w ['də-bəl-(,)yü, 'də-bə-; 'dəb-(,)yü, -yə; 'dəb-yē] -n

  1. the 23d letter of the English alphabet
  2. a graphic representation of this letter
  3. a speech counterpart of orthographic w
  4. a graphic device for reproducing the letter w
  5. one designated wesp. as the 23d in order or class
  6. something shaped like the letter W
  7. water
  8. week
  9. weight
  10. white
  11. wicket
  12. wide; width
  13. wife
  14. with

W -n

  1. w particle
  2. watt
  3. tungsten

WA -abbr

  1. Washington

wabble ['wä-bəl] -vb, n, adj

(variant of wobble)

  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

Wac ['wak] -n

  1. a member of a U.S. Army unit created for women during World War II and discontinued in the 1970s

wack ['wak] -adj

  1. not up to the mark : lousy, lame
    • while there are skilled moments, there are wack ones as well -- Danyel Smith

wacko ['wa-(,)kō] -adj

  1. wacky
  2. a person who is wacky
  3. psycho

wacky ['wa-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. absurdly or amusingly eccentric or irrational : crazy
    • wacky ideas
    • a wacky comedian

wad ['wäd] -n

  1. : a small mass, bundle, or tuft: as
  2. a soft mass esp. of a loose fibrous material variously used (as to stop an aperture, pad a garment, or hold grease around an axle)
  3. a soft plug used to retain a powder charge or to avoid windage esp. in a muzzle-loading gun
  4. a felt or paper disk used to separate the components of a shotgun cartridge
  5. a small mass of a chewing substance
    • a wad of gum
  6. a considerable amount (as of money)
  7. a roll of paper money
  8. money
  9. to insert a wad into
    • wad a gun
  10. to hold in by a wad
    • wad a bullet in a gun
  11. to form into a wad or wadding
  12. to roll or crush into a tight wad
  13. to stuff or line with some soft substance

wadding -n

  1. wads or material for making wads
  2. a soft mass or sheet of short loose fibers used for stuffing or padding

wad·dle ['wä-dᵊl] -vi, n

  1. to walk with short steps swinging the forepart of the body from side to side
  2. to move clumsily in a manner suggesting a waddle

waddle -n

  1. an awkward clumsy swaying gait

wad·dy ['wä-dē] -n

  1. club

waddy -vt

  1. to attack or beat with a waddy

wad·dy ['wä-dē] -n

  1. cowboy

wade ['wād] -vb, adj

  1. to step in or through a medium (as water) offering more resistance than air
  2. to move or proceed with difficulty or labor
    • wade through the crowd
    • wade through all the evidence
  3. to set to work or attack with determination or vigor used with in or into
    • wade into a task
  4. to pass or cross by wading
  5. an act of wading
    • a wade in the brook

WadeGiles ['wād-'gī(-ə)lz, -'jī(-ə)lz] -n

  1. a system for romanizing Chinese ideograms in which tones are indicated by superscript numbers and consonantal aspiration is indicated by an apostrophe

wad·er ['wā-dər] -n

  1. one that wades
  2. shorebird
  3. wading bird
  4. high waterproof boots or a one-piece waterproof garment usu. consisting of pants with attached boots that are used for wading (as when fishing)

wa·di ['wä-dē] -n

  1. the bed or valley of a stream in regions of southwestern Asia and northern Africa that is usu. dry except during the rainy season and that often forms an oasis : gully, wash
  2. a shallow usu. sharply defined depression in a desert region

wading bird -n

  1. any of an order (Ciconiiformes) of long-legged birds (as herons, bitterns, storks, and ibises) that wade in water in search of food

wading pool -n

  1. a shallow pool of portable or permanent construction used by children for wading

wad·mal ['wäd-məl] -n

  1. a coarse rough woolen fabric formerly used in the British Isles and Scandinavia for protective coverings and warm clothing

wae·sucks ['wā-,səks] -interj

  1. used to express pity

Waf ['waf] -n

  1. a member of the women's component of the U.S. Air Force formed after World War II and discontinued in the 1970s

wa·fer ['wā-fər] -n

  1. a thin crisp cake, candy, or cracker
  2. a round thin piece of unleavened bread used in the celebration of the Eucharist
  3. an adhesive disk of dried paste with added coloring matter used as a seal
  4. a thin disk or ring resembling a wafer and variously used (as for a valve or diaphragm)
  5. a thin slice of semiconductor (as silicon) used as a base for an electronic component or circuit

wafer [-f(ə-)riŋ] -vt

  1. to seal, close, or fasten with a wafer
  2. to divide (as a silicon rod) into wafers

waff ['waf] -n

  1. a waving motion
  2. puff, gust

waf·fle ['wä-fəl, 'wȯ-] -n

  1. a crisp cake of batter baked in a waffle iron

waffle [-f(ə-)liŋ] -vi, n

  1. equivocate, vacillate
    • waffled on the important issues
  2. yo-yo, flip-flop
  3. to talk or write foolishly : blather
    • can waffle...tiresomely off the point -- Times Lit. Supp.
  4. empty or pretentious words : tripe

waffle iron -n

  1. a cooking utensil having two hinged metal parts that shut upon each other and impress surface projections on waffles that are being cooked

waf·fle·stomp·er ['wä-fəl-,stäm-pər, 'wȯ-, -,stȯm-] -n

  1. a hiking boot with a lug sole

waft ['wäft, 'waft] -vb, n

  1. to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium
    • heavenly aromas waft ed from the kitchen
  2. to cause to move or go lightly by or as if by the impulse of wind or waves
  3. something (as an odor) that is wafted : whiff
  4. a slight breeze : puff
  5. the act of waving
  6. a pennant or flag used to signal or to show wind direction

waft·age ['wäf-tij, 'waf-] -n

  1. the act of wafting or state of being wafted
  2. conveyance

waf·ture ['wäf(t)-shər, 'waf(t)-] -n

  1. the act of waving or a wavelike motion

wag ['wag] -vb, n

  1. to be in motion : stir
  2. to move to and fro or up and down esp. with quick jerky motions
  3. to move in chatter or gossip
    • scandal caused tongues to wag
  4. depart
  5. waddle
  6. to swing to and fro or up and down esp. with quick jerky motions : switch
    • a dog wagging its tail
  7. to nod (the head) or shake (a finger) at (as in assent or mild reproof)
  8. to move (as the tongue) animatedly in conversation
  9. an act of wagging : shake
  10. wit, joker
  11. a young man : chap

wage ['wāj] -n, adj

  1. a payment usu. of money for labor or services usu. according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis often used in pl.
  2. the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production
  3. recompense, reward usu. used in pl. but sing. or pl. in constr.
    • the wage s of sin is death -- Rom 6:23 (RSV)
  4. to engage in or carry on
    • wage war
    • wage a campaign
  5. to be in process of occurring
    • the riot waged for several hours -- Amer. Guide Series: Md.

waged -adj

  1. compensated by wages
    • waged workers
    • waged labor

wage earner -n

  1. a person who works for wages or salary

wa·ger ['wā-jər] -n

  1. something (as a sum of money) risked on an uncertain event : stake
  2. something on which bets are laid : gamble
    • do a stunt as a wager
  3. an act of giving a pledge to take and abide by the result of some action

wager ['wāj-riŋ, 'wā-jə-] -vb, n

  1. to make a bet
  2. to risk or venture on a final outcome
  3. to lay as a gamble : bet
    • wager 5 on a horse

wage scale -n

  1. a schedule of wage rates for related tasks
  2. the general level of wages in an industry or region

wage slave -n

  1. a person dependent on wages or a salary for a livelihood

wage·work·er ['wāj-,wər-kər] -n

  1. wage earner

wag·gery ['wa-gə-rē] -n

  1. mischievous merriment : pleasantry
  2. jest
  3. practical joke

wag·gish ['wa-gish] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling or characteristic of a wag
    • a waggish friend
    • a waggish prose style
  2. done or made in waggery or for sport : humorous
    • waggish spoofs of popular songs

wag·gle ['wa-gəl] -vb, adj

  1. to reel, sway, or move from side to side : wag
  2. to move frequently one way and the other : wag

waggle -n

  1. an instance of waggling : a jerky motion back and forth or up and down
  2. a preliminary swinging of a golf club head back and forth over the ball before the swing

wag·gon ['wa-gən] -n

(variant of wagon)

  1. a usu. four-wheeled vehicle for transporting bulky commodities and drawn orig. by animals
  2. a lighter typically horse-drawn vehicle for transporting goods or passengers
  3. paddy wagon
  4. a railway freight car
  5. a low four-wheeled vehicle with an open rectangular body and a retroflex tongue made for the play or use of a child
  6. a small wheeled table used for the service of a dining room
    • the dessert wagon
  7. a delivery truck
    • a milk wagon
  8. station wagon

Wag·ne·ri·an [väg-'nir-ē-ən, -'ner-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, characteristic, or suggestive of Wagner or his music, stage operas, or theories

Wagnerian -n

  1. an admirer of the musical theories and style of Wagner

Wag·ner·ite ['väg-nə-,rīt] -n

  1. wagnerian

wag·on ['wa-gən] -n

  1. a usu. four-wheeled vehicle for transporting bulky commodities and drawn orig. by animals
  2. a lighter typically horse-drawn vehicle for transporting goods or passengers
  3. paddy wagon
  4. a railway freight car
  5. a low four-wheeled vehicle with an open rectangular body and a retroflex tongue made for the play or use of a child
  6. a small wheeled table used for the service of a dining room
    • the dessert wagon
  7. a delivery truck
    • a milk wagon
  8. station wagon

wagon -vi

  1. to travel or transport goods by wagon
  2. to transport (goods) by wagon

wag·on·er ['wa-gə-nər] -n

  1. a person who drives a wagon or transports goods by wagon
  2. bootes

wag·on·ette [,wa-gə-'net] -n

  1. a light wagon with two facing seats along the sides behind a transverse front seat

wa·gonlit [vä-gōⁿ-'lē] -n

  1. a railroad sleeping car

wa·gon·load ['wa-gən-,lōd] -n

  1. a load that fills or could fill a wagon
    • a wagonload of apples
  2. an indefinitely large quantity
    • a wagonload of options

wagon master -n

  1. a person in charge of one or more wagons

wagon train -n

  1. a column of wagons (as of supplies for a group of settlers) traveling overland

wag·tail ['wag-,tāl] -n

  1. any of various chiefly Old World oscine birds (family Motacillidae) related to the pipits and having a long tail that they habitually jerk up and down

Wah·habi [wə-'hä-bē, wä-] -n, adj or n

  1. a member of a puritanical Muslim sect founded in Arabia in the 18th century by Muhammad ibn-Abdul Wahhab and revived by ibn-Saud in the 20th century

wa·hi·ne [wä-'hē-nē, -(,)nā] -n

  1. a Polynesian woman
  2. a female surfer

wa·hoo ['wä-,hü, 'wȯ-] -n

  1. winged elm

wahoo -n

  1. a shrubby spindle tree ( Euonymus atropurpureus) of chiefly eastern No. America that has purple capsules which in dehiscence expose scarlet-ariled seeds called also burning bush
  2. a large vigorous mackerel ( Acanthocybium solandri) that is common in warm seas and esteemed as a food and sport fish

wa·hoo ['wä-'hü] -interj

  1. used to express exuberance or enthusiasm or to attract attention

wahwah ['wä-,wä] -n

  1. a fluctuating muted effect produced on a brass instrument by use of a mute or on an electric guitar by use of an electronic device connected to an amplifier and operated by a pedal

waif ['wāf] -n, adj

  1. a piece of property found (as washed up by the sea) but unclaimed
  2. stolen goods thrown away by a thief in flight
  3. something found without an owner and esp. by chance
  4. a stray person or animal
  5. a homeless child
  6. waft

wail ['wāl] -vb, n

  1. to express sorrow audibly : lament
  2. to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry
  3. to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain
  4. bewail
  5. to say or express plaintively
    • wail ed that her cake was ruined
  6. the act or practice of wailing : loud lamentation
  7. a usu. prolonged cry or sound expressing grief or pain
  8. a sound suggestive of wailing
    • the wail of an air-raid siren
  9. a querulous expression of grievance : complaint

wail·ful ['wāl-fəl] -adj, adv

  1. uttering a sound suggestive of wailing
  2. expressing grief or pain : sorrowful, mournful
    • a wailful cry

wailing wall -n

  1. a surviving section of the wall which in ancient times formed a part of the enclosure of Herod's temple near the Holy of Holies and at which Jews traditionally gather for prayer and religious lament
  2. a source of comfort and consolation in misfortune

wain ['wān] -n

  1. a usu. large and heavy vehicle for farm use
    • a hay wain
  2. big dipper

wain·scot ['wān-skət, -,skōt, -,skät] -n

  1. a fine grade of oak imported for woodwork
  2. a usu. paneled wooden lining of an interior wall
  3. a lining of an interior wall irrespective of material
  4. the lower three or four feet (about one meter) of an interior wall when finished differently from the remainder of the wall

wainscot -vt

  1. to line with or as if with boards or paneling

wain·scot·ing [-,skō-tiŋ, -,skä-, -skə-] -n

  1. wainscot
  2. material used to wainscot a surface

wain·wright ['wān-,rīt] -n

  1. a maker and repairer of wagons

waist ['wāst] -n, adj

  1. the typically narrowed part of the body between the thorax and hips
  2. the greatly constricted basal part of the abdomen of some insects (as wasps and flies)
  3. : the part of something corresponding to or resembling the human waist: as
  4. the part of a ship's deck between the poop and forecastle
  5. the middle part of a sailing ship between foremast and mainmast
  6. the middle section of the fuselage of an airplane
  7. : a garment or the part of a garment covering the body from the neck to the waistline or just below:
  8. bodice
  9. blouse
  10. waistline

waist·band ['wās(t)-,band] -n

  1. a band (as of trousers or a skirt) fitting around the waist

waist·coat ['wes-kət, 'wās(t)-,kōt] -n, adj

  1. an ornamental garment worn under a doublet
  2. vest

waist·line ['wāst-,līn] -n

  1. an arbitrary line encircling the narrowest part of the waist
  2. the part of a garment that covers the waistline or may be above or below it as fashion dictates
  3. body circumference at the waist

