Past tense and past participle: usually wet.. a form used as the subject or object of a sentence or clause when asking questions to get more information about someone or something.. a fo
Trang 1west ["wEst] 1 n the direction to
the left of someone or something
facing north; the direction in
which the sun sets (No plural.)
2 n the western part of a region
or country (No plural Capitalized
when referring to a region of the
United States.) 3 adj to Q; on the
side that is toward Q; facing Q
(Not prenominal.) 4 adj from Q.
(Especially used to describe wind
Not prenominal.) 5 adv toward
Q; into the western part of
some-thing
theWest 1 n Western Europe,
North America, and South
Amer-ica, as contrasted especially with
Eastern Europe, East Asia, and
sometimes other parts of Asia
(No plural Often capitalized.)
2 n the part of Europe that was
not under the influence of the
for-mer Soviet Union or ruled under a
political and economic system
similar to that in the former Soviet
Union (No plural.)
western ["wEs t#n] 1 adj in the
west; toward the west; facing the
west 2 adj from the west
(Espe-cially used to describe wind.) 3 n.
a movie, book, or television show
about the development of the part
of the United States that is in the
West during the 1800s
(Some-times capitalized.)
wet ["wEt] 1 adj not dry; covered
with or soaked with liquid (Adv:
wetly Comp: wetter; sup: wettest.)
2 adj [of weather] rainy (Adv:
wetly Comp: wetter; sup: wettest.)
3 adj allowing liquor to be sold
[legally] 4 tv., irreg to make
someone or something Q; to
cause someone or something to be
Q (Past tense and past participle:
wet, wetted.) 5 tv., irreg to
uri-nate on oneself, on something, or
in one’s own clothes (Past tense
and past participle: usually wet.)
→ (as) mad as a wet hen
→ get one’sfeet wet
wet behind the ears young and
inexperienced
a wet blanket a dull or depressing
person who spoils other people’s enjoyment
wetness ["wEt n@s] n moisture;
liquid that can be felt or seen (No plural.)
we’ve ["wiv] cont we have, where
haveis an auxiliary
whale ["Wel] n a very large
mam-mal that lives in the ocean and breathes through an opening on top of its head
wharf ["worf] n., irreg a platform
where ships can dock in order to load or unload people or cargo; a pier (Plural: wharves.)
wharves ["worvz] plural ofwharf
what ["W^t] 1 interrog a form
used as the subject or object of a sentence or clause when asking questions to get more information about someone or something
2 interrog a form used before
nominals when asking questions
to get more information about that noun or nominal 3 pron that which; the thing that; the
things that 4 interj a form
show-ing great surprise
What about (doing) something?
Would you like to do something? west
696
Trang 2What about (having) something?
Would you like to have something?
what makes someone tick that
which motivates someone; that
which makes someone behave in a
certain way
whatever [W@t "Ev #] 1 pron
any-thing that; everyany-thing that 2.
pron no matter what 3 interrog.
an emphatic form ofwhatQ,
sim-ilar to What possibly? 4 adj any;
no matter what
what’s ["W^ts] 1 cont what is.
2 cont what has, where hasis an
auxiliary
wheat ["Wit] 1 n a kind of cereal
grain grown for its seeds (No
plu-ral.) 2 n the seed of Q, ground to
make flour (No plural Number is
expressed with grain(s) of wheat.)
3 adj made from W.
wheel ["Wil] 1 n a sturdy circular
object that turns around a central
point and is connected to an axle
2 n the round object used to steer
a vehicle (Short for steering
wheel.)
