ho ['hō] -interj

  1. used esp. to attract attention to something specified
    • land ho
  2. whore

Ho -symbol

  1. holmium

hoa·gie ['hō-gē] -n

  1. submarine

hoar ['hȯr] -adj

  1. hoary
  2. frost

hoard ['hȯrd] -n

  1. a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away
  2. to lay up a hoard of
  3. to keep (as one's thoughts) to oneself
  4. to lay up a hoard

hoard·ing ['hȯr-diŋ] -n

  1. a temporary board fence put about a building being erected or repaired called also hoard
  2. billboard

hoar·frost ['hȯr-,frȯst] -n

  1. frost

hoarse ['hȯrs] -adj, adv, n

  1. rough or harsh in sound : grating
    • a hoarse voice
  2. having a hoarse voice
    • shouted himself hoarse

hoars·en ['hȯr-sᵊn] -vb

  1. to make hoarse
  2. to become hoarse

hoary ['hȯr-ē] -adj, n

  1. gray or white with or as if with age
  2. extremely old : ancient
    • hoary legends

hoa·tzin [wä(t)-'sēn] -n

  1. a crested large So. American bird ( Opisthocomos hoazin) with blue facial skin, red eyes, brown plumage marked with white above, and claws on the first and second digits of the wing when young

hoax ['hōks] -vt, n

  1. to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous
  2. an act intended to trick or dupe : imposture
  3. something accepted or established by fraud or fabrication

hob ['häb] -n

  1. hobgoblin, elf
  2. mischief, trouble used with play and raise
    • always raising hob
  3. a projection at the back or side of a fireplace on which something may be kept warm
  4. a cutting tool used for cutting the teeth of worm wheels or gears
  5. cooktop
  6. to cut with a hob
  7. to furnish with hobnails

Hobbes·ian ['häb-zē-ən] -adj

  1. of or relating to the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes or Hobbism

Hob·bism ['hä-,bi-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. the philosophical system of Thomas Hobbes
  2. the Hobbesian theory that people have a fundamental right to self-preservation and to pursue selfish aims but will relinquish these rights to an absolute monarch in the interest of common safety and happiness

hob·bit ['hä-bət] -n

  1. a member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike creatures that dwell underground

hob·ble ['hä-bəl] -vb, n

  1. to move along unsteadily or with difficulty
  2. to limp along
  3. to cause to limp : make lame : cripple
  4. to fasten together the legs of (as a horse) to prevent straying : fetter
  5. to place under handicap : hamper, impede

hobble -n

  1. a hobbling movement
  2. an awkward situation
  3. something used to hobble an animal

hob·ble·bush ['hä-bəl-,bu̇sh] -n

  1. a white-flowered shrubby viburnum ( Vibernum alnifoliumsyn. V. lantanoides) of eastern No. America having serrate rounded leaves and red berries

hob·ble·de·hoy ['hä-bəl-di-,hȯi] -n

  1. an awkward gawky youth

hobble skirt -n

  1. a skirt constricted at the bottom

hob·by ['hä-bē] -n

  1. a small Old World falcon ( Falco subbuteo) that is dark blue above and white below with dark streaking on the breast

hobby [-bē-ist] -n

  1. a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in esp. for relaxation

hob·by·horse ['hä-bē-,hȯrs] -n

  1. a figure of a horse fastened about the waist in the morris dance
  2. a dancer wearing this figure
  3. buffoon
  4. a stick having an imitation horse's head at one end that a child pretends to ride
  5. rocking horse
  6. a toy horse suspended by springs from a frame
  7. a topic to which one constantly reverts
  8. hobby

hob·gob·lin ['häb-,gäb-lən] -n

  1. a mischievous goblin
  2. bogey , bugaboo

hob·nail [-,nāl] -n, adj

  1. a short large-headed nail for studding shoe soles

hob·nob [-,näb] -vi, n

  1. to drink sociably
  2. to associate familiarly

ho·bo ['hō-(,)bō] -n

  1. a migratory worker
  2. a homeless and usu. penniless vagabond

hobo -vi

  1. to live or travel in the manner of a hobo

Hob·son's choice ['häb-sənz-] -n

  1. an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative
  2. the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives

hock ['häk] -n

  1. the tarsal joint or region in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (as the horse) corresponding to the human ankle but elevated and bending backward
  2. a joint of a fowl's leg that corresponds to the hock of a quadruped
  3. a small cut of meat from a front or hind leg just above the foot
    • ham hock s
  4. rhine wine
  5. pawn
  6. pawn
    • got his watch out of hock
  7. debt
    • in hock to the bank
  8. prison

hock·ey ['hä-kē] -n

  1. field hockey
  2. ice hockey

hock·shop ['häk-,shäp] -n

  1. pawnshop

ho·cus ['hō-kəs] -vt

  1. to perpetrate a trick or hoax on : deceive
  2. to befuddle often with drugged liquor
  3. dope, drug
    • hocussed the favorite before the race

ho·cuspo·cus [,hō-kəs-'pō-kəs] -n

  1. sleight of hand
  2. nonsense or sham used esp. to cloak deception

hocuspocus -vt

  1. to play tricks on

hod ['häd] -n

  1. a tray or trough that has a pole handle and that is borne on the shoulder for carrying loads (as of mortar or brick)
  2. a coal scuttle

hod carrier -n

  1. a laborer employed in carrying supplies to bricklayers, stonemasons, cement finishers, or plasterers on the job

hodge·podge ['häj-,päj] -n

  1. a heterogeneous mixture : jumble
    • a hodgepodge of styles

Hodg·kin's disease ['häj-kinz-] -n

  1. a neoplastic disease that is characterized by progressive enlargement of lymph nodes, spleen, and liver and by progressive anemia called also Hodgkin's, Hodgkin's lymphoma

ho·do·scope ['hä-də-,skōp, 'hō-] -n

  1. an instrument for tracing the paths of ionizing particles by means of ion counters in close array

hoe ['hō] -n

  1. any of various implements for tilling, mixing, or raking
  2. an implement with a thin flat blade on a long handle used esp. for cultivating, weeding, or loosening the earth around plants
  3. backhoe
  4. to use or work with a hoe
  5. to weed, cultivate, or thin (a crop) with a hoe
  6. to remove (weeds) by hoeing
  7. to dress or cultivate (land) by hoeing

hoe·cake ['hō-,kāk] -n

  1. a small cake made of cornmeal

hoe·down [-,dau̇n] -n

  1. square dance
  2. a gathering featuring hoedowns

hog ['hȯg, 'häg] -n

  1. a domestic swine esp. when weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kilograms)
  2. any of various wild and domestic swine
  3. a young unshorn sheep
  4. wool from such a sheep
  5. a selfish, gluttonous, or filthy person
  6. one that uses something to excess
    • old cars that are gas hog s
  7. to cut (a horse's mane) short : roach
  8. to cause to arch
  9. to take in excess of one's due
    • hog the credit
  10. to tear up or shred (as waste wood) into bits by machine
  11. to become curved upward in the middle used of a ship's bottom or keel

ho·gan ['hō-,gän] -n

  1. a Navajo Indian dwelling usu. made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

hog·back ['hȯg-,bak, 'häg-] -n

  1. a ridge of land formed by the outcropping edges of tilted strata
  2. a ridge with a sharp summit and steeply sloping sides

hog cholera -n

  1. a highly infectious often fatal disease of swine caused by a flavivirus (species Classical swine fever virusof the genus Pestivirus) and characterized by fever, loss of appetite, weakness, erythematous lesions esp. in light-skinned animals, and severe leukopenia

hog·fish ['hȯg-,fish, 'häg-] -n

  1. a large West Indian and Florida wrasse ( Lachnolaimus maximus) often used for food

hog·get ['hä-gət, 'hȯ-] -n

  1. hog

hog·gish ['hȯ-gish, 'hä-] -adj, adv, n

  1. grossly selfish, gluttonous, or filthy

hog heaven -n

  1. an extremely satisfying state or situation

Hog·ma·nay [,häg-mə-'nā, 'häg-mə-,] -n

  1. the eve of New Year's Day
  2. a gift solicited or given at Hogmanay

hog·nose snake ['hȯg-,nōz-, 'häg-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Heterodon) of rather small harmless stout-bodied No. American colubrid snakes with keeled scales and an upturned snout that seldom bite but hiss wildly and often play dead when disturbed called also hog-nosed snake puff adder

hog score -n

  1. a line which is marked across a curling rink seven yards from the tee and beyond which a stone must pass or be removed from the ice called also hog line

hogs·head ['hȯgz-,hed, 'hägz-] -n

  1. a large cask or barrel
  2. any of various units of capacity
  3. a U.S. unit equal to 63 gallons (238 liters)

hog sucker -n

  1. a No. American sucker ( Hypentelium nigricans) that is brassy olive marked with brown and is sometimes used for food

hogtie ['hȯg-,tī, 'häg-] -vt

  1. to tie together the feet of
  2. to make helpless
  3. stymie
    • hogtie scientific progress

hog·wash [-,wȯsh, -,wäsh] -n

  1. swill , slop
  2. nonsense, balderdash

hog wild [-'wī(-ə)ld] -adj

  1. lacking in restraint : wild
    • would go hog wild if unconfined by constitutional limitations -- Leo Egan

Ho·hen·stau·fen ['hō-ən-,shtau̇-fən, -,stau̇-] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to a princely German family that reigned over the Holy Roman Empire from 11381254 and over Sicily from 11941266

Ho·hen·zol·lern [,hō-ən-'zä-lərn, -'zȯ-] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to a princely German family that reigned in Prussia from 17011918 and in Germany from 18711918

Ho·ho·kam [,hō-hō-'käm] -n, adj

  1. a member of a prehistoric desert culture of the southwestern U.S. centering in the Gila Valley of Arizona and characterized esp. by irrigated agriculture

hohum ['hō-'həm] -adj

  1. routine, dull
    • a hohum existence
  2. bored, indifferent
    • a hohum reaction

ho hum -interj

  1. used to express weariness, boredom, or disdain

hoick ['hȯik] -vt

  1. to move or pull abruptly : yank
    • was hoick ed out of my job -- Vincent Sheean

hoi pol·loi [,hȯi-pə-'lȯi] -n pl

  1. the general populace : masses

hoise ['hȯiz] -vt

  1. hoist

hoi·sin sauce ['hȯi-,sin-, ,hȯi-'sin-] -n

  1. a thick reddish sauce of soybeans, spices, and garlic used in east Asian cookery

hoist ['hȯist, chiefly dial 'hīst] -vb, n

  1. lift, raise
  2. to raise into position by or as if by means of tackle
  3. drink
    • hoist a few beers
  4. to become hoisted : rise
  5. an act of hoisting : lift
  6. an apparatus for hoisting
  7. the height of a flag when viewed flying

hoi·tytoi·ty [,hȯi-tē-'tȯi-tē, ,hī-tē-'tī-tē] -n

  1. thoughtless giddy behavior

hoitytoity -adj

  1. thoughtlessly silly or frivolous : flighty
  2. marked by an air of assumed importance : highfalutin

hoke ['hōk] -vt

  1. to give a contrived, falsely impressive, or hokey quality to usu. used with up
    • hoke up a movie with lots of action

hok·ey ['hō-kē] -adj, n, adv

  1. corny
    • the usual hokey melodrama
  2. obviously contrived : phony
    • the plots are tricky but not hokey -- Cleveland Amory

ho·key·po·key [,hō-kē-'pō-kē] -n

  1. hocus-pocus
  2. ice cream sold by street vendors

hok·ku ['hȯ-(,)kü] -n

  1. haiku

ho·kum ['hō-kəm] -n

  1. a device used (as by showmen) to evoke a desired audience response
  2. pretentious nonsense : bunkum

hol- -comb form

  1. complete : total
    • holo hedral
  2. completely : totally
    • hol andric

hol·an·dric [hō-'lan-drik, hä-] -adj

  1. transmitted by or being a gene in the nonhomologous portion of the Y chromosome
    • a holandric trait

Hol·arc·tic [hō-'lärk-tik, hä-, -'lär-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being the biogeographic region including the northern parts of the Old and the New Worlds and comprising the Nearctic and Palearctic regions or subregions

hold ['hōld] -vb

  1. to have possession or ownership of or have at one's disposal
    • hold s property worth millions
    • the bank hold s the title to the car
  2. to have as a privilege or position of responsibility
    • hold a professorship
  3. to have as a mark of distinction
    • hold s the record for the 100-yard dash
    • hold s a PhD
  4. : to keep under restraint
    • hold price increases to a minimum
    : as
  5. to prevent free expression of
    • hold your temper
  6. to prevent from some action
    • ordered the troops to hold fire
    • the only restraining motive which may hold the hand of a tyrant -- Thomas Jefferson
  7. to keep back from use
    • ask them to hold a room for us
    • I'll have a hot dog, and hold the mustard
  8. to delay temporarily the handling of
    • please hold all my calls
  9. to make liable or accountable or bound to an obligation
    • I'll hold you to your promise
  10. to have or maintain in the grasp
    • hold my hand
    • this is how you hold the racket
  11. aim, point
    • held a gun on them
  12. to support in a particular position or keep from falling or moving
    • hold me up so I can see
    • hold the ladder steady
    • a clamp hold s the whole thing together
    • hold your head up
  13. to bear the pressure of : support
    • can the roof hold all of that weight
  14. : to prevent from leaving or getting away
    • hold the train
    : as
  15. to avoid emitting or letting out
    • how long can you hold your breath
  16. to restrain as or as if a captive
    • the suspect was held without bail
    • held them at gunpoint
  17. to have strong appeal to
    • the book held my interest throughout
  18. to enclose and keep in a container or within bounds : contain
    • the jug hold s one gallon
    • this corral will not hold all of the horses
  19. to be able to consume easily or without undue effect
    • can't hold any more pie
  20. to be able to drink (alcoholic beverages) without becoming noticeably drunk
    • can't hold your liquor
  21. accommodate
    • the restaurant hold s 400 diners
  22. to have as a principal or essential feature or attribute
    • the book hold s a number of surprises
  23. to have in store
    • no one knows what the future hold s
  24. to have in the mind or express as a judgment, opinion, or belief
    • I hold the view that this is wrong
    • hold a grudge
    • hold ing that it is nobody's business but his -- Jack Olsen
    often used with against
    • in America they hold everything you say against you -- Paul McCartney
  25. to think of in a particular way : regard
    • were held in high esteem
  26. to assemble for and carry on the activity of
    • held a convention
  27. to cause to be carried on : conduct
    • will hold a seminar
  28. to produce or sponsor esp. as a public exhibition
    • will hold an art show
  29. to maintain occupation, control, or defense of
    • the troops held the ridge
  30. to resist the offensive efforts or advance of
    • held the opposing team to just two points
  31. to maintain (a certain condition, situation, or course of action) without change
    • hold a course due east
  32. to cover (a part of the body) esp. for protection
    • had to hold their ears because of the cold
  33. to maintain position : refuse to give ground
    • the defensive line is hold ing
  34. to continue in the same way or to the same degree : last
    • hopes the weather will hold
    often used with up
  35. to derive right or title often used with of or from
  36. to be or remain valid : apply
    • the rule hold s in most cases
    often used in the phrase hold true
  37. to maintain a grasp on something : remain fastened to something
    • the anchor held in the rough sea
  38. to go ahead as one has been going
    • held south for several miles
  39. to bear or carry oneself
    • asked him to hold still
  40. to forbear an intended or threatened action : halt, pause often used as a command
  41. to stop counting during a countdown
  42. to have illicit drug material in one's possession
  43. stronghold
  44. confinement, custody
  45. prison
  46. the act or the manner of holding or grasping : grip
    • released his hold on the handle
  47. a manner of grasping an opponent in wrestling
  48. a nonphysical bond that attaches, restrains, or constrains or by which something is affected, controlled, or dominated
    • has lost its hold on the broad public -- Oscar Cargill
  49. full comprehension
    • get hold of exactly what is happening -- J. P. Lyford
  50. full or immediate control : possession
    • get hold of yourself
    • wants to get hold of a road map
  51. touch used with of
    • tried to get hold of me
  52. something that may be grasped as a support
  53. fermata
  54. the time between the onset and the release of a vocal articulation
  55. a sudden motionless posture at the end of a dance
  56. an order or indication that something is to be reserved or delayed
  57. a delay in a countdown (as in launching a spacecraft)
  58. the interior of a ship below decks
  59. the cargo deck of a ship
  60. the cargo compartment of a plane

hold·all ['hōld-,ȯl] -n

  1. an often cloth traveling case or bag

hold·back ['hōl(d)-,bak] -n

  1. something that retains or restrains
  2. the act of holding back
  3. something held back

hold back -vt

  1. to hinder the progress or achievement of : restrain
  2. to keep from advancing to the next stage, grade, or level
  3. to refrain from revealing or parting with
    • held back important information
  4. to keep oneself in check
  5. to refrain from revealing or parting with something

holddown ['hōld-,au̇n] -n

  1. something used to fasten an object in place
  2. an act of holding down
  3. limit
    • agreed to wage-rate holddown s

hold down -vt

  1. to keep within limits
    • hold the noise down
  2. to assume or have responsibility for
    • holding down two jobs

hold·en ['hōld] -vb

(variant of hold)

