the physical sciences
    • a hard scientist
  48. contributed (as by individuals or political action committees) directly to a particular candidate or campaign
  49. with great or utmost effort or energy : strenuously
    • were hard at work
  50. in a violent manner : fiercely
  51. to the full extent usu. used in nautical directions
    • steer hard aport
  52. to an immoderate degree
  53. in a searching, close, or concentrated manner
    • stared hard at me
  54. in such a manner as to cause hardship, difficulty, or pain
  55. with rancor, bitterness, or grief
    • took the defeat hard
  56. in a firm manner : tightly
  57. to the point of hardness
    • frozen hard
  58. close in time or space
    • stands hard by the river

hardandfast [,härd-ᵊn-'fast] -adj

  1. not to be modified or evaded : strict
    • a hardandfast rule

hardass ['härd-,as] -n, adj

  1. a tough, demanding, or uncompromising person

hard·back ['härd-,bak] -n

  1. a book bound in hard covers

hard·ball [-,bȯl] -n

  1. baseball
  2. forceful uncompromising methods employed to gain an end
    • played political hardball

hardbit·ten [-'bi-tᵊn] -adj

  1. inclined to bite hard
  2. seasoned or steeled by difficult experience : tough

hard·board ['härd-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a very dense fiberboard usu. having one smooth face

hardboil [-'bȯi(-ə)l] -vt

  1. to cook (an egg) in the shell until both white and yolk have solidified

hardboiled [-'bȯi(-ə)ld] -adj

  1. devoid of sentimentality : tough
    • a hardboiled drill sergeant
  2. of, relating to, or being a detective story featuring a tough unsentimental protagonist and a matter-of-fact attitude towards violence
  3. hardheaded, practical
    • hardboiled business decisions

hard·boot [-,büt] -n

  1. an esp. small-time horseman

hard·bound [-,bau̇nd] -adj

  1. hardcover

hard candy -n

  1. a candy made of sugar and corn syrup boiled without crystallizing

hard·case ['härd-'kās] -adj

  1. hard-bitten, tough

hard case [-,kās] -n

  1. a tough or hardened person

hard cheese -n

  1. tough luck often used interjectionally

hard cider -n

  1. fermented apple juice

hard clam -n

  1. a clam with a thick hard shell
  2. quahog

hard coal -n

  1. anthracite

hardcoat·ed ['härd-'kō-təd] -adj

  1. having a harsh-textured coat
    • hardcoated terriers

hard copy -n

  1. a copy of textual or graphic information (as from microfilm or computer storage) produced on paper in normal size

hardcore [-'kȯr] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being part of a hard core
    • hardcore poverty
    • the hardcore unemployed
  2. confirmed, die-hard
    • hardcore rock fans
    • a hardcore liberal
  3. containing explicit descriptions of sex acts or scenes of actual sex acts
  4. characterized by or being the purest or most basic form of something : fundamental
    • a room gussied up in hardcore French provincial style -- John Canaday

hard core [-,kōr, -,kȯr] -n

  1. : a central or fundamental and usu. enduring group or part: as
  2. a relatively small enduring core of society marked by apparent resistance to change or inability to escape a persistent wretched condition (as poverty or chronic unemployment)
  3. a militant or fiercely loyal faction
  4. hard material in pieces (as broken bricks or stone) used as a bottom (as in making roads and in foundations)

hard·cov·er ['härd-'kə-vər] -adj, n

  1. having rigid boards on the sides covered in cloth or paper
    • hardcover books
  2. of or relating to hardcover books
    • hardcover sales

hard disk -n

  1. a rigid metal disk coated with a magnetic material on which data for a computer can be stored
  2. hard drive

hard drive -n

  1. a data-storage device consisting of a drive and one or more hard disks

harddriv·ing ['här(d)-'drī-viŋ] -adj

  1. intensely ambitious, energetic, or hardworking

hardedge ['härd-'ej] -adj

  1. of or relating to abstract painting characterized by geometric forms with clearly defined boundaries

hardedged [-'ejd] -adj

  1. having a tough, driving, or sharp quality
    • hardedged stories about life in the city

hard·en ['här-dᵊn] -vb

  1. to make hard or harder
  2. to confirm in disposition, feelings, or action
  3. to make callous
    • harden ed his heart
  4. inure, toughen
    • harden troops
  5. to inure to unfavorable environmental conditions (as cold) often used with off
    • harden off seedlings before transplanting
  6. to protect from blast, heat, or radiation (as by a thick barrier or placement underground)
  7. to become hard or harder
  8. to become firm, stable, or settled
  9. to assume an appearance of harshness or severity
    • her face harden ed at the thought
  10. to become gradually acclimatized to unfavorable conditions often used with off
    • plants harden ed off before the first frost

hard·en·er ['härd-nər, 'här-dᵊn-ər] -n

  1. one that hardens
  2. a substance added (as to a paint or varnish) to harden the film

hard·en·ing -n

  1. sclerosis
    • hardening of the arteries

hardeyed ['härd-,īd] -adj

  1. hard or cold in manner or approach : dispassionate
    • a hardeyed view of the candidates

hard·fist·ed ['härd-'fis-təd] -adj

  1. stingy, closefisted
  2. hardhanded

hard goods -n pl

  1. durables

hard·hack ['härd-,hak] -n

  1. a No. American spirea ( Spiraea tomentosa) with dense terminal panicles of pink or occas. white flowers and leaves having a hairy and yellow to rust-colored underside

hard·hand·ed [-'han-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having hands made hard by labor
  2. strict, oppressive

hard hat [usu -'hat for 1 and -,hat for 1b & 2] -n

  1. a protective hat made of rigid material (as metal or fiberglass) and worn esp. by construction workers
  2. a construction worker
  3. a conservative who is intolerant of opposing views

hard·head ['härd-,hed] -n

  1. a hardheaded person
  2. blockhead
  3. any of several fishes esp. with a spiny or bony head
  4. atlantic croaker

hard·head·ed [-'he-dəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. stubborn, willful
  2. concerned with or involving practical considerations : sober, realistic
    • some hardheaded advice
    • a hardheaded observer of winds and tides