→ put one’sshoulder to the wheel
→ steering wheel
wheelbarrow ["Wil bEr o] n an
open container attached to a
frame with one wheel in front and
handles behind to steer it
wheelchair ["Wil tSEr] n a chair
that has wheels instead of legs,
usually two large wheels in back
and two small ones in front, for
people who are unable to walk
when ["WEn] 1 interrog at what
time? 2 conj at the time that; at
that certain time 3 conj
consid-ering [the fact that]; as
when the time is ripe at exactly
the right time
whenever [WEn "Ev #] 1 conj at any time; at whatever time 2 conj every time; each time 3 interrog.
when?; at what time? (Used for emphasis.)
where ["WEr] 1 interrog in what
place?; at what place?; in which
location? 2 conj in that place; at that place; in that location 3 conj.
in the case; such that; wherever
whereas [WEr "Az] 1 conj but;
however; on the other hand; on
the contrary 2 conj since;
because (Used to introduce legal documents.)
where’s ["WErz] 1 cont where has,
where hasis an auxiliary 2 cont.
where is
whether ["WED #] conj a form used
with some kinds of questions when more than one answer is possible; if
whether or not either if something
is true or if something is not true; one way or the other
which ["WItS] 1 interrog a form
used in questions to ask about or distinguish among specific people
or things; what one or ones? (E.g.,
Which students were late? Used
before a noun.) 2 adj a form used
to distinguish among people or things already mentioned or known from the context; what [one or ones]; the [one or ones] (Prenominal only.) 3 pron a form used to show the differences among people or things already mentioned or known from the context; what one or ones; the one
which
697
Trang 3or ones (Treated as singular or
plural.) 4 pron a form used after
a word, phrase, or clause and
serv-ing to introduce extra, incidental,
or descriptive information about
the word, phrase, or clause rather
than information needed to
iden-tify it; the one or ones that
(Treated as singular or plural.)
5 pron a form used after a word
or a phrase and serving to
intro-duce special, contrastive, or
dis-tinctive information about the
word or phrase; the one or ones
that (Treated as singular or
plural.)
whiff ["WIf] 1 n an odor 2 n a
bit of an odor sensed by the nose
→ catch a whiff of something
→ get a whiff of something
while ["WaIl] 1 conj during that
time; during a certain time that; at
the same time as that 2 conj and,
in contrast; although; on the other
hand; and; whereas 3 n a length
of time (No plural.)
whim ["WIm] n a sudden wish to
do something, especially an
unreasonable wish
whimper ["WIm p#] 1 n a small,
quiet moan or cry, especially from
someone or something that is
afraid 2 iv to moan quietly, as
though one were afraid 3 tv to
say something while whimpering,
as in W (The object can be a
clause with that U.)
whine ["WaIn] 1 n a cry not made
with the mouth open very much; a
soft, high-pitched cry 2 iv to
complain in a sad, annoying,
childish voice 3 tv to make a
complaint in a sad, annoying,
childish voice (The object can be
a clause with that U.)
whip ["WIp] 1 n a long strip of
leather, usually attached to a han-dle, used for hitting people or ani-mals 2 n a member of a political party who organizes and manages members of the party serving in a legislative body 3 tv to hit or strike someone or an animal with
Q 4 tv to beat eggs or cream
until the mixture bubbles into a
froth 5 tv to beat an opponent in
a contest or game by a wide mar-gin (Figurative on E.)
whisk ["WIsk] 1 n a wire tool for
whipping eggs, cream, and other
mixtures 2 tv to whip eggs,
cream, and other mixtures into a froth
whisker ["WIs k#] n a hair that
grows from near the mouth of a cat and certain other animals; a hair that is part of a beard
→ by a whisker
whiskey ["WIs ki] 1 n a strong
alcohol for drinking made from corn, rye, or other grains (Plural only for types and instances.) 2 n
a glass of Q; a drink of Q
whisper ["WIs p#] 1 tv to say
something with the breath only, not using the full voice (The object can be a clause with that
U.) 2 iv to speak as in Q 3 n.
speaking done with the breath only, not using the voice
whistle ["WIs @l] 1 n a small metal
or plastic instrument that makes a shrill, high-pitched sound when one blows air into it 2 n a shrill, high-pitched sound made by pass-ing air through a small openpass-ing whiff
698
Trang 4between one’s lips or through Q.
3 tv to make a melody with a
shrill, high-pitched sound made
by passing air through one’s lips
4 iv to make a shrill,
high-pitched sound by passing air
through Q or through one’s lips
→ blow the whistle (on someone)
whistle for something to expect or
look for something with no hope
of getting it
white ["WaIt] 1 n the color of salt
or milk (Plural only for types and
instances.) 2 n someone who has
light-colored skin, usually persons
of European descent 3 n the
clear part of an egg, which turns
Q when it is cooked 4 adj
hav-ing the color of salt or milk (Adv:
whitely Comp: whiter; sup:
whitest.) 5 adj pale (Comp:
whiter; sup: whitest.) 6 adj [of
people, usually of European
descent or their skin]
light-col-ored (See also Caucasian Comp:
whiter; sup: whitest.)
