WO -abbr

  1. warrant officer

woad ['wōd] -n

  1. a European herb ( Isatis tinctoria) of the mustard family formerly grown for the blue dyestuff yielded by its leaves
  2. this dyestuff

wob·ble ['wä-bəl] -vb, n, adj

  1. to move or proceed with an irregular rocking or staggering motion or unsteadily and clumsily from side to side
  2. tremble, quaver
  3. waver, vacillate
  4. to cause to wobble

wobble -n

  1. a hobbling or rocking unequal motion (as of a wheel unevenly mounted)
  2. an uncertainly directed movement
  3. an intermittent variation (as in volume of sound)

Wob·bly ['wä-blē] -n

  1. a member of the Industrial Workers of the World

WOC -abbr

  1. without compensation

Wo·den ['wō-dᵊn] -n

  1. odin

wodge ['wäj] -n

  1. a bulky mass or chunk : lump, wad

woe ['wō] -interj

  1. used to express grief, regret, or distress
  2. a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief
  3. ruinous trouble : calamity, affliction
    • economic woe s

woe·be·gone ['wō-bi-,gȯn also -,gän] -adj, n

  1. strongly affected with woe : woeful
  2. exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery
    • a woebegone expression
  3. being in a sorry state
    • woebegone tattered clothes

woe·ful ['wō-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. full of woe : grievous
    • woeful prophecies
  2. involving or bringing woe
  3. lamentably bad or serious : deplorable
    • woeful ignorance

wog ['wäg, 'wȯg] -n

  1. a dark-skinned foreigner
  2. one from the Middle East or Far East

wok ['wäk] -n

  1. a large bowl-shaped cooking utensil used esp. in stir-frying

woke ['wāk] -vb, n

(variant of wake)

  1. to be or remain awake
  2. to remain awake on watch esp. over a corpse
  3. to stay up late in revelry
  4. awake often used with up
  5. to stand watch over (as a dead body)
  6. to hold a wake over
  7. to rouse from or as if from sleep : awake often used with up
  8. stir, excite
    • woke up latent possibilities -- Norman Douglas
  9. to arouse conscious interest in : alert usu. used with to
    • woke the public to the risks
  10. the state of being awake
  11. an annual English parish festival formerly held in commemoration of the church's patron saint
  12. vigil
  13. the festivities orig. connected with the wake of an English parish church usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  14. an annual holiday or vacation usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  15. a watch held over the body of a dead person prior to burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity
  16. the track left by a moving body (as a ship) in a fluid (as water)
  17. a track or path left
  18. aftermath

woken ['wāk] -vb, n

(variant of wake)

  1. to be or remain awake
  2. to remain awake on watch esp. over a corpse
  3. to stay up late in revelry
  4. awake often used with up
  5. to stand watch over (as a dead body)
  6. to hold a wake over
  7. to rouse from or as if from sleep : awake often used with up
  8. stir, excite
    • woke up latent possibilities -- Norman Douglas
  9. to arouse conscious interest in : alert usu. used with to
    • woke the public to the risks
  10. the state of being awake
  11. an annual English parish festival formerly held in commemoration of the church's patron saint
  12. vigil
  13. the festivities orig. connected with the wake of an English parish church usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  14. an annual holiday or vacation usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  15. a watch held over the body of a dead person prior to burial and sometimes accompanied by festivity
  16. the track left by a moving body (as a ship) in a fluid (as water)
  17. a track or path left
  18. aftermath

wold ['wōld] -n

  1. a usu. upland area of open country
  2. a hilly or rolling region used in names of various English geographic areas
    • Yorkshire Wolds

wolf ['wu̇lf] -n, adj

  1. any of several large predatory canids (genus Canis) that live and hunt in packs and resemble the related dogs
  2. gray wolf
  3. the fur of a wolf
  4. a fierce, rapacious, or destructive person
  5. a man forward, direct, and zealous in amatory attentions to women
  6. dire poverty : starvation
    • keep the wolf from the door
  7. the maggot of a warble fly
  8. dissonance in some chords on organs, pianos, or other instruments with fixed tones tuned by unequal temperament
  9. an instance of such dissonance
  10. a harshness due to faulty vibration in various tones in a bowed instrument
  11. to eat greedily : devour

wolf·ber·ry ['wu̇lf-,ber-ē] -n

  1. a white-berried No. American shrub ( Symphoricarpos occidentalis) of the honeysuckle family

wolf dog -n

  1. any of various large dogs formerly kept for hunting wolves
  2. the offspring of a wolf and a domestic dog

wolf·er ['wu̇l-fər] -n

  1. a hunter of wolves

Wolff·ian duct ['wu̇l-fē-ən-] -n

  1. the duct of the mesonephros that persists in the female chiefly as part of a vestigial organ and in the male as the duct system leaving the testis and including the epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle, and ejaculatory duct

wolf·fish ['wu̇lf-,fish] -n

  1. any of several large marine bony fishes (genus Anarhichasof the family Anarhicadidae) of cold northern waters having strong canine teeth in the front of the jaws and molar teeth on the sides and that feed chiefly on shellfish, starfish, and sea urchins

wolf·hound ['wu̇lf-,hau̇nd] -n

  1. any of several large dogs used esp. formerly in hunting large animals (as wolves)

wolf·ish ['wu̇l-fish] -adj, adv, n

  1. suggestive of a wolf
    • wolfish mongrel dogs -- Hoffman Birney
    • a wolfish and withdrawn youth -- Marshall Frady
  2. befitting or characteristic of a wolf
    • a wolfish appetite
  3. of or relating to wolves

wolf pack -n

  1. a group of submarines that make a coordinated attack on shipping

wol·fram ['wu̇l-frəm] -n

  1. wolframite
  2. tungsten

wol·fram·ite ['wu̇l-frə-,mīt] -n

  1. a brown to black mineral consisting of a tungstate of iron and manganese occurring esp. in monoclinic crystals and used as a source of tungsten

wolfs·bane ['wu̇lfs-,bān] -n

  1. any of several monkshoods (esp. Aconitum napellusor A. lycoctonum)

wolf spider -n

  1. any of various active wandering ground spiders (family Lycosidae)

wolf tree -n

  1. a very large forest tree that has a wide-spreading crown and inhibits or prevents the growth of smaller trees around it

wolf whistle -n

  1. a distinctive 2-toned whistle sounded by a boy or man to express sexual admiration for a girl or woman in his vicinity

wol·las·ton·ite ['wu̇-lə-stə-,nīt, 'wä-] -n

  1. a triclinic mineral consisting of a native calcium silicate occurring usu. in cleavable masses

Wo·lof ['wō-,lȯf] -n

  1. a Niger-Congo language of Senegambia

wol·ver·ine [,wu̇l-və-'rēn] -n

  1. a carnivorous usu. solitary mammal ( Gulo gulo) of the weasel family of northern forests and associated tundra that is dark brown with a light brown band on each side of the body and is noted for its strength
  2. the fur of the wolverine
  3. a native or resident of Michigan used as a nickname

wom·an ['wu̇-mən, esp Southern 'wō- or 'wə-] -n, adj

  1. an adult female person
  2. a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation) usu. used in combination
    • council woman
  3. womankind
  4. distinctively feminine nature : womanliness
  5. a woman who is a servant or personal attendant
  6. wife
  7. mistress
  8. girlfriend

wom·an·hood [-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the state of being a woman
  2. the distinguishing character or qualities of a woman or of womankind
  3. women, womankind

wom·an·ise ['wu̇-mə-,nīz] -vb, n

(variant of womanize)

  1. to make effeminate
  2. to pursue casual sexual relationships with multiple women

wom·an·ish ['wu̇-mə-nish] -adj, adv, n

  1. associated with or characteristic of women rather than men
  2. suggestive of a weak character : effeminate
    • womanish fears

wom·an·ism ['wu̇-mə-,ni-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. a form of feminism focused esp. on the conditions and concerns of black women

wom·an·ize ['wu̇-mə-,nīz] -vb, n

  1. to make effeminate
  2. to pursue casual sexual relationships with multiple women

wom·an·kind ['wu̇-mən-,kīnd] -n sing but sing or pl in constr

  1. female human beings : women esp. as distinguished from men

wom·an·like [-,līk] -adj

  1. womanly

womanlike -adv

  1. in the manner of a woman

wom·an·ly [-lē] -adj, n

  1. having qualities generally associated with a woman
  2. appropriate in character to a woman

woman of letters

  1. a woman who is a scholar
  2. a woman who is an author

woman of the street

  1. prostitute

wom·an·pow·er ['wu̇-mən-,pau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. women available and prepared for work (as in industry or a particular line of endeavor)

woman's rights -n pl

  1. legal, political, and social rights for women equal to those of men
  2. feminism

woman suffrage -n

  1. possession and exercise of suffrage by women

womb ['wüm] -n, adj

  1. uterus
  2. a cavity or space that resembles a womb in containing and enveloping
  3. a place where something is generated

wom·bat ['wäm-,bat] -n

  1. any of several stocky burrowing Australian marsupials (genera Vombatusand Lasiorhinusof the family Vombatidae) resembling small bears

wom·en·folk ['wi-mən-,fōk] -n pl

  1. women

wom·en·kind [-,kīnd] -n

  1. womankind

women's rights -n pl

  1. woman's rights

women's room -n

  1. ladies' room

women's studies -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender

wommera ['wu̇-mə-rə] -n

(variant of woomera)