hardheart·ed [-'här-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking in sympathetic understanding : unfeeling, pitiless

hardhit ['härd-,hit] -adj

  1. profoundly stricken : affected in an esp. negative way
    • one of the industries particularly hardhit during the downturn

hardhit·ting [-'hi-tiŋ] -adj

  1. strikingly effective in force or result
    • a hardhitting expose
    • plain hardhitting English

har·di·hood ['här-dē-,hu̇d] -n

  1. resolute courage and fortitude
  2. resolute and self-assured audacity often carried to the point of impudent insolence
  3. vigor, robustness

har·di·ment [-mənt] -n

  1. hardihood
  2. a bold deed

har·ding grass ['här-diŋ-] -n

  1. a perennial Mediterranean grass ( Phalaris aquaticasyn. P. tuberosa) widely used as a forage grass

hard knocks -n pl

  1. rough unsparing treatment (as in use or in life) often used in the phrase school of hard knocks

hard labor -n

  1. compulsory labor of imprisoned criminals as a part of the prison discipline

hardline ['härd-'līn] -adj, n

  1. advocating or involving a rigidly uncompromising course of action

hard lines -n pl

  1. hard luck often used interjectionally

hardluck ['härd-,lək] -adj

  1. marked by, relating to, or experiencing bad luck or difficulty
    • another loss for the team's hardluck pitcher
    • hardluck stories

hard·ly ['härd-lē] -adv

  1. with force : vigorously
  2. in a severe manner : harshly
  3. with difficulty : painfully
  4. used to emphasize a minimal amount
    • I hardly knew her
    • almost new - hardly a scratch on it
  5. used to soften a negative
    • you can't hardly tell who anyone is -- G. B. Shaw
  6. certainly not
    • that news is hardly surprising

hard maple -n

  1. sugar maple

hard·mouthed ['härd-'mau̇thd, -'mau̇tht] -adj

  1. not sensitive to the bit
  2. obstinate, stubborn

hard·ness [-nəs] -n

  1. the quality or state of being hard
  2. the cohesion of the particles on the surface of a mineral as determined by its capacity to scratch another or be itself scratched
  3. resistance of metal to indentation under a static load or to scratching

hard·nose ['härd-,nōz] -n

  1. a hard-nosed person

hardnosed ['härd-'nōzd] -adj

  1. being tough, stubborn, or uncompromising
  2. hardheaded , tough-minded

hard of hearing -adj

  1. relating to or having a defective but functional sense of hearing

hardon ['härd-,ȯn, -,än] -n

  1. an erection of the penis

hard·pack ['härd-,pak] -n

  1. compacted snow

hard palate -n

  1. the bony anterior part of the palate forming the roof of the mouth

hard·pan ['härd-,pan] -n

  1. a cemented or compacted and often clayey layer in soil that is impenetrable by roots
  2. a fundamental part : bedrock

hardpaste porcelain ['härd-,pāst-] -n

  1. porcelain

hard pine -n

  1. a pine (as longleaf pine or pitch pine) that has hard wood and leaves usu. in groups of two or three
  2. the wood of a hard pine

hardpressed ['härd-'prest] -adj

  1. hard put
  2. being under financial strain

hard put -adj

  1. barely able : faced with difficulty or perplexity
    • was hard put to find an explanation

hard rock -n

  1. rock music marked by a heavy regular beat, high amplification, and usu. frenzied performances

hard rubber -n

  1. a firm rubber or rubber product
  2. a normally black horny substance made by vulcanizing natural rubber with high percentages of sulfur

hard sauce -n

  1. a creamed mixture of butter and powdered sugar often with added cream and flavoring (as vanilla or rum)

hard·scape ['härd-,skāp] -n

  1. structures (as fountains, benches, or gazebos) that are incorporated into a landscape

hard·scrab·ble ['härd-,skra-bəl] -adj

  1. being or relating to a place of barren or barely arable soil
    • a hardscrabble farm
    • hardscrabble prairies
  2. getting a meager living from poor soil
    • a hardscrabble farmer
  3. marked by poverty
    • a hardscrabble cotton town
    • a hardscrabble childhood

hard sell -n

  1. aggressive high-pressure salesmanship

hardset ['härd-'set] -adj

  1. rigid, fixed

hardshell [-,shel] -adj

  1. fundamental , fundamentalist
    • a hardshell preacher
    • hardshell Baptists
  2. uncompromising, hidebound
    • a hardshell conservative

hardshell clam -n

  1. quahog called also hard-shelled clam

hardshell crab -n

  1. a crab that has not recently shed its shell called also hard-shelled crab

hard·ship ['härd-,ship] -n

  1. privation, suffering
  2. something that causes or entails suffering or privation

hard·stand [-,stand] -n

  1. a paved area for parking an airplane

hard·stand·ing [-,stan-diŋ] -n

  1. hardstand
  2. parking lot

hard stone -n

  1. an opaque usu. semiprecious stone that can be shaped or carved (as for jewelery or mosaics)

hard·tack [-,tak] -n

  1. a saltless hard biscuit, bread, or cracker
  2. any of several mountain mahoganies (esp. Cercocarpus betuloides)

hardtimes token -n

  1. any of the tokens issued during the controversy between the Jackson administration and the bank of the U.S.