→ (as) white as the driven snow
→ in black and white
white elephant something that is
useless and either is a nuisance or
is expensive to keep up
whiten ["WaIt n] 1 tv to cause
something to become white; to
make something white 2 iv to
turn pale
whittle ["WIt @l] 1 tv to cut pieces
of wood away a little bit at a time
with a knife; to shave off small
strips from a piece of wood 2 tv
to carve an object from wood,
cut-ting away small pieces
whiz ["WIz] 1 iv [for something] to
move very quickly through the air while making a sound as it passes
by someone or something 2 n an expert; someone who is very skilled at something; someone who can do something quickly and very well (Figurative on Q.)
who ["hu] 1 interrog what or
which person or people? (The pos-sessive form is whose The objec-tive form is whom.) 2 pron a
person or the people mentioned (Standard English requires whom instead ofwhoas the object of a verb or preposition Whocan be
used in restrictive and nonrestric-tive clauses.)
who’d ["hud] 1 cont who had,
where hadis an auxiliary 2 cont.
who would
whoever [hu "Ev #] 1 pron any-one; any person who 2 interrog.
who?
whole ["hol] 1 adj made of the
entire amount; consisting of all parts; not divided; not separated;
complete (Adv: wholly.) 2 adj.
healthy or the feeling of good
health, in the mind or body 3 adj.
not expressed as a fraction or a
decimal number 4 n something
that is complete; something that has all of its parts; the entire amount
→ make somethingup out of whole cloth
whole shooting match the entire
affair or organization
wholesale ["hol sel] 1 adj [of
products] sold in large numbers to people who will sell the products
wholesale
699
Trang 5one at a time to customers
(Com-pare this with retail.) 2 adj done
on a large scale; in large amounts
(Figurative on Q.) 3 adv in large
quantities as in Q and at a
favor-able price
wholesaler ["hol sel #] n someone
who buys products from a
manu-facturer and sells them to store
owners
who’ll ["hul] cont who will.
whom ["hum] pron the objective
form ofwho.(Not common in
informal English See the
com-ments at who.)
whoop it up to enjoy oneself in a
lively and noisy manner
(Infor-mal.)
who’s ["huz] 1 cont who has,
where has is an auxiliary 2 cont.
who is
whose ["huz] 1 pron the
posses-sive form ofwhoand which; of
whom or of which (Whosecan be
used in restrictive and
nonrestric-tive clauses.) 2 interrog a form
used in questions to determine the
identity of the person who owns,
possesses, or is associated with
something; of or belonging to
whom?
why 1 ["WaI] interrog for what
rea-son? 2 ["WaI] conj the reason
that; the reason for which
3 ["waI] interj a form used to
express surprise, dismay, disgust,
or some other emotion
wicked ["wIk @d] adj evil; very
bad; vile (Adv: wickedly.)
wide ["waId] 1 adj not narrow;
broad (Adv: widely Comp: wider;
sup: widest.) 2 adj being a certain
distance from side to side;
meas-ured from side to side (E.g., a yard wide Follows the measure-ment of width Comp: wider.)
3 adj large in size, range, or
scope (Adv: widely Comp: wider;
sup: widest.) 4 adv as far as
possi-ble; to the greatest amount or extent
→ World Wide Web
wide of the mark 1 far from the target 2 inadequate; far from
what is required or expected
widow ["wId o] n a woman whose
husband has died, and who has not married again
widower ["wId o #] n a man
whose wife has died, and who has not married again
width ["wIdT] n distance, from
side to side (No plural.)
wield ["wild] 1 tv to hold and use
something, especially a weapon
2 tv to have and use power,
espe-cially as though it were a weapon (Figurative on Q.)