  1. to have possession or ownership of or have at one's disposal
    • hold s property worth millions
    • the bank hold s the title to the car
  2. to have as a privilege or position of responsibility
    • hold a professorship
  3. to have as a mark of distinction
    • hold s the record for the 100-yard dash
    • hold s a PhD
  4. : to keep under restraint
    • hold price increases to a minimum
    : as
  5. to prevent free expression of
    • hold your temper
  6. to prevent from some action
    • ordered the troops to hold fire
    • the only restraining motive which may hold the hand of a tyrant -- Thomas Jefferson
  7. to keep back from use
    • ask them to hold a room for us
    • I'll have a hot dog, and hold the mustard
  8. to delay temporarily the handling of
    • please hold all my calls
  9. to make liable or accountable or bound to an obligation
    • I'll hold you to your promise
  10. to have or maintain in the grasp
    • hold my hand
    • this is how you hold the racket
  11. aim, point
    • held a gun on them
  12. to support in a particular position or keep from falling or moving
    • hold me up so I can see
    • hold the ladder steady
    • a clamp hold s the whole thing together
    • hold your head up
  13. to bear the pressure of : support
    • can the roof hold all of that weight
  14. : to prevent from leaving or getting away
    • hold the train
    : as
  15. to avoid emitting or letting out
    • how long can you hold your breath
  16. to restrain as or as if a captive
    • the suspect was held without bail
    • held them at gunpoint
  17. to have strong appeal to
    • the book held my interest throughout
  18. to enclose and keep in a container or within bounds : contain
    • the jug hold s one gallon
    • this corral will not hold all of the horses
  19. to be able to consume easily or without undue effect
    • can't hold any more pie
  20. to be able to drink (alcoholic beverages) without becoming noticeably drunk
    • can't hold your liquor
  21. accommodate
    • the restaurant hold s 400 diners
  22. to have as a principal or essential feature or attribute
    • the book hold s a number of surprises
  23. to have in store
    • no one knows what the future hold s
  24. to have in the mind or express as a judgment, opinion, or belief
    • I hold the view that this is wrong
    • hold a grudge
    • hold ing that it is nobody's business but his -- Jack Olsen
    often used with against
    • in America they hold everything you say against you -- Paul McCartney
  25. to think of in a particular way : regard
    • were held in high esteem
  26. to assemble for and carry on the activity of
    • held a convention
  27. to cause to be carried on : conduct
    • will hold a seminar
  28. to produce or sponsor esp. as a public exhibition
    • will hold an art show
  29. to maintain occupation, control, or defense of
    • the troops held the ridge
  30. to resist the offensive efforts or advance of
    • held the opposing team to just two points
  31. to maintain (a certain condition, situation, or course of action) without change
    • hold a course due east
  32. to cover (a part of the body) esp. for protection
    • had to hold their ears because of the cold
  33. to maintain position : refuse to give ground
    • the defensive line is hold ing
  34. to continue in the same way or to the same degree : last
    • hopes the weather will hold
    often used with up
  35. to derive right or title often used with of or from
  36. to be or remain valid : apply
    • the rule hold s in most cases
    often used in the phrase hold true
  37. to maintain a grasp on something : remain fastened to something
    • the anchor held in the rough sea
  38. to go ahead as one has been going
    • held south for several miles
  39. to bear or carry oneself
    • asked him to hold still
  40. to forbear an intended or threatened action : halt, pause often used as a command
  41. to stop counting during a countdown
  42. to have illicit drug material in one's possession
  43. stronghold
  44. confinement, custody
  45. prison
  46. the act or the manner of holding or grasping : grip
    • released his hold on the handle
  47. a manner of grasping an opponent in wrestling
  48. a nonphysical bond that attaches, restrains, or constrains or by which something is affected, controlled, or dominated
    • has lost its hold on the broad public -- Oscar Cargill
  49. full comprehension
    • get hold of exactly what is happening -- J. P. Lyford
  50. full or immediate control : possession
    • get hold of yourself
    • wants to get hold of a road map
  51. touch used with of
    • tried to get hold of me
  52. something that may be grasped as a support
  53. fermata
  54. the time between the onset and the release of a vocal articulation
  55. a sudden motionless posture at the end of a dance
  56. an order or indication that something is to be reserved or delayed
  57. a delay in a countdown (as in launching a spacecraft)
  58. the interior of a ship below decks
  59. the cargo deck of a ship
  60. the cargo compartment of a plane

hold·er ['hōl-dər] -n

  1. : a person that holds: as
  2. owner
  3. tenant
  4. a person in possession of and legally entitled to receive payment of a bill, note, or check
  5. a device that holds
    • a cigarette holder

holder in due course

  1. one other than the original recipient who holds a legally effective negotiable instrument (as a promissory note) and who has a right to collect from and no responsibility toward the issuer

hold·fast ['hōl(d)-,fast] -n

  1. something to which something else may be firmly secured
  2. a part by which a plant clings to a flat surface
  3. an organ by which a parasitic animal attaches itself to its host

holding -n

  1. land held esp. by a vassal or tenant
  2. property (as land or securities) owned usu. used in pl.
  3. a ruling of a court esp. on an issue of law raised in a case
  4. something that holds
  5. having the effect of holding back or delaying something
    • the war represented a holding action against the spread of world Communism -- Sidney Offit
  6. intended for usu. temporary storage or retention
    • a holding tank

holding company -n

  1. a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies

holding pattern -n

  1. the usu. oval course flown (as over an airport) by aircraft awaiting clearance esp. to land
  2. a state of waiting or suspended activity or progress

hold off -vt

  1. to block from an objective : delay
  2. to defer action on : postpone
    • hold off a decision
  3. to fight to a standoff : withstand
  4. to defer or temporarily stop doing something

hold on -vi

  1. to maintain a condition or position : persist
  2. to maintain a grasp on something : hang on
  3. to await something (as a telephone connection) desired or requested
  4. wait

hold·out ['hōld-,au̇t] -n

  1. one that holds out (as in negotiations)
  2. an instance of holding out

hold out -vi

  1. to remain unsubdued or unyielding
    • where 30 of the...refugees were still holding out -- Anna Tomforde
  2. to continue to function or be available : last
    • prayed that the engine would hold out
    • as long as our money holds out
  3. to refuse to go along with others in a concerted action or to come to an agreement
    • holding out for a shorter workweek
  4. to present as something realizable : proffer
  5. to represent to be

hold·over ['hōld-,ō-vər] -n

  1. one that is held over

hold over -vi

  1. to continue (as in office) for a prolonged period
  2. postpone, defer
  3. to retain in a condition or position from an earlier period
  4. to prolong the engagement of
    • the film was held over another week

hold·up ['hōld-,əp] -n

  1. delay
  2. a robbery carried out at gunpoint

hold up -vt

  1. to rob at gunpoint
  2. delay, impede
  3. to call attention to : single out
    • his work was held up to ridicule
    • hold this up as perfection -- Times Lit. Supp.
  4. to continue in the same condition without failing or losing effectiveness or force
    • she's holding up under the strain
    • music that holds up twenty years later

hole ['hōl] -n

  1. an opening through something : perforation
    • have a hole in my coat
  2. : an area where something is missing : gap: as
  3. a serious discrepancy : flaw, weakness
    • some hole s in your logic
  4. an opening in a defensive formation
  5. the area of a baseball field between the positions of shortstop and third baseman
  6. a defect in a crystal (as of a semiconductor) that is due to an electron's having left its normal position in one of the crystal bonds and that is equivalent in many respects to a positively charged particle
  7. : a hollowed-out place: as
  8. a cave, pit, or well in the ground
  9. burrow
  10. an unusually deep place in a body of water (as a river)
  11. a wretched or dreary place
  12. a prison cell esp. for solitary confinement
  13. a shallow cylindrical hole in the putting green of a golf course into which the ball is played
  14. a part of the golf course from tee to putting green
    • just beginning play on the third hole
  15. the play on such a hole as a unit of scoring
    • won the hole by two strokes
  16. an awkward position or circumstance : fix
    • got the rebels out of a hole at the battle -- Kenneth Roberts
  17. a position of owing or losing money
    • 10 million in the hole
    • raising money to get out of the hole
  18. to make a hole in
  19. to drive or hit into a hole
    • hole a putt
  20. to make a hole in something

holeandcorner -adj

  1. being or carried on in a place away from public view : clandestine
  2. insignificant

hole card -n

  1. a card in stud poker that is properly dealt facedown and that the holder need not expose before the showdown
  2. something (as a reliable advantage) that is held in reserve esp. for use at a strategic moment

hole in one

  1. ace

holeinthewall -n

  1. a small and often unpretentious out-of-the-way place (as a restaurant)

hole out -vi

  1. to play one's ball into the hole in golf

hole up -vi

  1. to hide out in or as if in a hole or cave
  2. to place in or as if in a refuge or hiding place

hol·ey ['hō-lē] -adj

  1. having holes

hol·i·day ['hä-lə-,dā, Brit usu 'hä-lə-dē] -n

  1. holy day
  2. a day on which one is exempt from work
  3. a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event
  4. vacation often used in the phrase on holiday often used in pl.
  5. a period of exemption or relief
    • corporations enjoying a tax holiday

holiday -vi, n

  1. to take or spend a holiday esp. in travel or at a resort

hol·i·day·mak·er ['hä-lə-dē-,mā-kər, 'hä-lə-,dā-] -n

  1. vacationer

hol·i·days [-lə-,dāz, Brit usu -lə-dēz] -adv

  1. on holidays repeatedly : on any holiday

ho·li·erthanthou [,hō-lē-ər-thən-'thau̇] -adj

  1. marked by an air of superior piety or morality

ho·li·ness ['hō-lē-nəs] -n

  1. the quality or state of being holy used as a title for various high religious dignitaries
    • His Holiness the Pope
  2. sanctification

holiness -adj

  1. emphasizing the doctrine of the second blessing
  2. of or relating to a perfectionist movement arising in U.S. Protestantism in the late 19th century

ho·lism ['hō-,li-zəm] -n

  1. a theory that the universe and esp. living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles
  2. a holistic study or method of treatment

ho·lis·tic [hō-'lis-tik] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to holism
  2. relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts
    • holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body
    • holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system

hol·land ['hä-lənd] -n

  1. a cotton or linen fabric in plain weave usu. heavily sized or glazed and used for window shades, bookbinding, and clothing

hol·lan·daise [,hä-lən-'dāz] -n

  1. a rich sauce made basically of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice or vinegar

Hol·lands ['hä-lən(d)z] -n

  1. gin made in the Netherlands called also Holland gin

hol·ler ['hä-lər] -vb

  1. to cry out (as to attract attention or in pain) : shout
  2. gripe, complain
  3. to call out (a word or phrase)

holler -n

  1. shout, cry
  2. complaint
  3. a freely improvised work song of black Americans
    • field holler s

holler ['hä-(,)lō] -n

(variant of hollow)

  1. an unfilled space : cavity, hole
  2. a depressed or low part of a surface
  3. a small valley or basin

hol·lo ['hä-(,)lō; hä-'lō, hə-] -vi

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

hollo -n

  1. an exclamation or call of hollo
  2. used to attract attention (as when a fox is spied during a fox hunt)
  3. used as a call of encouragement or jubilation

hol·low ['hä-(,)lō] -n

  1. an unfilled space : cavity, hole
  2. a depressed or low part of a surface
  3. a small valley or basin

hollow ['hä-lə-wər] -adj, adv, n

  1. having an indentation or inward curve : concave, sunken
  2. having a cavity within
    • a hollow tree
  3. lacking in real value, sincerity, or substance : false, meaningless
    • hollow promises
    • a victory over a weakling is hollow and without triumph -- Ernest Beaglehole
  4. reverberating like a sound made in or by beating on a large empty enclosure : muffled
  5. to make hollow
  6. to form by a hollowing action usu. used with out
    • rain barrels hollow ed out from trees -- Robert Shaplen
  7. to become hollow
  8. so as to have a hollow sound
  9. completely, thoroughly
    • an ongoing story that has the old cowboy-and-Indians genre beat hollow -- Barbara Bannon
    often used with all

hol·low·ware ['hä-(,)lō-,wer] -n

  1. vessels (as bowls, cups, or vases) usu. of pottery, glass, or metal that have a significant depth and volume

hol·ly ['hä-lē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Ilexof the family Aquifoliaceae, the holly family) of trees and shrubs
  2. either of two ( I. opacaof the eastern U.S. and I. aquifoliumof Eurasia) with spiny-margined evergreen leaves and usu. red berries often used for Christmas decorations
  3. the foliage or branches of the holly

hol·ly·hock ['hä-lē-,häk, -,hȯk] -n

  1. a tall widely cultivated biennial or perennial herb ( Alcea roseasyn. Althaea rosea) of the mallow family that has large coarse rounded leaves and tall spikes of showy flowers and that is prob. of Asian origin

Hol·ly·wood ['hä-lē-,wu̇d] -n, adj

  1. the American motion-picture industry

Hollywood -adj

  1. of or characteristic of people in the American motion-picture industry
    • the Hollywood lifestyle
  2. of or characteristic of a Hollywood film
    • a story with a Hollywood happy ending

Hollywood bed -n

  1. a mattress on a box spring supported by low legs and often having an upholstered headboard

holm ['hō(l)m] -n

  1. a small inland or inshore island
  2. bottoms

Holmes·ian ['hōm-zē-ən also 'hōlm-] -adj

  1. of, characteristic of, or suggestive of the detective Sherlock Holmes

hol·mi·um ['hō(l)-mē-əm] -n

  1. a metallic element of the rare-earth group that forms highly magnetic compounds and is obtained esp. from monazite

holm oak -n

  1. a southern European evergreen oak ( Quercus ilex)

ho·lo·blas·tic [,hō-lə-'blas-tik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. characterized by complete cleavage that divides the whole egg into distinct and separate blastomeres

ho·lo·caust ['hō-lə-,kȯst, 'hä- also -,käst or 'hȯ-lə-kȯst] -n

  1. a sacrifice consumed by fire
  2. a thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life esp. through fire
    • a nuclear holocaust
  3. the mass slaughter of European civilians and esp. Jews by the Nazis during World War II usu. used with the
  4. a mass slaughter of people
  5. genocide

Ho·lo·cene ['hō-lə-,sēn, 'hä-] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or being the present or post-Pleistocene geologic epoch

ho·lo·crine [-krən, -,krīn, -,krēn] -adj

  1. producing or being a secretion resulting from lysis of secretory cells
    • holocrine sebaceous glands

ho·lo·en·zyme [,hō-lō-'en-,zīm] -n

  1. a catalytically active enzyme consisting of an apoenzyme combined with its cofactor

Ho·lo·fer·nes [,hä-lə-'fər-(,)nēz, ,hō-] -n

  1. a general of Nebuchadnezzar's who led an Assyrian army against Israel and was beheaded in his sleep by Judith

ho·lo·gram ['hō-lə-,gram, 'hä-] -n

  1. a three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (as a laser)
  2. the pattern of interference itself

ho·lo·graph ['hō-lə-,graf, 'hä-] -n, adj

  1. a document wholly in the handwriting of its author
  2. the handwriting itself

ho·log·ra·phy [hō-'lä-grə-fē] -n, vt, adj, adv

  1. the art or process of making or using a hologram

ho·lo·he·dral [,hō-lə-'hē-drəl, ,hä-] -adj

  1. having all the faces required by complete symmetry

ho·lo·me·tab·o·lous [,hō-lō-mə-'ta-bə-ləs, ,hä-] -adj, n

  1. characterized by complete metamorphosis
    • holometabolous insects

ho·lo·phras·tic [,hō-lə-'fras-tik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. expressing a complex of ideas in a single word or in a fixed phrase

ho·lo·phyt·ic [-'fi-tik] -adj

  1. obtaining food after the manner of a green plant by photosynthetic activity

ho·lo·thu·ri·an [-'thu̇r-ē-ən, -'thyu̇r-] -n, adj

  1. sea cucumber

ho·lo·type ['hō-lə-,tīp, 'hä-] -n, adj

  1. the single specimen designated by an author as the type of a species or lesser taxon at the time of establishing the group
  2. the type of a species or lesser taxon designated at a date later than that of establishing a group or by a person other than the author of the taxon

ho·lo·zo·ic [,hō-lə-'zō-ik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. characterized by food procurement after the manner of most animals by the ingestion of complex organic matter
    • holozoic nutrition

holp ['help; Southern often 'hep also 'heəp] -vb

(variant of help)