hard·top ['härd-,täp] -n

  1. an automobile or a motorboat having a permanent rigid top
  2. such an automobile styled to resemble a convertible

hard up -adj

  1. short of money
  2. poorly provided
    • hard up for friends

hard·ware ['härd-,wer] -n

  1. ware (as fittings, cutlery, tools, utensils, or parts of machines) made of metal
  2. : major items of equipment or their components used for a particular purpose
    • educational hardware
    : as
  3. military equipment
  4. the physical components (as electronic and electrical devices) of a vehicle (as a spacecraft) or an apparatus (as a computer)
  5. an award (as a trophy, medal, or cup) given in a sports competition

hardware cloth -n

  1. rugged galvanized screening

hard wheat -n

  1. a wheat with hard kernels that are high in gluten and that yield a flour esp. suitable for bread and macaroni

hard·wired ['härd-,wī(-ə)rd] -adj

  1. implemented in the form of permanent electronic circuits
  2. connected or incorporated by or as if by permanent electrical connections
    • a hardwired phone
    • concepts of attractiveness may be universal and hardwired into the human brain -- Jane E. Brody
  3. genetically or innately determined : inborn
    • creature whose every action is a reflexive, hardwired response -- Natalie Angier
  4. genetically or innately predisposed
    • a human being who is hardwired to be sociable -- Forbes

hardwon [-'wən] -adj

  1. gained by great effort

hard·wood ['härd-,wu̇d] -n

  1. the wood of an angiospermous tree as distinguished from that of a coniferous tree
  2. a tree that yields hardwood
  3. a basketball court

hardwood -adj

  1. having or made of hardwood
    • hardwood floors
  2. consisting of mature woody tissue
    • hardwood cuttings

hard·work·ing ['härd-'wər-kiŋ] -adj

  1. industrious, diligent

har·dy ['här-dē] -adj, adv, n

  1. bold, brave
  2. audacious, brazen
  3. inured to fatigue or hardships : robust
  4. capable of withstanding adverse conditions
    • hardy outdoor furniture
    • hardy plants
    • hardy cattle

Har·dyWein·berg law [,här-dē-'wīn-,bərg-] -n

  1. a fundamental principle of population genetics: population gene frequencies and genotype frequencies remain constant from generation to generation if mating is random and if mutation, selection, immigration, and emigration do not occur called also Hardy-Weinberg principle

hare ['her] -n

  1. any of various swift long-eared lagomorph mammals (family Leporidae and esp. genus Lepus) that are usu. solitary or sometimes live in pairs and have the young open-eyed and furred at birth
  2. to go swiftly : tear

hare and hounds -n

  1. a game in which some of the players leave a trail and others try to follow the trail to find and catch them

hare·bell ['her-,bel] -n

  1. a slender blue-flowered herb ( Campanula rotundifolia) with linear leaves on the stem

hare·brained [-'brānd] -adj

  1. foolish
  2. absurd, ridiculous

Ha·re Krish·na ['här-ē-'krish-nə, 'her-, 'ha-rē-] -n

  1. a member of a religious group dedicated to the worship of the Hindu god Krishna

hare·lip ['her-'lip] -n

  1. cleft lip

har·em ['her-əm] -n

  1. a usu. secluded house or part of a house allotted to women in a Muslim household
  2. the wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying a harem
  3. a group of women associated with one man
  4. a group of females associated with one male used of polygamous animals

harem pants -n

  1. women's loose trousers that fit closely at the ankle

har·i·cot ['(h)er-i-,kō, '(h)a-ri-] -n

  1. the ripe seed or the unripe pod of any of several beans (genus Phaseolus) and esp. the kidney bean ( P. vulgaris)

har·i·cot vert [,är-ē-kō-'ver] -n

  1. a thin green bean

ha·ri·jan [,här-i-'jän] -n

  1. a member of the outcaste group in India : untouchable

hark ['härk] -vi

  1. to pay close attention : listen

hark back -vi

  1. to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance
  2. to go back to something as an origin or source

hark·en -vi

  1. hearken
  2. hark back usu. used with back

har·le·quin ['här-li-k(w)ən] -n

  1. a character in comedy and pantomime with a shaved head, masked face, variegated tights, and wooden sword
  2. buffoon
  3. a variegated pattern (as of a textile)
  4. a combination of patches on a solid ground of contrasting color (as in the coats of some dogs)

har·le·quin·ade [,här-li-k(w)ə-'nād] -n

  1. a play or pantomime in which Harlequin has a leading role

har·lot ['här-lət] -n

  1. prostitute

har·lot·ry [-lə-trē] -n

  1. sexual profligacy : prostitution
  2. an unprincipled or immoral woman
    • he sups tonight with a harlotry -- Shak.

harm ['härm] -n

  1. physical or mental damage : injury
  2. mischief, hurt
  3. to cause harm to

har·mat·tan [,här-mə-'tan, här-'ma-tᵊn] -n

  1. a dust-laden wind on the Atlantic coast of Africa in some seasons

harm·ful ['härm-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. of a kind likely to be damaging : injurious

harm·less ['härm-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. free from harm, liability, or loss
  2. lacking capacity or intent to injure : innocuous
    • a harmless joke

har·mon·ic [här-'mä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. musical
  2. of or relating to musical harmony or a harmonic
  3. pleasing to the ear : harmonious
  4. of an integrated nature : congruous

harmonic -n

  1. overtone
  2. one whose vibration frequency is an integral multiple of that of the fundamental
  3. a flutelike tone produced on a stringed instrument by touching a vibrating string at a nodal point
  4. a component frequency of a complex wave (as of electromagnetic energy) that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency

har·mon·i·ca [här-'mä-ni-kə] -n

  1. glass harmonica
  2. a small rectangular wind instrument with free reeds recessed in air slots from which tones are sounded by exhaling and inhaling

harmonic analysis -n

  1. the expression of a periodic function as a sum of sines and cosines and specif. by a Fourier series

harmonic mean -n

  1. the reciprocal of the arithmetic mean of the reciprocals of a finite set of numbers

harmonic motion -n

  1. a periodic motion (as of a sounding violin string or swinging pendulum) that has a single frequency or amplitude or is composed of two or more such simple periodic motions

harmonic progression -n

  1. a sequence of numbers whose reciprocals form an arithmetic progression

harmonic series -n

  1. a series of the formwhich diverges for 0 1 and converges for 1

har·mo·ni·ous [här-'mō-nē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. musically concordant
  2. having the parts agreeably related : congruous
    • blended into a harmonious whole
  3. marked by accord in sentiment or action

har·mo·nise ['här-mə-,nīz] -vb, n

(variant of harmonize)