wait ['wāt] -vb

  1. to stay in place in expectation of : await
    • wait ed the result of the advertisement -- W. M. Thackeray
    • wait your turn
  2. to delay serving (a meal)
  3. to serve as waiter for
    • wait tables
  4. to remain stationary in readiness or expectation
    • wait for a train
  5. to pause for another to catch up usu. used with up
  6. to look forward expectantly
    • just wait ing to see his rival lose
  7. to hold back expectantly
    • wait ing for a chance to strike
  8. to serve at meals usu. used in such phrases as wait on tables or wait on table
  9. to be ready and available
    • slippers wait ing by the bed
  10. to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized
    • the chores can wait
  11. a hidden or concealed position used chiefly in the expression lie in wait
  12. a state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy
    • anchored in wait for early morning fishing -- Fred Zimmer
  13. one of a band of public musicians in England employed to play for processions or public entertainments
  14. one of a group who serenade for gratuities esp. at the Christmas season
  15. a piece of music by such a group
  16. an act or period of waiting
    • a long wait in line

wait·er ['wā-tər] -n

  1. one that waits on another
  2. a person who waits tables (as in a restaurant)
  3. a tray on which something (as a tea service) is carried : salver

wait·ing game ['wā-tiŋ-] -n

  1. a strategy in which one or more participants withhold action temporarily in the hope of having a favorable opportunity for more effective action later

waiting list -n

  1. a list or roster of those waiting (as for admission to an organization or institution)

waiting room -n

  1. a room (as in a doctor's office) for the use of persons (as patients) who are waiting

waitlist ['wāt-,list] -vt

  1. to put on a waiting list

wait out -vt

  1. to await an end to
    • wait the storm out

wait·per·son ['wāt-,pər-sᵊn] -n

  1. a waiter or waitress

wait·ress ['wā-trəs] -n, vi

  1. a woman who waits tables (as in a restaurant)

wait·ron ['wā-,trän, -trən] -n

  1. waitperson

wait·staff ['wāt-,staf] -n

  1. the staff of servers at a restaurant

waive ['wāv] -vt

  1. give up, forsake
  2. to throw away (stolen goods)
  3. to shunt aside (as a danger or duty) : evade
  4. to relinquish voluntarily (as a legal right)
    • waive a jury trial
  5. to refrain from pressing or enforcing (as a claim or rule) : forgo
    • waive the fee
  6. to put off from immediate consideration : postpone
  7. to dismiss with or as if with a wave of the hand
    • waived the problem aside
  8. to place (a ball player) on waivers
  9. to release after placing on waivers

waiv·er ['wā-vər] -n

  1. the act of intentionally relinquishing or abandoning a known right, claim, or privilege
  2. the legal instrument evidencing such an act
  3. the act of a club's waiving the right to claim a professional ball player who is being removed from another club's roster often used in the phrase on waivers denoting the process by which a player to be removed from a roster is made available to other clubs

wa·ka·me [wä-'kä-me] -n

  1. an edible brown seaweed ( Undaria pinnatifida) native to Asia

Wa·kash·an [wȯ-'ka-shən, 'wȯ-,] -n

  1. a family of American Indian languages spoken in coastal areas of British Columbia and northwest Washington

wake ['wāk] -vb, n

  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

wake·board ['wāk-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a short board with foot bindings on which a rider is towed by a motorboat across its wake and esp. up off the crest for aerial maneuvers

wake·ful ['wāk-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. not sleeping or able to sleep : sleepless

wake·less ['wā-kləs] -adj

  1. sound, unbroken
    • wakeless sleep

wak·en ['wā-kən] -vb

  1. awake often used with up
  2. to rouse esp. out of sleep : wake

wak·en·er ['wāk-nər, 'wā-kə-] -n

  1. one that causes to waken

wake·rife ['wāk-,rīf] -adj

  1. wakeful, alert

wakerob·in ['wāk-,rä-bən] -n

  1. trillium
  2. jack-in-the-pulpit

wakeup ['wāk-,əp] -adj

  1. serving to wake up
    • a wakeup alarm

wakeup call -n

  1. something (as a telephone call from a hotel employee to a guest) that serves to wake a sleeper
  2. something that serves to alert a person to a problem, danger, or need
    • a wake-up call to parents

waking -adj

  1. passed in a conscious or alert state
    • every waking hour

Wal·den·ses [wȯl-'den(t)-(,)sēz, wäl-] -n pl, adj or n

  1. a Christian sect arising in southern France in the 12th century, adopting Calvinist doctrines in the 16th century, and later living chiefly in Piedmont

Wal·dorf salad ['wȯl-,dȯrf-] -n

  1. a salad made typically of diced apples, celery, nuts, and mayonnaise

wale ['wāl] -n

  1. a streak or ridge made on the skin esp. by the stroke of a whip : weal
  2. a narrow raised surface : ridge
  3. any of a number of strakes usu. of extra thick and strong planks in the sides of a wooden ship usu. used in pl.
  4. one of a series of even ribs in a fabric
  5. the texture esp. of a fabric
  6. a horizontal constructional member (as of timber or steel) used for bracing vertical members
  7. to mark (as the skin) with welts
  8. choice
  9. the best part : pick
  10. choose

wal·er ['wā-lər] -n

  1. a horse from New So. Wales
  2. a rather large rugged saddle horse of mixed ancestry formerly exported in quantity from Australia to British India for military use

Wal·hal·la [väl-'hä-lə] -n

  1. valhalla

walk ['wȯk] -vb

  1. roam, wander
  2. to move about in visible form : appear
  3. to make headway
  4. to move along on foot : advance by steps
  5. to come or go easily or readily
  6. to go on foot for exercise or pleasure
  7. to go at a walk
  8. to pursue a course of action or way of life : conduct oneself : behave
    • walk warily
  9. to be or act in association : continue in union
    • the British and American peoples will...walk together side by side...in peace -- Sir Winston Churchill
  10. walk out
    • walk ed over problems with management
  11. to go to first base as a result of a base on balls
  12. to move in a manner that is suggestive of walking
  13. to stand with an appearance suggestive of strides
    • pylons walk ing across the valley
  14. to move about in space outside a spacecraft
  15. to avoid criminal prosecution or conviction
    • walk ed on a technicality
  16. to pass on foot or as if on foot through, along, over, or upon : traverse, perambulate
    • walk the streets
    • walk a tightrope
  17. to perform or accomplish by going on foot
    • walk guard
  18. to cause (an animal) to go at a walk : take for a walk
    • walk ing a dog
  19. to cause to move by walking
    • walk ed her bicycle up the hill
  20. to haul (as an anchor) by walking round the capstan
  21. to follow on foot for the purpose of measuring, surveying, or inspecting
    • walk a boundary
  22. to accompany on foot : walk with
    • walk ed her home
  23. to compel to walk (as by a command)
  24. to bring to a specified condition by walking
    • walk ed us off our feet
  25. to move (an object) in a manner suggestive of walking
  26. to perform (a dance) at a walking pace
    • walk a quadrille
  27. to give a base on balls to
  28. an act or instance of going on foot esp. for exercise or pleasure
    • go for a walk
  29. space walk
  30. an accustomed place of walking : haunt
  31. : a place designed for walking:
  32. a railed platform above the roof of a dwelling house
  33. a path specially arranged or paved for walking
  34. sidewalk
  35. a public avenue for promenading : promenade
  36. ropewalk
  37. a place or area of land in which animals feed and exercise with minimal restraint
  38. distance to be walked
    • a quarter mile walk from here
  39. a ceremonial procession
  40. manner of living : conduct, behavior
  41. the gait of a biped in which the feet are lifted alternately with one foot not clear of the ground before the other touches
  42. the gait of a quadruped in which there are always at least two feet on the ground
  43. a 4-beat gait of a horse in which the feet strike the ground in the sequence near hind, near fore, off hind, off fore
  44. a low rate of speed
    • the shortage of raw materials slowed production to a walk
  45. a route regularly traversed by a person in the performance of a particular activity (as patrolling, begging, or vending)
  46. characteristic manner of walking
    • his walk is just like his father's
  47. social or economic status
    • all walk s of life
  48. range or sphere of action : field, province
  49. vocation
  50. base on balls
  51. an easy victory
    • won in a walk

walk·able ['wȯ-kə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of or suitable for being walked
    • a very walkable city
    • a walkable distance

walk·about ['wȯ-kə-,bau̇t] -n

  1. a short period of wandering bush life engaged in by an Australian aborigine as an occasional interruption of regular work often used in the phrase go walkabout
    • the man who went walkabout was making a ritual journey -- Bruce Chatwin
  2. something (as a journey) similar to a walkabout
  3. a walking tour
  4. one in which a well-known person mingles with the public
    • went walkabout in the streets

walk·a·thon ['wȯ-kə-,thän] -n

  1. a walk covering a considerable distance organized esp. to raise money for a cause

walk·away ['wȯ-kə-,wā] -n

  1. an easily won contest

walk·er ['wȯ-kər] -n

  1. : one that walks: as
  2. a competitor in a walking race
  3. a peddler going on foot
  4. a temporary male escort of socially prominent women attending usu. public events
  5. : something used in walking: as
  6. a framework designed to support a baby learning to walk or an infirm or disabled person
  7. a walking shoe

walk·ietalk·ie [,wȯ-kē-'tȯ-kē, 'wȯ-kē-,] -n

  1. a compact easily transportable battery-operated radio transmitting and receiving set

walkin ['wȯk-,in] -adj

  1. large enough to be walked into
    • a walkin closet
  2. arranged so as to be entered directly rather than through a lobby
    • a walkin apartment
  3. being a person who walks in without an appointment
    • a walkin blood donor
  4. of, relating to, or intended for such persons
    • a walkin clinic
  5. a walk-in refrigerator or cold storage room
  6. an easy election victory
  7. a person who walks in without an appointment

walk·ing ['wȯ-kiŋ] -n

  1. the action of one that walks
    • walking is good exercise
  2. the condition of a surface for one going on foot
    • the walking is slippery

walking -adj

  1. able to walk : ambulatory
    • the walking wounded
  2. being the personification of a nonhuman quality or thing
    • a walking encyclopedia
  3. used for or in walking
    • walking shoes
  4. characterized by or consisting of the action of walking
    • a walking tour
  5. that moves or appears to move in a manner suggestive of walking
  6. that swings or rocks back and forth
    • walking beam
  7. guided or operated by a person on foot
    • a walking plow

walking catfish -n

  1. an Asian freshwater catfish ( Clarias batrachusof the family Clariidae) that is able to move about on land and has become established in Florida waters

walking delegate -n

  1. a labor union representative appointed to visit members and their places of employment, to secure enforcement of union rules and agreements, and at times to represent the union in dealing with employers

walking leaf -n

  1. any of a family (Phylliidae) of phasmid insects with wings and legs resembling leaves

walking papers -n pl

  1. dismissal, discharge called also walking ticket

walking pneumonia -n

  1. a usu. mild pneumonia caused by a mycoplasma ( Mycoplasma pneumoniae) and characterized by malaise, cough, and often fever

walking stick -n

  1. a stick used in walking
  2. stick insect
  3. one ( Diapheromera femorata) of the U.S. and Canada

Walk·man ['wȯk-mən, -,man] -trademark

  1. used for a small portable audio player listened to by means of headphones or earphones

walkon ['wȯk-,ȯn, -,än] -n

  1. a minor part (as in a dramatic production)
  2. an actor having such a part
  3. a college athlete who tries out for an athletic team without having been recruited or offered a scholarship

walk·out ['wȯk-,au̇t] -n

  1. strike
  2. the action of leaving a meeting or organization as an expression of disapproval

walk out -vi

  1. to leave suddenly often as an expression of disapproval
  2. to go on strike

walk·over ['wȯk-,ō-vər] -n

  1. a one-sided contest : an easy or uncontested victory
  2. a horse race with only one starter

walkthrough ['wȯk-,thrü] -n

  1. a perfunctory performance of a play or acting part (as in an early stage of rehearsal)
  2. a television rehearsal without cameras

walkup ['wȯk-,əp] -adj

  1. located above the ground floor in a building with no elevator
    • a walkup apartment
  2. consisting of several stories and having no elevator
    • a walkup tenement
  3. designed to allow pedestrians to be served without entering a building
    • the walkup window of a bank
  4. an apartment or office building of several stories that has no elevator
  5. an apartment or office in such a building

walk·way ['wȯk-,wā] -n

  1. a passage for walking : walk

Wal·ky·rie [väl-'kir-ē also väl-'kī-rē or 'väl-kə-rē] -n

  1. valkyrie

wall ['wȯl] -n, adj

  1. a high thick masonry structure forming a long rampart or an enclosure chiefly for defense often used in pl.
  2. a masonry fence around a garden, park, or estate
  3. a structure that serves to hold back pressure (as of water or sliding earth)
  4. one of the sides of a room or building connecting floor and ceiling or foundation and roof
  5. the side of a footpath next to buildings
  6. an extreme or desperate position or a state of defeat, failure, or ruin
    • the surrounded troops had their backs against the wall
    • small companies driven to the wall
  7. a material layer enclosing space
    • the wall of a container
    • heart wall s
  8. something resembling a wall (as in appearance, function, or effect)
  9. something that acts as a barrier or defense
    • a wall of reserve
    • tariff wall
  10. to provide, cover with, or surround with or as if with a wall
    • wall in the garden
  11. to separate by or as if by a wall
    • wall ed off half the house
  12. immure
    • wall ed the monster up within the tomb -- E. A. Poe
  13. to close (an opening) with or as if with a wall
  14. to roll in a dramatic manner
  15. to roll (one's eyes) in a dramatic manner

wal·la·by ['wä-lə-bē] -n

  1. any of various small or medium-sized kangaroos (esp. genus Macropus)