  1. to give assistance or support to
    • help a child with homework
  2. to make more pleasant or bearable : improve, relieve
    • bright curtains will help the room
    • took an aspirin to help her headache
  3. rescue, save
  4. to be of use to : benefit
  5. to further the advancement of : promote
  6. to change for the better
  7. to refrain from : avoid
    • we couldn't help laughing
  8. to keep from occurring : prevent
    • they couldn't help the accident
  9. to restrain (oneself) from doing something
    • knew they shouldn't go but couldn't help themselves
  10. to serve with food or drink esp. at a meal
    • told the guests to help themselves
  11. to appropriate something for (oneself)
    • help ed himself to the car keys
  12. give assistance or support often used with out
    • help s out with the housework
  13. to be of use or benefit
  14. aid, assistance
  15. a source of aid
    • printed help s to the memory -- C. S. Braden
  16. remedy, relief
    • there was no help for it
  17. one who serves or assists another (as in housework) : helper
  18. employee
    • help wanted
    often used collectively
    • the hired help

hol·pen ['help; Southern often 'hep also 'heəp] -vb

(variant of help)

  1. to give assistance or support to
    • help a child with homework
  2. to make more pleasant or bearable : improve, relieve
    • bright curtains will help the room
    • took an aspirin to help her headache
  3. rescue, save
  4. to be of use to : benefit
  5. to further the advancement of : promote
  6. to change for the better
  7. to refrain from : avoid
    • we couldn't help laughing
  8. to keep from occurring : prevent
    • they couldn't help the accident
  9. to restrain (oneself) from doing something
    • knew they shouldn't go but couldn't help themselves
  10. to serve with food or drink esp. at a meal
    • told the guests to help themselves
  11. to appropriate something for (oneself)
    • help ed himself to the car keys
  12. give assistance or support often used with out
    • help s out with the housework
  13. to be of use or benefit
  14. aid, assistance
  15. a source of aid
    • printed help s to the memory -- C. S. Braden
  16. remedy, relief
    • there was no help for it
  17. one who serves or assists another (as in housework) : helper
  18. employee
    • help wanted
    often used collectively
    • the hired help

hols ['hälz] -n pl

  1. vacation

Hol·stein ['hōl-,stēn, -,stīn] -n

  1. any of a breed of large usu. black-and-white dairy cattle orig. from northern Holland and Friesland that produce large quantities of comparatively low-fat milk

Hol·steinFrie·sian [-'frē-zhən] -n

  1. holstein

hol·ster ['hōl-stər] -n

  1. a leather or fabric case for carrying a firearm on the person (as on the hip or chest), on a saddle, or in a vehicle
  2. a case for carrying a usu. small item on the person
    • a knife holster
    • a heart monitor carried in a hip holster

holt ['hōlt] -n

  1. a small woods : coppice

ho·lusbo·lus [,hō-ləs-'bō-ləs] -adv

  1. all at once
    • she...put it back, holusbolus, in her pocket -- Wilkie Collins

ho·ly ['hō-lē] -adj, adv

  1. exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
  2. divine
    • for the Lord our God is holy -- Ps 99:9(AV)
  3. devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity
    • a holy temple
    • holy prophets
  4. having a divine quality
    • holy love
  5. venerated as or as if sacred
    • holy scripture
    • a holy relic
  6. used as an intensive
    • this is a holy mess
    • he was a holy terror when he drank -- Thomas Wolfe
    often used in combination as a mild oath
    • holy smoke

holy city -n

  1. a city that is the center of religious worship and traditions

Holy Communion -n

  1. communion

holy day -n

  1. a day set aside for special religious observance

holy day of obligation

  1. a feast on which Roman Catholics are duty-bound to attend mass

Holy Father -n

  1. pope

Holy Ghost -n

  1. the third person of the Trinity : holy spirit

Holy Grail -n

  1. grail
  2. an object or goal that is sought after for its great significance

Holy Joe ['hō-lē-'jō] -n

  1. parson, chaplain

Holy Office -n

  1. used formerly as the name of the Roman Catholic congregation of the curia charged with protecting faith and morals that is now called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

holy of holies

  1. the innermost and most sacred chamber of the Jewish tabernacle and temple

holy oil -n

  1. olive oil blessed by a bishop for use in a sacrament or sacramental

holy order -n

  1. major order usu. used in pl.
  2. one of the orders of the ministry in the Anglican or Episcopal church
  3. the rite or sacrament of ordination usu. used in pl.

Holy Roller -n

  1. a member of one of the Protestant sects whose worship meetings are characterized by spontaneous expressions of emotional excitement

Holy Roman Empire -n

  1. an empire consisting primarily of a loose confederation of German and Italian territories under the suzerainty of an emperor and existing from the 9th or 10th century to 1806

Holy Saturday -n

  1. the Saturday before Easter

Holy See -n

  1. the see of the pope

Holy Spirit -n

  1. the third person of the Christian Trinity

ho·ly·stone ['hō-lē-,stōn] -n, vt

  1. a soft sandstone used to scrub a ship's wooden decks

Holy Synod -n

  1. the governing body of a national Eastern church

Holy Thursday -n

  1. ascension day
  2. maundy thursday

holy war -n

  1. a war or violent campaign waged by religious partisans to propagate or defend their faith

holy water -n

  1. water blessed by a priest and used as a purifying sacramental

Holy Week -n

  1. the week before Easter during which the last days of Christ's life are commemorated

holy writ -n

  1. bible
  2. a writing or utterance having unquestionable authority
    • its financial precepts were not necessarily Holy Writ -- Herbert Stein

Holy Year -n

  1. a Roman Catholic jubilee year

hom- -comb form

  1. one and the same : similar : alike
    • homo graph
    • homo sporous
  2. homosexual
    • homo phobia

hom·age ['ä-mij, 'hä-] -n

  1. a feudal ceremony by which a man acknowledges himself the vassal of a lord
  2. the relationship between a feudal lord and his vassal
  3. an act done or payment made in meeting the obligations of vassalage
  4. expression of high regard : respect often used with pay
  5. something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another : tribute
    • his long life filled with international homage s to his unique musical talent -- People

hom·ag·er ['ä-mi-jər, 'hä-] -n

  1. vassal

hom·bre ['äm-brā, 'əm-, 'ōm-, -,brē] -n

  1. guy, fellow

hom·burg ['häm-,bərg] -n

  1. a man's felt hat with a stiff curled brim and a high crown creased lengthwise

home ['hōm] -n

  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

home·body ['hōm-,bä-dē] -n

  1. one whose life centers on home

home·bound ['hōm-,bau̇nd] -adj

  1. going homeward : bound for home
    • homebound travelers

homebound -adj

  1. confined to the home

home·boy ['hōm-,bȯi] -n

  1. a boy or man from one's neighborhood, hometown, or region
  2. a fellow member of a youth gang
  3. an inner-city youth

home·bred ['hōm-'bred] -adj

  1. produced at home : indigenous

home brew -n

  1. an alcoholic beverage (as beer) made at home

home·built ['hōm-'bilt] -adj

  1. homemade

home·com·ing ['hōm-,kə-miŋ] -n

  1. a return home
  2. the return of a group of people usu. on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented or regarded as home
  3. an annual celebration for alumni at a college or university

home computer -n

  1. a personal computer used in the home

home economics [-'ek] -n pl but sing or pl in constr, n

  1. the theory and practice of homemaking called also home ec -ek

home fries -n pl

  1. potatoes that have usu. been parboiled, sliced, and then fried called also home fried potatoes

home front -n

  1. the sphere of civilian activity in war

home·girl ['hōm-,gərl] -n

  1. a girl or woman from one's neighborhood, hometown, or region
  2. a girl or woman who is a member of one's peer group
  3. an inner-city girl or woman

home·grown ['hōm-'grōn] -adj

  1. grown or produced at home or in a particular local area
    • homegrown vegetables
    • homegrown films
  2. native to or characteristic of a particular area
    • the festival will feature homegrown artists

home·land [-,land also -lənd] -n

  1. native land : fatherland
  2. a state or area set aside to be a state for a people of a particular national, cultural, or racial origin
  3. bantustan

home·less [-ləs] -adj, n

  1. having no home or permanent place of residence

home·like ['hōm-,līk] -adj

  1. characteristic of a home

home·ly ['hōm-lē] -adj, n

  1. suggestive or characteristic of a home
  2. being something familiar with which one is at home
    • satisfy themselves with houses, furniture, books and clothes that were worn and homely and friendly to the touch -- Brendan Gill
  3. unaffectedly natural : simple
  4. not elaborate or complex
    • homely virtues
  5. plain or unattractive in appearance

home·made ['hō(m)-'mād] -adj

  1. made in the home, on the premises, or by one's own efforts
  2. of domestic manufacture

home·mak·er ['hōm-,mā-kər] -n, n or adj

  1. one who manages a household esp. as a wife and mother

homeo- -comb form

  1. like : similar
    • homeo stasis
  2. homeotic
    • homeo box

ho·meo·box ['hō-mē-ə-,bäks] -n

  1. a short usu. highly conserved DNA sequence in various eukaryotic genes and esp. homeotic genes that encodes a DNA-binding amino acid domain of some proteins

ho·meo·mor·phism [,hō-mē-ə-'mȯr-,fi-zəm] -n, adj

  1. a function that is a one-to-one mapping between sets such that both the function and its inverse are continuous and that in topology exists for geometric figures which can be transformed one into the other by an elastic deformation

ho·meo·path·ic [,hō-mē-ə-'pa-thik] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to homeopathy
  2. of a diluted or insipid nature
    • a homeopathic abolitionist -- W. A. White

ho·me·op·a·thy [,hō-mē-'ä-pə-thē, ,hä-] -n

  1. a system of medical practice that treats a disease esp. by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in larger amounts produce symptoms in healthy persons

ho·meo·sta·sis [,hō-mē-ō-'stā-səs] -n, adj

  1. a relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group

ho·meo·ther·mic [,hō-mē-ō-'thər-mik] -adj, n

  1. warm-blooded

ho·me·o·tic [,hō-mē-'ä-tik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. relating to, caused by, or being a gene producing a usu. major shift in the developmental fate of an organ or body part

home page -n

  1. the page typically encountered first at a World Wide Web site that usu. contains links to the other pages of the site

home plate -n

  1. a 5-sided rubber slab at one corner of a baseball diamond at which a batter stands when batting and which must be touched by a base runner in order to score

home·port ['hōm-,pȯrt] -vt

  1. to provide with or assign to a home port

home port -n

  1. the port from which a ship hails or from which it is documented

ho·mer ['hō-mər] -n

  1. an ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to about 10 or later 11 bushels or 100 U.S. gallons (378 liters)

hom·er ['hō-mər] -n

  1. home run
  2. homing pigeon
  3. to hit a home run

home range -n

  1. the area to which an animal usu. confines its daily activities

Ho·mer·ic [hō-'mer-ik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Greek poet Homer, his age, or his writings
  2. of epic proportions : heroic
    • Homeric feats of reporting -- Stanley Walker

home·room ['hōm-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a classroom where pupils report esp. at the beginning of each school day

home rule -n

  1. self-government or limited autonomy in internal affairs by a dependent political unit (as a territory or municipality)

home run -n

  1. a hit in baseball that enables the batter to make a complete circuit of the bases and score a run
  2. an impressive success
    • the president's speech was a home run

home·school ['hōm-,skül] -vi

  1. to teach school subjects to one's children at home
  2. to teach (one's children) at home

home·school·er [-,skü-lər] -n

  1. one that homeschools
  2. a child who is homeschooled

home screen -n

  1. television

home·sick ['hōm-,sik] -adj, n

  1. longing for home and family while absent from them

home·site [-,sīt] -n

  1. a location of or suitable for a home

home·spun [-,spən] -adj

  1. spun or made at home
  2. made of homespun
  3. simple, homely
    • homespun philosophy

homespun -n

  1. a loosely woven usu. woolen or linen fabric orig. made from homespun yarn

home stand -n

  1. a series of baseball games played at a team's home field

home·stay ['hōm-,stā] -n

  1. a stay at a residence by a traveler and esp. by a visiting foreign student who is hosted by a local family

home·stead ['hōm-,sted, -stid] -n

  1. the home and adjoining land occupied by a family
  2. an ancestral home
  3. house
  4. a tract of land acquired from U.S. public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract
  5. to acquire or occupy as a homestead
  6. to acquire or settle on land under a homestead law

homestead law -n

  1. a law exempting a homestead from attachment or sale under execution for general debts
  2. any of several legislative acts authorizing the sale of public lands in homesteads

home·stretch ['hōm-'strech] -n

  1. the part of a racecourse between the last turn and the winning post
  2. a final stage (as of a project)

home theater -n

  1. an entertainment system for the home that usu. consists of a large television with video components (as a DVD player and VCR) and an audio system offering surround sound

home·town [-'tau̇n] -n

  1. the city or town where one was born or grew up
  2. the place of one's principal residence

home truth -n

  1. an unpleasant fact that jars the sensibilities
  2. a statement of undisputed fact

home video -n

  1. prerecorded videocassettes or videodiscs marketed for home viewing
  2. a homemade movie usu. filmed with a camcorder

home·ward ['hōm-wərd] -adv

  1. toward home
    • look homeward, angel -- John Milton

homeward -adj

  1. being or going in the direction of home

home·work ['hōm-,wərk] -n

  1. piecework done at home for pay
  2. an assignment given to a student to be completed outside the regular class period
  3. preparatory reading or research (as for a discussion or a debate)

hom·ey ['hō-mē] -adj, n

  1. homelike
    • a restaurant with a homey atmosphere
  2. evocative of home
    • a homey meal
  3. homely
    • homey anecdotes

homey ['hō-mē] -n

  1. homeboy

ho·mi·cid·al [,hä-mə-'sī-dᵊl, ,hō-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or tending toward homicide

ho·mi·cide ['hä-mə-,sīd, 'hō-] -n

  1. a person who kills another
  2. a killing of one human being by another

hom·i·let·ic [,hä-mə-'le-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a homily
  2. of or relating to homiletics
  3. preachy

hom·i·let·ics [-tiks] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. the art of preaching

hom·i·ly ['hä-mə-lē] -n

  1. a usu. short sermon
  2. a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme
  3. an inspirational catchphrase
  4. platitude

homing pigeon -n

  1. a racing pigeon trained to return home

hom·i·nid ['hä-mə-nəd, -,nid] -n, adj

  1. any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals comprising recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms

hom·i·ni·za·tion [,hä-mə-nə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. the evolutionary development of human characteristics that differentiate hominids from their primate ancestors

hom·i·noid ['hä-mə-,nȯid] -n, adj

  1. any of a superfamily (Hominoidea) of primates including recent hominids, gibbons, and pongids together with extinct ancestral and related forms (as of the genera Proconsuland Dryopithecus)

hom·i·ny ['hä-mə-nē] -n

  1. kernels of corn that have been soaked in a caustic solution (as of lye) and then washed to remove the hulls

hominy grits -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. grits

ho·mo ['hō-(,)mō] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Homo) of hominids that includes modern humans ( H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (as H. erectusand H. habilis)

homo -n, adj

  1. homosexual

ho·mo·cer·cal [,hō-mə-'sər-kəl, ,hä-] -adj

  1. having the upper and lower lobes approximately symmetrical and the vertebral column ending at or near the middle of the base
  2. having or relating to a homocercal tail fin

ho·mo·cys·te·ine [,hō-mō-'sis-tə-,ēn, ,hä-] -n

  1. an amino acid C 4H 9NO 2S that is produced in animal metabolism by the demethylation of methionine and that appears to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease when occurring at high levels in the blood

ho·mo·erot·ic [,hō-mō-i-'rä-tik] -adj, n

  1. homosexual
  2. marked by, revealing, or portraying homosexual desire
    • a homoerotic subtext to the story
    • homoerotic photographs

ho·mo·ga·met·ic [,hō-mō-gə-'me-tik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. forming gametes which all have the same type of sex chromosome

ho·mog·a·my [hō-'mä-gə-mē] -n, adj

  1. the mating of like with like

ho·mog·e·nate [hō-'mä-jə-,nāt, hə-] -n

  1. a product of homogenizing

ho·mo·ge·ne·i·ty [,hō-mə-jə-'nē-ə-tē, -'nā- also ÷-'nī-; esp Brit ,hä-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being homogeneous
  2. the state of having identical cumulative distribution function or values
    • homogeneity of variances

ho·mo·ge·neous [-'jē-nē-əs, -nyəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. of the same or a similar kind or nature
  2. of uniform structure or composition throughout
    • a culturally homogeneous neighborhood
  3. having the property that if each variable is replaced by a constant times that variable the constant can be factored out : having each term of the same degree if all variables are considered
    • a homogeneous equation

ho·mog·e·ni·sa·tion [hō-,mä-jə-nə-'zā-shən, hə-] -n

(variant of homogenization)