  1. to play or sing in harmony
  2. to be in harmony
  3. to bring into consonance or accord
  4. to provide or accompany with harmony

har·mo·ni·um [här-'mō-nē-əm] -n

  1. reed organ

har·mo·nize ['här-mə-,nīz] -vb, n

  1. to play or sing in harmony
  2. to be in harmony
  3. to bring into consonance or accord
  4. to provide or accompany with harmony

har·mo·ny ['här-mə-nē] -n

  1. tuneful sound : melody
  2. the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord
  3. the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords
  4. the science of the structure, relation, and progression of chords
  5. pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts
    • a painting exhibiting harmony of color and line
  6. correspondence, accord
    • lives in harmony with her neighbors
  7. internal calm : tranquillity
  8. an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative
  9. a systematic arrangement of parallel literary passages (as of the Gospels) for the purpose of showing agreement or harmony

harm's way -n

  1. a dangerous place or situation
    • was placed in harm's way
    • got them out of harm's way

har·ness ['här-nəs] -n

  1. the gear other than a yoke of a draft animal
  2. gear, equipment
  3. military equipment for a horse or man
  4. occupational surroundings or routine
    • get back into harness after a vacation
  5. close association
    • ability to work in harness with others -- R. P. Brooks
  6. something that resembles a harness (as in holding or fastening something)
    • a parachute harness
  7. prefabricated wiring with insulation and terminals ready to be attached
  8. a part of a loom which holds and controls the heddles

harness -vt

  1. to put a harness on
  2. to attach by means of a harness
  3. to tie together : yoke
  4. utilize
    • harness the computer's potential

harness horse -n

  1. a horse for racing or working in harness

harness racing -n

  1. the sport of racing standardbred horses harnessed to 2-wheeled sulkies

harp ['härp] -n

  1. a plucked stringed instrument consisting of a resonator, an arched or angled neck that may be supported by a post, and strings of graded length that are perpendicular to the soundboard
  2. something resembling a harp
  3. harmonica
  4. to play on a harp
  5. to dwell on or recur to a subject tiresomely or monotonously usu. used with on

harp·er ['här-pər] -n

  1. a harp player
  2. one that harps

har·poon [här-'pün] -n, vt

  1. a barbed spear or javelin used esp. in hunting large fish or whales

harp seal -n

  1. a dark-faced seal ( Phoca groenlandicus) of the No. Atlantic that is a variable light gray with the male usu. having a dark crescent on its back and sides

harp·si·chord ['härp-si-,kȯrd] -n

  1. a stringed instrument resembling a grand piano but usu. having two keyboards and two or more strings for each note and producing tones by the plucking of strings with plectra

har·py ['här-pē] -n

  1. a foul malign creature in Greek mythology that is part woman and part bird
  2. a predatory person : leech
  3. a shrewish woman

harpy eagle -n

  1. a large powerful crested eagle ( Harpia harpyja) of Central and So. America that is black above and chiefly white below

har·que·bus ['här-kwi-(,)bəs, -kə-bəs] -n

  1. a matchlock gun invented in the 15th century which was portable but heavy and was usu. fired from a support

har·ri·dan ['her-ə-dən, 'ha-rə-] -n

  1. shrew

harried -adj

  1. beset by problems : harassed

har·ri·er ['her-ē-ər, 'ha-rē-] -n

  1. any of a breed of hunting dogs resembling a small English foxhound and orig. bred for hunting rabbits
  2. a runner on a cross-country team

harrier -n

  1. any of a genus ( Circus) of slender hawks having long angled wings and long legs and feeding chiefly on small mammals, reptiles, and insects
  2. one that harries

Har·ris's hawk ['ha-rə-səz-] -n

  1. a black hawk ( Parabuteo unicinctus) found from the southwestern U.S. to So. America that has brown shoulders and conspicuous white markings on the rump and tail called also Harris hawk

har·row ['her-(,)ō, 'ha-(,)rō] -vt

  1. pillage, plunder

harrow -n

  1. a cultivating implement set with spikes, spring teeth, or disks and used primarily for pulverizing and smoothing the soil
  2. to cultivate with a harrow
  3. torment, vex

har·rumph [hə-'rəm(p)f] -vb, n

  1. to clear the throat in a pompous way
  2. to comment disapprovingly
  3. to utter (a comment) disapprovingly

har·ry ['her-ē, 'ha-rē] -vt

  1. to make a pillaging or destructive raid on : assault
  2. to force to move along by harassing
    • harry ing the terrified horses down out of the mountains -- R. A. Sokolov
  3. to torment by or as if by constant attack

harsh ['härsh] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a coarse uneven surface that is rough or unpleasant to the touch
  2. causing a disagreeable or painful sensory reaction : irritating
  3. physically discomforting : painful
  4. unduly exacting : severe
  5. lacking in aesthetic appeal or refinement : crude

harsh·en ['här-shən] -vb

  1. to make (as a voice) harsh
  2. to become harsh
    • saw the grain of his skin harshen ing over face bones -- Elizabeth Bowen

hart ['härt] -n

  1. the male of the red deer esp. when over five years old : stag

harte·beest ['här-tə-,bēst] -n

  1. either of two large African antelopes ( Alcelaphus buselaphusand Sigmoceros lichtensteinii) with long faces and short annulate divergent horns
  2. a smaller antelope ( Damaliscus hunteri) of eastern Africa having a horizontal white line between the eyes

harts·horn ['härts-,hȯrn] -n

  1. a preparation of ammonia used as smelling salts

har·umscar·um [,her-əm-'sker-əm] -adj, adv

  1. reckless, irresponsible

ha·rus·pex [hə-'rəs-,peks, 'ha-rəs-] -n

  1. a diviner in ancient Rome basing his predictions on inspection of the entrails of sacrificial animals

ha·rus·pi·ca·tion [hə-,rəs-pə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. an act or instance of foretelling something

har·vest ['här-vəst] -n

  1. the season for gathering in agricultural crops
  2. the act or process of gathering in a crop
  3. a mature crop (as of grain or fruit) : yield
  4. the quantity of a natural product gathered in a single season
    • deer harvest
    • ice harvest
  5. an accumulated store or productive result
    • a harvest of revenue

harvest [-və-stə-bəl] -vt, adj, n

  1. to gather in (a crop) : reap
  2. to gather, catch, hunt, or kill (as salmon, oysters, or deer) for human use, sport, or population control
  3. to remove or extract (as living cells, tissues, or organs) from culture or from a living or recently deceased body esp. for transplanting
  4. to accumulate a store of
    • has now harvest ed this new generation's scholarly labors -- M. J. Wiener
  5. to win by achievement
    • the team harvest ed several awards
  6. to gather in a crop esp. for food