wiener ["win #] n a beef or pork
sausage, often eaten on a long bun
wife ["waIf] n., irreg the woman a
man is married to (Plural: wives.)
wig ["wIg] n a head covering
simu-lating one’s own hair; a head cov-ering made of real or artificial hair
wiggle ["wIg @l] 1 iv to move back
and forth in quick, little
move-ments 2 tv to cause something to
move back and forth in quick, lit-tle movements
wild ["waIld] 1 adj growing or
liv-ing in nature; not tame; not grown
or kept by a human (Adv: wildly.
wholesaler
700
Trang 6Comp: wilder; sup: wildest.) 2 adj.
not in control; out of control;
lacking control; reckless (Adv:
wildly Comp: wilder; sup:
wildest.)
→ sow one’swild oats
wilderness ["wIl d# n@s] n a large
area of land with no human
resi-dents (No plural Number is
expressed with wilderness area(s).)
wildfire ["waIld faIr] n an
uncon-trollable fire or flame in the
out-doors
→ spread like wildfire
wildflower ["waIld flaU #] n a
flower that is not grown by a
per-son; a flower that grows in nature
wild-goose chase a worthless
hunt or chase; a futile pursuit
will ["wIl] 1 interrog a form used
with a verb to indicate politeness
by turning a command into a
question (See also would E.)
2 aux a form used with a verb to
indicate the future tense (See also
shall See would Q for the
past-tense form Reduced to ’ll in
con-tractions.) 3 aux a form used
with a verb to command someone
to do something 4 aux can; be
able to 5 aux a form used to
express something that is always
true or something that always
happens 6 n the power one has
in one’s mind to do what one
wants to do; an intention to do
something 7 n a legal document
that details how one’s assets will be
distributed after one’s death 8 tv.
to leave something to someone in
one’s U
willing ["wIl IN] adj eagerly ready
to do something; happily prepared
to do something or to be of
serv-ice (Adv: willingly.)
willow ["wIl o] 1 n a tree that has
many long, thin, drooping branches with long, thin leaves
2 n wood from Q (No plural.)
3 adj made of or from W willpower ["wIl paU #] n the
abil-ity to control one’s will (No plu-ral.)
wilt ["wIlt] 1 iv to wither; [for the
leaves or branches of a plant] to lose their strength and sag down-ward 2 iv [for someone] to lose
energy (Figurative on Q.) 3 tv to
cause something to wither or sag
as in Q
win ["wIn] 1 tv., irreg to receive or
achieve first place in a contest or competition (Past tense and past participle: won.) 2 tv., irreg to
achieve or earn something
through hard work or effort 3 iv.,
irreg to be in first place in a
con-test or competition; to be the best
in a contest 4 n a victory; a tri-umph
win by a nose to win by the
slight-est amount of difference (As in a horse race where one horse wins with only its nose ahead of the horse that comes in second.)
win someone over to succeed in
gaining the support and sympathy
of someone
win someone over (to something)
to succeed in making someone accept or favor something
wind 1 ["wInd] n the movement of
air; moving air (Plural with the same meaning, but not countable.)
2 ["wInd] n breath or the ability
wind
701
Trang 7to breathe (No plural.) 3 ["wInd]
tv to cause someone to be out of
breath; to cause someone to have a
hard time breathing 4 ["waInd]
tv., irreg to tighten the spring of a
device such as a watch or a clock
(Past tense and past participle:
wound.) 5 ["waInd] iv., irreg to
move in one direction and then
another; to move in twists and
turns
→ get one’ssecond wind
→ get wind of something
→ in the wind
→ throw caution to the wind
wind down to start running or
operating slower
wind something on(to something)
to coil or wrap something onto
something
wind something up to tighten the
spring in something, such as a
watch or a clock
wind up (by) doing something to
end by doing something [anyway]
winded ["wIn dId] 1 adj out of
breath; gasping for breath 2 the
past tense and past participle of
wind.
windmill ["wInd mIl] n a structure
that uses metal or wooden blades
to capture the power of the wind
→ tilt at windmills
window ["wIn do] 1 n an opening
in a wall or door, usually covered
with a sheet of glass, that allows
light and air into a place 2 n the
sheet of glass that covers an
open-ing in a wall or door
→ storm window
window shade ["wIn do "Sed] n a
sheet of fabric designed to cover a
window to keep the sun out and to
prevent people from seeing in (Can be shortened to shade.)