  1. the act or process of homogenizing
  2. the quality or state of being homogenized

ho·mog·e·ni·za·tion [hō-,mä-jə-nə-'zā-shən, hə-] -n

  1. the act or process of homogenizing
  2. the quality or state of being homogenized

ho·mog·e·nize [hō-'mä-jə-,nīz, hə-] -vb, n

  1. to blend (diverse elements) into a uniform mixture
  2. to make homogeneous
  3. to reduce to small particles of uniform size and distribute evenly usu. in a liquid
  4. to reduce the particles of so that they are uniformly small and evenly distributed
  5. to break up the fat globules of (milk) into very fine particles
  6. to become homogenized

ho·mog·e·nous [-nəs] -adj

  1. homoplastic
  2. homogeneous

ho·mo·graft ['hō-mə-,graft, 'hä-] -n

  1. a graft of tissue taken from a donor of the same species as the recipient

ho·mo·graph ['hä-mə-,graf, 'hō-] -n, adj

  1. one of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation (as the bowof a ship, a bowand arrow)

ho·moi·ou·si·an [hō-,mȯi-'ü-zē-ən, hä-, -'ü-sē-] -n

  1. an adherent of an ecclesiastical party of the fourth century holding that the Son is essentially like the Father but not of the same substance

ho·mol·o·gate [hō-'mä-lə-,gāt, hə-] -vt, n

  1. sanction, allow
  2. to approve or confirm officially

ho·mo·log·i·cal [,hō-mə-'lä-ji-kəl, ,hä-] -adj, adv

  1. homologous
  2. of or relating to topological homology theory
    • homological algebra

ho·mol·o·gize [hō-'mä-lə-,jīz, hə-] -vt, n

  1. to make homologous
  2. to demonstrate the homology of

ho·mol·o·gous [hō-'mä-lə-gəs, hə-] -adj

  1. : having the same relative position, value, or structure: as
  2. exhibiting biological homology
  3. having the same or allelic genes with genetic loci usu. arranged in the same order
    • homologous chromosomes
  4. belonging to or consisting of a chemical series whose successive members have a regular difference in composition esp. of one methylene group
  5. derived from or developed in response to organisms of the same species

ho·mo·logue ['hō-mə-,lȯg, 'hä-, -,läg] -n

  1. something (as a chemical compound or a chromosome) homologous

ho·mol·o·gy [hō-'mä-lə-jē, hə-] -n

  1. a similarity often attributable to common origin
  2. likeness in structure between parts of different organisms (as the wing of a bat and the human arm) due to evolutionary differentiation from a corresponding part in a common ancestor
  3. correspondence in structure between a series of parts (as vertebrae) in the same individual
  4. similarity of nucleotide or amino acid sequence (as in nucleic acids or proteins)
  5. a branch of the theory of topology concerned with partitioning space into geometric components (as points, lines, and triangles) and with the study of the number and interrelationships of these components esp. by the use of group theory called also homology theory

ho·mo·lyt·ic [,hō-mə-'li-tik, ,hä-] -adj, n

  1. decomposing into two uncharged atoms or radicals

ho·mo·mor·phism [,hō-mə-'mȯr-,fi-zəm, ,hä-] -n, adj

  1. a mapping of a mathematical set (as a group, ring, or vector space) into or onto another set or itself in such a way that the result obtained by applying the operations to elements of the first set is mapped onto the result obtained by applying the corresponding operations to their respective images in the second set

ho·mo·nu·cle·ar [,hō-mə-'nü-klē-ər, ,hä-, -'nyü-, ÷-kyə-lər] -adj

  1. of or relating to a molecule composed of identical nuclei

hom·onym ['hä-mə-,nim, 'hō-] -n, adj

  1. homophone
  2. homograph
  3. one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning (as the noun quailand the verb quail)
  4. namesake
  5. a taxonomic designation rejected as invalid because the identical term has been used to designate another group of the same rank

hom·on·y·mous [hō-'mä-nə-məs] -adj, adv

  1. ambiguous
  2. having the same designation
  3. of, relating to, or being homonyms

hom·on·y·my [-mē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being homonymous

ho·mo·ou·si·an [hō-,mō-'ü-zē-ən, hä-, -'ü-sē-] -n

  1. an adherent of an ecclesiastical party of the fourth century holding to the doctrine of the Nicene Creed that the Son is of the same substance with the Father

ho·mo·phile ['hō-mə-,fī(-ə)l] -adj

  1. gay

ho·mo·phobe [-,fōb] -n

  1. a person characterized by homophobia

ho·mo·pho·bia [,hō-mə-'fō-bē-ə] -n, adj

  1. irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

ho·mo·phone ['hä-mə-,fōn, 'hō-] -n, adj

  1. one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as the words to, too,and two)
  2. a character or group of characters pronounced the same as another character or group

ho·mo·pho·nic [,hä-mə-'fä-nik, ,hō-, -'fō-] -adj, n

  1. chordal
  2. of or relating to homophones

ho·mo·plas·tic [,hō-mə-'plas-tik, ,hä-] -adj

  1. of or relating to homoplasy
  2. of, relating to, or derived from another individual of the same species
    • homoplastic grafts

ho·mo·pla·sy ['hō-mə-,plā-sē, 'hä-, -,pla-; hō-'mä-plə-sē] -n

  1. correspondence between parts or organs acquired as the result of parallel evolution or convergence

ho·mo·po·lar [,hō-mə-'pō-lər, ,hä-] -adj

  1. using or producing direct current without the use of commutators
  2. of or relating to a union of atoms of like polarity : nonionic

ho·mo·pol·y·mer [-'pä-lə-mər] -n, adj

  1. a polymer (as polyethylene) consisting of identical monomer units

ho·mop·ter·an [hō-'mäp-tə-rən] -n, adj

  1. any of an order or suborder (Homoptera) of insects (as aphids and cicadas) that have sucking mouthparts

homos ['hō-(,)mō] -n

(variant of homo)

  1. any of a genus ( Homo) of hominids that includes modern humans ( H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (as H. erectusand H. habilis)

Ho·mo sa·pi·ens [,hō-(,)mō-'sā-pē-,enz, -ənz, esp Brit -'sa-pē-ənz] -n

  1. humankind

ho·mo·sce·das·tic·i·ty [,hō-mō-si-,das-'ti-sə-tē, ,hä-] -n, adj

  1. the property of having equal statistical variances

ho·mo·sex·u·al [,hō-mə-'sek-sh(ə-)wəl, -'sek-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex
  2. of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex

homosexual -n

  1. a homosexual person and esp. a male

ho·mo·sex·u·al·i·ty [,hō-mə-,sek-shə-'wa-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being homosexual
  2. erotic activity with another of the same sex

ho·mo·so·cial [-'sō-shəl] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or involving social relationships between persons of the same sex and esp. between men

ho·mo·spo·ry ['hō-mə-,spȯr-ē, 'hä-; hō-'mäs-pə-rē] -n, adj

  1. the production by various plants (as the club mosses and horsetails) of asexual spores of only one kind

ho·mo·thal·lic [,hō-mō-'tha-lik] -adj, n

  1. having a haploid phase that produces two kinds of gametes capable of fusing to form a zygote used esp. of algae and fungi
  2. monoecious

ho·mo·trans·plant [,hō-mō-'tran(t)s-,plant, ,hä-] -n

  1. homograft

ho·mo·zy·go·sis [,hō-mə-zi-'gō-səs, ,hä-] -n

  1. homozygosity

ho·mo·zy·gos·i·ty [-'gä-sə-tē] -n

  1. the state of being homozygous

ho·mo·zy·gote [-'zī-,gōt] -n

  1. a homozygous individual

ho·mo·zy·gous [-'zī-gəs] -adj, adv

  1. having the two genes at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes identical for one or more loci

ho·mun·cu·lus [hō-'məŋ-kyə-ləs] -n

  1. a little man : manikin
  2. a miniature adult that in the theory of preformation is held to inhabit the germ cell and to produce a mature individual merely by an increase in size

homy ['hō-mē] -adj, n

(variant of homey)

  1. homelike
    • a restaurant with a homey atmosphere
  2. evocative of home
    • a homey meal
  3. homely
    • homey anecdotes

hon ['hən] -n

  1. honey
  2. honor; honorable; honorary

hon·cho ['hän-(,)chō] -n

  1. boss, big shot
  2. hotshot

hone ['hōn] -n

  1. whetstone
  2. to sharpen or smooth with a whetstone
  3. to make more acute, intense, or effective : whet
    • helped her hone her comic timing -- Patricia Bosworth
  4. yearn often used with for or after
  5. grumble, moan

hone in -vi

  1. to move toward or focus attention on an objective
    • looking back for the ball honing in -- George Plimpton
    • a missile honing in on its target -- Bob Greene
    • hones in on the plights and victories of the common man -- Lisa Russell

hon·est ['ä-nəst] -adj

  1. free from fraud or deception : legitimate, truthful
    • an honest plea
  2. genuine, real
    • making honest stops at stop signs -- Christian Science Monitor
  3. humble, plain
    • good honest food
  4. reputable, respectable
    • honest decent people
  5. good, worthy
  6. creditable, praiseworthy
    • an honest day's work
  7. marked by integrity
  8. marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression : frank
    • an honest appraisal
  9. innocent, simple

honest -adv

  1. in an honest manner : honestly
    • I have ever found thee honest true -- Shak.
  2. with all sincerity
    • I didn't do it, honest

honest broker -n

  1. a neutral mediator

hon·est·ly ['ä-nəst-lē] -adv

  1. : in an honest manner: as
  2. without cheating
    • counted the ballots honestly
  3. really, genuinely
    • was honestly scared
  4. without frills
    • food honestly prepared
  5. to be honest : to tell the truth
    • honestly, I don't know

hon·es·ty ['ä-nəs-tē] -n

  1. chastity
  2. fairness and straightforwardness of conduct
  3. adherence to the facts : sincerity
  4. any of a genus ( Lunaria) of European herbs of the mustard family with toothed leaves and flat disk-shaped siliques

hon·ey ['hə-nē] -n

  1. a sweet viscid material elaborated out of the nectar of flowers in the honey sac of various bees
  2. a sweet fluid resembling honey that is collected or elaborated by various insects
  3. a loved one : sweetheart, dear
  4. a superlative example
  5. the quality or state of being sweet : sweetness
  6. an attractive woman

honey ['hə-nēd] -vb

  1. to sweeten with or as if with honey
  2. to speak ingratiatingly to : flatter
  3. to use blandishments or cajolery
  4. of, relating to, or resembling honey
  5. much loved : dear

hon·ey·bee ['hə-nē-,bē] -n

  1. a honey-producing bee (genus Apisof the family Apidae)
  2. a European bee ( A. mellifera) introduced worldwide and kept in hives for the honey it produces

hon·ey·comb [-,kōm] -n

  1. a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honeybees in their nest to contain their brood and stores of honey
  2. something that resembles a honeycomb in structure or appearance
  3. a strong lightweight cellular structural material

honeycomb -vt

  1. to cause to be full of cavities like a honeycomb
  2. to make into a checkered pattern : fret
  3. to penetrate into every part : fill
  4. subvert, weaken
  5. to become pitted, checked, or cellular

hon·ey·creep·er ['hə-nē-,krē-pər] -n

  1. any of numerous small bright-colored oscine birds (esp. genera Cyanerpesand Chlorophanesof the family Coerebidae) of tropical America
  2. any of a family (Drepanididae) of often colorful oscine birds found only in Hawaii

hon·ey·dew [-,dü, -,dyü] -n

  1. a saccharine deposit secreted on the leaves of plants usu. by aphids or scale insects or sometimes by a fungus
  2. honeydew melon

honeydew melon -n

  1. a pale smooth-skinned winter melon with sweet greenish flesh

hon·ey·eat·er [-,ē-tər] -n

  1. any of a family (Meliphagidae) of oscine birds chiefly of the So. Pacific that have a long extensible tongue adapted for extracting nectar and small insects from flowers

honeyed -adj

  1. made with or having honey
  2. resembling honey
  3. pleasingly sweet
    • her honeyed voice

hon·ey·guide [-,gīd] -n

  1. any of a family (Indicatoridae) of small plainly colored nonpasserine birds that inhabit Africa, the Himalayas, and the East Indies and that include some which lead people or animals to the nests of bees

honey locust -n

  1. a tall usu. spiny No. American leguminous tree ( Gleditsia triacanthos) with very hard wood and long twisted pods containing a sweet edible pulp and seeds that resemble beans

hon·ey·moon ['hə-nē-,mün] -n, vi

  1. a period of harmony immediately following marriage
  2. a period of unusual harmony esp. following the establishment of a new relationship
  3. a trip or vacation taken by a newly married couple

hon·ey·pot ['hə-nē-,pät] -n

  1. one that is attractive or desirable
  2. a substantial source of money

honey sac -n

  1. a distension of the esophagus of a bee in which honey is elaborated called also honey stomach

hon·ey·suck·le ['hə-nē-,sə-kəl] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Loniceraof the family Caprifoliaceae, the honeysuckle family) of shrubs with opposite leaves and fragrant tubular flowers rich in nectar
  2. any of various plants (as a columbine or azalea) with tubular flowers rich in nectar

hong ['häŋ, 'hȯŋ] -n

  1. a commercial establishment or house of foreign trade in China

honk ['häŋk, 'hȯŋk] -vb

  1. to make the characteristic cry of a goose
  2. to make a sound resembling the cry of a goose
  3. to cause (as a horn) to honk
  4. the characteristic cry of a goose
  5. a similar sound

honk·er ['häŋ-kər, 'hȯŋ-] -n

  1. one that honks
  2. a very large nose

hon·ky ['hȯŋ-kē, 'häŋ-] -n

  1. a white person

hon·kytonk ['häŋ-kē-,täŋk, 'hȯŋ-kē-,tȯŋk] -n

  1. a usu. tawdry nightclub or dance hall
  2. one that features country music
  3. a district marked by places of cheap entertainment
  4. country music that has a heavy beat and lyrics dealing usu. with vice or misfortune

honkytonk -adj

  1. of, used in, or being a form of ragtime piano playing performed typically on an upright piano
  2. marked by or characteristic of honky-tonks

hon·or ['ä-nər] -n

  1. good name or public esteem : reputation
  2. a showing of usu. merited respect : recognition
    • pay honor to our founder
  3. privilege
    • had the honor of joining the captain for dinner
  4. a person of superior standing now used esp. as a title for a holder of high office
    • if Your Honor please
  5. one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit
    • an honor to the profession
  6. the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon
  7. : an evidence or symbol of distinction: as
  8. an exalted title or rank
  9. badge, decoration
  10. a ceremonial rite or observance
    • buried with full military honor s
  11. an award in a contest or field of competition
  12. a gesture of deference : bow
  13. an academic distinction conferred on a superior student
  14. a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course
  15. chastity, purity
    • fought fiercely for her honor and her life -- Barton Black
  16. a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity
    • wouldn't do it as a matter of honor
  17. one's word given as a guarantee of performance
    • on my honor, I will be there
  18. social courtesies or civilities extended by a host
    • asked her to do the honor s
  19. an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten esp. of the trump suit in bridge
  20. the scoring value of honors held in bridge usu. used in pl.
  21. the privilege of playing first from the tee in golf

honor ['ä-nə-riŋ, 'än-riŋ] -vt, n

  1. to regard or treat with honor or respect
  2. to confer honor on
  3. to live up to or fulfill the terms of
    • honor a commitment
  4. to accept as payment
    • honor a credit card
  5. to salute with a bow in square dancing

hon·or·able ['ä-nər-(ə-)bəl, 'än-rə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. deserving of honor
  2. of great renown : illustrious
  3. entitled to honor used as a title for the children of certain British noblemen and for various government officials
  4. performed or accompanied with marks of honor or respect
  5. attesting to creditable conduct
  6. consistent with an untarnished reputation
    • an honorable withdrawal
  7. characterized by integrity : guided by a high sense of honor and duty

honorable mention -n

  1. a distinction conferred (as in a contest or exhibition) on works or persons of exceptional merit but not deserving of top honors

hon·o·rar·i·um [,ä-nə-'rer-ē-əm] -n

  1. a payment for a service (as making a speech) on which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set

hon·or·ary ['ä-nə-,rer-ē] -adj, adv, n

  1. having or conferring distinction
  2. commemorative
  3. dependent on honor for fulfillment
  4. conferred or elected in recognition of achievement or service without the usual prerequisites or obligations
    • an honorary degree
    • an honorary member
  5. unpaid, voluntary
    • an honorary chairman

honor guard -n

  1. a guard assigned to a ceremonial duty (as to accompany a casket at a military funeral)

hon·or·if·ic [,ä-nə-'ri-fik] -adj, n, adv

  1. conferring or conveying honor
    • honorific titles
  2. belonging to or constituting a class of grammatical forms used in speaking to or about a social superior

honor roll -n

  1. a roster of names of persons deserving honor
  2. a list of students achieving academic distinction

honor society -n

  1. a society for the recognition of scholarly achievement esp. of undergraduates

honor system -n

  1. a system (as at a college) whereby persons are trusted to abide by the regulations (as for a code of conduct) without supervision or surveillance

hon·our ['ä-nər] -n

(variant of honor)