  1. a wooden rod with a hooked end used by Australian aborigines for throwing a spear

won ['wən, 'wōn] -vi

  1. dwell , abide

won ['win] -vb, adj

(variant of win)

  1. to get possession of by effort or fortune
  2. to obtain by work : earn
    • striving to win a living from the sterile soil
  3. to gain in or as if in battle or contest
    • won the championship
  4. to be the victor in
    • won the war
  5. to make friendly or favorable to oneself or to one's cause often used with over
    • won him over with persuasive arguments
  6. to induce to accept oneself in marriage
    • was unable to win the woman he loved
  7. to obtain (as ore, coal, or clay) by mining
  8. to prepare (as a vein or bed) for regular mining
  9. to recover (as metal) from ore
  10. to reach by expenditure of effort
  11. to gain the victory in a contest : succeed
  12. to succeed in arriving at a place or a state
  13. victory
  14. first place at the finish (as of a horse race)

won·der ['wən-dər] -n

  1. a cause of astonishment or admiration : marvel
    • it's a wonder you weren't killed
    • the pyramid is a wonder to behold
  2. miracle
  3. the quality of exciting amazed admiration
  4. rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience
  5. a feeling of doubt or uncertainty

wonder [-d(ə-)riŋ] -vb, n

  1. to be in a state of wonder
  2. to feel surprise
  3. to feel curiosity or doubt
    • wonder ing about the future
  4. to be curious or in doubt about
    • wonder s why birds sing
  5. : wondrous, wonderful: as
  6. exciting amazement or admiration
    • wonder toys
  7. effective or efficient far beyond anything previously known or anticipated
    • a wonder fabric

wonder drug -n

  1. miracle drug

won·der·ful ['wən-dər-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. exciting wonder : marvelous, astonishing
    • a sight wonderful to behold
  2. unusually good : admirable
    • did a wonderful job

won·der·land ['wən-dər-,land, -lənd] -n

  1. an imaginary place of delicate beauty or magical charm
  2. a place that excites admiration or wonder
    • a scenic wonderland

won·der·ment [-mənt] -n

  1. a cause of or occasion for wonder
  2. astonishment, surprise
  3. curiosity about something

won·der·work [-də(r)-,wərk] -n

  1. a marvelous act, work, or accomplishment

won·derwork·er [-,wər-kər] -n

  1. one that performs wonders

won·derwork·ing [-kiŋ] -adj

  1. producing wonders

won·drous ['wən-drəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. that is to be marveled at : extraordinary
    • a wondrous feat

wonk ['wäŋk, 'wȯŋk] -n, adj

  1. a person preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized field
  2. nerd
    • a policy wonk
    • a computer wonk

won·ky ['wäŋ-kē] -adj

  1. unsteady, shaky
  2. awry, wrong

wont ['wȯnt, 'wōnt also 'wənt, 'wänt] -adj

  1. accustomed, used
    • got up early as he is wont to do
  2. inclined, apt
    • revealing as letters are wont to be -- Gladys M. Wrigley
  3. accustom, habituate
  4. to have the habit of doing something
  5. habitual way of doing : use

won't ['wōnt; NewEng, upstate NY, nPa ,wənt, 'wənt; greater NYC 'wünt; eSC 'wünt, 'wu̇nt]

  1. will not

wont·ed ['wȯn-təd, 'wōn- also 'wən- or 'wän-] -adj, adv, n

  1. usual or ordinary esp. by reason of established habit
    • spoke with his wonted slowness

won·ton ['wän-,tän] -n

  1. filled pockets of noodle dough served boiled in soup or fried

woo ['wü] -vb, n

  1. to sue for the affection of and usu. marriage with : court
  2. to solicit or entreat esp. with importunity
    • woo new customers
  3. to seek to gain or bring about
  4. to court a woman

wood ['wüd, 'wōd, 'wu̇d] -adj

  1. violently mad
  2. a dense growth of trees usu. greater in extent than a grove and smaller than a forest often used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
  3. woodland
  4. the hard fibrous substance consisting basically of xylem that makes up the greater part of the stems, branches, and roots of trees or shrubs beneath the bark and is found to a limited extent in herbaceous plants
  5. wood suitable or prepared for some use (as burning or building)
  6. something made of wood
  7. a golf club having a thick wooden head
  8. a golf club having a similar head made of metal
  9. wooden
  10. suitable for cutting or working with wood
    • a wood saw
  11. living, growing, or existing in woods
    • woods trails
  12. to gather or take on wood
  13. to cover with a growth of trees or plant with trees

wood alcohol -n

  1. methanol

wood anemone -n

  1. any of several anemones
  2. one ( Anemone quinquefolia) of No. America with solitary often pink-tinged flowers

wood bet·o·ny [-'be-tə-nē] -n

  1. a lousewort ( Pedicularis canadensis) of eastern No. America with yellow or reddish flowers in bracted spikes

wood·bine ['wu̇d-,bīn] -n

  1. any of several honeysuckles
  2. a Eurasian twining shrub ( Lonicera periclymenum)
  3. virginia creeper

wood·block [-,bläk] -n, adj

  1. woodcut

woodbor·ing [-,bȯr-iŋ] -adj

  1. excavating galleries in wood in feeding or in constructing a nest used chiefly of an insect

wood carving [-,kär-vər] -n

  1. the art of fashioning or ornamenting objects of wood by cutting with a sharp handheld implement
  2. an object of wood so fashioned or ornamented

wood·chat shrike ['wu̇d-,chat-] -n

  1. a black-and-white European shrike ( Lanius senator) with a red crown and nape called also woodchat

wood·chop·per [-,chä-pər] -n

  1. one engaged in chopping wood and esp. in chopping down trees

wood·chuck [-,chək] -n

  1. a grizzled thickset marmot ( Marmota monax) chiefly of Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern U.S. called also groundhog

wood·cock ['wu̇d-,käk] -n

  1. a widespread Old World woodland game bird ( Scolopax rusticola) of the sandpiper family that has a long bill and large eyes
  2. a smaller related woodland game bird ( S. minorsyn. Philohela minor) of eastern No. America
  3. simpleton

wood·craft [-,kraft] -n

  1. skill and practice in anything relating to the woods and esp. in maintaining oneself and making one's way in the woods
  2. skill in shaping or constructing articles from wood

wood·cut [-,kət] -n

  1. a relief printing surface consisting of a wooden block with a usu. pictorial design cut with the grain
  2. a print from a woodcut

wood·cut·ter [-,kə-tər] -n

  1. one that cuts wood

wood·cut·ting [-,kə-tiŋ] -n

  1. the action or occupation of cutting wood or timber
  2. the producing of woodcuts

wood duck -n

  1. a showy American duck ( Aix sponsa) which nests in tree cavities and the males of which have a large crest and iridescent plumage varied with green, purple, black, white, and chestnut

wood ear -n

  1. : any of several ear- or cup-shaped basidiomycetous fungi (genus Auricularia) that grow on wood: as
  2. an edible brownish fungus ( A. auricula) of No. America
  3. a cultivated usu. dark brown edible fungus ( A. polytricha) used in Chinese cooking

wood·ed ['wu̇-dəd] -adj

  1. covered with growing trees

wood·en ['wu̇-dᵊn] -adj, adv, n

  1. made or consisting of wood
  2. lacking ease or flexibility : awkwardly stiff
    • a wooden speech
    • a wooden performer

wood engraving -n

  1. a relief printing surface consisting of a wooden block with a usu. pictorial design cut in the end grain
  2. a print from a wood engraving

wood·en·head ['wu̇-dᵊn-,hed] -n

  1. blockhead

wood·en·head·ed [,wu̇-dᵊn-'he-dəd] -adj

  1. dense, stupid

wooden Indian -n

  1. a wooden image of a standing American Indian brave used esp. formerly as a sign for a cigar store

wood·en·ware ['wu̇-dᵊn-,wer] -n

  1. articles made of wood for domestic use

wood frog -n

  1. a common No. American frog ( Rana sylvatica) that inhabits chiefly moist woodlands and is dark brown, yellowish-brown, or pink with a black stripe on each side of the head

wood·land ['wu̇d-lənd, -,land] -n

  1. land covered with woody vegetation : timberland, forest

woodland -adj

  1. growing, living, or existing in woodland
  2. of, relating to, or being woodland