harvest fly -n

  1. cicada

harvest home -n

  1. a feast at the close of the harvest
  2. the gathering or the time of the harvest
  3. a song sung by the reapers at the close of the harvest

har·vest·man ['här-vəs(t)-mən] -n

  1. daddy longlegs

harvest mite -n

  1. chigger

harvest moon -n

  1. the full moon nearest the time of the September equinox

har·vest·time ['här-vəs(t)-,tīm] -n

  1. the time during which an annual crop (as wheat) is harvested

has ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

hasbeen ['haz-,bin, -,ben, chiefly Brit -,bēn] -n

  1. one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity

ha·sen·pfef·fer ['hä-zᵊn-,(p)fe-fər, 'hä-sᵊn-] -n

  1. a highly seasoned stew made of marinated rabbit meat

hash ['hash] -vt

  1. to chop (as meat and potatoes) into small pieces
  2. confuse, muddle
  3. to talk about : review often used with over or out
  4. chopped food
  5. chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned
  6. a restatement of something that is already known
    • the same old hash
  7. hodgepodge, jumble
  8. a confused muddle
    • made a hash of the whole project
  9. hashish

hash browns -n pl

  1. boiled potatoes that have been diced, mixed with chopped onions and shortening, and fried usu. until they form a browned cake called also hash brown potatoes hashed brown potatoes hashed browns

Hash·em·ite ['ha-shə-,mīt] -n

  1. a member of an Arab family having common ancestry with Muhammad and founding dynasties in countries of the eastern Mediterranean

hash house -n

  1. an inexpensive eating place

hash·ish ['ha-,shēsh, ha-'shēsh] -n

  1. the concentrated resin from the flowering tops of female hemp plants ( Cannabis sativaor C. indica) that is smoked, chewed, or drunk for its intoxicating effect called also charas

hash mark -n

  1. service stripe
  2. inbounds line

Ha·sid ['ha-səd, 'k̲ä-] -n, adj

  1. a member of a Jewish sect of the second century b.c.opposed to Hellenism and devoted to the strict observance of the ritual law
  2. a member of a Jewish mystical sect founded in Poland about 1750 in opposition to rationalism and ritual laxity

Ha·si·dism ['ha-sə-,di-zəm, 'hä-, 'k̲ä-] -n

  1. the practices and beliefs of the Hasidim
  2. the Hasidic movement

Has·mo·nae·an [,haz-mə-'nē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a member of the Maccabees

hasn't ['ha-zᵊnt, -zᵊn]

  1. has not

hasp ['hasp] -n, vt

  1. any of several devices for fastening
  2. a fastener esp. for a door or lid consisting of a hinged metal strap that fits over a staple and is secured by a pin or padlock

has·si·um ['ha-sē-əm] -n

  1. a short-lived radioactive metallic element produced artificially

has·sle ['ha-səl] -n

  1. a heated often protracted argument : wrangle
  2. a violent skirmish : fight
  3. a state of confusion : turmoil
  4. an annoying or troublesome concern

hassle [-s(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. argue, fight
    • hassled with the umpire
  2. to annoy persistently or acutely : harass
    • he gets hassled in the street because he dresses funny -- William Kloman

has·sock ['ha-sək] -n

  1. tussock
  2. a cushion for kneeling
    • a church hassock
  3. a padded cushion or low stool that serves as a seat or leg rest

hast ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

HAST -abbr

  1. Hawaii-Aleutian standard time

has·tate ['has-,tāt] -adj

  1. triangular with sharp basal lobes spreading away from the base of the petiole
    • hastate leaves
  2. shaped like a spear or the head of a spear
    • a hastate spot of a bird

haste ['hāst] -n

  1. rapidity of motion : swiftness
  2. rash or headlong action : precipitateness
    • the beauty of speed uncontaminated by haste -- Harper's
  3. undue eagerness to act
  4. to urge on : hasten
  5. to move or act swiftly

has·ten ['hā-sᵊn] -vb, n

  1. to move or act quickly
  2. to urge on
    • hasten ed her to the door -- A. J. Cronin
  3. accelerate
    • hasten the coming of a new order -- D. W. Brogan

hast·i·ly ['hā-stə-lē] -adv

  1. in haste : hurriedly

hasty ['hā-stē] -adj, n

  1. rapid in action or movement : speedy
  2. done or made in a hurry
  3. fast and typically superficial
    • made a hasty examination of the wound
  4. eager, impatient
  5. precipitate, rash
  6. prone to anger : irritable

hasty pudding -n

  1. a porridge of oatmeal or flour boiled in water
  2. cornmeal mush
  3. indian pudding

hat ['hat] -n, adj

  1. a covering for the head usu. having a shaped crown and brim
  2. a distinctive head covering worn as a symbol of office
  3. an office, position, or role assumed by or as if by the wearing of a special hat
    • wore many hat s in her career
  4. to furnish or provide with a hat
  5. to make or supply hats

hat·band ['hat-,band] -n

  1. a band (as of fabric, leather, or cord) around the crown of a hat just above the brim

hat·box [-,bäks] -n

  1. a box for holding or storing a hat
  2. a usu. round piece of luggage designed esp. for carrying hats

hatch ['hach] -n

  1. a small door or opening (as in an airplane or spaceship)
    • an escape hatch
  2. an opening in the deck of a ship or in the floor or roof of a building
  3. the covering for such an opening
  4. hatchway
  5. compartment
  6. floodgate
  7. to produce young by incubation
  8. to emerge from an egg, chrysalis, or pupa
  9. to give forth young or imagoes
  10. to incubate eggs : brood
  11. to produce (young) from an egg by applying natural or artificial heat
  12. incubate
  13. to bring into being : originate
  14. to concoct in secret
    • hatch a plot
  15. an act or instance of hatching
  16. a brood of hatched young
  17. to inlay with narrow bands of distinguishable material
    • a silver handle hatch ed with gold
  18. to mark (as a drawing or engraving) with fine closely spaced lines
  19. line
  20. one used to give the effect of shading