  1. good name or public esteem : reputation
  2. a showing of usu. merited respect : recognition
    • pay honor to our founder
  3. privilege
    • had the honor of joining the captain for dinner
  4. a person of superior standing now used esp. as a title for a holder of high office
    • if Your Honor please
  5. one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit
    • an honor to the profession
  6. the center point of the upper half of an armorial escutcheon
  7. : an evidence or symbol of distinction: as
  8. an exalted title or rank
  9. badge, decoration
  10. a ceremonial rite or observance
    • buried with full military honor s
  11. an award in a contest or field of competition
  12. a gesture of deference : bow
  13. an academic distinction conferred on a superior student
  14. a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course
  15. chastity, purity
    • fought fiercely for her honor and her life -- Barton Black
  16. a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity
    • wouldn't do it as a matter of honor
  17. one's word given as a guarantee of performance
    • on my honor, I will be there
  18. social courtesies or civilities extended by a host
    • asked her to do the honor s
  19. an ace, king, queen, jack, or ten esp. of the trump suit in bridge
  20. the scoring value of honors held in bridge usu. used in pl.
  21. the privilege of playing first from the tee in golf

hooch ['hüch] -n

  1. alcoholic liquor esp. when inferior or illicitly made or obtained
  2. a usu. thatched hut
  3. dwelling

hooch·ie ['hü-chē] -n

  1. a sexually promiscuous young woman

hood ['hu̇d] -n, vt, adj

  1. a flexible covering for the head and neck
  2. a protective covering for the head and face
  3. a covering for a hawk's head and eyes
  4. a covering for a horse's head
  5. blinder
  6. an ornamental scarf worn over an academic gown that indicates by its color the wearer's college or university
  7. a color marking or crest on the head of an animal or an expansion of the head that suggests a hood
  8. something resembling a hood in form or use
  9. a cover for parts of mechanisms
  10. the movable metal covering over the engine of an automobile
  11. a top cover over the passenger section of a vehicle usu. designed to be folded back
  12. an enclosure or canopy provided with a draft for carrying off fumes, sprays, smokes, or dusts
  13. a covering for an opening (as a companion hatch) on a boat
  14. hoodlum
  15. a neighborhood and esp. an inner-city neighborhood
  16. inner city

hood·ed ['hu̇-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having a hood
  2. shaped like a hood
    • hooded spathes
  3. having the head conspicuously different in color from the rest of the body
    • hooded bird
  4. having a crest on the head that suggests a hood
    • hooded seals
  5. having the skin at each side of the neck capable of expansion by movements of the ribs
    • a hooded cobra
  6. half-closed
    • hooded eyes

hood·ie ['hu̇-dē] -n

  1. a hooded sweatshirt

hood·lum ['hüd-ləm, 'hu̇d-] -n, adj

  1. thug
  2. one who commits acts of violence
  3. a young ruffian

hood·manblind [,hu̇d-mən-'blīnd] -n

  1. blindman's buff

hoo·doo ['hü-(,)dü] -n

  1. a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional esp. among blacks in the southern U.S.
  2. a natural column of rock in western No. America often in fantastic form
  3. something that brings bad luck
  4. nonsense, hokum

hoodoo -vt

  1. to cast a spell on
  2. to be a source of misfortune to

hood·wink ['hu̇d-,wiŋk] -vt, n

  1. blindfold
  2. hide
  3. to deceive by false appearance : dupe

hoo·ey ['hü-ē] -n

  1. nonsense

hoof ['hu̇f, 'hüf] -n

  1. a curved covering of horn that protects the front of or encloses the ends of the digits of an ungulate mammal and that corresponds to a nail or claw
  2. a hoofed foot esp. of a horse
  3. walk
    • hoof ed it to the lecture hall
  4. kick, trample
  5. to move on the feet
  6. dance

hoofandmouth disease -n

  1. foot-and-mouth disease

hoof·beat ['hu̇f-,bēt, 'hüf-] -n

  1. the sound of a hoof striking a hard surface (as the ground)

hoofed ['hu̇ft, 'hüft, 'hüvd, 'hu̇vd] -adj

  1. furnished with hooves : ungulate

hoof·er ['hu̇-fər, 'hü-] -n

  1. a professional dancer

hoof·print ['hu̇f-,print, 'hüf-] -n

  1. an impression or hollow made by a hoof

hooha ['hü-,hä] -n

  1. uproar

hook ['hu̇k] -n

  1. a curved or bent device for catching, holding, or pulling
  2. something intended to attract and ensnare
  3. anchor
  4. something curved or bent like a hook
  5. fingers
  6. a flight or course of a ball that deviates from straight in a direction opposite to the dominant hand of the player propelling it
  7. a ball following such a course
  8. a short blow delivered with a circular motion by a boxer while the elbow remains bent and rigid
  9. hook shot
  10. buttonhook
  11. quick or summary removal used with get or give
    • the pitcher got the hook after giving up three runs
  12. a device esp. in music or writing that catches the attention
  13. a selling point or marketing scheme
  14. cradle
  15. to form into a hook : crook
  16. to seize or make fast by or as if by a hook
  17. to connect by or as if by a hook often used with up
  18. steal, pilfer
  19. to make (as a rug) by drawing loops of yarn, thread, or cloth through a coarse fabric with a hook
  20. to hit or throw (a ball) so that a hook results
  21. to form a hook : curve
  22. to become hooked
  23. to work as a prostitute

hoo·kah ['hu̇-kə, 'hü-] -n

  1. water pipe

hook and eye -n

  1. a 2-part fastening device (as on a garment or a door) consisting of a metal hook that catches over a bar or into a loop

hook and ladder truck -n

  1. a piece of mobile fire apparatus carrying ladders and usu. other firefighting and rescue equipment called also hook and ladder ladder truck

hook check -n

  1. an act or instance of attempting to knock the puck away from an opponent in ice hockey by hooking it with the stick

hooked ['hu̇kt, 1 is also 'hu̇-kəd] -adj

  1. having the form of a hook
  2. provided with a hook
  3. made by hooking
    • a hooked rug
  4. addicted to narcotics
  5. fascinated by or devoted to something
    • hooked on skiing

hook·er ['hu̇-kər] -n

  1. one that hooks
  2. drink
    • a hooker of Scotch
  3. prostitute

hooker -n

  1. a one-masted fishing boat used on the English and Irish coasts
  2. a small clumsy boat

Hooke's law ['hu̇ks-] -n

  1. a statement in physics: the stress within an elastic solid is proportional to the strain responsible for it

hook·let ['hu̇k-lət] -n

  1. a small hook

hook, line and sinker -adv

  1. without hesitation or reservation : completely
    • fell for the story hook, line and sinker

hook shot -n

  1. a shot in basketball made usu. while standing sideways to the basket by swinging the ball up in an arc with the far hand

hook·up ['hu̇k-,əp] -n

  1. a state of cooperation or alliance
  2. an assemblage (as of circuits) used for a specific purpose (as radio transmission)
  3. the plan of such an assemblage
  4. an arrangement of mechanical parts
  5. connection
    • a campsite with electric, water, and sewer hookup s

hook up -vi

  1. to become associated esp. in a working or social relationship

hook·worm ['hu̇k-,wərm] -n

  1. any of several parasitic nematode worms (family Ancylostomatidae) that have strong buccal hooks or plates for attaching to the host's intestinal lining and that include serious bloodsucking pests
  2. infestation with or disease caused by hookworms
  3. a lethargic anemic state in humans due to blood loss from hookworms feeding in the small intestine

hooky ['hu̇-kē] -n

  1. truant used chiefly in the phrase play hooky

hoo·li·gan ['hü-li-gən] -n

  1. ruffian, hoodlum

hoo·li·gan·ism ['hü-li-gə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. rowdy, violent, or destructive behavior

hoop ['hüp also 'hu̇p] -n, adj

  1. a circular strip used esp. for holding together the staves of containers or as a plaything
  2. a circular figure or object : ring
  3. the rim of a basketball goal
  4. the entire goal
  5. a circle or series of circles of flexible material used to expand a woman's skirt
  6. basketball usu. used in pl.
  7. to bind or fasten with or as if with a hoop

hoop·la ['hü-,plä, 'hu̇-] -n

  1. to-do
  2. ballyhoo

hoo·poe ['hü-(,)pü, -(,)pō] -n

  1. a crested Old World nonpasserine bird ( Upupa epopsof the family Upupidae) having a slender decurved bill and barred black-and-white wings and tail

hoop·skirt ['hüp-'skərt also 'hu̇p-] -n

  1. a skirt stiffened with or as if with hoops

hoop·ster ['hüp-stər] -n

  1. a basketball player

hoorah [hu̇-'rȯ, -'rä, 'hü-,] -n

(variant of hurrah)

  1. excitement, fanfare
  2. cheer
  3. fuss

hoo·ray [hu̇-'rā] -interj

  1. used to express joy, approval, or encouragement

hoose·gow ['hüs-,gau̇] -n

  1. jail

Hoo·sier ['hü-zhər] -n, adj

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

hoot ['hüt] -vb

  1. to shout or laugh usu. derisively
  2. to make the natural throat noise of an owl or a similar cry
  3. to make a loud clamorous mechanical sound
  4. to assail or drive out by hooting
    • hoot ed down the speaker
  5. to express or utter with hoots
    • hoot ed their disapproval
  6. a sound of hooting
  7. the cry of an owl
  8. a minimum amount or degree : the least bit
    • don't give a hoot
  9. something or someone amusing
    • the play is a real hoot
  10. used to express impatience, dissatisfaction, or objection

hoo·te·nan·ny ['hü-tə-,na-nē] -n

  1. gadget
  2. a gathering at which folksingers entertain often with the audience joining in

hoot·er ['hü-tər] -n

  1. one that hoots
  2. breast usu. used in pl.

Hoo·ver·ville ['hü-vər-,vil] -n

  1. a shantytown of temporary dwellings during the depression years in the U.S.
  2. any similar area of temporary dwellings

hop ['häp] -vb

  1. to move by a quick springy leap or in a series of leaps
  2. to move as if by hopping
    • hop in the car
  3. to make a quick trip esp. by air
  4. to set about doing something usu. used in the phrase hop to it
  5. to jump over
    • hop a fence
  6. to ride on
    • hopped a flight
  7. to ride surreptitiously and without authorization
    • hop a freight train
  8. a short brisk leap esp. on one leg
  9. bounce, rebound
    • shortstop scooped it up on the first hop
  10. dance
  11. a flight in an aircraft
  12. a short trip
  13. the ripe dried pistillate catkins of a perennial north-temperate zone twining vine ( Humulus lupulus) of the hemp family used esp. to impart a bitter flavor to malt liquors
  14. the vine from which hops is obtained having 3- to 5-lobed leaves and inconspicuous flowers of which the pistillate ones are in glandular cone-shaped catkins
  15. to flavor with hops

hope ['hōp] -vb, n

  1. to cherish a desire with anticipation
    • hope s for a promotion
  2. trust
  3. to desire with expectation of obtainment
  4. to expect with confidence : trust
  5. trust, reliance
  6. desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
    • came in hope s of seeing you
  7. expectation of fulfillment or success
    • no hope of a cure
  8. someone or something on which hopes are centered
    • our only hope for victory
  9. something hoped for

HOPE -abbr

  1. Health Opportunity for People Everywhere

hope chest -n

  1. a young woman's accumulation of clothes and domestic furnishings (as silver and linen) kept in anticipation of her marriage
  2. a chest for such an accumulation

hope·ful ['hōp-fəl] -adj, n

  1. having qualities which inspire hope
    • hopeful signs of economic recovery
  2. full of hope : inclined to hope

hopeful -n

  1. aspirant
    • Olympic hopeful s

hope·ful·ly ['hōp-fə-lē] -adv

  1. in a hopeful manner
  2. it is hoped : I hope : we hope
    • hopefully the rain will end soon

hope·less ['hō-pləs] -adj, n

  1. having no expectation of good or success : despairing
  2. not susceptible to remedy or cure
  3. incapable of redemption or improvement
  4. giving no ground for hope : desperate
  5. incapable of solution, management, or accomplishment : impossible

hope·less·ly [-lē] -adv

  1. in a hopeless manner used esp. as an intensifier
    • the formerly despised and hopelessly middle-class game of golf -- Ejner Jensen

hop·head ['häp-,hed] -n

  1. a drug addict

hop hornbeam -n

  1. a chiefly eastern No. American tree ( Ostrya virginiana) of the birch family with fruiting clusters resembling hops

Ho·pi ['hō-(,)pē] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of northeastern Arizona
  2. the Uto-Aztecan language of the Hopi people

hop·lite ['häp-,līt] -n

  1. a heavily armed infantry soldier of ancient Greece

hopo'mythumb [,hä-pə-mə-'thəm] -n

  1. a very small person

hoppedup ['häpt-'əp, -,əp] -adj

  1. full of enthusiasm or excitement
  2. overly excited
  3. being under the influence of a narcotic
  4. more exciting or attractive than normal or usual
  5. having more than usual power : being souped up

hop·per ['hä-pər] -n

  1. one that hops
  2. a leaping insect
  3. an immature hopping form of an insect (as a grasshopper or locust)
  4. a usu. funnel-shaped receptacle for delivering material (as grain or coal)
  5. any of various other receptacles for the temporary storage of material
  6. a freight car with a floor sloping to one or more hinged doors for discharging bulk materials called also hopper car
  7. a box in which a bill to be considered by a legislative body is dropped
  8. a tank holding liquid and having a device for releasing its contents through a pipe
  9. a mix of things to be considered or done

hopping -adv

  1. extremely, violently used in the phrase hopping mad
  2. intensely active : busy
    • they kept us hopping
  3. extremely angry
  4. a going from one place to another of the same kind usu. used in combination
    • gallery- hopping

hopping John [,hä-pən-'jän, -piŋ-] -n

  1. a dish made essentially of cowpeas, rice, and salt pork or bacon

hop·py ['hä-pē] -adj

  1. having the taste or aroma of hops used esp. of ale or beer

hop·sack ['häp-,sak] -n

  1. a rough-surfaced loosely woven clothing fabric

hop·scotch ['häp-,skäch] -n

  1. a child's game in which a player tosses an object (as a stone) into areas of a figure outlined on the ground and hops through the figure and back to regain the object

hopscotch -vi

  1. to move as if by hopping
    • hopscotch ed across Europe

hop, skip, and jump -n

  1. a short distance

hop, step, and jump -n

  1. triple jump

hor -abbr

  1. horizontal

ho·ra ['hȯr-ə] -n

  1. a circle dance of Romania and Israel

Ho·rae ['hȯr-,ē, -,ī] -n pl

  1. the Greek goddesses of the seasons

ho·ra·ry ['hȯr-ər-ē, 'här-] -adj

  1. of or relating to an hour
  2. hourly

Ho·ra·tio Al·ger [hə-'rā-shō-'al-jər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling the fiction of Horatio Alger in which success is achieved through self-reliance and hard work