Wal·lace's line ['wä-lə-səz-] -n

  1. a hypothetical boundary that separates the highly distinctive faunas of the Asian and Australian biogeographic regions and passes between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia, between Borneo and Sulawesi, and between the Philippines and the Moluccas

wal·lah ['wä-lə, in combination usu ,wä-lə] -n

  1. a person who is associated with a particular work or who performs a specific duty or service usu. used in combination
    • the book wallah was an itinerant peddler -- George Orwell

wal·la·roo [,wä-lə-'rü] -n

  1. a large reddish-gray kangaroo ( Macropus robustus) called also euro
  2. either of two kangaroos ( Macropus antelopinusand M. bernardus) related to the wallaroo

wall·board ['wȯl-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a structural boarding of any of various materials (as wood pulp, gypsum, or plastic) made in large rigid sheets and used esp. for sheathing interior walls and ceilings

wal·let ['wä-lət] -n

  1. a bag for carrying miscellaneous articles while traveling
  2. a folding pocketbook with compartments for personal papers and usu. unfolded paper money
  3. billfold
  4. : a container that resembles a money wallet: as
  5. a usu. flexible folding case fitted for carrying specific items (as tools or fishing flies)
  6. folder
  7. resources, funds
    • a shopping mall that seems to swallow your wallet -- Karen Wright

wall·eye ['wȯl-,ī] -n

  1. an eye with a whitish or bluish-white iris
  2. an eye with an opaque white cornea
  3. strabismus in which the eye turns outward away from the nose
  4. an eye affected with strabismus of this type
  5. a large vigorous No. American freshwater food and sport fish ( Stizostedion vitreum) that has large opaque eyes and is related to the perches but resembles the true pike called also walleyed pike

wall·eyed [-'īd] -adj

  1. having walleyes or affected with walleye
  2. marked by a wild irrational staring of the eyes

walleye pollack -n

  1. pollack

wall·flow·er ['wȯl-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. any of several Old World perennial herbs (genus Cheiranthus) of the mustard family
  2. a hardy erect herb ( C. cheiri) widely cultivated for its showy fragrant flowers
  3. any of a related genus ( Erysimum) of herbs with showy flowers
  4. a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (as a dance)
  5. a shy or reserved person

Wal·loon [wä-'lün] -n, adj

  1. a member of a people of southern and southeastern Belgium and adjacent parts of France
  2. a French dialect of the Walloons

wal·lop ['wä-ləp] -vb, n

  1. to boil noisily
  2. to move with reckless or disorganized haste : advance in a headlong rush
  3. wallow, flounder
  4. to thrash soundly : lambaste
  5. to beat by a wide margin : trounce
  6. to hit with force : sock

wallop -n

  1. a powerful blow : punch
  2. something resembling a wallop esp. in suddenness of force
  3. the ability (as of a boxer) to hit hard
  4. emotional, sensory, or psychological force or influence : impact
    • a novel that packs a wallop
  5. an exciting emotional response : thrill
  6. beer

wal·lop·ing ['wä-lə-piŋ] -adj

  1. large, whopping
  2. exceptionally fine or impressive : smashing

wal·low ['wä-(,)lō] -vi, n

  1. to roll oneself about in a lazy, relaxed, or ungainly manner
    • hogs wallow ing in the mud
  2. to billow forth : surge
  3. to devote oneself entirely
  4. to take unrestrained pleasure : delight
  5. to become abundantly supplied : luxuriate
    • a family that wallow s in money
  6. to indulge oneself immoderately
    • wallow ing in self-pity
  7. to become or remain helpless
    • allowed them to wallow in their ignorance

wallow -n

  1. an act or instance of wallowing
  2. a muddy area or one filled with dust used by animals for wallowing
  3. a depression formed by or as if by the wallowing of animals
  4. a state of degradation or degeneracy

wall painting -n

  1. fresco

wall·pa·per ['wȯl-,pā-pər] -n

  1. decorative paper for the walls of a room

wallpaper -vt

  1. to provide the walls of (a room) with wallpaper
  2. to put wallpaper on a wall

wall plate -n

  1. plate

wall plug -n

  1. an electric receptacle in a wall

wall rock -n

  1. a rock through which a fault or vein runs

wall rocket -n

  1. any of several Old World herbs (genus Diplotaxis) of the mustard family
  2. a yellow-flowered European herb ( D. tenuifolia) naturalized in No. America

Wall Street ['wȯl-] -n

  1. the influential financial interests of the U.S. economy

Wall Street·er [-,strē-tər] -n

  1. a person who is involved in Wall Street

wall system -n

  1. a set of shelves often with cabinets or bureaus that can be variously arranged along a wall

walltowall -adj

  1. covering the entire floor
    • walltowall carpeting
  2. covering or filling one entire space or time
    • a party crammed with walltowall bodies
  3. occurring or found everywhere : ubiquitous

wal·ly ['wā-lē] -adj

  1. fine, sturdy

wal·ly·drai·gle ['wā-lē-,drā-gəl, 'wä-lē-] -n

  1. a feeble, imperfectly developed, or slovenly creature

wal·nut ['wȯl-(,)nət] -n

  1. the furrowed nut of any of a genus ( Juglansof the family Juglandaceae, the walnut family) of deciduous trees
  2. the large edible nut of an English walnut
  3. a tree that bears walnuts
  4. the wood of a walnut that is often used for cabinetmaking and veneers
  5. a moderate reddish brown

Wal·pur·gis·nacht [väl-'pu̇r-gəs-,näk̲t] -n

  1. walpurgis night

Wal·pur·gis Night [väl-'pu̇r-gəs-] -n

  1. the eve of May Day on which witches are held to ride to an appointed rendezvous
  2. something (as an event or situation) having a nightmarish quality

wal·rus ['wȯl-rəs, 'wäl-] -n

  1. a large gregarious marine mammal ( Odobenus rosmarusof the family Odobenidae) of arctic waters that is related to the seals and has long ivory tusks, a tough wrinkled hide, and stiff whiskers and that feeds mainly on bivalve mollusks

Wal·ter Mit·ty [,wȯl-tər-'mi-tē] -n, adj

  1. a commonplace unadventurous person who seeks escape from reality through daydreaming

waltz ['wȯl(t)s] -n

  1. a ballroom dance in time with strong accent on the first beat and a basic pattern of step-step-close
  2. music for a waltz or a concert composition in time
  3. to dance a waltz
  4. to move or advance in a lively or conspicuous manner : flounce
  5. to advance easily and successfully : breeze often used with through
  6. to approach boldly used with up
    • can't just waltz up and introduce ourselves
  7. to dance a waltz with
  8. to grab and lead (as a person) unceremoniously : march

wam·ble ['wäm-bəl] -vi

  1. to feel nausea
  2. rumble
  3. to move unsteadily or with a weaving or rolling motion

wamble -n

  1. a wambling esp. of the stomach
  2. a reeling or staggering gait or movement

wame ['wām] -n

  1. belly

Wam·pa·no·ag [,wäm-pə-'nō-(,)ag, ,wȯm-] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of Rhode Island east of Narragansett Bay and neighboring parts of Massachusetts

wam·pum ['wäm-pəm] -n

  1. beads of polished shells strung in strands, belts, or sashes and used by No. American Indians as money, ceremonial pledges, and ornaments
  2. money

wam·pum·peag [-,pēg] -n

  1. wampum

wan ['wän] -adj, adv, n

  1. suggestive of poor health : sickly, pallid
  2. lacking vitality : feeble
  3. dim, faint
  4. languid
    • a wan smile
  5. to grow or become pale or sickly

WAN ['wan] -n

  1. wide area network

wand ['wänd] -n

  1. a slender staff carried in a procession : verge
  2. a slender rod used by conjurers and magicians
  3. a slat six feet by two inches used as a target in archery
  4. a narrow strip of paper pasted vertically on a target face
  5. any of various pipelike devices
  6. the rigid tube between the hose and the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner
  7. a handheld device used to enter information (as from a bar code) into a computer

wan·der ['wän-dər] -vb, n

  1. to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal
  2. to go idly about : ramble
    • wander ing around the house
  3. to follow a winding course : meander
  4. to go astray (as from a course) : stray
    • wander ed away from the group
  5. to go astray morally : err
  6. to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought
    • his mind wander ed
  7. to roam over
    • wander ed the halls

wandering -adj

  1. : characterized by aimless, slow, or pointless movement: as
  2. that winds or meanders
    • a wandering course
  3. not keeping a rational or sensible course : vagrant
  4. nomadic
    • wandering tribes
  5. having long runners or tendrils
  6. a going about from place to place often used in pl.
  7. movement away from the proper, normal, or usual course or place often used in pl.

wandering albatross -n

  1. a large white albatross ( Diomedea exulans) of southern oceans that has black outer wing feathers and a wingspan of about 11 feet (3.4 meters)

Wandering Jew -n

  1. a Jew of medieval legend condemned by Christ to wander the earth till Christ's second coming
  2. any of several plants (genera Zebrinaand Tradescantia) of the spiderwort family
  3. either of two trailing or creeping plants ( Z. pendulaand T. fluminensis) cultivated for their showy and often white-striped foliage

wan·der·lust ['wän-dər-,ləst] -n

  1. strong longing for or impulse toward wandering

wane ['wān] -vi

  1. : to decrease in size, extent, or degree : dwindle: as
  2. to diminish in phase or intensity used chiefly of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets
  3. to become less brilliant or powerful : dim
  4. to flow out : ebb
  5. to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence
  6. the act or process of waning
    • strength on the wane
  7. a period or time of waning
  8. the period from the full moon to the new moon
  9. a defect in lumber characterized by bark or a lack of wood at a corner or edge

wan·gle ['waŋ-gəl] -vb, n

  1. to resort to trickery or devious methods
  2. to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends
  3. to make or get by devious means : finagle
    • wangle an invitation

wan·i·gan ['wä-ni-gən] -n

  1. a shelter (as for sleeping, eating, or storage) often mounted on wheels or tracks and towed by tractor or mounted on a raft or boat

wan·ion ['wän-yən] -n

  1. plague, vengeance used in the phrase with a wanion

wank ['waŋk] -vi

  1. masturbate

Wan·kel engine ['väŋ-kəl-, 'waŋ-] -n

  1. an internal combustion rotary engine that has a rounded triangular rotor functioning as a piston and rotating in a space in the engine and that has only two major moving parts

wank·er ['waŋ-kər] -n

  1. a person who masturbates
  2. jerk, dolt

wan·na·be ['wä-nə-,bē] -n

  1. a person who wants or aspires to be someone or something else or who tries to look or act like someone else
  2. something (as a company, city, or product) intended to rival another of its kind that has been successful
  3. one for which hopes have failed or are likely to fail

want ['wȯnt also 'wänt & 'wənt] -vb

  1. to be needy or destitute
  2. to have or feel need
    • never want s for friends
  3. to be necessary or needed
  4. to desire to come, go, or be
    • the cat want s in
    • want s out of the deal
  5. to fail to possess esp. in customary or required amount : lack
    • the answer want ed courtesy
  6. to have a strong desire for
    • want ed a chance to rest
  7. to have an inclination to : like
    • say what you want, he is efficient
  8. to have need of : require
    • the motor want s a tune-up
  9. to suffer from the lack of
    • thousands still want food and shelter
  10. ought used with the infinitive
    • you want to be very careful what you say -- Claudia Cassidy
  11. to wish or demand the presence of
  12. to hunt or seek in order to apprehend
    • want ed for murder
  13. deficiency, lack
    • suffers from a want of good sense
  14. grave and extreme poverty that deprives one of the necessities of life
  15. something wanted : need, desire
  16. personal defect : fault

want ad -n

  1. a newspaper advertisement stating that something (as an employee, employment, or a specified item) is wanted

want·ing ['wän-tiŋ] -adj

  1. not present or in evidence : absent
  2. not being up to standards or expectations
  3. lacking in ability or capacity : deficient

wanting -prep

  1. without
    • a book wanting a cover
  2. less, minus
    • a month wanting two days

wan·ton ['wȯn-tᵊn, 'wän-] -adj, adv, n

  1. hard to control : undisciplined, unruly
  2. playfully mean or cruel : mischievous
  3. lewd, bawdy
  4. causing sexual excitement : lustful, sensual
  5. merciless, inhumane
    • wanton cruelty
  6. having no just foundation or provocation : malicious
    • a wanton attack
  7. : being without check or limitation: as
  8. luxuriantly rank
    • wanton vegetation
  9. unduly lavish : extravagant
    • wanton imagination

wanton -n

  1. one given to self-indulgent flirtation or trifling used esp. in the phrase play the wanton
  2. a lewd or lascivious person
  3. a pampered person or animal : pet
  4. a spoiled child
  5. a frolicsome child or animal
  6. to be wanton or act wantonly
  7. to pass or waste wantonly or in wantonness

wa·pen·take ['wa-pən-,tāk, 'wä-] -n

  1. a subdivision of some English shires corresponding to a hundred

wa·pi·ti ['wä-pə-tē] -n

  1. elk

wap·pen·schaw·ing ['wa-pən-,shȯ(-)iŋ, 'wä-] -n

  1. an inspection or muster of soldiers formerly held at various times in each district of Scotland

war ['wȯr] -n, adj

  1. a state of usu. open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations
  2. a period of such armed conflict
  3. state of war
  4. the art or science of warfare
  5. weapons and equipment for war
  6. soldiers armed and equipped for war
  7. a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism
  8. a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end
    • a class war
    • a war against disease
  9. variance, odds
  10. to be in active or vigorous conflict
  11. to engage in warfare
  12. worse
  13. worst, overcome

war baby -n

  1. a person born or conceived during a war

war·ble ['wȯr-bəl] -n

  1. a melodious succession of low pleasing sounds
  2. a musical trill
  3. the action of warbling

warble [-b(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. to sing in a trilling manner or with many turns and variations
  2. to become sounded with trills, quavers, and rapid modulations in pitch
  3. sing
  4. to render with turns, runs, or rapid modulations : trill
  5. a swelling under the skin esp. of the back of cattle, horses, and wild mammals caused by infestation with maggots of a botfly or warble fly
  6. the maggot of a warble fly

warble fly -n

  1. any of various dipteran flies (family Oestridae) whose larvae live under the skin of various mammals and cause warbles

war·bler ['wȯr-blər] -n

  1. one that warbles : singer, songster
  2. any of numerous small chiefly Old World oscine birds (family Sylviidae) many of which are noted songsters and are closely related to the thrushes
  3. any of numerous small brightly colored American oscine birds (family Parulidae) with a usu. weak and unmusical song called also wood warbler

war·bon·net ['wȯr-,bä-nət] -n

  1. an American Indian ceremonial headdress often with a feathered extension down the back

war bride -n

  1. a woman who marries a serviceman ordered into active service in time of war
  2. a woman who marries a serviceman esp. of a foreign nation met during a time of war

war chest -n

  1. a fund accumulated to finance a war
  2. a fund earmarked for a specific purpose, action, or campaign

war club -n

  1. a club-shaped implement used as a weapon esp. by American Indians

war crime -n

  1. a crime (as genocide or maltreatment of prisoners) committed during or in connection with war usu. used in pl.