windowpane ["wIn do pen] n the
sheet of glass that covers an open-ing in a wall or door
window-shopping the habit or
practice of looking at goods in shop windows or in stores without actually buying anything
windowsill ["wIn do sIl] n the flat
ledge at the bottom of a window
windpipe ["wInd paIp] n the tube
in the body that allows air to travel between the mouth and the lungs
windshield ["wInd Sild] n the
large, curved piece of glass in the front of a car, truck, or bus
windy ["wIn di] adj having a lot of
wind; with a lot of wind (Comp:
windier; sup: windiest.)
wine ["waIn] n a drink that
con-tains alcohol and is made from fruit juice, especially the juice of grapes (Plural only for types and instances.)
wing ["wIN] 1 n one of the upper
limbs of a bird, or a flying
mam-mal, used for flight 2 n an
exten-sion on the side of an insect’s
body, used for flight 3 n a
struc-ture on an airplane that stands out from its body, which allows the airplane to stay in the air during flight 4 n a part of a building that is built out from the central or
main part of the building 5 tv to
shoot a bird in the Q without killing it
→ clip someone’swings
→ take someoneunder one’swing(s)
→ try one’swings (out)
→ waiting in the wings wind down
702
Trang 8wink ["wINk] 1 iv to shut and open
one eye quickly, especially either
as a signal or to show amusement
or interest (Compare this with
blink.) 2 n an act of shutting and
opening one eye quickly, especially
either as a signal or to show
amusement or interest
→ (as) quick as a wink
→ not sleep a wink
→ take forty winks
winner ["wIn #] n someone or
something that wins
winter ["wIn t#] 1 n one of the
four seasons of the year; the
sea-son between fall and spring 2 adj.
concerning or associated with Q
3 iv to live in a certain place
dur-ing Q
wipe ["waIp] 1 tv to rub the
sur-face of someone or something
with something in order to clean
or dry it 2 tv to remove
some-thing liquid from a surface, using
something absorbent
wipe someone or something off to
clean someone or something of
something by wiping
wipe something off ((of ) someone
or something) to remove
some-thing from someone or somesome-thing
by wiping
wipe something up 1 to clean up a
mess by wiping (E.g., clean the
dirt up.) 2 to clean something by
wiping (E.g., clean the kitchen up.)
wire ["waI#] 1 n a thin metal
strand; a thread of metal,
espe-cially one used to transmit
elec-tricity (No plural.) 2 n a length
or segment of Q 3 n a message
that is sent by telegram 4 tv to
send a message or money by
tele-graph (The object can be a clause with that U.) 5 tv to install Q in
a building for electricity; to install
or adjust any kind of Q 6 tv to
fasten or secure something with
Q 7 tv to install hidden
micro-phones in a place so that one can record what is said there
→ down to the wire
→ under the wire
wisdom ["wIz d@m] n intelligence,
especially intelligence that is a result of experience; the knowl-edge required to make good deci-sions; the quality of being wise (No plural.)
wise ["waIz] adj able to make good
decisions; showing good
judg-ment; intelligent (Adv: wisely Comp: wiser; sup: wisest.)
→ (as) wise as an owl
→ none the wiser
wish ["wIS] 1 n a desire for some-thing 2 tv to express Q; to hope
that something happens (The object is a clause with that U.)
3 iv to have a desire to do
some-thing
wishful thinking believing that
something is true or that some-thing will happen just because one wishes that it were true or would happen
wit ["wIt] 1 n the ability to
under-stand ideas quickly and make intelligent, clever, and funny com-ments about them (No plural.)