wood·lore ['wu̇d-,lȯr] -n

  1. knowledge of the woods

wood·lot [-,lät] -n

  1. a restricted area of woodland usu. privately maintained as a source of fuel, posts, and lumber

wood louse -n

  1. a terrestrial isopod crustacean (suborder Oniscoidea) with a flattened elliptical body often capable of being rolled into a ball called also pill bug sow bug

wood·man ['wu̇d-mən] -n

  1. woodsman
  2. a member of either of two independent benevolent and fraternal societies

wood·note [-,nōt] -n

  1. verbal expression that is natural and artless

wood nymph -n

  1. a nymph living in woods called also dryad

wood·peck·er ['wu̇d-,pe-kər] -n

  1. any of numerous birds (family Picidae) with zygodactyl feet, stiff spiny tail feathers used in climbing or resting on tree trunks, a usu. extensible tongue, a very hard bill used to drill the bark or wood of trees for insect food or to excavate nesting cavities, and generally showy parti-colored plumage

wood pigeon -n

  1. a large chiefly European pigeon ( Columba palumbus) with a whitish patch on each side of the neck and wings edged with white called also ringdove

wood·pile [-,pī(-ə)l] -n

  1. a pile of wood (as firewood)

wood pulp -n

  1. pulp from wood used in making cellulose derivatives (as paper or rayon)

wood pussy -n

  1. skunk

wood rat -n

  1. any of numerous soft-furred cricetid rodents (esp. genus Neotoma) of No. and Central America that have well-furred tails, large ears, and a characteristic tendency to hoard food and debris on or near their dens called also pack rat

wood ray -n

  1. xylem ray

wood·ruff ['wu̇d-(,)rəf] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Asperula) of Old World herbs of the madder family
  2. sweet woodruff

wood·shed [-,shed] -n

  1. a shed for storing wood and esp. firewood
  2. a place, means, or session for administering discipline

woodshed -vi

  1. practice
  2. to practice on a musical instrument

wood shot -n

  1. a golf shot played with a wood
  2. a stroke in a racket game in which the ball or shuttlecock is hit with the frame of the racket rather than the strings

woods·man ['wu̇dz-mən] -n

  1. a person who frequents or works in the woods
  2. one skilled in woodcraft

wood sorrel -n

  1. any of a genus ( Oxalisof the family Oxalidaceae, the wood-sorrel family) of herbs with acid sap, compound leaves, and regular flowers having five usu. white, purple, or yellow petals
  2. either of two stemless herbs ( O. montanaof No. America and O. acetosellaof Eurasia) with trifoliolate leaves

wood stork -n

  1. a white stork ( Mycteria americana) with black wing flight feathers and tail that frequents wooded swamps from the southeastern U.S. to Argentina called also wood ibis

wood·stove ['wu̇d-,stōv] -n

  1. a stove that uses wood for fuel

wood sugar -n

  1. xylose

woodsy ['wu̇d-zē] -adj

  1. characteristic or suggestive of woods
    • the woodsy flavor of mushrooms

wood thrush -n

  1. a large woodland thrush ( Hylocichla mustelina) of eastern No. America that is rusty brown on the head and back, has white underparts marked with large black spots, and is noted for its loud clear song

wood tick -n

  1. : any of several ixodid ticks: as
  2. a widely distributed tick ( Dermacentor andersonii) of western No. America that is a vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  3. american dog tick

wood turning -n

  1. the art or process of fashioning wooden pieces or blocks into various forms and shapes by means of a lathe

wood turpentine -n

  1. turpentine

wood warbler -n

  1. warbler

wood·wind ['wu̇d-,wind] -n

  1. any of a group of wind instruments (as a clarinet, flute, oboe, or saxophone) that are characterized by a cylindrical or conical tube of wood or metal usu. ending in a slightly flared bell, that produce tones by the vibration of one or two reeds in the mouthpiece or by the passing of air over a mouth hole, and that usu. have finger holes or keys by which the player may produce all the tones within an instrument's range
  2. the woodwind section of a band or orchestra

wood·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. work made of wood
  2. interior fittings (as moldings or stairways) of wood
  3. a place or state of concealment, seclusion, or anonymity
    • witnesses came out of the woodwork when a reward was offered

wood·work·ing [-,wər-kiŋ] -adj

  1. used for woodworking

woodworking [-kər] -n

  1. the act, process, or occupation of working wood into a useful or desired form

wood·worm ['wu̇d-,wərm] -n

  1. an insect larva (as of a furniture beetle) that bores esp. in dead wood
  2. an infestation of woodworms

woody ['wu̇-dē] -adj, n

  1. abounding or overgrown with woods
  2. of or containing wood or wood fibers : ligneous
    • woody tissues
  3. having woody parts : rich in xylem and associated structures
    • woody plants
  4. characteristic of or suggestive of wood
    • wine with a woody flavor
  5. a wood-paneled station wagon

woof ['wu̇f, 'wüf] -n

  1. weft
  2. woven fabric
  3. the texture of such a fabric
  4. a basic or essential element or material
  5. to make the low gruff sound typically produced by a dog
  6. to express oneself in a usu. stylized boastful or aggressive manner
  7. a low gruff sound typically produced by a dog
  8. a low note emitted by sound reproducing equipment

woof·er ['wu̇-fər] -n

  1. a loudspeaker usu. larger than a tweeter, responsive only to the lower acoustic frequencies, and used for reproducing sounds of low pitch

woohoo ['wü-'hü, ,wü-] -interj

  1. used to express exuberant delight or approval

wool ['wu̇l] -n

  1. the soft wavy or curly usu. thick undercoat of various hairy mammals and esp. the sheep made up of a matrix of keratin fibers and covered with minute scales
  2. a product of wool
  3. a woven fabric or garment of such fabric
  4. a dense felted pubescence esp. on a plant : tomentum
  5. a filamentous mass usu. used in combination

wooled ['wu̇ld] -adj

  1. having wool esp. of a specified kind used in combination
    • long- wooled

wool·en ['wu̇-lən] -adj

  1. made of wool
  2. of or relating to the manufacture or sale of woolen products
    • woolen mills

woolen -n

  1. a fabric made of wool and esp. of woolen yarns having a fuzzy or napped face (as for use in clothing or blankets)
  2. garments of woolen fabric usu. used in pl.

wool fat -n

  1. wool grease esp. after refining : lanolin

wool·gath·er ['wu̇l-,ga-thər, -,ge-thər] -vi, n

  1. to engage in woolgathering

wool·gath·er·ing [-,ga-th(ə-)riŋ, -,ge-th(ə-)riŋ] -n

  1. indulgence in idle daydreaming

wool grease -n

  1. a fatty slightly sticky wax coating the surface of the fibers of sheep's wool

wool·ly ['wu̇-lē] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling wool
  2. of, relating to, or bearing wool
  3. lacking in clearness or sharpness of outline
    • a woolly TV picture
  4. marked by mental confusion
    • woolly thinking
  5. marked by boisterous roughness or lack of order or restraint
    • where the West is still woolly -- Paul Schubert
    used esp. in the phrase wild and woolly
  6. a garment made from wool
  7. underclothing of knitted wool usu. used in pl.
  8. sheep

woolly adel·gid [-ə-'del-jəd] -n

  1. : either of two aphids (genus Adelges) with a white woolly coating that have been accidentally introduced into No. America:
  2. one ( A. piceae) native to Europe that is a serious pest of fir trees
  3. one ( A. tsugae) native to Asia that is a serious pest of hemlocks

woolly aphid -n

  1. any of several aphids (esp. genus Eriosoma) covered with a dense coat of white filaments called also woolly aphis

woolly bear -n

  1. any of various rather large very hairy moth caterpillars
  2. one of a tiger moth

wool·lyhead·ed [,wu̇-lē-'he-dəd] -adj

  1. having hair suggesting wool
  2. marked by vague or confused perception or thinking

woolly mammoth -n

  1. a heavy-coated mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius) formerly inhabiting the colder parts of the northern hemisphere

woolly monkey -n

  1. either of two large monkeys ( Lagothrix lagotrichaand L. flavicauda) chiefly of the Amazon basin that have short woolly hair, long limbs, and a long prehensile tail

woolly spider monkey -n

  1. a large monkey ( Brachyteles arachnoides) of southeastern Brazil with woolly hair, long limbs, a long prehensile tail, and a thumb which is absent or rudimentary

wool·pack ['wu̇l-,pak] -n

  1. a wrapper of strong fabric into which fleeces are packed for shipment
  2. the complete package of wool and wrapper

wool·sack [-,sak] -n

  1. woolpack
  2. a cushion that is the official seat of the Lord Chancellor or his deputy in presiding over the House of Lords

wool·shed [-,shed] -n

  1. a building or group of buildings (as on an Australian ranch) in which sheep are sheared and wool is prepared for market

wool·skin [-,skin] -n

  1. a sheepskin having the wool still on it

wool·sort·er's disease ['wu̇l-,sȯr-tərz-] -n

  1. pulmonary anthrax resulting esp. from inhalation of bacterial spores from contaminated wool or hair

woom·era ['wu̇-mə-rə] -n

  1. a wooden rod with a hooked end used by Australian aborigines for throwing a spear

woops ['(w)u̇(ə)ps] -interj

(variant of oops)