war cry -n

  1. a cry used by a body of fighters in war
  2. a slogan used esp. to rally people to a cause

ward ['wȯrd] -n

  1. the action or process of guarding
  2. a body of guards
  3. the state of being under guard
  4. custody
  5. the inner court of a castle or fortress
  6. a division (as a cell or block) of a prison
  7. a division in a hospital
  8. a large room in a hospital where a number of patients often requiring similar treatment are accommodated
  9. a division of a city for representative, electoral, or administrative purposes
  10. a division of some English and Scottish counties corresponding to a hundred
  11. the Mormon local congregation having auxiliary organizations (as Sunday schools and relief societies) and one or more quorums of each office of the Aaronic priesthood
  12. a projecting ridge of metal in a lock casing or keyhole permitting only the insertion of a key with a corresponding notch
  13. a corresponding notch in a bit of a key
  14. : a person or thing under guard, protection, or surveillance: as
  15. a minor subject to wardship
  16. a person who by reason of incapacity (as minority or mental illness) is under the protection of a court either directly or through a guardian appointed by the court called also ward of court
  17. a person or body of persons under the protection or tutelage of a government
  18. a means of defense : protection
  19. to keep watch over : guard
  20. to turn aside (something threatening) : deflect usu. used with off
    • ward off a blow
    • trying to ward off a cold

war dance -n

  1. a dance performed (as by American Indians) in preparation for battle or in celebration of victory

ward·ed ['wȯr-dəd] -adj

  1. provided with a ward
    • a warded lock

war·den ['wȯr-dᵊn] -n

  1. one having care or charge of something : guardian, keeper
  2. regent
  3. the governor of a town, district, or fortress
  4. a member of the governing body of a guild
  5. an official charged with special supervisory duties or with the enforcement of specified laws or regulations
    • game warden
    • air raid warden
  6. an official in charge of the operation of a prison
  7. any of various British officials having designated administrative functions
    • warden of the mint
  8. one of two ranking lay officers of an Episcopal parish
  9. any of various British college officials whose duties range from the administration of academic matters to the supervision of student discipline

war·den·ship [-,ship] -n

  1. the office, jurisdiction, or powers of a warden

ward·er ['wȯr-dər] -n

  1. watchman, porter
  2. warden
  3. a prison guard

war·der -n

  1. a truncheon used by a king or commander in chief to signal orders

ward heeler -n

  1. a worker for a political boss in a ward or other local area

ward·ress ['wȯr-drəs] -n

  1. a woman supervising female prisoners (as in a prison)

ward·robe ['wȯr-,drōb] -n

  1. a room or closet where clothes are kept
  2. clothespress
  3. a large trunk in which clothes may be hung upright
  4. a collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or for one activity)
    • a summer wardrobe
  5. a collection of stage costumes and accessories
  6. the department of a royal or noble household entrusted with the care of wearing apparel, jewels, and personal articles

ward·room ['wȯr-,drüm, -,dru̇m] -n

  1. the space in a warship allotted for living quarters to the commissioned officers excepting the captain
  2. the mess assigned to these officers

ward·ship ['wȯrd-,ship] -n

  1. care and protection of a ward
  2. the right to the custody of an infant heir of a feudal tenant and of the heir's property
  3. the state of being under a guardian

ware ['wer] -adj

  1. aware, conscious
    • was ware of black looks cast at me -- Mary Webb
  2. wary, vigilant
  3. to beware of : avoid used chiefly as a command to hunting animals
  4. manufactured articles, products of art or craft, or farm produce : goods often used in combination
    • tin ware
  5. an article of merchandise
  6. articles (as pottery or dishes) of fired clay
    • earthen ware
  7. an intangible item (as a service or ability) that is a marketable commodity
  8. spend, expend

ware·house ['wer-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a structure or room for the storage of merchandise or commodities
  2. to deposit, store, or stock in or as if in a warehouse
  3. to confine or house (a person) in conditions suggestive of a warehouse

ware·house·man [-,hau̇s-mən] -n

  1. a person who manages or works in a warehouse

ware·hous·er [-,hau̇-zər, -sər] -n

  1. warehouseman

ware·room ['wer-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a room in which goods are exhibited for sale

war·fare ['wȯr-,fer] -n

  1. military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
  2. an activity undertaken by a political unit (as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
    • economic warfare
  3. struggle between competing entities : conflict

war·fa·rin ['wȯr-fə-rən] -n

  1. a crystalline anticoagulant coumarin derivative C 19H 16O 4used chiefly in the form of its sodium salt as a rodent poison and in medicine

war footing -n

  1. the condition of being prepared to undertake or maintain war

wargame -vt

  1. to plan or conduct in the manner of a war game
    • war-gamed an invasion -- Newsweek
  2. to conduct a war game

war game -n

  1. a simulated battle or campaign to test military concepts and usu. conducted in conferences by officers acting as the opposing staffs
  2. a two-sided umpired training maneuver with actual elements of the armed forces participating

war hawk -n

  1. a person who clamors for war
  2. a jingoistic American favoring war with Britain around 1812

war·head ['wȯr-,hed] -n

  1. the section of a missile containing the explosive, chemical, or incendiary charge

war·horse [-,hȯrs] -n

  1. a horse used in war : charger
  2. a person with long experience in a field
  3. a veteran soldier or public person (as a politician)
  4. something (as a work of art or musical composition) that has become overly familiar or hackneyed due to much repetition in the standard repertoire

war·i·son ['wa-rə-sən] -n

  1. a bugle call to attack

Warks -abbr

  1. Warwickshire

war·like ['wȯr-,līk] -adj

  1. ready for war : equipped to fight
  2. fit for, disposed to, or fond of war : bellicose
    • a warlike people
  3. of, relating to, or useful in war
    • warlike preparations
  4. befitting or characteristic of war or a soldier
    • warlike cries

war·lock ['wȯr-,läk] -n

  1. a man practicing the black arts : sorcerer
  2. conjurer

war·lord ['wȯr-,lȯrd] -n

  1. a supreme military leader
  2. a military commander exercising civil power by force usu. in a limited area

warm ['wȯrm] -adj, n

  1. having or giving out heat to a moderate or adequate degree
    • warm weather
    • a warm fire
  2. serving to maintain or preserve heat esp. to a satisfactory degree
    • a warm sweater
  3. feeling or causing sensations of heat brought about by strenuous exertion
  4. comfortably established : secure
  5. marked by strong feeling : ardent
  6. marked by excitement, disagreement, or anger
    • the argument grew warm
  7. marked by or readily showing affection, gratitude, cordiality, or sympathy
    • a warm welcome
    • warm regards
  8. emphasizing or exploiting sexual imagery or incidents
  9. accompanied or marked by extreme danger or duress
  10. newly made : fresh
    • a warm scent
  11. having the color or tone of something that imparts heat
  12. of a hue in the range yellow through orange to red
  13. near to a goal, object, or solution sought
    • not there yet but getting warm
  14. to make warm
  15. to infuse with a feeling of love, friendship, well-being, or pleasure
  16. to fill with anger, zeal, or passion
  17. to reheat (cooked food) for eating often used with over
  18. to make ready for operation or performance by preliminary exercise or operation often used with up
  19. to become warm
  20. to become ardent, interested, or receptive usu. used with to or toward
    • warm ed to the idea
  21. to become filled with affection or love used with to or toward
  22. to experience feelings of pleasure : bask
  23. to become ready for operation or performance by preliminary activity often used with up
  24. warmly usu. used in combination
    • warm -clad

warmblood·ed ['wȯrm-'blə-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having warm blood
  2. having a relatively high and constant internally regulated body temperature relatively independent of the surroundings
  3. fervent or ardent in spirit

warmedover ['wȯrmd-'ō-vər] -adj

  1. not fresh or new : stale
    • warmedover ideas
  2. heated again
    • warmedover beans

warm·er ['wȯr-mər] -n

  1. one that warms
  2. a device for keeping something warm
    • a hand warmer

warm front -n

  1. an advancing edge of a warm air mass

warm fuzzies -n pl

  1. feelings of happiness, contentment, or sentimentality
    • got warm fuzzies from the good news

warm·heart·ed ['wȯrm-'här-təd] -adj, n

  1. marked by ready affection, cordiality, generosity, or sympathy

warm·ing pan ['wȯr-miŋ-] -n

  1. a long-handled covered pan filled with live coals that is used to warm a bed

warm·ly ['wȯrm-lē] -adv

  1. in a manner characterized or accompanied by warmth of emotion
    • greeted us warmly
  2. in a manner that causes or maintains warmth
    • dressed warmly

war·mon·ger ['wȯr-,məŋ-gər, -,mäŋ-] -n

  1. one who urges or attempts to stir up war

war·mouth ['wȯr-,mau̇th] -n

  1. a large-mouthed freshwater sunfish ( Lepomis gulosus) chiefly of the eastern U.S. called also warmouth bass

warm spot -n

  1. a lasting affection for a particular person or thing
    • has a warm spot for her old classmates

warmth ['wȯrm(p)th] -n

  1. the quality or state of being warm in temperature
  2. the quality or state of being warm in feeling
    • a child needing human warmth and family life
  3. a glowing effect produced by the use of warm colors

warmup ['wȯrm-,əp] -n

  1. the act or an instance of warming up
  2. a preparatory activity or procedure
  3. a suit for exercise or casual wear consisting of a jacket or sweatshirt and pants often used in pl. called also warm-up suit

warm up -vi

  1. to engage in exercise or practice esp. before entering a game or contest
  2. to get ready

warn ['wȯrn] -vb, n

  1. to give notice to beforehand esp. of danger or evil
  2. to give admonishing advice to : counsel
  3. to call to one's attention : inform
  4. to order to go or stay away often used with off
  5. to give a warning

warn·ing ['wȯr-niŋ] -n

  1. the act of warning : the state of being warned
    • he had warning of his illness
  2. something that warns or serves to warn
  3. a notice or bulletin that alerts the public to an imminent hazard (as a tornado, thunderstorm, or flood)

warning ['wȯr-niŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. serving as an alarm, signal, summons, or admonition
    • a warning bell
    • a warning shot

warning coloration -n

  1. conspicuous coloration possessed by an animal (as an insect) otherwise effectively but not obviously defended that serves to warn off potential enemies

warning track -n

  1. a usu. dirt or cinder strip around the outside edge of a baseball outfield to warn a fielder when running to make a catch that the fence is near called also warning path

war of nerves

  1. a conflict characterized by psychological tactics (as bluff, threats, and intimidation) designed primarily to create confusion, indecision, or breakdown of morale

warp ['wȯrp] -n

  1. a series of yarns extended lengthwise in a loom and crossed by the weft
  2. foundation, base
    • the warp of the economic structure is agriculture -- Amer. Guide Series: N.C.
  3. a rope for warping or mooring a ship or boat
  4. a twist or curve that has developed in something orig. flat or straight
    • a warp in a door panel
  5. a mental aberration
  6. to arrange (yarns) so as to form a warp
  7. to turn or twist out of or as if out of shape
  8. to twist or bend out of a plane
  9. to cause to judge, choose, or act wrongly or abnormally : pervert
  10. distort
    • intellect and learning...warp ed by prejudices -- Irving Wallace
    • warp s space and time
  11. to deflect from a course
  12. to move (as a ship) by hauling on a line attached to a fixed object
  13. to become warped
  14. to move a ship by warping

war paint -n

  1. paint put on parts of the body (as the face) by American Indians as a sign of going to war
  2. makeup

warp and woof -n

  1. foundation, base
    • the vigorous Anglo-Saxon base had become the warp and woof of English speech -- H. R. Warfel

war party -n

  1. a group of American Indians on the warpath
  2. a usu. jingoistic political party advocating or upholding a war

war·path ['wȯr-,path, -,päth] -n

  1. the route taken by a party of American Indians going on a warlike expedition or to a war
  2. a hostile or combative course of action or frame of mind

warp beam -n

  1. a roll on which warp is wound for a loom

warp knit [-'ni-təd] -n, adj

  1. a knit fabric produced by machine with the yarns running in a lengthwise direction

war·plane ['wȯr-,plān] -n

  1. a military airplane
  2. one armed for combat

war power -n

  1. the power to make war
  2. an extraordinary power exercised usu. by the executive branch of a government in the prosecution of a war

warp speed -n, adj

  1. the highest possible speed

war·rant ['wȯr-ənt, 'wär-] -n, adj

  1. sanction, authorization
  2. evidence for or token of authorization
  3. guarantee, security
  4. ground, justification
  5. confirmation, proof
  6. a commission or document giving authority to do something
  7. a writing that authorizes a person to pay or deliver to another and the other to receive money or other consideration
  8. a precept or writ issued by a competent magistrate authorizing an officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search or to do other acts incident to the administration of justice
  9. an official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer
  10. a short-term obligation of a governmental body (as a municipality) issued in anticipation of revenue
  11. an instrument issued by a corporation giving to the holder the right to purchase the stock of the corporation at a stated price either prior to a stipulated date or at any future time

warrant -vt

  1. to declare or maintain with certainty : be sure that
    • I'll warrant he'll be here by noon
  2. to assure (a person) of the truth of what is said
  3. to guarantee to a person good title to and undisturbed possession of (as an estate)
  4. to provide a guarantee of the security of (as title to property sold) usu. by an express covenant in the deed of conveyance
  5. to guarantee to be as represented
  6. to guarantee (as goods sold) esp. in respect of the quality or quantity specified
  7. to guarantee security or immunity to : secure
    • I'll warrant him from drowning -- Shak.
  8. to give warrant or sanction to : authorize
    • the law warrant s this procedure
  9. to give proof of the authenticity or truth of
  10. to give assurance of the nature of or for the undertaking of : guarantee
  11. to serve as or give adequate ground or reason for
    • promising enough to warrant further consideration

war·rant·able ['wȯr-ən-tə-bəl, 'wär-] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being warranted : justifiable
    • take warrantable action

war·ran·tee [,wȯr-ən-'tē, ,wär-] -n

  1. the person to whom a warranty is made

warrant officer -n

  1. an officer in the armed forces holding rank by virtue of a warrant and ranking above a noncommissioned officer and below a commissioned officer
  2. a commissioned officer ranking below an ensign in the navy or coast guard and below a second lieutenant in the marine corps

war·ran·tor [,wȯr-ən-'tȯr, ,wär-; 'wȯr-ən-tər, 'wär-] -n

  1. one that warrants or gives a warranty

war·ran·ty ['wȯr-ən-tē, 'wär-] -n

  1. a real covenant binding the grantor of an estate and the grantor's heirs to warrant and defend the title
  2. a collateral undertaking that a fact regarding the subject of a contract is or will be as it is expressly or by implication declared or promised to be
  3. something that authorizes, sanctions, supports, or justifies : warrant
  4. a usu. written guarantee of the integrity of a product and of the maker's responsibility for the repair or replacement of defective parts