Ho·ra·tius [hə-'rā-sh(ē-)əs] -n

  1. a hero in Roman legend noted for his defense of a bridge over the Tiber against the Etruscans

horde ['hȯrd] -n

  1. a political subdivision of central Asian nomads
  2. a people or tribe of nomadic life
  3. a teeming crowd or throng : swarm

hore·hound ['hȯr-,hau̇nd] -n

  1. an Old World bitter perennial mint ( Marrubium vulgare) with downy leaves
  2. an extract or confection made from the dried leaves and flowering tops of this plant
  3. any of several mints resembling the horehound

ho·ri·zon [hə-'rī-zᵊn] -n, adj

  1. the apparent junction of earth and sky
  2. the great circle on the celestial sphere formed by the intersection of the celestial sphere with a plane tangent to the earth's surface at an observer's position
  3. range of perception or experience
  4. something that might be attained
    • new horizon s
  5. the geological deposit of a particular time usu. identified by distinctive fossils
  6. any of the reasonably distinct layers of soil or its underlying material in a vertical section of land
  7. a cultural area or level of development indicated by separated groups of artifacts

ho·ri·zon·less [-ləs] -adj

  1. having no horizon
  2. endless
  3. hopeless

hor·i·zon·tal [,hȯr-ə-'zän-tᵊl, ,här-] -adj, n, adv

  1. of, relating to, or situated near the horizon
  2. parallel to, in the plane of, or operating in a plane parallel to the horizon or to a baseline : level
    • horizontal distance
    • a horizontal engine
  3. relating to, directed toward, or consisting of individuals or entities of similar status or on the same level
    • horizontal mergers
    • horizontal hostility

horizontal bar -n

  1. a steel bar supported in a horizontal position approximately eight feet above the floor and used for swinging feats in gymnastics
  2. an event in gymnastics competition in which the horizontal bar is used

hor·mo·go·ni·um [,hȯr-mə-'gō-nē-əm] -n

  1. a portion of a filament in many cyanobacteria that becomes detached as a reproductive body

hor·mon·al [hȯr-'mō-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or effected by hormones

hor·mone ['hȯr-,mōn] -n, adj

  1. a product of living cells that circulates in body fluids (as blood) or sap and produces a specific often stimulatory effect on the activity of cells usu. remote from its point of origin
  2. a synthetic substance that acts like a hormone
  3. sex hormone

hormone replacement therapy -n

  1. the administration of estrogen often along with a synthetic progestin esp. to ameliorate the symptoms of menopause and reduce the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis abbr. HRT

horn ['hȯrn] -n, adj

  1. : one of the usu. paired bony processes that arise from the head of many ungulates and that are found in some extinct mammals and reptiles: as
  2. one of the permanent paired hollow sheaths of keratin usu. present in both sexes of cattle and their relatives that function chiefly for defense and arise from a bony core anchored to the skull
  3. antler
  4. a permanent solid horn of keratin that is attached to the nasal bone of a rhinoceros
  5. one of a pair of permanent bone protuberances from the skull of a giraffe or okapi that are covered with hairy skin
  6. a part like an animal's horn attributed esp. to the devil
  7. a natural projection or excrescence from an animal resembling or suggestive of a horn
  8. the tough fibrous material consisting chiefly of keratin that covers or forms the horns of cattle and related animals, hooves, or other horny parts (as claws or nails)
  9. a manufactured product (as a plastic) resembling horn
  10. a hollow horn used to hold something
  11. : something resembling or suggestive of a horn: as
  12. one of the curved ends of a crescent
  13. a sharp mountain peak
  14. a body of land or water shaped like a horn
  15. a beak-shaped part of an anvil
  16. a high pommel of a saddle
  17. cornu
  18. an animal's horn used as a wind instrument
  19. : a brass wind instrument: as
  20. hunting horn
  21. french horn
  22. a wind instrument used in a jazz band
  23. trumpet
  24. a usu. electrical device that makes a noise like that of a horn
  25. a source of strength
  26. one of the equally disadvantageous alternatives presented by a dilemma
  27. telephone

horn·beam ['hȯrn-,bēm] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Carpinus) of trees of the birch family having smooth gray bark and hard white wood

horn·bill [-,bil] -n

  1. any of a family (Bucerotidae) of large nonpasserine birds of Africa and Eurasia having enormous bills

horn·blende [-,blend] -n, adj

  1. a mineral that is the common dark green to black variety of aluminous amphibole
  2. amphibole

horn·book ['hȯrn-,bu̇k] -n

  1. a child's primer consisting of a sheet of parchment or paper protected by a sheet of transparent horn
  2. a rudimentary treatise

horn·dog ['hȯrn-,dȯg, -,däg] -n

  1. a lustful or sexually aggressive man

horned lark -n

  1. a brownish chiefly Holarctic lark ( Eremophila alpestrisof the family Alaudidae) that has small tufts of black feathers on top of the head

horned lizard -n

  1. horned toad

horned owl -n

  1. any of various owls having conspicuous tufts of feathers on the head
  2. great horned owl

horned pout -n

  1. a bullhead (genus Ameiurus)
  2. a common mottled olive to brown bullhead ( A. nebulosussyn. Ictalurus nebulosus) of eastern No. America that has been introduced into western streams

horned toad ['hȯrnd-; 'hȯr-nəd-, -nət-] -n

  1. any of several small harmless insectivorous lizards (genus Phrynosoma) of the western U.S. and Mexico that resemble toads and have hornlike spines

horned viper -n

  1. a venomous viper ( Cerastes cerastessyn. C. cornutus) of No. Africa and the Middle East having a horny process over each eye

hor·net ['hȯr-nət] -n

  1. any of the larger vespid wasps (as of the genus Vespa)

hornet's nest -n

  1. a troublesome or hazardous situation
  2. an angry reaction
    • must have known that his frank comments...would stir up a hornet's nest -- U.S. Investor

horn·fels ['hȯrn-,felz] -n

  1. a fine-grained silicate rock produced by metamorphism esp. of slate

horn fly -n

  1. a small dark gray European dipteran fly ( Haematobia irritans) that has been introduced into No. America where it is a blood-sucking pest esp. of cattle

horn in -vi

  1. to participate without invitation or consent : intrude

horn·ist ['hȯr-nist] -n

  1. one who plays a French horn

hornmad ['hȯrn-'mad] -adj

  1. furiously enraged

horn of plenty

  1. cornucopia

horn·pipe ['hȯrn-,pīp] -n

  1. a single-reed wind instrument consisting of a wooden or bone pipe with finger holes, a bell, and mouthpiece usu. of horn
  2. a lively folk dance of the British Isles orig. accompanied by hornpipe playing

hornrims [-,rimz] -n pl

  1. glasses with horn rims

horn·stone ['hȯrn-,stōn] -n

  1. a mineral that is a variety of quartz much like flint but more brittle

horn·swog·gle [-,swä-gəl] -vt

  1. bamboozle, hoax

horn·tail [-,tāl] -n

  1. any of various hymenopterous insects (family Siricidae) related to the typical sawflies but having females with a stout hornlike ovipositor and larvae that burrow in woody plants

horn·worm [-,wərm] -n

  1. a hawk moth caterpillar having a hornlike tail process

horn·wort [-,wərt, -,wȯrt] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Ceratophyllumof the family Ceratophyllaceae) of rootless thin-stemmed aquatic monoecious herbs with female flowers having a single carpel

horny ['hȯr-nē] -adj, n

  1. of or made of horn
  2. hard, callous
    • horny- handed
  3. compact and homogeneous with a dull luster used of a mineral
  4. having horns
  5. desiring sexual gratification
  6. excited sexually

hor·o·loge ['hȯr-ə-,lōj, 'här-] -n

  1. a timekeeping device

hor·o·log·i·cal [,hȯr-ə-'lä-ji-kəl] -adj

  1. of or relating to a horologe or horology

ho·rol·o·gist [hə-'rä-lə-jist] -n

  1. a person skilled in the practice or theory of horology
  2. a maker of clocks or watches

ho·rol·o·gy [-jē] -n

  1. the science of measuring time
  2. the art of making instruments for indicating time

horo·scope ['hȯr-ə-,skōp, 'här-] -n

  1. a diagram of the relative positions of planets and signs of the zodiac at a specific time (as at one's birth) for use by astrologers in inferring individual character and personality traits and in foretelling events of a person's life
  2. an astrological forecast

hor·ren·dous [hȯ-'ren-dəs, hä-, hə-] -adj, adv

  1. horrible, dreadful
    • the tax rate was horrendous
    • horrendous crimes

hor·rent ['hȯr-ənt, 'här-] -adj

  1. covered with bristling points : bristled
  2. standing up like bristles : bristling

hor·ri·ble ['hȯr-ə-bəl, 'här-] -adj, n, adv

  1. marked by or arousing horror
    • a horrible accident
  2. extremely bad or unpleasant
    • a horrible mistake
    • horrible food

hor·rid ['hȯr-əd, 'här-] -adj, adv, n

  1. rough, bristling
  2. : innately offensive or repulsive:
  3. inspiring horror : shocking
  4. inspiring disgust or loathing : nasty
    • a horrid man
  5. horrible
    • the tenor bell...gives out a horrid discordant noise -- Robert Graves

hor·rif·ic [hȯ-'ri-fik, hä-] -adj, adv

  1. having the power to horrify
    • a horrific account of the tragedy

hor·ri·fy ['hȯr-ə-,fī, 'här-] -vt, adv

  1. to cause to feel horror
  2. to fill with distaste : shock

hor·ror ['hȯr-ər, 'här-] -n

  1. painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay
    • astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people about me -- H. G. Wells
  2. intense aversion or repugnance
  3. the quality of inspiring horror : repulsive, horrible, or dismal quality or character
    • contemplating the horror of their lives -- Liam O'Flaherty
  4. something that inspires horror
  5. a state of extreme depression or apprehension

horror -adj

  1. calculated to inspire feelings of dread or horror : bloodcurdling
    • a horror movie

horror show -n

  1. something difficult to deal with or watch
    • the trial was a horror show

horror story -n

  1. an account of an unsettling or unfortunate occurrence
    • heard horror stories about recent layoffs
  2. something unsettling or unfortunate
    • his childhood was a horror story

hor·rorstruck [-,strək] -adj

  1. struck with horror
    • stood horrorstruck as they watched...their own city destroyed -- Nashville Tennessean

hors de com·bat [,ȯr-də-kōⁿ-'bä] -adv or adj

  1. out of combat : disabled

hors d'oeuvre [ȯr-'dərv] -n

  1. any of various savory foods usu. served as appetizers

horse ['hȯrs] -n, adj

  1. a large solid-hoofed herbivorous ungulate mammal ( Equus caballus,family Equidae, the horse family) domesticated since prehistoric times and used as a beast of burden, a draft animal, or for riding
  2. racehorse
    • play the horse s
  3. a male horse
  4. stallion
  5. a recent or extinct animal (as a zebra, ass, or onager) of the horse family
  6. jackstay
  7. a frame usu. with legs used for supporting something (as planks or staging)
  8. pommel horse
  9. vaulting horse
  10. cavalry
  11. a mass of the same geological character as the wall rock occurring within a vein
  12. horsepower
  13. heroin
  14. an athlete whose performance is consistently strong and reliable
    • a team with the horse s to win the pennant
  15. a game in which players take turns attempting to duplicate successful basketball shots, a letter of the word "horse" is awarded for each missed attempt, and the first player to receive all five letters loses
  16. to provide with a horse
  17. to move by brute force
  18. to be in heat
  19. of or relating to a horse
  20. hauled or powered by a horse
    • a horse barge
  21. large or coarse of its kind
  22. mounted on horses
    • horse guards

horseandbuggy -adj

  1. of or relating to the era before the advent of certain socially revolutionizing inventions (as the automobile)
  2. clinging to outdated attitudes or ideas : old-fashioned

horse around -vi

  1. to engage in horseplay
    • horse around together, joking and laughing and pushing each other -- D. K. Shipler
  2. fool around

horse·back ['hȯrs-,bak] -n

  1. the back of a horse

horseback -adv

  1. on horseback
  2. given without thorough consideration
    • a horseback opinion

horse·bean ['hȯrs-,bēn] -n

  1. broad bean
  2. jerusalem thorn

horse·car [-,kär] -n

  1. a streetcar drawn by horses
  2. a car fitted for transporting horses

horse chestnut -n

  1. a large tree ( Aesculus hippocastanumof the family Hippocastanaceae, the horse-chestnut family) of southeastern Europe that has palmate leaves and erect conical clusters of showy flowers and is widely cultivated as an ornamental and shade tree and naturalized as an escape
  2. buckeye
  3. the large glossy brown seed of a horse chestnut

horse coper -n

  1. coper

horse·feath·ers ['hȯrs-,fe-thərz] -n pl

  1. nonsense, balderdash

horse·flesh [-,flesh] -n

  1. horses considered esp. with reference to riding, driving, or racing

horse·fly [-,flī] -n

  1. any of a family (Tabanidae) of swift usu. large dipteran flies with bloodsucking females

horse gentian -n

  1. feverwort

horse·hair ['hȯrs-,her] -n

  1. the hair of a horse esp. from the mane or tail
  2. cloth made from horsehair

horsehair worm -n

  1. hairworm

horse·hide ['hȯrs-,hīd] -n

  1. the dressed or raw hide of a horse
  2. the ball used in the game of baseball

horse latitudes -n pl

  1. either of two belts or regions in the neighborhood of 30 N and 30 S latitude characterized by high pressure, calms, and light variable winds

horse·laugh ['hȯrs-,laf, -,läf] -n

  1. a loud boisterous laugh

horseless carriage -n

  1. automobile used esp. of early models

horse mackerel -n

  1. any of various large carangid food fishes
  2. jack mackerel
  3. bluefin tuna

horse·man ['hȯrs-mən] -n

  1. a rider or driver of horses
  2. one whose skill is exceptional
  3. a person skilled in caring for or managing horses
  4. a person who breeds or raises horses

horse·mint ['hȯrs-,mint] -n

  1. any of various coarse mints
  2. monarda

horse nettle -n

  1. a coarse prickly weed ( Solanum carolinense) of the nightshade family with bright yellow fruit resembling berries

horse opera -n

  1. western

horse·play ['hȯrs-,plā] -n

  1. rough or boisterous play

horse·play·er [-ər] -n

  1. one who habitually bets on horse races

horse·pow·er ['hȯrs-,pau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. the power that a horse exerts in pulling
  2. a unit of power equal in the U.S. to 746 watts and nearly equivalent to the English gravitational unit of the same name that equals 550 foot-pounds of work per second
  3. effective power
    • intellectual horsepower
    • computing horsepower

horse race -n

  1. a close contest (as in politics)

horse·rad·ish ['hȯrs-,ra-dish, -,re-] -n

  1. a tall coarse white-flowered herb ( Armoracia rusticanasyn. A. lapathifolia) of the mustard family
  2. a condiment made from ground-up horseradish root

horse's ass ['hȯr-səz-] -n

  1. a stupid or incompetent person : blockhead

horse sense -n

  1. common sense

horse·shit ['hȯrs-,shit, 'hȯrsh-] -n

  1. nonsense, bunk

horse·shoe ['hȯrs-,shü, 'hȯrsh-] -n, vt

  1. a usu. U-shaped band of iron fitted and nailed to the rim of a horse's hoof to protect it
  2. something (as a valley) shaped like a horseshoe
  3. a game like quoits played with horseshoes or with horseshoe-shaped pieces of metal

horseshoe arch -n

  1. an arch having an intrados that widens above the springing before narrowing to a rounded or pointed crown

horseshoe crab -n

  1. any of several closely related marine arthropods (order Xiphosura and class Merostomata) with a broad crescentic cephalothorax, six pairs of legs, and a spikelike tail
  2. one ( Limulus polyphemus) of coastal waters from Maine to the Yucatan Peninsula called also king crab

horse show -n

  1. an exhibition of horses that usu. includes competition in riding, driving, and jumping

horse·tail ['hȯrs-,tāl] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Equisetumof the order Equisetales) of lower tracheophytes comprising perennial plants that spread by creeping rhizomes and have leaves reduced to nodal sheaths on the hollow jointed ribbed shoots

horse trade -n, vi

  1. negotiation accompanied by shrewd bargaining and reciprocal concessions
    • a political horse trade

horse·weed ['hȯrs-,wēd] -n

  1. a common annual American composite herb ( Conyza canadensissyn. Erigeron canadensis) with an erect usu. hairy stem and small discoid heads of yellow disk flowers
  2. a coarse annual No. American ragweed ( Ambrosia trifida)

horse·whip ['hȯrs-,wip, 'hȯrs-,hwip] -vt, n

  1. to flog with or as if with a whip made to be used on a horse

horse·wom·an ['hȯrs-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman who is a rider or a driver of horses
  2. one whose skill is exceptional
  3. a woman skilled in caring for or managing horses
  4. a woman who breeds or raises horses

hors·ey ['hȯr-sē] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a horse
  2. having to do with horses or horse racing
  3. characteristic of the manners, dress, or tastes of horsemen or horsewomen

horst ['hȯrst] -n

  1. a block of the earth's crust separated by faults from adjacent relatively depressed blocks

hort -abbr

  1. horticultural; horticulture

hor·ta·tive ['hȯr-tə-tiv] -adj, adv

  1. giving exhortation : advisory

hor·ta·to·ry ['hȯr-tə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. hortative, exhortatory
    • hortatory sermons

hor·ti·cul·ture ['hȯr-tə-,kəl-chər] -n, adj, adv

  1. the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants

Ho·rus ['hȯr-əs] -n

  1. the falcon-headed Egyptian god of light and the son of Osiris and Isis

Hos -abbr

  1. Hosea

ho·san·na [hō-'za-nə also -'zä-] -interj, n

  1. used as a cry of acclamation and adoration

HO scale [(')ā-'chō-] -n

  1. a scale of 3.5 millimeters to one foot used esp. for model toys (as automobiles or trains)

hose ['hōz] -n

  1. a cloth leg covering that sometimes covers the foot
  2. stocking, sock
  3. a close-fitting garment covering the legs and waist that is usu. attached to a doublet by points
  4. short breeches reaching to the knee
  5. a flexible tube for conveying fluids (as from a faucet or hydrant)
  6. to spray, water, or wash with a hose often used with down
    • hose down a stable floor
  7. to fire automatic weapons at usu. used with down
  8. to deprive of something due or expected : trick, cheat