  1. used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay

woo·zy ['wü-zē, 'wu̇-] -adj, adv, n

  1. mentally unclear or hazy
    • seems a little woozy, not quite knowing what to say -- J. A. Lukacs
  2. affected with dizziness, mild nausea, or weakness
  3. having a soft, indistinct, or unfocused quality : vague, fuzzy
    • woozy...prose and vaguely beneficent statements -- Roz Kaveney

wop ['wäp] -n

  1. italian

Worces·ter ['wu̇s-tər] -n

  1. low-fired porcelain containing a frit and steatite produced at Worcester, England, from about 1751 called also Worcester china Worcester porcelain

Worces·ter·shire sauce ['wu̇s-tə(r)-,shir-, -shər- also -,shī(-ə)r-] -n

  1. a pungent sauce whose ingredients include soy, vinegar, and garlic called also Worcestershire

word ['wərd] -n

  1. something that is said
  2. talk, discourse
    • putting one's feelings into word s
  3. the text of a vocal musical composition
  4. a brief remark or conversation
    • would like to have a word with you
  5. a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usu. without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use
  6. the entire set of linguistic forms produced by combining a single base with various inflectional elements without change in the part of speech elements
  7. a written or printed character or combination of characters representing a spoken word
    • the number of word s to a line
    sometimes used with the first letter of a real or pretended taboo word prefixed as an often humorous euphemism
    • the first man to utter the f word on British TV -- Time
    • we were not afraid to use the d word and talk about death -- Erma Bombeck
  8. any segment of written or printed discourse ordinarily appearing between spaces or between a space and a punctuation mark
  9. a number of bytes processed as a unit and conveying a quantum of information in communication and computer work
  10. order, command
    • don't move till I give the word
  11. logos
  12. gospel
  13. the expressed or manifested mind and will of God
  14. news, information
    • sent word that he would be late
  15. rumor
  16. the act of speaking or of making verbal communication
  17. saying, proverb
  18. promise, declaration
    • kept her word
  19. a quarrelsome utterance or conversation usu. used in pl.
    • they had word s and parted
  20. a verbal signal : password
  21. used interjectionally to express agreement
  22. speak
  23. to express in words : phrase
    • a carefully word ed reply

word·age ['wər-dij] -n

  1. words
  2. verbiage
  3. the number or quantity of words
  4. wording

wordassociation test -n

  1. a test of personality and mental function in which the subject is required to respond to each of a series of words with the first word that comes to mind or with a word of a specified class of words (as antonyms)

word·book ['wərd-,bu̇k] -n

  1. vocabulary, dictionary

word class -n

  1. a linguistic form class whose members are words
  2. part of speech

wordforword -adj

  1. being in or following the exact words : verbatim
    • a wordforword translation

word for word -adv

  1. in the exact words : verbatim

wordhoard ['wərd-,hȯrd] -n

  1. a supply of words : vocabulary

word·ing ['wər-diŋ] -n

  1. the act or manner of expressing in words : phraseology

word·less ['wərd-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. not expressed in or accompanied by words
    • a wordless picture book
  2. silent, speechless
    • sat wordless throughout the meeting

word·mon·ger [-,məŋ-gər, -,mäŋ-] -n

  1. a writer who uses words for show or without particular regard for meaning

wordmon·ger·ing [-g(ə-)riŋ] -n

  1. the use of empty or bombastic words

wordofmouth [,wərd-ə(v)-'mau̇th] -adj

  1. orally communicated
  2. generated from or reliant on oral publicity
    • wordofmouth customers
    • a wordofmouth business

word of mouth

  1. oral communication
  2. oral often inadvertent publicity

word order -n

  1. the order or arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence

word·play ['wərd-,plā] -n

  1. playful use of words : verbal wit

word processing -n, vb

  1. the production of typewritten documents (as business letters) with automated and usu. computerized typing and text-editing equipment

word processor -n

  1. a keyboard-operated terminal usu. with a video display and a magnetic storage device for use in word processing
  2. software (as for a computer system) to perform word processing

word·smith ['wərd-,smith] -n

  1. a person who works with words
  2. a skillful writer

word square -n

  1. a series of words of equal length arranged in a square pattern to read the same horizontally and vertically

word stress -n

  1. the manner in which stresses are distributed on the syllables of a word called also word accent

word wrap -n

  1. a word processing feature that automatically transfers a word for which there is insufficient space from the end of one line of text to the beginning of the next

wordy ['wər-dē] -adj, adv, n

  1. using or containing many and usu. too many words
  2. of or relating to words : verbal

wore ['wer] -vb, n

(variant of wear)

  1. to bear or have on the person
    • wore a coat
  2. to use habitually for clothing, adornment, or assistance
    • wear s a size 10
    • wear glasses
  3. to carry on the person
    • wear a sword
  4. to hold the rank or dignity or position signified by (an ornament)
    • wear the royal crown
  5. exhibit, present
    • wore a happy smile
    • commend the book for wear ing its research so lightly -- Brad Leithauser
  6. to show or fly (a flag or colors) on a ship
  7. to cause to deteriorate by use
  8. to impair or diminish by use or attrition : consume or waste gradually
    • letters on the stone worn away by weathering
  9. to produce gradually by friction or attrition
    • wear a hole in the rug
  10. to exhaust or lessen the strength of : weary, fatigue
  11. to cause (a ship) to go about with the stern presented to the wind
  12. to accept or tolerate without complaint : put up with usu. used in negative constructions
    • your mates wouldn't wear it -- Colin MacInnes
  13. take on
  14. to endure use : last under use or the passage of time
    • material that will wear for years
  15. to retain quality or vitality
    • the classics wear well
  16. to diminish or decay through use
    • the heels of his shoes began to wear
  17. to diminish or fail with the passage of time
    • the effect of the drug wore off
    • the day wore on
  18. to grow or become by attrition or use
    • the blade wore dull
  19. to change to an opposite tack by turning the stern to the wind
  20. the act of wearing : the state of being worn : use
    • clothes for everyday wear
  21. clothing or an article of clothing usu. of a particular kind
  22. clothing worn for a special occasion or popular during a specific period
  23. fashion, vogue
  24. wearing quality : durability under use
  25. the result of wearing or use : diminution or impairment due to use
    • wear -resistant surface

work ['wərk] -n

  1. : activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something:
  2. sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result
  3. the labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood
  4. a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase of some larger activity
  5. energy expended by natural phenomena
  6. the result of such energy
    • sand dunes are the work of sea and wind
  7. the transference of energy that is produced by the motion of the point of application of a force and is measured by multiplying the force and the displacement of its point of application in the line of action
  8. something that results from a particular manner or method of working, operating, or devising
    • careful police work
    • clever camera work
  9. something that results from the use or fashioning of a particular material
    • porcelain work
  10. a fortified structure (as a fort, earthen barricade, or trench)
  11. structures in engineering (as docks, bridges, or embankments) or mining (as shafts or tunnels)
  12. a place where industrial labor is carried on : plant, factory
  13. the working or moving parts of a mechanism
    • the work s of a clock
  14. something produced or accomplished by effort, exertion, or exercise of skill
    • this book is the work of many hands
  15. something produced by the exercise of creative talent or expenditure of creative effort : artistic production
    • an early work by a major writer
  16. performance of moral or religious acts
    • salvation by work s
  17. effective operation : effect, result
    • wait for time to do its healing work
  18. manner of working : workmanship, execution
  19. the material or piece of material that is operated upon at any stage in the process of manufacture
  20. everything possessed, available, or belonging
    • the whole work s, rod, reel, tackle box, went overboard
    • ordered pizza with the work s
  21. subjection to drastic treatment : all possible abuse usu. used with get
    • get the work s
    or give
    • gave them the work s
  22. used for work
    • a work elephant
  23. suitable or styled for wear while working
    • work clothes
  24. involving or engaged in work
    • a work gang
    • work hours
  25. to bring to pass : effect
    • work miracles
  26. to fashion or create a useful or desired product by expending labor or exertion on : forge, shape
    • work flint into tools
  27. to make or decorate with needlework
  28. embroider
  29. to prepare for use by stirring or kneading
  30. to bring into a desired form by a gradual process of cutting, hammering, scraping, pressing, or stretching
    • work cold steel
  31. to set or keep in motion, operation, or activity : cause to operate or produce
    • a pump work ed by hand
    • work farmland
  32. to solve (a problem) by reasoning or calculation often used with out
  33. to cause to toil or labor
    • work ed their horses nearly to death
  34. to make use of : exploit
  35. to control or guide the operation of
    • switches are work ed from a central tower
  36. to carry on an operation or perform a job through, at, in, or along
    • the peddler work ed the corner
    • a sportscaster hired to work the game
  37. to greet and talk with in a friendly way in order to ingratiate oneself or achieve a purpose
    • politicians work ing the crowd
    • work ed the room
  38. to pay for or achieve with labor or service
    • work ed my way through college
    • work ed my way up in the company
  39. to get (oneself or an object) into or out of a condition or position by gradual stages
  40. contrive, arrange
    • we can work it so that you can take your vacation
  41. to practice trickery or cajolery on for some end
    • work ed the management for a free ticket
  42. excite, provoke
    • work ed myself into a rage
  43. to exert oneself physically or mentally esp. in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity
  44. to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations
    • work ed all day over a hot stove
  45. to perform work or fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary
    • work s in publishing
  46. to function or operate according to plan or design
    • hinges work better with oil
  47. to exert an influence or tendency
  48. to produce a desired effect or result : succeed
    • a plan that will work
  49. to make way slowly and with difficulty : move or progress laboriously
    • work ed up to the presidency
  50. to sail to windward
  51. to permit of being worked : react in a specified way to being worked
    • this wood work s easily
  52. to be in agitation or restless motion
  53. ferment
  54. to move slightly in relation to another part
  55. to get into a specified condition by slow or imperceptible movements
    • the knot work ed loose