warranty deed -n

  1. a deed warranting that the grantor has a good title free and clear of all liens and encumbrances and will defend the grantee against all claims

war·ren ['wȯr-ən, 'wär-] -n

  1. a place legally authorized for keeping small game (as hare or pheasant)
  2. the privilege of hunting game in such a warren
  3. an area (as of uncultivated ground) where rabbits breed
  4. a structure where rabbits are kept or bred
  5. the rabbits of a warren
  6. a crowded tenement or district
  7. a maze of passageways or small rooms

war·ren·er [-ə-nər] -n

  1. gamekeeper
  2. a person who maintains a rabbit warren

war·rior ['wȯr-yər, 'wȯr-ē-ər, 'wär-ē- also 'wär-yər] -n

  1. a man engaged or experienced in warfare
  2. a person engaged in some struggle or conflict
    • poverty warrior s

war room -n

  1. a room at a military headquarters where maps showing the current status of troops in battle are maintained
  2. a room (as at a business headquarters) used for conferences and planning that is often specially equipped (as with computers, or charts)

war·saw grouper ['wȯr-(,)sȯ-] -n

  1. any of several large groupers
  2. one ( Epinephelus nigritus) of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico called also warsaw

war·ship ['wȯr-,ship] -n

  1. a naval vessel

war·sle ['wä(r)-səl] -vb, n

  1. wrestle, struggle

war story -n

  1. a story of a memorable personal experience typically involving an element of danger, hardship, or adventure
    • politicians swapping war stories from past campaigns

wart ['wȯrt] -n, adj

  1. a horny projection on the skin usu. of the extremities produced by proliferation of the skin papillae and caused by any of numerous human papillomaviruses called also verruca vulgaris
  2. any of numerous similar skin lesions not caused by viruses
  3. an excrescence or protuberance resembling a true wart
  4. a glandular excrescence or hardened protuberance on a plant
  5. one that suggests a wart esp. in smallness, unpleasantness, or unattractiveness
  6. defect, imperfection often used in the phrase warts and all

wart·hog ['wȯrt-,hȯg, -,häg] -n

  1. a wild African hog ( Phacochoerus aethiopicus) that has large protruding tusks and in the male two pairs of rough warty excrescences on the face and that is sometimes placed in two separate species ( P. aethiopicusand P. africanus)

war·time ['wȯr-,tīm] -n

  1. a period during which a war is in progress
    • rationing during wartime

wartsandall -adj

  1. showing defects or imperfections frankly : not idealized
    • a wartsandall biography

war whoop -n

  1. a war cry esp. of American Indians

wary ['wer-ē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness esp. in detecting and escaping danger

war zone -n

  1. a zone in which belligerents are waging war
  2. an area marked by extreme violence
  3. a designated area esp. on the high seas within which rights of neutrals are not respected by a belligerent nation in time of war

was ['bē] -vb

(variant of be)

  1. to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
    • God is love
    • January is the first month
    • let x be 10
  2. to have identity with
    • the first person I met was my brother
  3. to constitute the same class as
  4. to have a specified qualification or characterization
    • the leaves are green
  5. to belong to the class of
    • the fish is a trout
    used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication
  6. to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
    • I think, therefore I am
  7. to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
    • the book is on the table
  8. to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted used only in infinitive form
    • let him be
  9. to take place : occur
    • the concert was last night
  10. to come or go
    • has already been and gone
    • has never been to the circus
  11. belong, befall
  12. used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary
    • the money was found
    • the house is being built
  13. used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
    • he is reading
    • I have been sleeping
  14. used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
    • Christ is risen from the dead -- 1 Cor 15:20(DV)
  15. used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
    • I am to interview him today
    • she was to become famous

wa·sa·bi ['wä-sə-bē, wä-'sä-] -n

  1. a condiment that is prepared from the ground thick pungent greenish root of an Asian herb ( Wasabia japonicasyn. Eutrema wasabi) of the mustard family and is similar in flavor and use to horseradish
  2. the root
  3. the herb that yields wasabi

wash ['wȯsh, 'wäsh, chiefly Midland also 'wȯrsh or 'wärsh] -vb

  1. to cleanse by or as if by the action of liquid (as water)
  2. to remove (as dirt) by rubbing or drenching with liquid
  3. to cleanse (fur) by licking or by rubbing with a paw moistened with saliva
  4. to flush or moisten (a bodily part or injury) with a liquid
  5. to wet thoroughly : drench
  6. to overspread with light : suffuse
  7. to pass a liquid (as water) over or through esp. so as to carry off material from the surface or interior
  8. to flow along or dash or overflow against
    • waves wash ing the shore
  9. to move, carry, or deposit by or as if by the force of water in motion
    • houses wash ed away by the flood
  10. to subject (as crushed ore) to the action of water to separate valuable material
  11. to separate (particles) from a substance (as ore) by agitation with or in water
  12. to pass through a bath to carry off impurities or soluble components
  13. to pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid to purify it esp. by removing soluble components
  14. to cover or daub lightly with or as if with an application of a thin liquid (as whitewash or varnish)
  15. to depict or paint by a broad sweep of thin color with a brush
  16. to cause to swirl
    • wash ing coffee around in his cup
  17. launder
    • how the mob wash es its money through corrupt bankers -- Vincent Teresa
  18. to wash oneself or a part of one's body
  19. to become worn away by the action of water
  20. to clean something by rubbing or dipping in water
  21. to become carried along on water : drift
    • cakes of ice wash ing along
  22. to pour, sweep, or flow in a stream or current
    • waves of pioneers wash ing westward -- Green Peyton
  23. to serve as a cleansing agent
    • this soap wash es thoroughly
  24. to undergo laundering
    • this dress doesn't wash well
  25. to undergo testing successfully : work
    • an interesting theory, but it just won't wash
  26. to gain acceptance : inspire belief
    • the story didn't wash with me
  27. a piece of ground washed by the sea or river
  28. bog, marsh
  29. a shallow body of water
  30. a shallow creek
  31. the dry bed of a stream called also dry wash
  32. the act or process or an instance of washing or being washed
  33. articles to be washed, being washed, or having been washed
  34. the surging action or sound of waves
  35. something resembling this action or sound
    • the warm wash of applause that followed her...introduction -- John Updike
  36. worthless esp. liquid waste : refuse
  37. an insipid beverage
  38. vapid writing or speech
  39. a sweep or splash esp. of color made by or as if by a long stroke of a brush
    • in the gray wash of early morning
  40. a thin coat of paint (as watercolor)
  41. a thin liquid used for coating a surface (as a wall)
  42. lotion
  43. loose or eroded surface material of the earth (as rock debris) transported and deposited by running water
  44. backwash
  45. a disturbance in a fluid (as water or the air) produced by the passage of an airfoil or propeller
  46. a situation in which losses and gains or advantages and disadvantages balance each other
  47. involving essentially simultaneous purchase and sale of the same security
    • spurious market activity resulting from wash trading
  48. washable
    • wash fabric

Wash -abbr

  1. Washington

wash·able ['wȯ-shə-bəl, 'wä-] -adj, n

  1. capable of being washed without damage

washandwear -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting a fabric or garment that needs little or no ironing after washing

wash·a·te·ria [,wä-shə-'tir-ē-ə, ,wȯ-] -n

  1. a self-service laundry

wash·ba·sin ['wȯsh-,bā-sᵊn, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. washbowl

wash·board ['wȯsh-,bȯrd, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. a broad thin plank along a gunwale or on the sill of a lower deck port to keep out the sea
  2. baseboard
  3. a corrugated rectangular surface that is used for scrubbing clothes or as a percussion instrument
  4. a road or pavement so worn by traffic as to be corrugated transversely
  5. an abdominal area characterized by prominent and well-defined musculature usu. used attributively
    • a bodybuilder with washboard abs
    • a washboard stomach

wash·bowl [-,bōl] -n

  1. a large bowl for water that is used to wash one's hands and face

wash·cloth [-,klȯth] -n

  1. a cloth that is used for washing one's face and body called also facecloth washrag

wash down -vt

  1. to move or carry downward by action of a liquid
  2. to facilitate the passage of (food) down the gullet with accompanying swallows of liquid
    • pizza washed down with beer
  3. to wash the whole length or extent of
    • washed down and scrubbed the front porch

wash drawing -n

  1. watercolor painting in or chiefly in washes esp. in black, white, and gray tones only

washedout ['wȯsht-'au̇t, 'wäsht-] -adj

  1. faded in color
  2. depleted in vigor or animation : exhausted

washedup ['wȯsht-'əp, 'wäsht-] -adj

  1. no longer successful, skillful, popular, or needed
    • washedup athletes
    • a washedup actor

wash·er ['wȯ-shər, 'wä-] -n

  1. a flat thin ring or a perforated plate used in joints or assemblies to ensure tightness, prevent leakage, or relieve friction
  2. one that washes
  3. washing machine

wash·er·man [-mən] -n

  1. laundryman
  2. a man operating any of various industrial washing machines

wash·er·wom·an [-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman whose occupation is washing clothes : laundress

wash·house ['wȯsh-,hau̇s, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. a building used or equipped for washing
  2. one for washing clothes

wash·ing ['wȯ-shiŋ, 'wä-] -n

  1. the act or action of one that cleanses with water
  2. material obtained by washing
  3. articles washed or to be washed : wash

washing machine -n

  1. a machine for washing
  2. one for washing clothes and household linen

washing soda -n

  1. a transparent crystalline hydrated sodium carbonate

Wash·ing·ton pie ['wȯ-shiŋ-tən-, 'wä-, chiefly Midland also 'wȯr-shiŋ- or 'wär-shiŋ-] -n

  1. cake layers put together with a jam or jelly filling

Washington's Birthday -n

  1. February 22 formerly observed as a legal holiday in most of the states of the U.S.
  2. the third Monday in February observed as a legal holiday in most of the states of the U.S. called also Presidents' Day

wash·out ['wȯsh-,au̇t, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. the washing out or away of something and esp. of earth in a roadbed by a freshet
  2. a place where earth is washed away
  3. : one that fails to measure up : failure: as
  4. one who fails in a course of training or study
  5. an unsuccessful enterprise or undertaking

wash out -vt

  1. to wash free of an extraneous substance (as dirt)
  2. to cause to fade by or as if by laundering
  3. to deplete the strength or vitality of
  4. to eliminate as useless or unsatisfactory : reject
  5. to destroy or make useless by the force or action of water
    • the storm washed out the bridge
  6. rain out
    • the game was washed out
  7. to become depleted of color or vitality : fade
  8. to fail to meet requirements or measure up to a standard

wash·rag ['wȯsh-,rag, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. washcloth

wash·room [-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a room that is equipped with washing and toilet facilities : lavatory

wash·stand [-,stand] -n

  1. a stand holding articles needed for washing one's face and hands
  2. a washbowl permanently set in place and attached to water and drainpipes

wash·tub [-,təb] -n

  1. a tub for washing or soaking clothes

wash·up [-,əp] -n

  1. the act or process of washing clean

wash up -vi

  1. to be deposited by or as if by a swell of waves
    • seaweed washed up on the shore
  2. to wash one's face and hands
  3. to wash the dishes after a meal
  4. to get rid of by washing
    • wash up the spilled milk
  5. exhaust, finish

wash·wom·an ['wȯsh-,wu̇-mən, 'wäsh-] -n

  1. washerwoman

washy ['wȯ-shē, 'wä-] -adj

  1. weak, watery
    • washy tea
  2. deficient in color
  3. lacking in vigor, individuality, or definiteness
  4. lacking in condition and in firmness of flesh

wasn't ['wə-zᵊnt, 'wä-, dial also 'wə-tᵊn(t)]

  1. was not

wasp ['wäsp, 'wȯsp] -n, adj

  1. any of numerous social or solitary winged hymenopterous insects (esp. families Sphecidae and Vespidae) that usu. have a slender smooth body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk, well-developed wings, biting mouthparts, and in the females and workers an often formidable sting, and that are largely carnivorous and often provision their nests with insects or spiders killed or paralyzed by stinging for their larvae to feed on
  2. any of various hymenopterous insects (as a chalcid or ichneumon wasp) other than wasps with larvae that are parasitic on other arthropods

WASP ['wäsp, 'wȯsp] -n, adj

  1. an American of Northern European and esp. British ancestry and of Protestant background
  2. a member of the dominant and the most privileged class of people in the U.S.

wasp·ish ['wäs-pish, 'wȯs-] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling a wasp in behavior
  2. snappish, petulant
    • a waspish temper
  3. resembling a wasp in form
  4. slightly built

wasp waist ['wäsp-'wā-stəd, 'wȯsp-] -n, adj

  1. a very slender waist

was·sail ['wä-səl also wä-'sāl] -n

  1. an early English toast to someone's health
  2. a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usu. baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl esp. at Christmastime
  3. riotous drinking : revelry

wassail -vi

  1. to indulge in wassail : carouse
  2. to sing carols from house to house at Christmas
  3. to drink to the health or thriving of

was·sail bowl ['wä-səl-] -n

  1. a bowl that is used for the serving of wassail
  2. wassail

was·sail·er ['wä-sə-lər also wä-'sā-lər] -n

  1. one that carouses : reveler
  2. one who goes about singing carols

Was·ser·mann reaction ['wä-sər-mən-, 'vä-] -n

  1. the complement-fixing reaction that occurs in a positive complement-fixation test for syphilis

Wassermann test -n

  1. a test for the detection of syphilis using the Wassermann reaction called also Wassermann

wast ['bē] -vb

(variant of be)