Ho·sea [hō-'zā-ə, -'zē-] -n

  1. a Hebrew prophet of the eighth century b.c.
  2. a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

ho·sel ['hō-zəl] -n

  1. a socket in the head of a golf club into which the shaft is inserted

hose·pipe ['hōz-,pīp] -n

  1. hose

ho·siery ['hōzh-rē, 'hōz-; 'hō-zhə-rē, -zə-] -n

  1. hose
  2. knitwear

hosp -abbr

  1. hospital

hos·pice ['häs-pəs] -n

  1. a lodging for travelers, young persons, or the underprivileged esp. when maintained by a religious order
  2. a facility or program designed to provide a caring environment for meeting the physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill

hos·pi·ta·ble [hä-'spi-tə-bəl, 'häs-(,)pi-] -adj, adv

  1. given to generous and cordial reception of guests
  2. promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome
  3. offering a pleasant or sustaining environment
  4. readily receptive : open
    • hospitable to new ideas

hos·pi·tal ['häs-(,)pi-tᵊl] -n

  1. a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young
  2. an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care usu. used in British English without an article after a preposition
  3. a repair shop for specified small objects
    • a clock hospital

hos·pi·tal·ise ['häs-,pi-tə-,līz] -vt, n

(variant of hospitalize)

  1. to place in a hospital as a patient

hos·pi·tal·ist ['häs-(,)pi-tə-list] -n

  1. a physician who specializes in treating hospitalized patients of other physicians in order to minimize the number of hospital visits by other physicians

hos·pi·tal·i·ty [,häs-pə-'ta-lə-tē] -n

  1. hospitable treatment, reception, or disposition

hospitality suite -n

  1. a room or suite esp. in a hotel set aside as a place for socializing esp. for business purposes

hos·pi·tal·ize ['häs-,pi-tə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to place in a hospital as a patient

Hos·pi·tal·ler [-tᵊl-ər] -n

  1. a member of a religious military order established in Jerusalem in the 12th century

host ['hōst] -n

  1. army
  2. a great number : multitude
  3. to assemble in a host usu. for a hostile purpose
  4. one that receives or entertains guests socially, commercially, or officially
  5. one that provides facilities for an event or function
    • our college served as host for the basketball tournament
  6. a living animal or plant on or in which a parasite lives
  7. the larger, stronger, or dominant member of a commensal or symbiotic pair
  8. an individual into which a tissue, part, or embryo is transplanted from another
  9. a mineral or rock that is older than the minerals or rocks in it
  10. a substance that contains a usu. small amount of another substance incorporated in its structure
  11. a radio or television emcee
  12. a computer that controls communications in a network or that administers a database
  13. server
  14. to serve as host to, at, or for
    • host friends
    • host a dinner
  15. emcee
    • host ed a series of TV programs
  16. the eucharistic bread

hos·ta ['hō-stə, 'hä-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Hosta) of Asian perennial herbaceous plants of the lily family with densely growing basal leaves and tall racemes of white or violet flowers called also funkia plantain lily

hos·tage ['häs-tij] -n

  1. a person held by one party in a conflict as a pledge pending the fulfillment of an agreement
  2. a person taken by force to secure the taker's demands
  3. one that is involuntarily controlled by an outside influence

hos·tel ['häs-tᵊl] -n

  1. inn
  2. a supervised institutional residence
  3. a supervised lodging for usu. young travelers called also youth hostel

hostel -vi

  1. to stay at hostels overnight in the course of traveling

hos·tel·er ['häs-tə-lər] -n

  1. one that lodges guests or strangers
  2. a traveler who stops at hostels overnight

hos·tel·ry ['häs-tᵊl-rē] -n

  1. inn, hotel

host·ess ['hōs-təs] -n

  1. a woman who entertains socially
  2. a woman in charge of a public dining room who seats diners
  3. a female employee on a public conveyance (as an airplane) who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers
  4. a woman who acts as a partner or companion to male patrons in a dance hall or bar

hostess -vi

  1. to act as hostess
  2. to serve as hostess to

hos·tile ['häs-tᵊl, -,tī(-ə)l] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to an enemy
    • hostile fire
  2. marked by malevolence
    • a hostile act
  3. openly opposed or resisting
    • a hostile critic
    • hostile to new ideas
  4. not hospitable
    • plants growing in a hostile environment
  5. having an intimidating, antagonistic, or offensive nature
    • a hostile workplace
  6. of or relating to the opposing party in a legal controversy
    • a hostile witness
  7. adverse to the interests of a property owner or corporation management
    • a hostile takeover

hos·til·i·ty [hä-'sti-lə-tē] -n

  1. deep-seated usu. mutual ill will
  2. hostile action
  3. overt acts of warfare : war
  4. conflict, opposition, or resistance in thought or principle

hos·tler ['häs-lər, 'äs-] -n

  1. one who takes care of horses or mules
  2. one who moves locomotives in and out of a roundhouse
  3. one who services locomotives

host·ly ['hōst-lē] -adj

  1. of or appropriate to a host

hot ['hät] -adj, n

  1. having a relatively high temperature
  2. capable of giving a sensation of heat or of burning, searing, or scalding
  3. having heat in a degree exceeding normal body heat
  4. violent, stormy
    • a hot temper
    • a hot battle
  5. angry
    • got hot about the remark
  6. sexually excited or receptive
  7. sexy
  8. eager, zealous
    • hot for reform
  9. emotionally exciting and marked by strong rhythms and free melodic improvisations
  10. having or causing the sensation of an uncomfortable degree of body heat
    • hot and tired
    • it's hot in here
  11. newly made : fresh
    • a hot scent
    • hot off the press
  12. close to something sought
    • hot on the trail
  13. suggestive of heat or of burning or glowing objects
    • hot colors
  14. pungent, peppery
  15. of intense and immediate interest
    • some hot gossip
  16. unusually lucky or favorable
    • on a hot streak
  17. temporarily capable of unusual performance (as in a sport)
  18. currently popular or in demand
    • a hot commodity
  19. very good
    • a hot idea
    • not feeling too hot
  20. absurd, unbelievable
    • wants to fight the champ? that's a hot one
  21. electrically energized esp. with high voltage
  22. radioactive
  23. dealing with radioactive material
  24. being in an excited state
  25. recently and illegally obtained
    • hot jewels
  26. wanted by the police
  27. unsafe for a fugitive
  28. fast
    • a hot new fighter plane
    • a hot lap around the track
  29. hotly
  30. fast, quickly
  31. heat
    • the hot of the day
  32. one that is hot (as a hot meal or a horse just after a workout)
  33. strong sexual desire used with the
  34. heat, warm usu. used with up

hot air -n

  1. empty talk

hot·bed ['hät-,bed] -n

  1. a bed of soil enclosed in glass, heated esp. by fermenting manure, and used for forcing or for raising seedlings
  2. an environment that favors rapid growth or development
    • a hotbed of activity

hot·blood [-,bləd] -n

  1. one that is hot-blooded
  2. one having strong passions or a quick temper
  3. thoroughbred

hotblood·ed [-'blə-dəd] -adj, n

  1. easily excited : passionate
  2. having Arab or Thoroughbred ancestors

hot·box [-,bäks] -n

  1. a journal bearing (as of a railroad car) overheated by friction

hot button -n, adj

  1. an emotional and usu. controversial issue or concern that triggers immediate intense reaction

hot·cake [-,kāk] -n

  1. pancake

hotch ['häch] -vi

  1. wiggle, fidget
  2. swarm

hotch·pot ['häch-,pät] -n

  1. the combining of properties into a common lot to ensure equality of division among heirs

hotch·potch ['häch-,päch] -n

  1. a thick soup or stew of vegetables, potatoes, and usu. meat
  2. hodgepodge
  3. hotchpot

hot comb -n, vt

  1. a metal comb usu. electrically heated for straightening or styling the hair

hot corner -n

  1. third base

hot·dog ['hät-,dȯg] -vi, n

  1. to perform in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner
  2. to perform fancy stunts and maneuvers (as while surfing or skiing)

hot dog ['hät-,dȯg] -n

  1. frankfurter
  2. a frankfurter heated and served in a long split roll
  3. one that hotdogs
  4. show-off
  5. used to express approval or gratification

ho·tel [hō-'tel, 'hō-,] -n

  1. an establishment that provides lodging and usu. meals, entertainment, and various personal services for the public : inn

Hotel

  1. a communications code word for the letter h

ho·te·lier [hō-'tel-yər; ,ō-tᵊl-'yā, ,ȯ-] -n

  1. a proprietor or manager of a hotel

ho·tel·man [hō-'tel-,man, -mən] -n

  1. one who is engaged in the hotel business esp. in a supervisory or managerial capacity

hot flash -n

  1. a sudden brief flushing and sensation of heat caused by dilation of skin capillaries usu. associated with menopausal endocrine imbalance called also hot flush

hot·foot ['hät-,fu̇t] -adv

  1. in haste

hotfoot -vi

  1. to go hotfoot : hurry usu. used with it
  2. a practical joke in which a match is surreptitiously inserted between the upper and the sole of a victim's shoe and lighted

hot·head ['hät-,hed] -n

  1. a hotheaded person

hot·head·ed [-'he-dəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. easily angered : fiery, impetuous

hot·house [-,hau̇s] -n

  1. bordello
  2. a greenhouse maintained at a high temperature esp. for the culture of tropical plants
  3. hotbed

hothouse -adj

  1. grown in a hothouse
  2. suggestive of growth and development in a hothouse
    • a hothouse existence
  3. suggesting a hothouse
    • a hothouse atmosphere

hot key -n

  1. a key or combination of keys on a computer keyboard programmed to perform a specific function when pressed

hot·line ['hät-,līn] -n

  1. a direct telephone line in constant operational readiness so as to facilitate immediate communication
  2. a usu. toll-free telephone service available to the public for some specific purpose
    • a consumer hotline

hot link -n, vb

  1. hyperlink

hot·ly ['hät-lē] -adv

  1. in a hot manner
    • a hotly contested series

hotmelt ['hät-,melt] -n

  1. a fast-drying nonvolatile adhesive applied hot in the molten state

hot metal -n

  1. composition in which the type is cast from molten metal

hot money -n

  1. investment funds intended for the highest short-term rate of return

hot pants -n pl

  1. very short shorts

hot pepper -n

  1. any of various small and usu. thin-walled capsicum fruits of marked pungency
  2. a plant (esp. variants or cultivars of Capsicum annuumand C. frutescens) bearing hot peppers

hot plate -n

  1. a heated iron plate for cooking
  2. a simple portable appliance for heating or for cooking in limited spaces

hot pot -n

  1. a stew of meat and vegetables
  2. firepot

hot potato -n

  1. a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it

hot pursuit -n

  1. close and avid or intense pursuit
  2. close continuous pursuit of a fleeing suspected lawbreaker or hostile military force esp. across territorial lines

hot rod -n

  1. an automobile rebuilt or modified for high speed and fast acceleration

hotrod·der ['hät-,rä-dər] -n, vb

  1. a hot rod driver, builder, or enthusiast

hot seat -n

  1. electric chair
  2. a position of uneasiness, embarrassment, or anxiety

hot·shot ['hät-,shät] -n

  1. a fast freight
  2. a person who is conspicuously talented or successful
    • a hotshot lawyer

hot spot -n

  1. a place of more than usual interest, activity, or popularity
    • birding hot spots
  2. a place in the upper mantle of the earth at which hot magma from the lower mantle upwells to melt through the crust usu. in the interior of a tectonic plate to form a volcanic feature
  3. a place in the crust overlying a hot spot
  4. an area of political, military, or civil unrest usu. considered dangerous
    • global hot spots

hot spring -n

  1. a spring whose water issues at a temperature higher than that of its surroundings

hot stuff -n

  1. someone or something unusually good

Hot·ten·tot ['hä-tᵊn-,tät] -n

  1. khoikhoi

hot ticket -n

  1. someone or something very popular : rage

hot·tie ['hä-tē] -n

  1. a physically attractive person

hot tub -n, vi

  1. a large tub of hot water in which bathers soak and usu. socialize
  2. such a tub with a whirlpool device

hot up -vi

  1. to increase in intensity, pace, or excitement
    • air raids began to hot up about the beginning of February -- George Orwell
  2. to make livelier, speedier, or more intense

hot war -n

  1. a conflict involving actual fighting

hot water -n

  1. trouble , difficulty
    • was in hot water with the authorities

hotwire ['hät-,wī(-ə)r] -vt

  1. to start (as an automobile) by short-circuiting the ignition system

hound ['hau̇nd] -n

  1. dog
  2. a dog of any of numerous hunting breeds including both scent hounds (as the bloodhound and beagle) and sight hounds (as the greyhound and Afghan hound)
  3. a mean or despicable person
  4. dogfish
  5. a person who pursues like a hound
  6. one who avidly seeks or collects something
    • autograph hound s
  7. to pursue with or as if with hounds
  8. to drive or affect by persistent harassing

hounds ['hau̇n(d)z] -n pl

  1. the framing at the masthead of a ship that supports the heel of the topmast and the upper parts of the lower rigging

hound'stongue ['hau̇n(d)z-,təŋ] -n

  1. any of various coarse plants (genus Cynoglossum,esp. C. officinale) of the borage family having tongue-shaped leaves and reddish flowers

hounds·tooth ['hau̇n(d)z-,tüth] -n

  1. a usu. small broken-check textile pattern
  2. a fabric woven in this pattern called also houndstooth check hound's-tooth check

hour ['au̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. a time or office for daily liturgical devotion
  2. canonical hour
  3. the 24th part of a day : 60 minutes
  4. the time of day reckoned in two 12-hour periods
  5. the time reckoned in one 24-hour period from midnight to midnight using a 4-digit number of which the first two digits indicate the hour and the last two digits indicate the minute
    • in the military 4:30 p.m. is called 1630 hour s
  6. a customary or particular time
    • lunch hour
    • in our hour of need
  7. moment
    • hero of the hour
  8. time of going to bed
    • keeps late hour s
  9. time of working
    • banker's hour s
  10. an angular unit of right ascension equal to 15 degrees measured along the celestial equator
  11. the work done or distance traveled at normal rate in an hour
    • the city was two hour s away
  12. a class session
  13. credit hour, semester hour