hatch·back ['hach-,bak] -n

  1. an automobile the back of which consists of a hatch that opens upward
  2. the back itself

hat·check ['hat-,chek] -adj

  1. employed in checking hats and articles of outdoor clothing
    • a hatcheck girl

hatch·ery ['ha-chə-rē] -n

  1. a place for hatching eggs (as of poultry or fish)

hatch·et ['ha-chət] -n

  1. a short-handled ax often with a hammerhead to be used with one hand
  2. tomahawk

hatchet face ['ha-chət-,fāst] -n, adj

  1. a thin sharp face

hatchet job -n

  1. a forceful or malicious verbal attack

hatchet man -n

  1. one hired for murder, coercion, or attack
  2. a writer specializing in invective
  3. a person hired to perform underhanded or unscrupulous tasks (as ruin reputations)

hatchet work -n

  1. the work of a hatchet man

hatch·ing ['ha-chiŋ] -n

  1. the engraving or drawing of fine lines in close proximity esp. to give an effect of shading
  2. the pattern so made

hatch·ling ['hach-liŋ] -n

  1. a recently hatched animal

hatch·ment ['hach-mənt] -n

  1. a panel on which a coat of arms of a deceased person is temporarily displayed

hatch·way ['hach-,wā] -n

  1. a passage giving access usu. by a ladder or stairs to an enclosed space (as a cellar)
  2. hatch

hate ['hāt] -n

  1. intense hostility and aversion usu. deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury
  2. extreme dislike or antipathy : loathing
    • had a great hate of hard work
  3. an object of hatred
    • a generation whose finest hate had been big business -- F. L. Paxson
  4. to feel extreme enmity toward
    • hate s his country's enemies
  5. to have a strong aversion to : find very distasteful
    • hated to have to meet strangers
    • hate hypocrisy
  6. to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility

hate crime -n

  1. any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

hate·ful ['hāt-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. full of hate : malicious
  2. deserving of or arousing hate

hath ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

(variant of have)

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

hatha yo·ga ['hə-tə-'yō-gə, 'hä-] -n

  1. a system of physical exercises for the control and perfection of the body that constitutes one of the four chief Hindu disciplines

hat in hand -adv

  1. in an attitude of respectful humility
    • have to go hat in hand to apologize

hat·mak·er ['hat-,mā-kər] -n

  1. one who makes hats

ha·tred ['hā-trəd] -n

  1. hate
  2. prejudiced hostility or animosity
    • old racial prejudices and national hatred s -- Peter Thomson

hat·ter ['ha-tər] -n

  1. one that makes, sells, or cleans and repairs hats

hat trick -n

  1. the retiring of three batsmen with three consecutive balls by a bowler in cricket
  2. the scoring of three goals in one game (as of hockey or soccer) by a single player
  3. a series of three victories, successes, or related accomplishments
    • scored a hat trick when her three best steers corralled top honors -- People

hau·berk ['hȯ-(,)bərk] -n

  1. a tunic of chain mail worn as defensive armor from the 12th to the 14th century

haugh ['hȯ(k̲)] -n

  1. a low-lying meadow by the side of a river

haugh·ty ['hȯ-tē, 'hä-] -adj, adv, n

  1. blatantly and disdainfully proud

haul ['hȯl] -vb

  1. to exert traction on : draw
    • haul a wagon
  2. to obtain or move by or as if by hauling
    • was haul ed to parties night after night by his wife
  3. to transport in a vehicle : cart
  4. to change the course of (a ship) esp. so as to sail closer to the wind
  5. to bring before an authority for interrogation or judgment : hale
    • haul traffic violators into court
  6. to exert traction : pull
  7. to move along : proceed
  8. to furnish transportation
  9. shift
  10. the act or process of hauling : pull
  11. a device for hauling
  12. the result of an effort to obtain, collect, or win
    • the burglar's haul
  13. the quantity of fish taken in a single draft of a net
  14. transportation by hauling
  15. the length or course of a transportation route
    • a long haul
  16. a quantity transported : load

haul·age ['hȯ-lij] -n

  1. the act or process of hauling
  2. a charge made for hauling

haul·er ['hȯ-lər] -n

  1. : one that hauls: as
  2. a commercial establishment or worker whose business is hauling
  3. an automotive vehicle for hauling goods or material

haul·ier ['hȯ-lər] -n

(variant of hauler)

  1. : one that hauls: as
  2. a commercial establishment or worker whose business is hauling
  3. an automotive vehicle for hauling goods or material

haulm ['hȯm] -n

  1. the stems or tops of crop plants (as peas or potatoes) esp. after the crop has been gathered

haul off -vi

  1. to get ready used with and and a following verb describing a usu. sudden and violent act
    • I hauled off and hit him

haunch ['hȯnch, 'hänch] -n

  1. hip
  2. hindquarter usu. used in pl.
  3. hindquarter
  4. either side of an arch between the springing and the crown

haunt ['hȯnt, 'hänt] -vb, n, adv

  1. to visit often : frequent
  2. to continually seek the company of
  3. to have a disquieting or harmful effect on : trouble
    • problems we ignore now will come back to haunt us
  4. to recur constantly and spontaneously to
    • the tune haunt ed her
  5. to reappear continually in
    • a sense of tension that haunt s his writing
  6. to visit or inhabit as a ghost
  7. to stay around or persist : linger
  8. to appear habitually as a ghost
  9. a place habitually frequented
  10. ghost