  1. to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
    • God is love
    • January is the first month
    • let x be 10
  2. to have identity with
    • the first person I met was my brother
  3. to constitute the same class as
  4. to have a specified qualification or characterization
    • the leaves are green
  5. to belong to the class of
    • the fish is a trout
    used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication
  6. to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
    • I think, therefore I am
  7. to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
    • the book is on the table
  8. to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted used only in infinitive form
    • let him be
  9. to take place : occur
    • the concert was last night
  10. to come or go
    • has already been and gone
    • has never been to the circus
  11. belong, befall
  12. used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary
    • the money was found
    • the house is being built
  13. used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
    • he is reading
    • I have been sleeping
  14. used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
    • Christ is risen from the dead -- 1 Cor 15:20(DV)
  15. used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
    • I am to interview him today
    • she was to become famous

wast·age ['wā-stij] -n

  1. loss, decrease, or destruction of something (as by use, decay, erosion, or leakage)
  2. wasteful or avoidable loss of something valuable

waste ['wāst] -n

  1. a sparsely settled or barren region : desert
  2. uncultivated land
  3. a broad and empty expanse (as of water)
  4. the act or an instance of wasting : the state of being wasted
  5. loss through breaking down of bodily tissue
  6. gradual loss or decrease by use, wear, or decay
  7. : damaged, defective, or superfluous material produced by a manufacturing process: as
  8. material rejected during a textile manufacturing process and used usu. for wiping away dirt and oil
    • cotton waste
  9. scrap
  10. an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing process, chemical laboratory, or nuclear reactor
    • toxic waste
    • hazardous waste
    • nuclear waste
  11. : refuse from places of human or animal habitation: as
  12. garbage, rubbish
  13. excrement often used in pl.
  14. sewage
  15. material derived by mechanical and chemical weathering of the land and moved down sloping surfaces or carried by streams to the sea
  16. to lay waste
  17. to damage or destroy gradually and progressively
    • reclaiming land wasted by strip-mining
  18. to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength : emaciate, enfeeble
    • a body wasted by disease
  19. to wear away or diminish gradually : consume
  20. to spend or use carelessly : squander
    • waste valuable resources
  21. to allow to be used inefficiently or become dissipated
    • a writer wasting her talent
  22. kill
  23. to injure severely
  24. to lose weight, strength, or vitality often used with away
    • was wasting away from illness
  25. to become diminished in bulk or substance
  26. to become consumed
  27. to spend money or consume property extravagantly or improvidently
  28. being wild and uninhabited : desolate
  29. arid, empty
  30. not cultivated : not productive
  31. being in a ruined or devastated condition
  32. discarded as worthless, defective, or of no use : refuse
    • waste material
  33. excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a byproduct of vital activity
    • waste products
  34. serving to conduct or hold refuse material
    • a waste barrel
  35. carrying off superfluous water
    • a waste drain
  36. wasted

waste·bas·ket ['wās(t)-,bas-kət] -n

  1. a receptacle for refuse and esp. for wastepaper called also wastepaper basket

wasted -adj

  1. laid waste : ravaged
  2. impaired in strength or health : emaciated
  3. gone by : elapsed
    • the chronicle of wasted time -- Shak.
  4. unprofitably used, made, or expended
    • wasted effort
  5. intoxicated from drugs or alcohol

waste·ful ['wāst-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. given to or marked by waste : lavish, prodigal

waste·land ['wāst-,land also -lənd] -n

  1. barren or uncultivated land
    • a desert wasteland
  2. an ugly often devastated or barely inhabitable place or area
  3. something (as a way of life) that is spiritually and emotionally arid and unsatisfying

waste·pa·per ['wās(t)-'pā-pər] -n

  1. paper discarded as used, superfluous, or not fit for use

waste pipe -n

  1. a pipe for carrying off waste fluid

wast·er ['wā-stər] -n

  1. one that spends or consumes extravagantly and without thought for the future
  2. a dissolute person
  3. one that uses wastefully or causes or permits waste
    • a procedure that is a waster of time
  4. one that lays waste : destroyer
  5. an imperfect or inferior manufactured article or object

waste·wa·ter ['wāst-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n

  1. water that has been used (as in a manufacturing process) : sewage

wasting -adj

  1. laying waste : devastating
  2. undergoing or causing decay or loss of strength
    • wasting diseases such as tuberculosis

wast·rel ['wās-trəl also 'wäs-] -n

  1. vagabond, waif
  2. one who expends resources foolishly and self-indulgently : profligate

watch ['wäch, 'wȯch] -vb

  1. to keep vigil as a devotional exercise
  2. to be awake during the night
  3. to be attentive or vigilant
  4. to keep guard
  5. to keep someone or something under close observation
  6. to observe as a spectator
    • the country watch ed as stocks fell sharply
  7. to be expectant : wait
    • watch for the signal
  8. to keep under guard
  9. to observe closely in order to check on action or change
    • being watch ed by the police
  10. to look at : observe
    • sat and watch ed the crowd
  11. to look on at
    • watch television
    • watch a ball game
  12. to take care of : tend
  13. to be careful of
    • watch es his diet
  14. to be on the alert for : bide
    • watch ed her opportunity
  15. the act of keeping awake to guard, protect, or attend
  16. the state of being wakeful
  17. a wake over a dead body
  18. a state of alert and continuous attention
  19. close observation : surveillance
  20. a notice or bulletin that alerts the public to the possibility of severe weather conditions occurring in the near future
    • a winter storm watch
  21. any of the definite divisions of the night made by ancient peoples
  22. one of the indeterminate intervals marking the passage of night usu. used in pl.
    • the silent watch es of the night
  23. lookout, watchman
  24. the office or function of a sentinel or guard
  25. a body of soldiers or sentinels making up a guard
  26. a watchman or body of watchmen formerly assigned to patrol the streets of a town at night, announce the hours, and act as police
  27. a portion of time during which a part of a ship's company is on duty
  28. the part of a ship's company required to be on duty during a particular watch
  29. a sailor's assigned duty period
  30. a period of duty : shift
  31. a term as holder esp. of an overseeing or managerial office
    • the business grew on her watch
  32. a portable timepiece designed to be worn (as on the wrist) or carried in the pocket

watch·able ['wä-chə-bəl, 'wȯ-] -adj, n

  1. worth watching
    • a minor but highly watchable film

watch and ward -n

  1. continuous unbroken vigilance and guard
  2. service as a watchman or sentinel required from a feudal tenant

watch·band ['wäch-,band, 'wȯch-] -n

  1. the bracelet or strap of a wristwatch

watch cap -n

  1. a knitted close-fitting usu. navy-blue cap worn esp. by enlisted men in the U.S. navy in cold or stormy weather

watch·case ['wäch-,kās, 'wȯch-] -n

  1. the outside metal covering of a watch

watch·dog [-,dȯg] -n

  1. a dog kept to guard property
  2. one that guards against loss, waste, theft, or undesirable practices

watchdog -vt

  1. to act as a watchdog for

watch·er ['wä-chər, 'wȯ-] -n

  1. : one that watches: as
  2. one that sits up or continues awake at night
  3. watchman
  4. one that keeps watch beside a dead person
  5. one that attends a sick person at night
  6. a person who closely follows or observes someone or something
    • a Supreme Court watcher
    often used in combination
    • celebrity- watchers
  7. a representative of a party or candidate who is stationed at the polls on an election day to watch the conduct of officials and voters

watch fire -n

  1. a fire lighted as a signal or for the use of a guard

watch·ful ['wäch-fəl, 'wȯch-] -adj, adv, n

  1. not able or accustomed to sleep or rest : wakeful
  2. causing sleeplessness
  3. spent in wakefulness : sleepless
  4. carefully observant or attentive : being on the watch

watch·mak·er [-,mā-kər] -n

  1. one that makes or repairs watches or clocks

watch·man [-mən] -n

  1. a person who keeps watch : guard

watch night -n

  1. a devotional service lasting until after midnight esp. on New Year's Eve

watch out -vi

  1. to be vigilant or alert : be on the lookout
    • you'd better watch out
    • watch out for the tree

watch pocket -n

  1. a small pocket just below the front waistband of men's trousers

watch·tow·er ['wäch-,tau̇(-ə)r, 'wȯch-] -n

  1. a tower for a lookout

watch·word [-,wərd] -n

  1. a word or phrase used as a sign of recognition among members of the same society, class, or group
  2. a word or motto that embodies a principle or guide to action of an individual or group : slogan
    • safety is our watchword
  3. a guiding principle
    • change is the watchword for both parties

wa·ter ['wȯ-tər, 'wä-] -n

  1. the liquid that descends from the clouds as rain, forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter and that when pure is an odorless, tasteless, very slightly compressible liquid oxide of hydrogen H 2O which appears bluish in thick layers, freezes at 0 C and boils at 100 C, has a maximum density at 4 C and a high specific heat, is feebly ionized to hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, and is a poor conductor of electricity and a good solvent
  2. a natural mineral water usu. used in pl.
  3. : a particular quantity or body of water: as
  4. the water occupying or flowing in a particular bed
  5. lake, pond
  6. a quantity or depth of water adequate for some purpose (as navigation)
  7. a band of seawater abutting on the land of a particular sovereignty and under the control of that sovereignty
  8. the sea of a particular part of the earth
  9. water supply
    • threatened to turn off the water
  10. travel or transportation on water
    • we went by water
  11. the level of water at a particular state of the tide : tide
  12. : liquid containing or resembling water: as
  13. a pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparation made with water
  14. a watery solution of a gaseous or readily volatile substance
  15. a distilled fluid (as an essence)
  16. a distilled alcoholic liquor
  17. a watery fluid (as tears, urine, or sap) formed or circulating in a living body
  18. amniotic fluid
  19. bag of waters
  20. the degree of clarity and luster of a precious stone
  21. degree of excellence
    • a scholar of the first water
  22. watercolor
  23. stock not representing assets of the issuing company and not backed by earning power
  24. fictitious or exaggerated asset entries that give a stock an unrealistic book value

water -vt

  1. to moisten, sprinkle, or soak with water
    • water the lawn
  2. to supply with water for drink
    • water cattle
  3. to supply water to
    • lands water ed by the river
  4. to treat with or as if with water
  5. to impart a lustrous appearance and wavy pattern to (cloth) by calendering
  6. to dilute by the addition of water often used with down
    • water down the punch
  7. to add to the aggregate par value of (securities) without a corresponding addition to the assets represented by the securities
  8. to form or secrete water or watery matter (as tears or saliva)
  9. : to get or take water: as
  10. to take on a supply of water
    • the boat docked to water
  11. to drink water

water bag -n

  1. a bag for holding water
  2. one designed to keep water cool for drinking by evaporation through a slightly porous surface
  3. bag of waters used esp. of domestic animals

water balance -n

  1. the ratio between the water assimilated into the body and that lost from the body
  2. the condition of the body when this ratio approximates equilibrium

water ballet -n

  1. a synchronized sequence of movements performed by a group of swimmers

water bear -n

  1. tardigrade

Water Bearer -n

  1. aquarius
  2. aquarius

water bed -n

  1. a bed whose mattress is a watertight bag filled with water

water beetle -n

  1. any of numerous oval flattened aquatic beetles (as a diving beetle or whirligig beetle) that swim by means of their fringed hind legs which act together as oars

wa·ter·bird ['wȯ-tər-,bərd, 'wä-] -n

  1. a swimming or wading bird

water biscuit -n

  1. a cracker of flour and water and sometimes fat

water blister -n

  1. a blister with a clear watery content

water bloom -n

  1. bloom

wa·ter·board·ing ['wȯ-tər-,bȯr-diŋ, 'wä-] -n

  1. an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning

water boatman -n

  1. backswimmer
  2. any of various oval flattened aquatic bugs (family Corixidae) of fresh or brackish water with fringed hind legs modified into paddles

wa·ter·borne ['wȯ-tər-,bȯrn, 'wä-] -adj

  1. supported, carried, or transmitted by water
    • waterborne commerce
    • waterborne diseases

water boy -n

  1. one who keeps a group (as of football players) supplied with drinking water

wa·ter·buck ['wȯ-tər-,bək, 'wä-] -n

  1. a stocky antelope ( Kobus ellipsiprymnus) of sub-Saharan Africa that commonly frequent streams or wet areas

water buffalo -n

  1. an often domesticated Asian buffalo ( Bubalus bubalissyn. B. arnee)

water bug -n

  1. : any of various small arthropods and esp. insects that frequent damp or wet places: as
  2. german cockroach
  3. water boatman
  4. any of various large aquatic bugs (family Belostomatidae) with the hind legs flattened and used for swimming

water cannon -n

  1. a large truck-mounted nozzle for directing a high-pressure stream of water (as at a crowd of rioters or demonstrators)

water chestnut -n

  1. any of a genus ( Trapa,esp. T. natansof the family Trapaceae, the water-chestnut family) of Old World aquatic herbs sometimes grown as ornamentals
  2. its edible nutlike spiny fruit
  3. a whitish crunchy vegetable used esp. in Chinese cooking that is the peeled and often sliced tuber of a sedge ( Eleocharis dulcissyn. E. tuberosa) native to Asia but widely cultivated elsewhere
  4. the tuber or the sedge itself

water clock -n

  1. an instrument designed to measure time by the fall or flow of a quantity of water called also clepsydra

water closet -n

  1. a compartment or room with a toilet
  2. a toilet bowl and its accessories

wa·ter·col·or ['wȯ-tər-,kə-lər, 'wä-] -n, adj

  1. a paint of which the liquid is a water dispersion of the binding material (as glue, casein, or gum)
  2. the art or method of painting with watercolors
  3. a picture or design executed in watercolors

wa·ter·cool·er ['wȯ-tər-,kü-lər, 'wä-] -n

  1. a device for dispensing refrigerated drinking water

wa·ter·course ['wȯ-tər-,kȯrs] -n

  1. a natural or artificial channel through which water flows
  2. a stream of water (as a river, brook, or underground stream)

wa·ter·craft [-,kraft] -n

  1. skill in aquatic activities (as managing boats)
  2. ship, boat
  3. craft for water transport

wa·ter·cress [-,kres] -n

  1. any of several aquatic or semiaquatic cresses
  2. a perennial cress ( Nasturtium officinale) native to Europe and southwestern Asia that is naturalized in the U.S. and has leaves used esp. in salads or as a potherb
  3. the leaves of a watercress

water cycle -n

  1. hydrologic cycle

water dog -n

  1. a person (as a skilled sailor) who is quite at ease in or on water
  2. any of several large American salamanders
  3. any of a genus ( Necturusof the family Proteidae) with external gills

water down -vt, adj

  1. to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of
    • watered down the plan

wa·ter·er ['wȯ-tər-ər, 'wä-] -n

  1. : one that waters: as
  2. a person who obtains or supplies drinking water
  3. a device used for supplying water to livestock and poultry called also drinker

wa·ter·fall [-,fȯl] -n

  1. a perpendicular or very steep descent of the water of a stream
  2. an artificial waterfall (as in a hotel lobby or a nightclub)
  3. something resembling a waterfall

water flea -n

  1. any of various small active dark or brightly colored aquatic crustaceans (as a daphnia or cyclops)

wa·ter·flood [-,fləd] -n

  1. the process of waterflooding an oil well

waterflood -vi

  1. to pump water into the ground around an oil well nearing depletion in order to loosen and force out additional oil

wa·ter·fowl ['wȯ-tər-,fau̇(-ə)l, 'wä-] -n

  1. a bird that frequents water
  2. a swimming game bird (as a duck or goose) as distinguished from an upland game bird or shorebird

wa·ter·fowl·er [-,fau̇-lər] -n

  1. a hunter of waterfowl

wa·ter·front [-,frənt] -n

  1. land, land with buildings, or a section of a town fronting or abutting on a body of water

water gap -n

  1. a pass in a mountain ridge through which a stream runs

water garden -n

  1. a garden in which aquatic plants predominate
  2. a garden built about a stream or pool as a central feature

water gas -n

  1. a poisonous flammable gaseous mixture that consists chiefly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with small amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, is usu. made by blowing air and then steam over red-hot coke or coal, and is used as a fuel or after carbureting as an illuminant