work·able ['wər-kə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being worked
    • a workable material
  2. practicable, feasible
    • a workable system

work·a·day ['wər-kə-,dā] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suited for working days
    • workaday clothes
  2. ordinary, prosaic
    • workaday activities
    • a workaday life

work·a·hol·ic [,wər-kə-'hȯ-lik, -'hä-] -n, adj

  1. a compulsive worker

workaround ['wərk-ə-,rau̇nd] -n

  1. a plan or method to circumvent a problem (as in computer software) without eliminating it

work·bag ['wərk-,bag] -n

  1. a bag for implements or materials for work
  2. a bag for needlework

work·bas·ket [-,bas-kət] -n

  1. a basket for needlework

work·bench [-,bench] -n

  1. a bench on which work esp. of mechanics, machinists, and carpenters is performed

work·boat [-,bōt] -n

  1. a boat used for work purposes (as commercial fishing and ferrying supplies) rather than for sport or for passenger or naval service

work·book [-,bu̇k] -n

  1. a worker's manual
  2. a booklet outlining a course of study
  3. a record of work done
  4. a student's book of problems to be solved directly on the pages

work·box [-,bäks] -n

  1. a box for work instruments and materials

work camp -n

  1. : a camp for workers: as
  2. prison camp
  3. a short-term group project in which individuals from one or more religious organizations volunteer their labor

work·day ['wərk-,dā] -n, adj

  1. a day on which work is performed as distinguished from a day off
  2. the period of time in a day during which work is performed

worked ['wərkt] -adj

  1. that has been subjected to some process of development, treatment, or manufacture
    • a newly worked field

worked up -adj

  1. emotionally aroused : excited

work·er ['wər-kər] -n

  1. one that works esp. at manual or industrial labor or with a particular material
    • a factory worker
    often used in combination
  2. a member of the working class
  3. any of the sexually underdeveloped and usu. sterile members of a colony of social ants, bees, wasps, or termites that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony

workerpriest -n

  1. a French Roman Catholic priest who for missionary purposes spends part of each weekday as a worker in a secular job

workers' compensation [-'kämp] -n

  1. a system of insurance that reimburses an employer for damages that must be paid to an employee for injury occurring in the course of employment called also workers' comp -kamp

work ethic -n

  1. a belief in work as a moral good

work·fare ['wərk-,fer] -n

  1. a welfare program in which recipients are required to perform usu. public-service work

work farm -n

  1. a farm on which persons guilty of minor law violations are confined

work·folk ['wərk-,fōk] -n pl

  1. working people
  2. farm workers

work·force ['wərk-,fȯrs] -n

  1. the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise
    • the factory's workforce
  2. the number of workers potentially assignable for any purpose
    • the nation's workforce

work·horse ['wərk-,hȯrs] -n

  1. a horse used chiefly for labor as distinguished from driving, riding, or racing
  2. a person who performs most of the work of a group task
  3. a hardworking person
  4. something that is markedly useful, durable, or dependable
  5. horse

work·house [-,hau̇s] -n

  1. poorhouse
  2. a house of correction for persons guilty of minor law violations

work in -vt

  1. to insert or cause to penetrate by repeated or continued effort
  2. to interpose or insinuate gradually or unobtrusively
    • worked in a few topical jokes

work·ing ['wər-kiŋ] -n

  1. the manner of functioning or operating : operation usu. used in pl.
    • the inner working s of the government
  2. an excavation or group of excavations made in mining, quarrying, or tunneling usu. used in pl.

working -adj

  1. engaged in work esp. for wages or a salary
    • a working journalist
    • a working mother
  2. adequate to permit work to be done
    • a working majority
  3. assumed or adopted to permit or facilitate further work or activity
    • a working draft
  4. spent at work
    • working life
  5. being in use or operation
    • a working farm

working asset -n

  1. an asset other than a capital asset

working capital -n

  1. : capital actively turned over in or available for use in the course of business activity:
  2. the excess of current assets over current liabilities
  3. all capital of a business except that invested in capital assets

workingclass -adj

  1. of, relating to, deriving from, or suitable to the class of wage earners
    • workingclass virtues
    • a workingclass family

working class -n

  1. the class of people who work for wages usu. at manual labor

working day -n

  1. workday

working dog -n

  1. a dog suitable by size, breeding, or training for useful work (as draft or herding) esp. as distinguished from one suitable primarily for pet, show, or sporting use

working fluid -n

  1. a fluid working substance

work·ing·man ['wər-kiŋ-,man] -n

  1. one who works for wages usu. at manual labor

working papers -n pl

  1. official documents legalizing the employment of a minor

working substance -n

  1. a usu. fluid substance that through changes of temperature, volume, and pressure is the means of carrying out thermodynamic processes or cycles (as in a heat engine)

work·ing·wom·an ['wər-kiŋ-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. workwoman

work·less ['wər-kləs] -adj, n

  1. being without work : unemployed

work·load ['wərk-,lōd] -n

  1. the amount of work or of working time expected or assigned
    • students with a heavy workload
  2. the amount of work performed or capable of being performed (as by a mechanical device) usu. within a specific period

work·man ['wərk-mən] -n

  1. workingman
  2. artisan

work·man·like [-,līk] -adj

  1. characterized by the skill and efficiency typical of a good workman
    • workmanlike thoroughness
  2. competent and skillful but not outstanding or original
    • an adequate...reporter who turned out workmanlike copy -- Tom Clancy

work·man·ly [-lē] -adj

  1. workmanlike

work·man·ship [-,ship] -n

  1. something effected, made, or produced : work
  2. the art or skill of a workman
  3. the quality imparted to a thing in the process of making
    • a vase of exquisite workmanship

work·mate ['wərk-,māt] -n

  1. a fellow worker

workmen's compensation insurance -n

  1. workers' compensation

work of art

  1. a product of one of the fine arts
  2. a painting or sculpture of high artistic quality
  3. something giving high aesthetic satisfaction to the viewer or listener

work off -vt

  1. to dispose of or get rid of by work or activity

work·out ['wərk-,au̇t] -n

  1. a practice or exercise to test or improve one's fitness for athletic competition, ability, or performance
  2. a test of one's ability, capacity, stamina, or suitability
  3. an undertaking or plan intended to resolve a problem of indebtedness esp. in lieu of bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings

work out -vt

  1. to bring about by labor and exertion
    • work out your own salvation -- Phil 2:12 (AV)
  2. to solve (as a problem) by a process of reasoning or calculation
  3. to devise, arrange, or achieve by resolving difficulties
    • after many years of wrangling, worked out a definite agreement -- A. A. Butkus
  4. develop
    • the final situation is not worked out with psychological profundity -- Leslie Rees
  5. to discharge (as a debt) by labor
  6. to exhaust (as a mine) by working
  7. to prove effective, practicable, or suitable
    • how this will actually work out I don't know -- Milton Kotler
  8. to amount to a total or calculated figure used with at or to
  9. to engage in a workout
    • works out regularly at the gym

work over -vt

  1. to subject to thorough examination, study, or treatment
    • shelf stock worked over by shoppers
  2. to do over : rework
    • saved the play by working the first act over
  3. to beat up or manhandle with thoroughness
    • the gang worked me over

work·peo·ple ['wərk-,pē-pəl] -n pl

  1. workers, employees

work·piece [-,pēs] -n

  1. a piece of work in process of manufacture

work·place [-,plās] -n

  1. a place (as a shop or factory) where work is done

work print -n

  1. a completely edited motion-picture print used as a guide in cutting the original negative from which the final production prints will be made