2 n someone who has the ability
to understand ideas quickly and make intelligent, clever, and funny comments about them
→ at one’swit’s end
→ live by one’swits
→ one’swits
wit
703
Trang 9→ to wit
witch ["wItS] 1 n someone, usually
a woman, who has or claims to
have magical powers or who
prac-tices a pagan religion 2 n a mean
or ugly woman (Derogatory.)
with ["wIT] 1 prep among
some-one or something; including
someone or something; in the
company of someone or
some-thing; in addition to someone or
something 2 prep by means of
something; by using something
3 prep showing a quality or
char-acteristic; showing a state or
emo-tion
with a vengeance with
determi-nation and eagerness
with a will with determination and
enthusiasm
with all one’s heart and soul very
sincerely
with all the fixings with all the
condiments that accompany a
cer-tain kind of food
with both hands tied behind
one’s back Go to with one hand
tied behind one’sback.
with ease without effort.
with every (other) breath [saying
something] repeatedly or
continu-ally
with everything (on it) [of a
sandwich] ordered with
every-thing available on it, such as
ketchup, mustard, onions, cheese,
peppers, chili, lettuce, tomato,
etc., as appropriate
with flying colors easily and
excellently
with it (Informal.) 1 up-to-date; fashionable 2 able to think
clearly; able to understand things
with no strings attached and without any strings attached
unconditionally; with no obliga-tions
with one hand tied behind one’s back and with both hands tied behind one’s back easily; even
with a handicap
with regard to someone or
some-thing concerning someone or something
with relish with pleasure or
enjoy-ment
with respect to someone or
some-thing of or about someone or something
with the best will in the world
however much one wishes to do something; however hard one tries
to do something
with the naked eye with eyes that
are not aided by lenses as found in glasses or a microscope
wither ["wID #] 1 iv to shrivel; to
wilt; [for a plant] to turn brown,
sag, and dry out 2 tv to cause a
plant to shrivel, droop, or wilt; to cause a plant to turn brown and dry out
wither on the vine and die on the vine [for something] to
decline or fade away at an early stage of development
withheld [wIT "hEld] past tense and
past participle ofwithhold
withhold [wIT "hold] tv., irreg to
hold or keep something back [from someone or something] witch
704
Trang 10(Past tense and past participle:
withheld.)
within [wIT "In] 1 prep inside
someone or something; in or into
the inside part of someone or
something 2 prep not beyond a
specific boundary; between
cer-tain limits 3 adv into the inside
of someone or something
within an inch of one’s life very
close to ending one’s life; almost to
the point of death
within walking distance close
enough to walk to
without [wIT "aUt] prep not
including someone or something;
lacking someone or something
without a moment to spare Go
to not a moment to spare.
without any strings attached Go
to with no strings attached.
without batting an eye without
showing alarm or response;
with-out blinking an eyelash
without doing something avoiding
doing something; while avoiding
doing something
withstand [wIT "stAnd] tv., irreg.
to resist someone or something; to
oppose someone or something;
not to yield to someone or
some-thing (Past tense and past
partici-ple: withstood.)
withstood [wIT "stUd] past tense
and past participle ofwithstand
witness ["wIt n@s] 1 n someone
who sees something happen;
someone who is in the same place
where something happens; a
spec-tator 2 n someone who sees the
signing of a legal document 3 tv.
to see something happen; to be in
the same place where something happens 4 tv to sign a legal doc-ument as a way of swearing that one has watched another person, who is directly affected by the document, sign it, and thus show that the other person’s signature is real
witness stand ["wIt n@s "stAnd] n.
the place where someone gives tes-timony under oath in court (Can
be shortened to stand.)
wives ["waIvz] plural ofwife
wizard ["wIz #d] 1 n someone,
usually a male, who has or claims
to have magical powers 2 n an
expert; someone who is very skilled at something (Figurative
on Q.)
woke ["wok] a past tense ofwake
woken ["wok @n] a past participle
ofwake.
wolf ["wUlf] n., irreg a wild animal
related to the dog that eats meat and travels in groups (Plural: wolves.)
→ cry wolf
→ keep the wolf from the door
→ throw someoneto the wolves
a wolf in sheep’s clothing
some-thing threatening disguised as something kind
wolves ["wUlvz] plural ofwolf
woman ["wUm @n] 1 n., irreg an
adult female person; an adult female human being (Plural: women.) 2 the adj use of Q.
woman-to-woman Go to man-to-man.
womb ["wum] n the organ in
women and certain other
mam-womb
705