Wa·ter·gate [-,gāt] -n

  1. a scandal usu. involving abuses of office, skulduggery, and a cover-up

water gate -n

  1. a gate (as of a building) giving access to a body of water
  2. floodgate

water gauge -n

  1. an instrument to measure or find the depth or quantity of water or to indicate the height of its surface esp. in a steam boiler

water glass -n

  1. a glass vessel (as a drinking glass) for holding water
  2. an instrument consisting of an open box or tube with a glass bottom used for examining objects in or under water
  3. a substance that consists usu. of the silicate of sodium, is found in commerce as a glassy mass, a stony powder, or dissolved in water as a viscous syrupy liquid, and is used esp. as a cement, a protective coating, and as a fireproofing agent

water gun -n

  1. water pistol

water hammer -n

  1. a concussion or sound of concussion of moving water against the sides of a containing pipe or vessel (as a steam pipe)

water haul -n

  1. a fruitless effort

water heater -n

  1. an apparatus for heating and usu. storing hot water (as for domestic use)

water hemlock -n

  1. a tall poisonous Eurasian perennial herb ( Cicuta virosa) of the carrot family
  2. any of several poisonous No. American plants (esp. Cicuta maculataand C. douglasii) of the same genus

water hen -n

  1. any of various birds (as a coot or gallinule) of the rail family

water hole -n

  1. a natural hole or hollow containing water
  2. a hole in a surface of ice

water hyacinth -n

  1. a showy floating aquatic herb ( Eichhornia crassipes) of tropical So. America that has become naturalized in warm regions (as of the southern U.S.) often clogging waterways

water ice -n

  1. a frozen dessert of water, sugar, and flavoring

watering can -n

  1. a vessel usu. with a spout used to sprinkle or pour water esp. on plants called also watering pot

watering hole -n

  1. water hole
  2. a place where people gather socially
  3. watering place

watering place -n

  1. a place where water may be obtained
  2. one where animals and esp. livestock come to drink
  3. a health or recreational resort featuring mineral springs or bathing
  4. a place (as a nightclub, bar, or lounge) where drink is available

wa·ter·ish ['wȯ-tər-ish, 'wä-] -adj, n

  1. somewhat watery

water jacket -n

  1. an outer casing which holds water or through which water circulates to cool the interior
  2. the enclosed space surrounding the cylinder block of an internal combustion engine and containing the cooling liquid

water jump -n

  1. an obstacle (as in a steeplechase) consisting of a pool, stream, or ditch of water

wa·ter·leaf ['wȯ-tər-,lēf, 'wä-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Hydrophyllumof the family Hydrophyllaceae, the waterleaf family) of perennial or biennial No. American woodland herbs with lobed or pinnate toothed leaves and cymes of bell-shaped flowers

wa·ter·less [-ləs] -adj, n

  1. lacking or destitute of water : dry
  2. not requiring water (as for cooling)

water level -n

  1. an instrument to show the level by means of the surface of water in a trough or in a U-shaped tube
  2. : the surface of still water: as
  3. the level assumed by the surface of a particular body or column of water
  4. the waterline of a vessel

water lily -n

  1. any of various aquatic plants (esp. genera Nymphaeaand Nupharof the family Nymphaeaceae, the water-lily family) with floating leaves and usu. showy flowers
  2. an aquatic plant (as a water hyacinth) with showy flowers

wa·ter·line ['wȯ-tər-,līn, 'wä-] -n

  1. : a line that marks the level of the surface of water on something: as
  2. the point on the hull of a ship or boat to which the water rises
  3. a line marked on the outside of a ship that corresponds with the water's surface when the ship is afloat on an even keel under specified conditions of loading
  4. shoreline

wa·ter·log [-,lȯg, -,läg] -vt

  1. to make waterlogged

wa·ter·logged [-,lȯgd, -,lägd] -adj

  1. so filled or soaked with water as to be heavy or hard to manage
    • waterlogged boats
  2. saturated with water
    • waterlogged soil

wa·ter·loo [,wȯ-tər-'lü, ,wä-] -n

  1. a decisive or final defeat or setback
    • a political waterloo

water main -n

  1. a pipe or conduit for conveying water

wa·ter·man ['wȯ-tər-mən, 'wä-] -n

  1. : one who works or lives on the water: as
  2. a man who makes his living from the water (as by fishing)
  3. a boatman who plies for hire usu. on inland waters or harbors

wa·ter·man·ship [-,ship] -n

  1. : the business, skill, or art of a waterman: as
  2. technique or expertness in rowing
  3. technique or expertness in swimming

wa·ter·mark ['wȯ-tər-,märk, 'wä-] -n

  1. a mark indicating the height to which water has risen
  2. a marking in paper resulting from differences in thickness usu. produced by pressure of a projecting design in the mold or on a processing roll and visible when the paper is held up to the light
  3. the design of or the metal pattern producing the marking

watermark -vt

  1. to mark (paper) with a watermark
  2. to impress (a given design) as a watermark

wa·ter·mel·on [-,me-lən] -n

  1. a large oblong or roundish fruit with a hard green or white rind often striped or variegated, a sweet watery pink, yellowish, or red pulp, and usu. many seeds
  2. a widely cultivated African vine ( Citrullus lanatussyn. C. vulgaris) of the gourd family that bears watermelons

water meter -n

  1. an instrument for recording the quantity of water passing through a particular outlet

water milfoil -n

  1. any of a genus ( Myriophyllumof the family Haloragaceae) of aquatic herbs with finely pinnate submersed leaves

water mill -n

  1. a mill whose machinery is moved by water

water moccasin -n

  1. a venomous semiaquatic pit viper ( Agkistrodon piscivorus) chiefly of the southeastern U.S. that is closely related to the copperhead called also cottonmouth cottonmouth moccasin
  2. a harmless American colubrid water snake (genus Nerodia) resembling the true water moccasin

water mold -n

  1. any of various fungi of water or moist soils

water nymph -n

  1. a nymph (as a naiad, Nereid, or Oceanid) associated with a body of water

water oak -n

  1. any of several American oaks that thrive in wet soils
  2. one ( Quercus nigra) of the eastern U.S.

water of crystallization

  1. water of hydration present in many crystallized substances that is usu. essential for maintenance of a particular crystal structure

water of hydration

  1. water that is chemically combined with a substance to form a hydrate and can be expelled (as by heating) without essentially altering the composition of the substance

water on the knee

  1. an accumulation of synovial fluid in the knee joint (as from injury or disease) marked esp. by swelling

water ouzel -n

  1. dipper

water park -n

  1. an amusement park with facilities (as pools and wetted slides) for aquatic recreation

water parting -n

  1. divide

water pepper -n

  1. an annual European smartweed ( Polygonum hydropiper) of moist soils with extremely acrid peppery juice that is naturalized in No. America
  2. a related American perennial ( P. hydropiperoides) with mildly acrid juice

water pill -n

  1. a diuretic pill

water pimpernel -n

  1. either of two small white-flowered herbs ( Samolus valerandiof Eurasia and S. parviflorussyn. S. floribundusof America) of the primrose family that grow in wet places

water pipe -n

  1. a pipe for conveying water
  2. a smoking device that consists of a bowl mounted on a vessel of water which is provided with a long tube and arranged so that smoke is drawn through the water where it is cooled and up the tube to the mouth

water pistol -n

  1. a toy pistol designed to squirt a jet of liquid called also water gun squirt gun

water plantain -n

  1. any of a genus ( Alismaof the family Alismataceae, the water-plantain family) of marsh or aquatic herbs with acrid sap and scapose 3-petaled flowers

water polo -n

  1. a goal game similar to soccer that is played in water by teams of swimmers using a ball resembling a soccer ball

wa·ter·pow·er ['wȯ-tər-,pau̇(-ə)r, 'wä-] -n

  1. the power of water employed to move machinery
  2. a fall of water suitable for being used to move machinery

water privilege -n

  1. the right to use water esp. as a source of mechanical power

wa·ter·proof ['wȯ-tər-,prüf, 'wä-] -adj, n

  1. impervious to water
  2. covered or treated with a material (as a solution of rubber) to prevent permeation by water

waterproof -n

  1. a waterproof fabric
  2. raincoat
  3. to make waterproof

wa·ter·proof·ing [-,prü-fiŋ] -n

  1. the act or process of making something waterproof
  2. the condition of being made waterproof
  3. something (as a coating) capable of imparting waterproofness

water rat -n

  1. a rodent that frequents water
  2. a waterfront loafer or petty thief

wa·terre·pel·lent [,wȯ-tə(r)-ri-'pe-lənt, ,wä-] -adj

  1. treated with a finish that is resistant but not impervious to penetration by water

wa·terre·sis·tant [-ri-'zis-tənt] -adj

  1. water-repellent

water right -n

  1. a right to the use of water (as for irrigation)
  2. riparian right

water sapphire -n

  1. a deep blue cordierite sometimes used as a gem

wa·ter·scape ['wȯ-tər-,skāp, 'wä-] -n

  1. a water or sea view : seascape

water scorpion -n

  1. any of numerous aquatic bugs (family Nepidae) with the end of the abdomen prolonged by a long breathing tube

wa·ter·shed ['wȯ-tər-,shed, 'wä-] -n, adj

  1. divide
  2. a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water
  3. a crucial dividing point, line, or factor : turning point

water shield -n

  1. an aquatic herb ( Brasenia schreberi) having floating oval leaves with a gelatinous coating and small dull purple flowers
  2. any of a related genus ( Cabomba)

wa·ter·side ['wȯ-tər-,sīd, 'wä-] -n

  1. the margin of a body of water : waterfront

waterside -adj

  1. employed along the waterside
    • waterside workers
  2. of or relating to the workers along the waterside
    • a waterside strike
  3. of, relating to, or located on the waterside
    • a waterside cafe

water ski -n, vi

  1. a ski used in planing over water while being towed by a speedboat

wa·terski·er ['wȯ-tər-,skē-ər, 'wä-] -n

  1. one who water-skis

wa·ter·ski·ing [-,skē-iŋ] -n

  1. the sport of planing and jumping on water skis

wa·ter·slide ['wȯ-tər-,slīd, 'wä-] -n

  1. a continuously wetted chute (as at an amusement park) down which people slide into a pool

water snake -n

  1. any of various snakes (esp. genus Nerodiaformerly included in the genus Natrix) that frequent or inhabit freshwaters and feed largely on aquatic animals

wa·tersoak ['wȯ-tər-,sōk, 'wä-] -vt

  1. to soak in water

water spaniel -n

  1. : a spaniel of either of two breeds:
  2. american water spaniel
  3. irish water spaniel

wa·ter·spout ['wȯ-tər-,spau̇t, 'wä-] -n

  1. a pipe, duct, or orifice from which water is spouted or through which it is carried
  2. a funnel-shaped or tubular column of rotating cloud-filled wind usu. extending from the underside of a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud down to a cloud of spray torn up by the whirling winds from the surface of an ocean or lake

water sprite -n

  1. a sprite believed to inhabit or haunt water : water nymph

water sprout -n

  1. a vigorous upright shoot from an adventitious or latent bud on the trunk or main branch of a tree

water strider -n

  1. any of various long-legged bugs (family Gerridae) that move about on the surface of the water

water supply -n

  1. a source, means, or process of supplying water (as for a community) usu. including reservoirs, tunnels, and pipelines

water table -n

  1. a stringcourse or similar member when projecting so as to throw off water
  2. the upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water

water taxi -n

  1. a boat functioning (as within a harbor) as a taxi

wa·ter·thrush ['wȯ-tər-,thrəsh, 'wä-] -n

  1. either of two No. American warblers ( Seiurus noveboracensisand S. motacillaof the family Parulidae) found near freshwater (as a stream)

wa·ter·tight [,wȯ-tər-'tīt, ,wä-] -adj, n

  1. of such tight construction or fit as to be impermeable to water except when under sufficient pressure to produce structural discontinuity
  2. leaving no possibility of misconstruction or evasion
    • a watertight lease

water tower -n

  1. a tower or standpipe serving as a reservoir to deliver water at a required head

water turkey -n

  1. the New World anhinga ( Anhinga anhinga)

water vapor -n

  1. water in a vaporous form esp. when below boiling temperature and diffused (as in the atmosphere)

watervascular system -n

  1. a system of canals in echinoderms containing a circulating watery fluid that is used for the movement of the tentacles and tube feet

water wagon -n

  1. a wagon or motortruck equipped with a tank or barrels for hauling water or for sprinkling

wa·ter·way ['wȯ-tər-,wā, 'wä-] -n

  1. a way or channel for water
  2. a navigable body of water

wa·ter·weed [-,wēd] -n

  1. any of various floating or submerged aquatic plants (as elodea) having usu. inconspicuous flowers

wa·ter·wheel [-,hwēl, -,wēl] -n

  1. a wheel made to rotate by direct action of water
  2. a wheel for raising water

water wings -n pl

  1. an air-filled device that fits around the arms of a person learning to swim so as to provide buoyancy

water witch [-,wi-chiŋ] -n

  1. one who dowses for water

water witch·er [-,wi-chər] -n

  1. water witch

wa·ter·works ['wȯ-tər-,wərks, 'wä-] -n pl

  1. the system of reservoirs, channels, mains, and pumping and purifying equipment by which a water supply is obtained and distributed (as to a city)
  2. an ornamental fountain or cascade
  3. the shedding of tears : tears

wa·ter·worn [-,wȯrn] -adj

  1. worn, smoothed, or polished by the action of water

wa·tery ['wȯ-tə-rē, 'wä-] -adj, adv, n

  1. consisting of, filled with, or surrounded by water
  2. containing, sodden with, or yielding water or a thin liquid
    • a watery solution
    • watery vesicles
  3. resembling water or watery matter esp. in thin fluidity, soggy texture, paleness, or lack of savor
    • watery sunlight
    • a watery soup
    • watery diarrhea
  4. exhibiting weakness and vapidity : wishy-washy
    • a watery writing style

wa·ter·zooi ['vä-tər-,zȯi] -n

  1. a stew of fish or chicken and vegetables in a seasoned stock thickened with cream and egg yolks