work·room ['wərk-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a room used for work

work·shop [-,shäp] -n

  1. a small establishment where manufacturing or handicrafts are carried on
  2. workroom
  3. a usu. brief intensive educational program for a relatively small group of people that focuses esp. on techniques and skills in a particular field

work song -n

  1. a song sung in rhythm with work

work·sta·tion [-,stā-shən] -n

  1. an area with equipment for the performance of a specialized task usu. by a single individual
  2. an intelligent terminal or personal computer usu. connected to a computer network
  3. a powerful microcomputer used esp. for scientific or engineering work

work stoppage -n

  1. concerted cessation of work by a group of employees usu. more spontaneous and less serious than a strike

workstudy program -n

  1. a program planned to give high school or college students work experience

work·ta·ble ['wərk-,tā-bəl] -n

  1. a table for holding working materials and implements
  2. a small table with drawers and other conveniences for needlework

worktorule -n

  1. the practice of working to the strictest interpretation of the rules as a job action

work·up ['wərk-,əp] -n

  1. an intensive diagnostic study

workup ['wərk-,əp] -n

  1. an unintended mark on a printed sheet caused by the rising of spacing material

work up -vt

  1. to stir up : rouse
  2. to produce by mental or physical work
    • worked up a comedy act
    • worked up a sweat in the gym
  3. to rise gradually in intensity or emotional tone

work·week ['wərk-,wēk] -n

  1. the hours or days of work in a calendar week
    • 40-hour workweek
    • a 5-day workweek
    • a shortened workweek

work·wom·an [-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman who works

world ['wər(-ə)ld] -n

  1. the earthly state of human existence
  2. life after death used with a qualifier
    • the next world
  3. the earth with its inhabitants and all things upon it
  4. individual course of life : career
  5. the inhabitants of the earth : the human race
  6. the concerns of the earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven and the life to come
  7. secular affairs
  8. the system of created things : universe
  9. a division or generation of the inhabitants of the earth distinguished by living together at the same place or at the same time
    • the medieval world
  10. a distinctive class of persons or their sphere of interest or activity
    • the academic world
    • the digital world
  11. human society
    • withdraw from the world
  12. a part or section of the earth that is a separate independent unit
  13. the sphere or scene of one's life and action
    • living in your own little world
  14. an indefinite multitude or a great quantity or distance
    • makes a world of difference
    • a world away
  15. the whole body of living persons : public
    • announced their discovery to the world
  16. kingdom
    • the animal world
  17. a celestial body (as a planet)
  18. of or relating to the world
    • a world championship
  19. extending or found throughout the world : worldwide
    • brought about world peace
  20. involving or applying to part of or the whole world
    • a world tour
    • a world state
  21. internationally recognized : renowned, distinguished
    • a world authority on gemstones

world beat -n

  1. world music usu. hyphenated when used attributively

worldbeat·er ['wərl(d)-,bē-tər] -n

  1. one that excels all others of its kind : champion

worldclass -adj

  1. being of the highest caliber in the world
    • a worldclass athlete

world federalism -n

  1. federalism on a worldwide basis
  2. the principles and policies of the World Federalists
  3. the body or movement composed of World Federalists

world federalist -n

  1. an adherent or advocate of world federalism
  2. a member of a movement arising after World War II advocating the formation of a federal union of the nations of the world with limited but positive governmental powers

world·ling ['wər(-ə)ld-liŋ, 'wərl-liŋ] -n

  1. a person engrossed in the concerns of this present world

world·ly ['wər(-ə)ld-lē, 'wərl-lē] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or devoted to this world and its pursuits rather than to religion or spiritual affairs
  2. worldly-wise

world·lymind·ed [,wərl(d)-lē-'mīn-dəd] -adj, n

  1. devoted to or engrossed in worldly interests

world·lywise ['wərl(d)-lē-,wīz] -adj

  1. possessing a practical and often shrewd understanding of human affairs

world music -n

  1. popular music originating from or influenced by non-Western musical traditions and often having a danceable rhythm usu. hyphenated when used attributively

world power -n

  1. a political unit (as a nation or state) powerful enough to affect the entire world by its influence or actions

world premiere -n

  1. the first regular performance (as of a theatrical production) anywhere in the world

World Series -n

  1. a contest or event that is the most important or prestigious of its kind
    • the World Series of the equestrian world

world's fair -n

  1. an international exposition featuring exhibits and participants from all over the world

worldshak·ing ['wərl(d)-,shā-kiŋ] -adj

  1. earthshaking

world soul -n

  1. an animating spirit or creative principle related to the world as the soul is to the individual being

world·view [-,vyü] -n

  1. weltanschauung

world war -n

  1. a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world
  2. either of two such wars of the first half of the 20th century

worldwea·ry ['wərld-,wir-ē] -adj, n

  1. feeling or showing fatigue from or boredom with the life of the world and esp. material pleasures

world·wide [-'wīd] -adj

  1. extended throughout or involving the entire world

worldwide -adv

  1. throughout the world

World Wide Web -n

  1. a part of the Internet accessed through a graphical user interface and containing documents often connected by hyperlinks called also Web

worm ['wərm] -n, adj

  1. earthworm
  2. an annelid worm
  3. : any of numerous relatively small elongated usu. naked and soft-bodied animals (as a grub, pinworm, tapeworm, shipworm, or slowworm)
  4. a human being who is an object of contempt, loathing, or pity : wretch
  5. something that torments or devours from within
  6. snake, serpent
  7. helminthiasis usu. used in pl.
  8. : something (as a mechanical device) spiral or vermiculate in form or appearance: as
  9. the thread of a screw
  10. a short revolving screw whose threads gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or a rack
  11. archimedes' screw
  12. a conveyor working on the principle of such a screw
  13. a usu. small self-contained and self-replicating computer program that invades computers on a network and usu. performs a destructive action
  14. to move or proceed sinuously or insidiously
  15. to proceed or make (one's way) insidiously or deviously
    • worm their way into positions of power -- Bill Franzen
  16. to insinuate or introduce (oneself) by devious or subtle means
  17. to cause to move or proceed in or as if in the manner of a worm
  18. to wind rope or yarn spirally round and between the strands of (a cable or rope) before serving
  19. to obtain or extract by artful or insidious questioning or by pleading, asking, or persuading usu. used with out of
    • finally worm ed the truth out of him
  20. to treat (an animal) with a drug to destroy or expel parasitic worms

wormeat·en ['wərm-,ē-tᵊn] -adj

  1. eaten or burrowed by worms
    • wormeaten timber
  2. pitted
  3. worn-out, antiquated

worm·er ['wər-mər] -n

  1. a drug used in veterinary medicine to worm an animal

worm fence -n

  1. a zigzag fence consisting of interlocking rails supported by crossed poles called also snake fence Virginia fence

worm gear -n

  1. worm wheel
  2. a gear of a worm and a worm wheel working together

worm·hole ['wərm-,hōl] -n

  1. a hole or passage burrowed by a worm
  2. a hypothetical structure of space-time envisioned as a long thin tunnel connecting points that are separated in space and time

worm·seed [-,sēd] -n

  1. : any of various plants whose seeds possess anthelmintic properties: as
  2. any of several artemisias
  3. a widely naturalized tropical American goosefoot ( Chenopodium ambrosioides)

worm'seye ['wərmz-,ī] -adj

  1. seen from ground level or from the lowest levels of a hierarchy
    • the bird's-eye view of the executive and the worm'seye view of the employee -- Current Biog.

worm snake -n

  1. a small terrestrial colubrid snake ( Carphophis amoenus) of the eastern U.S. that is dark above and pinkish red below

worm wheel -n

  1. a toothed wheel gearing with the thread of a worm

worm·wood ['wərm-,wu̇d] -n

  1. artemisia
  2. a European plant ( Artemisia absinthium) that has silvery silky-haired leaves and drooping yellow flower heads and yields a bitter dark green oil used in absinthe
  3. something bitter or grievous : bitterness

wormy ['wər-mē] -adj

  1. containing, abounding in, or infested with or as if with worms
    • wormy flour
    • a wormy dog
  2. damaged by worms : worm-eaten
    • wormy timbers
  3. resembling or suggestive of a worm

worn ['wer] -vb, n

(variant of wear)