Hau·sa ['hau̇-sə, -zə] -n

  1. the Chadic language of the Hausa people widely used in western Africa as a trade language
  2. a member of a black people of northern Nigeria and southern Niger

haus·frau ['hau̇s-,frau̇] -n

  1. housewife

haus·tel·lum [hȯ-'ste-ləm] -n

  1. a proboscis (as of an insect) adapted to suck blood or juices of plants

haus·to·ri·al [hȯ-'stȯr-ē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having a haustorium

haus·to·ri·um [-ē-əm] -n

  1. a food-absorbing outgrowth of a plant organ (as a hypha or stem)

haut·bois ['(h)ō-,bȯi] -n

  1. oboe

haute ['ōt] -adj

  1. fashionable, high-class
    • haute interior decorators
    • a store filled with haute kitsch

haute cou·ture [,ōt-ku̇-'tu̇r] -n

  1. the houses or designers that create exclusive and often trend-setting fashions for women
  2. the fashions created

haute cui·sine [-kwi-'zēn] -n

  1. artful or elaborate cuisine
  2. traditionally elaborate French cuisine

haute ecole [-ā-'kȯl, -'kəl] -n

  1. a highly stylized form of classical riding : advanced dressage

hau·teur [hȯ-'tər, (h)ō-] -n

  1. arrogance, haughtiness

haut monde [ō-'mänd, ō-'mōⁿd] -n

  1. high society

Ha·vana [hə-'va-nə] -n

  1. a cigar made from Cuban tobacco
  2. a tobacco orig. grown in Cuba

Ha·var·ti [hə-'vär-tē] -n

  1. a semisoft Danish cheese having a porous texture and usu. a mild flavor

hav·da·lah [,häv-də-'lä, häv-'dȯ-lə] -n

  1. a Jewish ceremony marking the close of a Sabbath or holy day

have ['hav, (h)əv, v; in “have to” meaning “must” usu 'haf] -vb

  1. to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege, or entitlement
    • they have a new car
    • I have my rights
  2. to hold in one's use, service, regard, or at one's disposal
    • the group will have enough tickets for everyone
    • we don't have time to stay
  3. to hold, include, or contain as a part or whole
    • the car has power brakes
    • April has 30 days
  4. to feel obligation in regard to usu. used with an infinitive with to
    • we have things to do
    • have a deadline to meet
  5. to stand in a certain relationship to
    • has three fine children
    • we will have the wind at our backs
  6. to acquire or get possession of : obtain
    • these shoes are the best to be had
  7. receive
    • had news
  8. accept
  9. to accept in marriage
  10. to copulate with
  11. to be marked or characterized by (a quality, attribute, or faculty)
    • both have red hair
    • has a way with words
  12. exhibit, show
    • had the gall to refuse
  13. use, exercise
    • have mercy on us
  14. to experience esp. by submitting to, undergoing, or suffering
    • I have a cold
  15. to make the effort to perform (an action) or engage in (an activity)
    • have a look at that cut
  16. to entertain in the mind
    • have an opinion
  17. to cause or command to do something used with the infinitive without to
    • have the children stay
  18. to cause to be in a certain place or state
    • has people around at all times
  19. allow
    • we'll have no more of that
  20. to be competent in
    • has only a little French
  21. to hold in a position of disadvantage or certain defeat
    • we have him now
  22. to take advantage of : trick, fool
    • been had by a partner
  23. bear
    • have a baby
  24. to partake of
    • have dinner
    • have a piece
  25. bribe, suborn
    • can be had for a price
  26. used with the past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect
    • has gone home
    • had already eaten
    • will have finished dinner by then
  27. to be compelled, obliged, or required used with an infinitive with to or to alone
    • we had to go
    • do what you have to
    • it has to be said
  28. one that is well-endowed esp. in material wealth

have·lock ['hav-,läk, -lək] -n

  1. a covering attached to a cap to protect the neck from the sun or bad weather

ha·ven ['hā-vən] -n, vt

  1. harbor, port
  2. a place of safety : refuge
  3. a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions
    • a haven for artists

havenot ['hav-,nät, -'nät] -n

  1. one that is poor esp. in material wealth

haven't ['ha-vənt, 'ha-bᵊm(t)]

  1. have not

have on -vt

  1. wear
    • has on a new suit
  2. to trick or deceive intentionally : put on
  3. to have plans for
    • what do you have on for tomorrow

ha·ver ['hā-vər] -vi

  1. to hem and haw

hav·er·sack ['ha-vər-,sak] -n

  1. a bag similar to a knapsack but worn over one shoulder

ha·ver·sian canal [hə-'vər-zhən-] -n

  1. any of the small canals through which the blood vessels ramify in bone

haversian system -n

  1. a haversian canal with the concentrically arranged laminae of bone that surround it

hav·oc ['ha-vək, -vik] -n

  1. wide and general destruction : devastation
  2. great confusion and disorder
    • the blackout caused havoc in the city

havoc -vt

  1. to lay waste : destroy

haw ['hȯ] -n

  1. a hawthorn berry
  2. hawthorn
  3. nictitating membrane
  4. an inflamed nictitating membrane of a domesticated mammal
  5. often used to indicate a vocalized pause in speaking
  6. to utter the sound represented by haw
    • hemmed and haw ed before answering
  7. equivocate
    • the administration hemmed and haw ed over the students' demands
  8. used as a direction to turn to the left
  9. to turn to the near or left side

HawaiiAleutian time -n

  1. the time of the 10th time zone west of Greenwich that includes the Hawaiian Islands and the Aleutians west of the Fox group

Ha·wai·ian [hə-'wä-yən, -'wī-(y)ən, -'wȯ-yən] -n, adj

  1. a native or resident of Hawaii
  2. one of Polynesian ancestry
  3. the Polynesian language of the Hawaiians

Hawaiian goose -n

  1. nene

Hawaiian guitar -n

  1. a usu. electric stringed instrument having a long fretted neck and six to eight steel strings that are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar for a glissando effect