hour angle -n

  1. the angle between the celestial meridian of an observer and the hour circle of a celestial object measured westward from the meridian

hour circle -n

  1. a circle on the celestial sphere that passes through both celestial poles

hour·glass ['au̇(-ə)r-,glas] -n

  1. an instrument for measuring time consisting of a glass vessel having two compartments from the uppermost of which a quantity of usu. sand runs in an hour into the lower one

hourglass -adj

  1. shaped like an hourglass
    • an hourglass figure

hour hand -n

  1. the short hand that marks the hours on the face of a watch or clock

hou·ri ['hu̇r-ē, 'hü-rē] -n

  1. one of the beautiful maidens that in Muslim belief live with the blessed in paradise
  2. a voluptuously beautiful young woman

hourlong ['au̇(-ə)r-'lȯŋ] -adj

  1. lasting an hour

hour·ly ['au̇(-ə)r-lē] -adv

  1. at or during every hour
  2. frequently, continually

hourly -adj

  1. occurring hour by hour
    • hourly bus service
  2. frequent, continual
    • in hourly expectation of the rain's stopping
  3. computed in terms of an hour
    • an hourly wage
  4. paid by the hour
    • hourly workers

house ['hau̇s] -n, adj

  1. a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families : home
  2. a shelter or refuge (as a nest or den) of a wild animal
  3. a natural covering (as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids
  4. a building in which something is housed
    • a carriage house
  5. one of the 12 equal sectors in which the celestial sphere is divided in astrology
  6. a zodiacal sign that is the seat of a planet's greatest influence
  7. household
  8. a family including ancestors, descendants, and kindred
    • the house of Tudor
  9. a residence for a religious community or for students
  10. the community or students in residence
  11. a legislative, deliberative, or consultative assembly
  12. one constituting a division of a bicameral body
  13. the building or chamber where such an assembly meets
  14. a quorum of such an assembly
  15. a place of business or entertainment
    • a movie house
  16. a business organization
    • a publishing house
  17. a gambling establishment
  18. the audience in a theater or concert hall
    • a full house on opening night
  19. the circular area 12 feet in diameter surrounding the tee and within which a curling stone must rest in order to count
  20. a type of dance music mixed by a disc jockey that features overdubbing with a heavy repetitive drumbeat and repeated electronic melody lines
  21. to provide with living quarters or shelter
  22. to store in a house
  23. to encase, enclose, or shelter as if by putting in a house
  24. to serve as a shelter or container for : contain
    • buildings that house government offices
  25. to take shelter : lodge

house arrest -n

  1. confinement often under guard to one's house or quarters instead of in prison

house·boat ['hau̇s-,bōt] -n

  1. a boat fitted for use as a dwelling
  2. a pleasure craft with a broad beam, a usu. shallow draft, and a large superstructure resembling a house

house·bound ['hau̇s-,bau̇nd] -adj

  1. confined to the house

house·boy [-,bȯi] -n

  1. houseman

house·break [-,brāk] -vt

  1. to make housebroken
  2. to teach acceptable social manners to
  3. tame, subdue

house·break·ing ['hau̇s-,brā-kiŋ] -n

  1. an act of breaking open and entering the dwelling house of another with a felonious purpose

house·bro·ken [-,brō-kən] -adj

  1. trained to excretory habits acceptable in indoor living used of a household pet
  2. made tractable or polite

house call -n

  1. a visit (as by a doctor or a repair person) to a home to provide a requested service

house·carl [-,kär(-ə)l] -n

  1. a member of the bodyguard of a Danish or early English king or noble

house cat -n

  1. cat

house·clean ['hau̇s-,klēn] -vb, n

  1. to clean a house and its furniture
  2. to get rid of unwanted or undesirable items or people
  3. to clean the surfaces and furnishings of
  4. to improve or reform by ridding of undesirable people or practices

house·coat ['hau̇s-,kōt] -n

  1. a woman's often long-skirted informal garment for wear around the house

house cricket -n

  1. a widely distributed cricket ( Acheta domesticus) usu. living in or about dwellings

house detective -n

  1. a person who is employed (as by a hotel) to prevent disorderly or improper conduct of patrons

house·dress ['hau̇s-,dres] -n

  1. a dress with simple lines that is suitable for housework and is made usu. of a washable fabric

housedust mite -n

  1. either of two widely distributed mites ( Dermatophagoides farinaeand D. pteronyssinus) that commonly occur in house dust and often induce allergic responses esp. in children

house·fa·ther [-,fä-thər] -n

  1. a man in charge of a dormitory, hall, or hostel

house finch -n

  1. a small finch ( Carpodacus mexicanus) that has a male with a red head, breast, and rump and that is native to Mexico and the western U.S. and has been introduced in the eastern U.S.

house·fly ['hau̇s-,flī] -n

  1. a cosmopolitan dipteran fly ( Musca domestica) that is often about human habitations and may act as a mechanical vector of diseases (as typhoid fever)
  2. any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat

house·front [-,frənt] -n

  1. the facade of a house

house girl -n

  1. housemaid

house·guest ['hau̇s-,gest] -n

  1. guest

house·hold ['hau̇s-,hōld, 'hau̇-,sōld] -n

  1. those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family
  2. a social unit composed of those living together in the same dwelling

household -adj

  1. of or relating to a household : domestic
    • cooking and other household arts
  2. familiar, common
    • a household name

house·hold·er ['hau̇s-,hōl-dər, 'hau̇-,sōl-] -n

  1. a person who occupies a house or tenement alone or as the head of a household

household troops -n pl

  1. troops appointed to attend and guard a sovereign or the residence of a sovereign

house·hus·band ['hau̇s-,həz-bənd] -n

  1. a husband who does housekeeping usu. while his wife earns the family income

house·keep ['hau̇s-,kēp] -vi

  1. to perform the routine duties (as cooking and cleaning) of managing a house

house·keep·er [-,kē-pər] -n

  1. a woman employed to keep house
  2. housewife

housekeeping -n

  1. the management of a house and home affairs
  2. the care and management of property and the provision of equipment and services (as for an industrial organization)
  3. the routine tasks that must be done in order for a system to function or to function efficiently

hou·sel ['hau̇-zəl] -n

  1. the Eucharist or the act of administering or receiving it

housel -vt

  1. to administer communion to

house·leek ['hau̇s-,lēk] -n

  1. a pink-flowered thick-leaved European plant ( Sempervivum tectorum) of the orpine family that tends to form clusters of rosettes and is often grown in rock gardens
  2. sempervivum

house·lights ['hau̇s-,līts] -n pl

  1. the lights that illuminate the auditorium of a theater

house·maid ['hau̇s-,mād] -n

  1. a girl or woman who is a servant employed to do housework

housemaid's knee -n

  1. a swelling over the knee due to an enlargement of the bursa in the front of the patella

house·man ['hau̇s-mən, -,man] -n

  1. a person who performs general work about a house or hotel

house·mas·ter [-,mas-tər] -n

  1. a master in charge of a house in a boy's boarding school

house·mate ['hau̇s-,māt] -n

  1. a person who lives in the same house with another

house·moth·er ['hau̇s-,mə-thər] -n

  1. a woman acting as hostess, chaperone, and often housekeeper in a group residence

house mouse -n

  1. a common nearly cosmopolitan grayish-brown mouse ( Mus musculus) that usu. lives and breeds about buildings, may act as a vector of diseases, and is an important laboratory animal

house of assembly

  1. a legislative body or the lower house of a legislature (as in various British colonies, protectorates, and countries of the Commonwealth of Nations)

House of Burgesses

  1. the colonial representative assembly of Virginia

house of cards

  1. a structure, situation, or institution that is insubstantial, shaky, or in constant danger of collapse

House of Commons

  1. the lower house of the British and Canadian parliaments

house of correction

  1. a penal institution for persons convicted of a minor offense and considered capable of reformation

house of delegates

  1. house
  2. the lower house of the state legislature in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia

House of Lords

  1. the upper house of the British Parliament composed of the lords temporal and spiritual

house of representatives

  1. the lower house of a legislative body (as the U.S. Congress)

house of studies

  1. an educational institution serving scholars of a religious order called also house of study

house organ -n

  1. a periodical distributed by a business concern among its employees, sales personnel, or customers

house·paint·er ['hau̇s-,pān-tər] -n

  1. one whose business or occupation is painting houses

house·par·ent [-,per-ənt] -n

  1. an adult in charge of a dormitory, hall, hostel, or group residence

house party -n

  1. a party lasting over one or more nights at a residence (as a home or fraternity house)

house·per·son ['hau̇s-,pər-sᵊn] -n

  1. a person who does housekeeping

house·plant ['hau̇s-,plant] -n

  1. a plant grown or kept indoors

houseproud ['hau̇s-,prau̇d] -adj

  1. proud of one's house or housekeeping

hous·er ['hau̇-zər] -n

  1. one that promotes or administers housing projects

houserais·ing ['hau̇s-,rā-ziŋ] -n

  1. the joint erection of a house or its framework by a gathering of neighbors

house·room [-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. space for accommodation in or as if in a house
    • given houseroom by a family all too eager to have a celebrity in their midst -- Walter Kerr

house rule -n

  1. a rule (as in a game) that applies only among a certain group or in a certain place

house seat -n

  1. a theater seat reserved by the management for a special guest

house sitter ['hau̇(s)-,sit] -n, vi

  1. a person who occupies a dwelling to provide security and maintenance while the tenant is away

house sparrow -n

  1. a sparrow ( Passer domesticus) native to Eurasia that has been introduced worldwide and is found esp. in urban and agricultural areas called also English sparrow

housetohouse [,hau̇s-tə-'hau̇s] -adj

  1. going or done by going from one building to the next
    • housetohouse fighting

house·top ['hau̇s-,täp] -n

  1. roof
  2. the level surface of a flat roof

house trailer -n

  1. mobile home

housetrain ['hau̇s-,trān] -vt

  1. housebreak

house·wares ['hau̇s-,werz] -n pl

  1. furnishings for a house
  2. small articles of household equipment (as cooking utensils)

house·warm·ing ['hau̇s-,wȯr-miŋ] -n

  1. a party to celebrate the taking possession of a house or premises

house·wife ['hau̇s-,wīf; esp 2 & in early poetry 'hə-zəf or -səf] -n, adj

  1. a married woman in charge of a household
  2. a pocket-size container for small articles (as thread)

house·work ['hau̇s-,wərk] -n

  1. the work of housekeeping

housing -n

  1. shelter, lodging
  2. dwellings provided for people
  3. a niche for a sculpture
  4. the space taken out of a structural member (as a timber) to admit the insertion of part of another
  5. : something that covers or protects: as
  6. a case or enclosure (as for a mechanical part or an instrument)
  7. a casing (as an enclosed bearing) in which a shaft revolves
  8. a support (as a frame) for mechanical parts
  9. caparison

housing development -n

  1. a group of individual dwellings or apartment houses typically of similar design that are usu. built and sold or leased by one management

housing estate -n

  1. housing development

housing project -n

  1. a publicly supported and administered housing development planned usu. for low-income families

Hou·yhn·hnm ['hwi-nəm, hü-'i-nəm] -n

  1. a member of a race of horses endowed with reason in Swift's Gulliver's Travels

HOV -abbr

  1. high-occupancy vehicle

hove ['hēv] -vb, n

(variant of heave)

  1. elevate
  2. lift, raise
    • heaved the trunk onto the table
  3. throw, cast
    • heaving rocks
  4. to cause to swell or rise
  5. to displace (as a rock stratum) esp. by a fault
  6. to utter with obvious effort or with a deep breath
    • heave a sigh of relief
  7. haul, draw
  8. labor, struggle
  9. retch
  10. to rise and fall rhythmically
  11. pant
  12. pull, push
    • heaving on a rope
  13. to move a ship in a specified direction or manner
  14. to move in an indicated way
    • the ship hove into view
  15. to rise or become thrown or raised up
  16. an effort to heave or raise
  17. hurl, cast
  18. an upward motion : rising
  19. a rhythmical rising
  20. horizontal displacement esp. by the faulting of a rock
  21. chronic pulmonary emphysema of the horse resulting in difficult expiration, heaving of the flanks, and a persistent cough

hov·el ['hə-vəl, 'hä-] -n

  1. an open shed or shelter
  2. tabernacle
  3. a small, wretched, and often dirty house : hut

hov·er ['hə-vər, 'hä-] -vi, n

  1. to hang fluttering in the air or on the wing
  2. to remain suspended over a place or object
  3. to move to and fro near a place : fluctuate around a given point
    • unemployment hover ed around 10 percent
  4. to be in a state of uncertainty, irresolution, or suspense

hov·er·craft [-vər-,kraft] -n

  1. a vehicle that is supported above the surface of land or water by a cushion of air produced by downwardly directed fans

hov·er·fly ['hə-vər-,flī, 'hä-] -n

  1. any of a family (Syrphidae) of dipteran flies that are noted for frequenting flowers and hovering at one place in the air and include some whose larvae prey on plant lice called also syrphid fly

how ['hau̇] -adv

  1. in what manner or way
  2. for what reason : why
  3. with what meaning : to what effect
  4. by what name or title
  5. to what degree or extent
  6. in what state or condition
    • how are you
  7. at what price
    • how a score of ewes now -- Shak.
  8. the way or manner in which
    • remember how they fought
  9. the state or condition in which
  10. that
    • told them how he had a situation -- Charles Dickens
  11. however, as
    • a reader can shift his attention how he likes -- William Empson
  12. a question about manner or method
  13. manner, method

how·be·it [hau̇-'bē-ət] -conj

  1. although

howbeit -adv

  1. nevertheless

how·dah ['hau̇-də] -n

  1. a seat or covered pavilion on the back of an elephant or camel

how·dy ['hau̇-dē] -interj, vb

  1. used to express greeting

howe ['hau̇, 'hō] -n

  1. hollow, valley

how·ev·er [hau̇-'e-vər] -conj

  1. in whatever manner or way that
    • will help however I can
  2. although

however -adv

  1. in whatever manner or way
    • shall serve you, sir, truly, however else -- Shak.
  2. to whatever degree or extent
    • has done this for however many thousands of years -- Emma Hawkridge
  3. in spite of that : on the other hand
    • still seems possible, however, that conditions will improve
    • would like to go; however, I think I'd better not
  4. how in the world
    • however did you manage to do it

howff ['hau̇f, 'hōf] -n

  1. haunt, resort

how·it·zer ['hau̇-ət-sər] -n

  1. a short cannon used to fire projectiles at medium muzzle velocities and with relatively high trajectories

howl ['hau̇(-ə)l] -vb, n

  1. to emit a loud sustained doleful sound characteristic of members of the dog family
  2. to cry out loudly and without restraint under strong impulse (as pain, grief, or amusement)
  3. to go on a spree or rampage
  4. to utter with unrestrained outcry
  5. to drown out or cause to fail by adverse outcry used esp. with down

howl·er ['hau̇-lər] -n

  1. howler monkey
  2. one that howls
  3. a humorous and ridiculous blunder

howler monkey -n

  1. any of a genus ( Alouatta) of So. and Central American monkeys that have a long prehensile tail and enlargement of the hyoid and laryngeal apparatus enabling them to make loud howling noises

howl·ing ['hau̇-liŋ] -adj, adv

  1. producing or marked by a sound resembling a howl
    • a howling storm
  2. desolate, wild
    • a howling wilderness
  3. very great : pronounced
    • a howling success

how·so·ev·er [,hau̇-sə-'we-vər, -sō-'e-] -adv

  1. in whatever manner
  2. to whatever degree or extent

howto ['hau̇-'tü] -adj

  1. giving practical instruction and advice (as on a craft)
    • howto books on all sorts of hobbies -- Harry Milt
  2. a practical method or instruction
    • the howto s of balancing a checkbook
  3. something (as a book) that provides such instruction

hoy ['hȯi] -interj

  1. used in attracting attention or in driving animals
  2. a small usu. sloop-rigged coasting ship
  3. a heavy barge for bulky cargo

hoya ['hȯi-ə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Hoya) of climbing Asian and Australian evergreen shrubs of the milkweed family

hoy·den ['hȯi-dᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a girl or woman of saucy, boisterous, or carefree behavior

hoyle ['hȯi(-ə)l] -n

  1. an encyclopedia of the rules of indoor games and esp. card games