  1. to bear or have on the person
    • wore a coat
  2. to use habitually for clothing, adornment, or assistance
    • wear s a size 10
    • wear glasses
  3. to carry on the person
    • wear a sword
  4. to hold the rank or dignity or position signified by (an ornament)
    • wear the royal crown
  5. exhibit, present
    • wore a happy smile
    • commend the book for wear ing its research so lightly -- Brad Leithauser
  6. to show or fly (a flag or colors) on a ship
  7. to cause to deteriorate by use
  8. to impair or diminish by use or attrition : consume or waste gradually
    • letters on the stone worn away by weathering
  9. to produce gradually by friction or attrition
    • wear a hole in the rug
  10. to exhaust or lessen the strength of : weary, fatigue
  11. to cause (a ship) to go about with the stern presented to the wind
  12. to accept or tolerate without complaint : put up with usu. used in negative constructions
    • your mates wouldn't wear it -- Colin MacInnes
  13. take on
  14. to endure use : last under use or the passage of time
    • material that will wear for years
  15. to retain quality or vitality
    • the classics wear well
  16. to diminish or decay through use
    • the heels of his shoes began to wear
  17. to diminish or fail with the passage of time
    • the effect of the drug wore off
    • the day wore on
  18. to grow or become by attrition or use
    • the blade wore dull
  19. to change to an opposite tack by turning the stern to the wind
  20. the act of wearing : the state of being worn : use
    • clothes for everyday wear
  21. clothing or an article of clothing usu. of a particular kind
  22. clothing worn for a special occasion or popular during a specific period
  23. fashion, vogue
  24. wearing quality : durability under use
  25. the result of wearing or use : diminution or impairment due to use
    • wear -resistant surface

wornout ['wȯrn-'au̇t] -adj

  1. exhausted or used up by or as if by wear

wor·ri·ment ['wər-ē-mənt, 'wə-rē-] -n

  1. an act or instance of worrying
  2. trouble, worry

wor·ri·some [-səm] -adj, adv, n

  1. causing distress or worry
    • worrisome news
  2. inclined to worry or fret
    • investors feeling worrisome

wor·ry ['wər-ē, 'wə-rē] -vb, adv, n

  1. choke, strangle
  2. to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping esp. at the throat
  3. to shake or pull at with the teeth
    • a terrier worry ing a rat
  4. to touch or disturb something repeatedly
  5. to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling
  6. to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : torment
  7. to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort
  8. to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious
  9. strangle, choke
  10. to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort : struggle
  11. to feel or experience concern or anxiety : fret
    • worry ing about his health

worry -n

  1. mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usu. for something impending or anticipated : anxiety
  2. an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation
  3. a cause of worry : trouble, difficulty

worry beads -n pl

  1. a string of beads that can be fingered to keep one's hands occupied

worry line -n

  1. a crease or wrinkle on the forehead or between the eyebrows

wor·ry·wart ['wər-ē-,wȯrt, 'wə-rē-] -n

  1. a person who is inclined to worry unduly

worse ['wərs] -adj

  1. of more inferior quality, value, or condition
  2. more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful
  3. more faulty, unsuitable, or incorrect
  4. less skillful or efficient
  5. bad, evil, or corrupt in a greater degree : more reprehensible
  6. being in poorer health : sicker
  7. one that is worse
    • threatened expulsion and worse
  8. in a worse manner : to a worse extent or degree
  9. what is worse

wors·en ['wər-sᵊn] -vb

  1. to make worse
  2. to become worse
    • the weather began to worsen

wors·er ['wər-sər] -adj or adv

  1. worse
    • I cannot hate thee worser than I do -- Shak.

wor·ship ['wər-shəp also 'wȯr-] -n

  1. a person of importance used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors)
  2. reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power
  3. an act of expressing such reverence
  4. a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
  5. extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem
    • worship of the dollar

worship -vb, n

  1. to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power
  2. to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
    • a celebrity worshipped by her fans
  3. to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship

wor·ship·ful ['wər-shəp-fəl also 'wȯr-] -adj, adv, n

  1. notable, distinguished
  2. used as a title for various persons or groups of rank or distinction
  3. giving or expressing worship or veneration

wor·ship·less [-shəp-ləs] -adj

  1. lacking worship or worshippers

worst ['wərst] -adj

  1. most corrupt, bad, evil, or ill
    • his worst fault
  2. most unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful
    • the worst news
    • your worst enemy
  3. most unsuitable, faulty, unattractive, or ill-conceived
    • has the worst table manners
  4. least skillful or efficient
    • the worst person for the job
  5. most wanting in quality, value, or condition
    • the worst results
  6. to the extreme degree of badness or inferiority
    • the worst dressed person
  7. to the greatest or highest degree
    • groups who need the subsidies worst lose out -- T. W. Arnold
  8. one that is worst
  9. to get the better of : defeat

worstcase -adj

  1. involving, projecting, or providing for the worst possible circumstances or outcome of a given situation
    • a worstcase scenario

wor·sted ['wu̇s-təd, 'wər-stəd] -n, adj

  1. a smooth compact yarn from long wool fibers used esp. for firm napless fabrics, carpeting, or knitting
  2. a fabric made from worsted yarns

wort ['wərt, 'wȯrt] -n

  1. plant
  2. an herbaceous plant usu. used in combination
    • louse wort
  3. a sweet liquid drained from mash and fermented to make beer and whiskey

worth ['wərth] -vi

  1. become usu. used in the phrase woe worth
  2. having monetary or material value
  3. estimable
  4. monetary value
    • farmhouse and lands of little worth
  5. the equivalent of a specified amount or figure
    • a dollar's worth of gas
  6. the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held
    • a literary heritage of great worth
  7. moral or personal value
    • trying to teach human worth
  8. merit, excellence
    • a field in which we have proved our worth
  9. wealth, riches
  10. equal in value to
  11. having assets or income equal to
  12. deserving of
    • well worth the effort

worth·ful ['wərth-fəl] -adj

  1. full of merit
    • a good and worthful person
  2. having value
    • the worthful aspects of their culture

worth·less ['wərth-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking worth : valueless
    • worthless currency
  2. useless
    • worthless to continue searching
  3. contemptible, despicable
    • a worthless criminal

worth·while [-'hwī(-ə)l, -'wī(-ə)l] -adj, n

  1. being worth the time or effort spent
    • worthwhile preparations
  2. worthy
    • a worthwhile cause

wor·thy ['wər-thē] -adj, adv, n

  1. having worth or value : estimable
    • a worthy cause
  2. honorable, meritorious
    • worthy candidates
  3. having sufficient worth or importance
    • worthy to be remembered

worthy -n

  1. a worthy or prominent person

wot ['wit] -vb

(variant of wit)

  1. know
  2. to come to know : learn
  3. mind, memory
  4. reasoning power : intelligence
  5. sense usu. used in pl.
    • alone and warming his five wit s, the white owl in the belfry sits -- Alfred Tennyson
  6. mental soundness : sanity usu. used in pl.
  7. mental capability and resourcefulness : ingenuity
  8. astuteness of perception or judgment : acumen
  9. the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse
  10. a talent for banter or persiflage
  11. a witty utterance or exchange
  12. clever or apt humor
  13. a person of superior intellect : thinker
  14. an imaginatively perceptive and articulate individual esp. skilled in banter or persiflage

would [wəd, əd, d, 'wu̇d] -vb

  1. wished, desired
  2. wish for : want
  3. strongly desire : wish
    • I would I were young again
    often used without a subject and with that in a past or conditional construction
    • would that I had heeded your advice
  4. used in auxiliary function with rather or sooner to express preference
    • he would sooner die than face them
  5. used in auxiliary function to express wish, desire, or intent
    • those who would forbid gambling
  6. used in auxiliary function to express willingness or preference
    • as ye would that men should do to you -- Lk 6:31 (AV)
  7. used in auxiliary function to express plan or intention
    • said we would come
  8. used in auxiliary function to express custom or habitual action
    • we would meet often for lunch
  9. used in auxiliary function to express consent or choice
    • would put it off if he could
  10. used in auxiliary function in the conclusion of a conditional sentence to express a contingency or possibility
    • if he were coming, he would be here now
  11. used in auxiliary function in a noun clause (as one completing a statement of desire, request, or advice)
    • we wish that he would go
  12. used in auxiliary function to express probability or presumption in past or present time
    • would have won if I had not tripped
  13. could
    • the barrel would hold 20 gallons
  14. used in auxiliary function to express a request with which voluntary compliance is expected
    • would you please help us
  15. used in auxiliary function to express doubt or uncertainty
    • the explanation...would seem satisfactory
  16. should
    • knew I would enjoy the trip
    • would be glad to know the answer

wouldbe ['wu̇d-'bē] -adj

  1. desiring, intending, professing, or having the potential to be
    • a wouldbe actor

would·est [wəl, (ə)l, ᵊl, 'wil] -vb

(variant of will)