WATS -abbr

  1. Wide-Area Telecommunications Service

Wat·sonCrick [,wät-sən-'krik] -adj

  1. of or relating to the Watson-Crick model
    • the WatsonCrick helix
    • the WatsonCrick structure
    • WatsonCrick base pairs

WatsonCrick model -n

  1. a model of DNA structure in which the molecule is a cross-linked double-stranded helix, each strand is composed of alternating links of phosphate and deoxyribose, and the strands are cross-linked by pairs of purine and pyrimidine bases projecting inward from the deoxyribose sugars and joined by hydrogen bonds with adenine paired with thymine and with cytosine paired with guanine

watt ['wät] -n

  1. the absolute meter-kilogram-second unit of power equal to the work done at the rate of one joule per second or to the power produced by a current of one ampere across a potential difference of one volt : horsepower

watt·age ['wä-tij] -n

  1. amount of power expressed in watts
  2. dynamic or mental energy or appeal
    • the celebrity's high wattage

Wat·teau [(,)wä-'tō] -adj

  1. shallow-crowned and having a wide brim turned up at the back to hold flower trimmings
  2. having back pleats falling loosely from neckline to hem

watthour ['wät-'au̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. a unit of work or energy equivalent to the power of one watt operating for one hour

wat·tle ['wä-tᵊl] -n, adj

  1. a fabrication of poles interwoven with slender branches, withes, or reeds and used esp. formerly in building
  2. material for such construction
  3. poles laid on a roof to support thatch
  4. acacia

wattle ['wät-liŋ, 'wä-tᵊl-iŋ] -vt

  1. to form or build of or with wattle
  2. to form into wattle : interlace to form wattle
  3. to unite or make solid by interweaving light flexible material
  4. a fleshy pendulous process usu. about the head or neck (as of a bird)

wattle and daub -n, adj

  1. a framework of woven rods and twigs covered and plastered with clay and used in building construction

wat·tle·bird ['wä-tᵊl-,bərd] -n

  1. any of several Australasian honeyeaters (genus Anthochaera) having ear wattles

watt·me·ter ['wät-,mē-tər] -n

  1. an instrument for measuring electric power in watts

Wa·tu·si [wä-'tü-sē] -n

  1. tutsi

wave ['wāv] -vb

  1. to motion with the hands or with something held in them in signal or salute
  2. to float, play, or shake in an air current : move loosely to and fro : flutter
    • flags waving in the breeze
  3. to move in waves : heave
  4. to become moved or brandished to and fro
    • signs waved in the crowd
  5. to move before the wind with a wavelike motion
    • field of waving grain
  6. to follow a curving line or take a wavy form : undulate
  7. to swing (something) back and forth or up and down
  8. to impart a curving or undulating shape to
    • waved her hair
  9. to motion to (someone) to go in an indicated direction or to stop : signal
    • waved down a passing car
  10. to gesture with (the hand or an object) in greeting or farewell or in homage
  11. to dismiss or put out of mind : disregard usu. used with aside or off
  12. to convey by waving
    • waved farewell
  13. brandish, flourish
    • waved a pistol menacingly
  14. a moving ridge or swell on the surface of a liquid (as of the sea)
  15. open water
  16. a shape or outline having successive curves
  17. a waviness of the hair
  18. an undulating line or streak or a pattern formed by such lines
  19. : something that swells and dies away: as
  20. a surge of sensation or emotion
    • a wave of anger swept over her
  21. a movement sweeping large numbers in a common direction
    • wave s of protest
  22. a peak or climax of activity
    • a wave of buying
  23. a sweep of hand or arm or of some object held in the hand used as a signal or greeting
  24. a rolling or undulatory movement or one of a series of such movements passing along a surface or through the air
  25. : a movement like that of an ocean wave: as
  26. a surging movement of a group
    • a big new wave of women politicians
  27. one of a succession of influxes of people migrating into a region
  28. a moving group of animals of one kind
  29. a sudden rapid increase in a population
  30. a line of attacking or advancing troops or airplanes
  31. a display of people in a large crowd (as at a sports event) successively rising, lifting their arms overhead, and quickly sitting so as to form a swell moving through the crowd
  32. a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a medium and that may take the form of an elastic deformation or of a variation of pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature
  33. one complete cycle of such a disturbance
  34. a marked change in temperature : a period of hot or cold weather
  35. an undulating or jagged line constituting a graphic representation of an action

Wave ['wāv] -n

  1. a member of the women's component of the U.S. Navy formed during World War II and discontinued in the 1970s

wave band -n

  1. a band of radio-wave frequencies

waved -adj

  1. : having a wavelike form or outline: as
  2. having wavy lines of color : watered
    • waved cloth
  3. marked by undulations : curving
    • the waved cutting edge of a bread knife

wave equation -n

  1. a partial differential equation of the second order whose solutions describe wave phenomena

wave·form ['wāv-,fȯrm] -n

  1. a usu. graphic representation of the shape of a wave that indicates its characteristics (as frequency and amplitude) called also waveshape

wave front -n

  1. a surface composed at any instant of all the points just reached by a vibrational disturbance in its propagation through a medium

wave·guide ['wāv-,gīd] -n

  1. a device (as a duct, coaxial cable, or glass fiber) designed to confine and direct the propagation of electromagnetic waves (as light)
  2. a metal tube for channeling ultrahigh-frequency waves

wave·length [-,leŋ(k)th] -n

  1. the distance in the line of advance of a wave from any one point to the next point of corresponding phase
  2. a particular course or line of thought esp. as related to mutual understanding
    • two people on different wavelength s

wave·let [-lət] -n

  1. a little wave : ripple

wave mechanics -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. the mathematical description of atomic and subatomic particles in terms of their wave characteristics
  2. quantum mechanics

wave number -n

  1. the number of waves per unit distance of radiant energy of a given wavelength : the reciprocal of the wavelength

wave of the future

  1. an idea, product, or movement that is viewed as representing forces or a trend that will inevitably prevail

wave packet -n

  1. a pulse of radiant energy that is the resultant of a number of wave trains of differing wavelengths

wave pool -n

  1. a large swimming pool equipped with a machine for producing waves

wa·ver ['wā-vər] -vi, n, adv

  1. to vacillate irresolutely between choices : fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction
  2. to weave or sway unsteadily to and fro : reel, totter
  3. quiver, flicker
    • waver ing flames
  4. to hesitate as if about to give way : falter
  5. to give an unsteady sound : quaver

waver -n

  1. an act of wavering, quivering, or fluttering

wav·er ['wā-vər] -n

  1. one that waves

wa·very ['wāv-rē, 'wā-və-rē] -adj

  1. that waves : wavering

wave·shape ['wāv-,shāp] -n

  1. waveform

wave theory -n

  1. a theory in physics: light is transmitted from luminous bodies to the eye and other objects by an undulatory movement called also undulatory theory

wave train -n

  1. a succession of similar waves at equal intervals

wavy ['wā-vē] -adj, adv, n

  1. rising or swelling in waves
  2. abounding in waves
    • wavy hair
  3. moving with an undulating motion : fluctuating
  4. marked by wavering
    • wavy lines
  5. marked by undulation : rolling

waw ['väv, 'vȯv] -n

  1. the 6th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

wax ['waks] -n, adj

  1. a substance that is secreted by bees and is used by them for constructing the honeycomb, that is a dull yellow solid plastic when warm, and that is composed of a mixture of esters, cerotic acid, and hydrocarbons called also beeswax
  2. : any of various substances resembling the wax of bees: as
  3. any of numerous substances of plant or animal origin that differ from fats in being less greasy, harder, and more brittle and in containing principally compounds of high molecular weight (as fatty acids, alcohols, and saturated hydrocarbons)
  4. a solid substance (as ozokerite or paraffin wax) of mineral origin consisting usu. of hydrocarbons of high molecular weight
  5. a pliable or liquid composition used esp. in uniting surfaces, excluding air, making patterns or impressions, or producing a polished surface
  6. something likened to wax as soft, impressionable, or readily molded
  7. a waxy secretion
  8. earwax
  9. a phonograph recording
  10. to treat or rub with wax usu. for polishing, stiffening, or reducing friction
  11. to apply wax to (as legs) as a depilatory
  12. to record on phonograph records
  13. to defeat decisively (as in an athletic contest)
  14. to increase in size, numbers, strength, prosperity, or intensity
  15. to grow in volume or duration
  16. to grow toward full development
  17. to increase in phase or intensity used chiefly of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets
  18. to assume a (specified) characteristic, quality, or state : become
    • wax indignant
    • wax poetic
  19. increase, growth usu. used in the phrase on the wax
  20. a fit of temper : rage

wax bean -n

  1. a kidney bean with pods that turn creamy yellow to bright yellow when mature enough for use as snap beans

wax·bill ['waks-,bil] -n

  1. any of numerous Old World oscine birds (family Estrildidae, esp. genus Estrilda) having white, pink, or reddish bills of a waxy appearance

waxed paper -n

  1. paper coated or treated with wax to make it resistant to water and grease and used esp. as a wrapping

wax·en ['wak-sən] -adj

  1. made of or covered with wax
  2. : resembling wax: as
  3. easily molded : pliable
  4. seeming to lack vitality or animation : pallid
  5. lustrously smooth

wax·er [-sər] -n

  1. a device for applying wax
  2. one whose work is applying or polishing with wax

wax light -n

  1. a wax candle : taper

wax moth -n

  1. a dull brownish or ashen pyralid moth ( Galleria mellonella) with a larva that feeds on the honeycomb wax of bees

wax museum -n

  1. a place where wax effigies (as of famous historical persons) are exhibited

wax myrtle -n

  1. any of a genus ( Myricaof the family Myricaceae, the wax-myrtle family) of trees or shrubs with aromatic foliage
  2. a shrub or small tree ( M. cerifera) of the eastern U.S. having small hard berries with a thick coating of bluish-white wax used for candles

wax palm -n

  1. : any of several palms that yield wax: as
  2. an Andean pinnate-leaved palm ( Ceroxylon alpinumsyn. C. andicola) whose stem yields a resinous wax used in candles
  3. carnauba

wax paper -n

  1. waxed paper

wax·wing ['waks-,wiŋ] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Bombycilla) of American and Eurasian chiefly brown to gray oscine birds (as a cedar waxwing) having a showy crest, red waxy material on the tips of the secondaries, and a yellow band on the tip of the tail

wax·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. an effigy in wax usu. of a person
  2. wax museum

waxy ['wak-sē] -adj, n

  1. made of, abounding in, or covered with wax : waxen
    • a waxy surface
    • waxy berries
  2. : resembling wax: as
  3. readily shaped or molded
  4. marked by smooth or lustrous whiteness
    • a waxy complexion

way ['wā] -n

  1. a thoroughfare for travel or transportation from place to place
  2. an opening for passage
    • this door is the only way out of the room
  3. the course traveled from one place to another : route
    • asked the way to the museum
  4. a course (as a series of actions or sequence of events) leading in a direction or toward an objective
    • led the way to eventual open heart operations -- Current Biog.
  5. a course of action
    • took the easy way out
  6. opportunity, capability, or fact of doing as one pleases
    • always manages to get her own way
  7. a possible decision, action, or outcome : possibility
    • they were rude-no two way s about it
  8. manner or method of doing or happening
    • admired her way of thinking
  9. method of accomplishing : means
    • that's the way to do it
  10. feature, respect
    • in no way resembles her mother
  11. a usu. specified degree of participation in an activity or enterprise
    • active in real estate in a small way
  12. characteristic, regular, or habitual manner or mode of being, behaving, or happening
    • knows nothing of the way s of women
  13. ability to get along well or perform well
    • she has a way with kids
    • a way with words
  14. the length of a course : distance
    • has come a long way in her studies
    • still have a way to go
  15. movement or progress along a course
    • worked her way up the corporate ladder
  16. direction
    • is coming this way
  17. participant usu. used in combination
    • three- way discussion
  18. state of affairs : condition, state
    • that's the way things are
  19. an inclined structure upon which a ship is built or supported in launching
  20. the guiding surfaces on the bed of a machine along which a table or carriage moves
  21. category, kind usu. used in the phrase in the way of
    • doesn't require much in the way of expensive equipment -- Forbes
  22. motion or speed of a ship or boat through the water
  23. of, connected with, or constituting an intermediate point on a route
  24. away
    • is way ahead of the class
  25. by far : much
    • ate way too much
  26. very
    • way cool
    • way excited
  27. all the way
    • pull the switch way back

way·bill ['wā-,bil] -n

  1. a document prepared by the carrier of a shipment of goods that contains details of the shipment, route, and charges

way·far·er ['wā-,fer-ər] -n, adj

  1. a traveler esp. on foot

wayfaring tree -n

  1. a Eurasian viburnum ( Viburnum lantana) that has large ovate leaves and dense cymes of small white flowers and is common along waysides

way·go·ing ['wā-,gō-ən, -iŋ] -n

  1. the act of leaving : departure

Way·land ['wā-lən(d)] -n

  1. a heroic smith of Germanic legend

way·lay ['wā-,lā] -vt

  1. to lie in wait for or attack from ambush

way·less [-ləs] -adj

  1. having no road or path

Way of the Cross

  1. stations of the cross

wayout ['wā-'au̇t] -adj

  1. far-out

way·point ['wā-,pȯint] -n

  1. an intermediate point on a route or line of travel

ways ['wāz] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. way
    • a long ways from home

ways and means -n pl

  1. methods and resources for accomplishing something and esp. for defraying expenses
  2. methods and resources for raising the necessary revenues for the expenses of a nation or state
  3. a legislative committee concerned with this function

way·side ['wā-,sīd] -n, adj

  1. the side of or land adjacent to a road or path

way station -n

  1. a station set between principal stations on a line of travel (as a railroad)
  2. an intermediate stopping place

way·ward ['wā-wərd] -adj, adv, n

  1. following one's own capricious, wanton, or depraved inclinations : ungovernable
    • a wayward child
  2. following no clear principle or law : unpredictable
  3. opposite to what is desired or expected : untoward
    • wayward fate

way·worn [-,wȯrn] -adj

  1. wearied by traveling

wa·zoo [(,)wä-'zü] -n

  1. anus