Hawaiian shirt -n

  1. a usu. short-sleeved sport shirt with a colorful pattern

haw·finch ['hȯ-,finch] -n

  1. an Old World finch ( Coccothraustes coccothraustesof the family Fringillidae) with a large heavy bill and short thick neck and the male marked with black, white, and brown

hawk ['hȯk] -n, adj, adv

  1. any of numerous diurnal birds of prey belonging to a suborder (Falcones of the order Falconiformes) and including all the smaller members of this group
  2. accipiter
  3. a small board or metal sheet with a handle on the underside used to hold mortar
  4. one who takes a militant attitude and advocates immediate vigorous action
  5. a supporter of a war or warlike policy
  6. to hunt birds by means of a trained hawk
  7. to soar and strike like a hawk
  8. to hunt on the wing like a hawk
  9. to raise by trying to clear the throat
    • hawk up phlegm
  10. to utter a harsh guttural sound in or as if in hawking
  11. an audible effort to force up phlegm from the throat
  12. to offer for sale by calling out in the street
    • hawk ing newspapers
  13. sell

hawk·er ['hȯ-kər] -n

  1. falconer

hawker -n

  1. one who hawks wares

Hawk·eye ['hȯk-,ī] -n

  1. a native or resident of Iowa used as a nickname

hawk·eyed ['hȯk-,īd] -adj

  1. having keen sight

hawk moth -n

  1. any of a family (Sphingidae) of stout-bodied moths with a long proboscis, long narrow more or less pointed forewings, and small hind wings called also sphinx

hawks·bill ['hȯks-,bil] -n

  1. a small brown or brown and yellow sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata) of tropical waters that has a narrow pointed beak and a carapace of overlapping plates

hawk·shaw ['hȯk-,shȯ] -n

  1. detective

hawk·weed ['hȯk-,wēd] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Hieracium) of perennial often apomictic composite herbs having usu. yellow flowers

hawse ['hȯz] -n

  1. the part of a ship's bow that contains the hawseholes
  2. hawsehole
  3. the distance between a ship's bow and her anchor

hawse·hole [-,hōl] -n

  1. a hole in the bow of a ship through which a cable passes

haw·ser ['hȯ-zər] -n

  1. a large rope for towing, mooring, or securing a ship

haw·serlaid ['hȯ-zər-,lād] -adj

  1. composed of three ropes laid together right-handed with each containing three strands twisted together

haw·thorn ['hȯ-,thȯrn] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Crataegus) of spring-flowering spiny shrubs or small trees of the rose family with glossy and often lobed leaves, white or pink fragrant flowers, and small red fruits

Haw·thorne effect ['hȯ-,thȯrn-] -n

  1. the stimulation to output or accomplishment that results from the mere fact of being under observation
  2. such an increase in output or accomplishment

hay ['hā] -n

  1. herbage and esp. grass mowed and cured for fodder
  2. reward
  3. bed
  4. a small sum of money
    • a saving of...14 million is not hay -- H. C. Schonberg
  5. to cut, cure, and store hay
  6. to feed with hay

hay·cock ['hā-,käk] -n

  1. a somewhat rounded conical pile of hay

hay fever -n

  1. an acute allergic reaction to pollen that is usu. seasonal and is marked by sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion, and itching and watering of the eyes called also pollinosis

hay·lage ['hā-lij] -n

  1. a stored forage that is essentially a grass silage wilted to 35 to 50 percent moisture

hay·loft ['hā-,lȯft] -n

  1. a loft esp. for storing hay

hay·mak·er [-,mā-kər] -n

  1. a powerful blow

hay·mow [-,mau̇] -n

  1. a mow esp. of or for hay

hay·rack [-,rak] -n

  1. a feeding rack that holds hay for livestock
  2. a frame mounted on the running gear of a wagon and used esp. in hauling hay or straw
  3. a wagon equipped with a hayrack

hay·rick [-,rik] -n

  1. a relatively large sometimes thatched outdoor pile of hay : haystack

hay·ride [-,rīd] -n

  1. a pleasure ride usu. at night by a group in a wagon, sleigh, or open truck partly filled with straw or hay

hayscent·ed fern ['hā-,sen-təd-] -n

  1. a common fern ( Dennstaedtia punctilobula) of eastern No. America with fragrant finely divided pale green fronds

hay·seed ['hā-,sēd] -n

  1. seed shattered from hay
  2. clinging bits of straw or chaff from hay
  3. bumpkin, yokel

hay·stack [-,stak] -n

  1. a stack of hay
  2. a vertical standing wave in turbulent river waters

hay·wire [-,wī(-ə)r] -adv or adj

  1. being out of order or having gone wrong
    • the radio went haywire
  2. emotionally or mentally upset or out of control : crazy
    • is going haywire with grief

ha·zan [k̲ə-'zän, 'k̲ä-zᵊn] -n

  1. an official of a Jewish synagogue or community of the period when the Talmud was compiled
  2. cantor

haz·ard ['ha-zərd] -n

  1. a game of chance like craps played with two dice
  2. a source of danger
  3. chance, risk
  4. a chance event : accident
  5. stake
  6. a golf-course obstacle

hazard -vt

  1. venture, risk
    • hazard a guess as to the outcome

haz·ard·ous ['ha-zər-dəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. depending on hazard or chance
  2. involving or exposing one to risk (as of loss or harm)
    • a hazardous occupation
    • disposing of hazardous waste

haze ['hāz] -n

  1. fine dust, smoke, or light vapor causing lack of transparency of the air
  2. a cloudy appearance in a transparent liquid or solid
  3. a dullness of finish (as on furniture)
  4. something suggesting atmospheric haze
  5. vagueness of mind or mental perception
  6. to make hazy, dull, or cloudy
  7. to become hazy or cloudy
  8. to harass by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work
  9. to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism
  10. to haze by way of initiation
    • haze the fraternity pledges
  11. to drive (as cattle or horses) from horseback

ha·zel ['hā-zəl] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Corylusand esp. the American C. americanaand the European C. avellana) of shrubs or small trees of the birch family bearing nuts enclosed in a leafy involucre
  2. a light brown to strong yellowish brown

hazel -adj

  1. consisting of hazels or of the wood of the hazel
  2. of the color hazel
  3. of a variable color averaging light greenish-grayish brown

hazel hen -n

  1. a European woodland grouse ( Bonasa bonasia) related to the ruffed grouse called also hazel grouse

ha·zel·nut ['hā-zəl-,nət] -n

  1. the brown nut of a hazel

hazing -n

  1. the action of hazing
  2. an initiation process involving harassment

haz·mat ['haz-,mat] -n

  1. a material (as flammable or poisonous material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if released without precautions

hazy ['hā-zē] -adj, adv, n

  1. obscured or made dim or cloudy by or as if by haze
  2. vague, indefinite
    • has only a hazy recollection
  3. uncertain
    • I'm hazy on that point