  1. desire, wish
    • call it what you will
  2. used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal
    • no one would take the job
    • if we will all do our best
    • will you please stop that racket
  3. used to express frequent, customary, or habitual action or natural tendency or disposition
    • will get angry over nothing
    • will work one day and loaf the next
  4. used to express futurity
    • tomorrow morning I will wake up in this first-class hotel suite -- Tennessee Williams
  5. used to express capability or sufficiency
    • the back seat will hold three passengers
  6. used to express probability and often equivalent to the simple verb
    • that will be the babysitter
  7. used to express determination, insistence, persistence, or willfulness
    • I have made up my mind to go and go I will
  8. used to express inevitability
    • accidents will happen
  9. used to express a command, exhortation, or injunction
    • you will do as I say, at once
  10. to have a wish or desire
    • whether we will or no
  11. : desire, wish: as
  12. disposition, inclination
    • where there's a will there's a way
  13. appetite, passion
  14. choice, determination
  15. something desired
  16. a choice or determination of one having authority or power
  17. request, command
  18. the part of a summons expressing a royal command
  19. the act, process, or experience of willing : volition
  20. mental powers manifested as wishing, choosing, desiring, or intending
  21. a disposition to act according to principles or ends
  22. the collective desire of a group
    • the will of the people
  23. the power of control over one's own actions or emotions
    • a man of iron will
  24. a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death
  25. a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death
  26. to order or direct by a will
    • will ed that her property be divided among her children
  27. to dispose of by or as if by a will : bequeath
    • will ed his entire estate to this wife
  28. to determine by an act of choice
  29. decree, ordain
    • Providence will s it
  30. intend, purpose
  31. to cause or change by an act of will
    • believed he could will himself to succeed
  32. to try to do so
  33. to exercise the will
  34. choose
    • do as you will

wouldn't ['wu̇-dᵊnt, -dᵊn, dial also 'wu̇-tᵊn(t) or ,wu̇nt]

  1. would not

wouldst [wəl, (ə)l, ᵊl, 'wil] -vb

(variant of will)

  1. desire, wish
    • call it what you will
  2. used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal
    • no one would take the job
    • if we will all do our best
    • will you please stop that racket
  3. used to express frequent, customary, or habitual action or natural tendency or disposition
    • will get angry over nothing
    • will work one day and loaf the next
  4. used to express futurity
    • tomorrow morning I will wake up in this first-class hotel suite -- Tennessee Williams
  5. used to express capability or sufficiency
    • the back seat will hold three passengers
  6. used to express probability and often equivalent to the simple verb
    • that will be the babysitter
  7. used to express determination, insistence, persistence, or willfulness
    • I have made up my mind to go and go I will
  8. used to express inevitability
    • accidents will happen
  9. used to express a command, exhortation, or injunction
    • you will do as I say, at once
  10. to have a wish or desire
    • whether we will or no
  11. : desire, wish: as
  12. disposition, inclination
    • where there's a will there's a way
  13. appetite, passion
  14. choice, determination
  15. something desired
  16. a choice or determination of one having authority or power
  17. request, command
  18. the part of a summons expressing a royal command
  19. the act, process, or experience of willing : volition
  20. mental powers manifested as wishing, choosing, desiring, or intending
  21. a disposition to act according to principles or ends
  22. the collective desire of a group
    • the will of the people
  23. the power of control over one's own actions or emotions
    • a man of iron will
  24. a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death
  25. a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death
  26. to order or direct by a will
    • will ed that her property be divided among her children
  27. to dispose of by or as if by a will : bequeath
    • will ed his entire estate to this wife
  28. to determine by an act of choice
  29. decree, ordain
    • Providence will s it
  30. intend, purpose
  31. to cause or change by an act of will
    • believed he could will himself to succeed
  32. to try to do so
  33. to exercise the will
  34. choose
    • do as you will

wound ['wünd, archaic or dial 'wau̇nd] -n

  1. an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (as the skin) and usu. damage to underlying tissues
  2. a cut or breach in a plant usu. due to an external agent
  3. a mental or emotional hurt or blow
  4. something resembling a wound in appearance or effect
  5. a rift in or blow to a political body or social group
  6. to cause a wound to or in
  7. to inflict a wound

wound ['wind, archaic or poetic 'wīnd] -n, adj, adv

(variant of wind)

  1. a natural movement of air of any velocity
  2. the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally
  3. an artificially produced movement of air
  4. solar wind, stellar wind
  5. a destructive force or influence
  6. a force or agency that carries along or influences : tendency, trend
    • withstood the wind s of popular opinion -- Felix Frankfurter
  7. breath
  8. breath
  9. the pit of the stomach : solar plexus
  10. gas generated in the stomach or the intestines
    • pass wind
  11. compressed air or gas
  12. air
  13. : something that is insubstantial: as
  14. mere talk : idle words
  15. nothing, nothingness
  16. vain self-satisfaction
  17. air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game)
  18. slight information esp. about something secret : intimation
    • got wind of the plan
  19. musical wind instruments esp. as distinguished from strings and percussion
  20. players of wind instruments
  21. a direction from which the wind may blow : a point of the compass
  22. one of the cardinal points
  23. the direction from which the wind is blowing
  24. to detect or follow by scent
  25. to expose to the air or wind : dry by exposing to air
  26. to make short of breath
  27. to regulate the wind supply of (an organ pipe)
  28. to rest (as a horse) in order to allow the breath to be recovered
  29. to scent game
  30. to pause for breath
  31. to cause (as a horn) to sound by blowing : blow
  32. to sound (as a call or note) on a horn
    • wound a rousing call -- R. L. Stevenson
  33. to produce a sound on a horn
  34. weave
  35. entangle, involve
  36. to introduce sinuously or stealthily : insinuate
  37. to encircle or cover with something pliable : bind with loops or layers
  38. to turn completely or repeatedly about an object : coil, twine
  39. to hoist or haul by means of a rope or chain and a windlass
  40. to move (a ship) by hauling on a capstan
  41. to tighten the spring of
    • wind a clock
  42. to make tighter : tighten, tune
  43. crank
  44. to raise to a high level (as of excitement or tension) usu. used with up
  45. to cause to move in a curving line or path
  46. to turn the course of
  47. to lead (a person) as one wishes
  48. to cause (as a ship) to change direction : turn
  49. to turn (a ship) end for end
  50. to traverse on a curving course
    • the river wind s the valley
  51. to effect by or as if by curving
  52. bend, warp
  53. to have a curving course or shape : extend in curves
  54. to proceed as if by winding
  55. to move so as to encircle something
  56. to turn when lying at anchor
  57. a mechanism (as a winch) for winding
  58. an act of winding : the state of being wound
  59. coil, turn
  60. a particular method of winding

wound·ed ['wün-dəd] -n pl

  1. wounded persons

wounded -adj

  1. injured, hurt by, or suffering from a wound
    • a wounded leg
    • wounded feelings

wound·less ['wün(d)-ləs] -adj

  1. free from wounds : unwounded
  2. invulnerable
    • the woundless air -- Shak.

wove ['wēv] -vb

(variant of weave)

  1. to form (cloth) by interlacing strands (as of yarn)
  2. to make (cloth) on a loom by interlacing warp and filling threads
  3. to interlace (as threads) into cloth
  4. to make (as a basket) by intertwining
  5. spin used of spiders and insects
  6. to interlace esp. to form a texture, fabric, or design
  7. to produce by elaborately combining elements : contrive
  8. to unite in a coherent whole
  9. to introduce as an appropriate element : work in usu. used with in or into
  10. to direct (as the body) in a winding or zigzag course esp. to avoid obstacles
  11. to work at weaving : make cloth
  12. to move in a devious, winding, or zigzag course esp. to avoid obstacles
  13. something woven
  14. woven cloth
  15. any of the patterns or methods for interlacing the threads of woven fabrics
  16. to move waveringly from side to side : sway

woven ['wēv] -vb

(variant of weave)

  1. to form (cloth) by interlacing strands (as of yarn)
  2. to make (cloth) on a loom by interlacing warp and filling threads
  3. to interlace (as threads) into cloth
  4. to make (as a basket) by intertwining
  5. spin used of spiders and insects
  6. to interlace esp. to form a texture, fabric, or design
  7. to produce by elaborately combining elements : contrive
  8. to unite in a coherent whole
  9. to introduce as an appropriate element : work in usu. used with in or into
  10. to direct (as the body) in a winding or zigzag course esp. to avoid obstacles
  11. to work at weaving : make cloth
  12. to move in a devious, winding, or zigzag course esp. to avoid obstacles
  13. something woven
  14. woven cloth
  15. any of the patterns or methods for interlacing the threads of woven fabrics
  16. to move waveringly from side to side : sway

wo·ven ['wō-vən] -n

  1. a woven fabric

wove paper ['wōv-] -n

  1. paper made with a revolving roller covered with wires so woven as to produce no fine lines running across the grain

wow ['wau̇] -interj

  1. used to express strong feeling (as pleasure or surprise)
  2. a striking success : hit
  3. to excite to enthusiastic admiration or approval
    • a performance that wow ed the critics
  4. a distortion in reproduced sound consisting of a slow rise and fall of pitch caused by speed variation in the reproducing system

wow·ser ['wau̇-zər] -n

  1. an obtrusively puritanical person