Collins Primary Thesaurus

apply

If you are travelling abroad, you must apply for a passport.

beg

I begged Mum to let me go to the party, but she said no.

beseech

“Have mercy on me, I beseech you!” the frog prince cried to the princess.

demand

The angry diner demanded to know what a beetle was doing in his pudding.

implore

“I implore you to think twice before running away,” said Emma.

plead

The princess pleaded to be set free by the wicked witch.

request

The soccer player requested a transfer to another club.

ask (3) VERB

If you ask someone to come or go somewhere, you invite them there.

ask someone round

The vicar asked us round for a cup of tea.

bid OLD-FASHIONED

His lordship bade me enter and enquired if I would drink wine with him.

invite

Whoopee! Della has invited me to her party.

summon

King Arthur summoned his knights to an assembly at the Round Table.

asleep ADJECTIVE

If you are asleep, your eyes are closed and your whole body is resting.

dead to the world INFORMAL

Dad was dead to the world in the armchair.

fast asleep

Jim, our dog, was fast asleep with his legs in the air.

sound asleep

I was so sound asleep that my little brother had to sit on me to wake me up.

ANTONYM: awake

➔ See sleep (1)

Animals that hibernate spend the winter in a state like a deep sleep.

attack (1) VERB

If a person or an animal attacks another person or animal, they use violence in order to hurt or kill them.

assault

The muggers assaulted the man, then tried to steal his wallet.

charge

The Light Brigade charged the enemy’s guns at full tilt.

mug

Unfortunately, some people are mugged on dark city streets.

raid

Police raided the house where the escaped criminal was living.

storm

Troops stormed the cliffs and succeeded in silencing the machine guns above.

ANTONYM: defend

In sport, to attack is to move forward.

attack (2) NOUN

An attack is a violent, physical action against someone or something.

assault

“This was a serious assault, for which you must pay,” said the judge grimly.

charge

The Light Brigade’s charge was brave but doomed.

invasion

The 1944 D-Day landings in France formed the biggest invasion in world history.

raid

The air raids continued night after night.

strike

The missile strike destroyed the buildings.

ANTONYM: defence

automatic ADJECTIVE

An automatic machine is programmed to do a task without needing a person to operate it.

automated

The new automated answering service kept Dad waiting for half an hour.

computerized

Most photocopiers are computerized these days.

robotic

In car factories, robotic arms put most of the parts together.

self-propelling

My self-propelling model glider worked by twisting an elastic band.

avoid (1) VERB

If you avoid someone or something, you keep away from them.

dodge

We dodged our nosy neighbour by hiding behind a tree as she went past.

elude

By going out of the back door, the celebrity eluded the photographers.

evade

The criminal managed to evade the police for several days, but was eventually caught.

shun

The shy film star shunned publicity, preferring a quiet family life.

steer clear of INFORMAL

“If I were you I’d steer clear of that quarry,” my dad said sternly.

avoid (2) VERB

If you avoid doing something, you make an effort not to do it.

dodge INFORMAL

My lazy brother tried to dodge cleaning the car, but Dad made him do it.

duck out of INFORMAL

I tried to duck out of unpacking the dishwasher, with no success.

escape

The prisoner tried to escape, but the police officer stopped him.

get out of

“It’s no use trying to get out of it. You’ll have to mow the lawn,” said Dad.

shirk

The farmer tried to shirk responsibility for the pollution in the river.

away ADVERB

If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place.

absent

With such a high temperature, Edward was forced to be absent from school.

elsewhere

I searched the house for my gran, but she was obviously elsewhere.

on holiday

Our family is going on holiday to Florida this summer.

To be away from school when you should be there is to play truant.

awful ADJECTIVE

Something awful is very unpleasant or very bad.

appalling

The karaoke singer’s voice was appalling – he sounded like a dog howling!

dreadful

We had a dreadful time in Venice. All the streets were flooded.

fearful INFORMAL

Mr Bellamy had a fearful cold and sneezed all the way to London.

frightful

The house was in a frightful state after it had been burgled.

ghastly INFORMAL

Mum made a ghastly mistake, and put salt in the cake mixture instead of sugar.

gruesome

The room where the murder had taken place was a gruesome sight.

harrowing

The film was harrowing to watch.

hideous

The monster’s head was truly hideous: bloated, scarred and covered in scales.

horrendous

It was a horrendous meal, with half of the food burnt and the other half undercooked.

horrible

For one horrible moment, I thought my wallet had been stolen.

horrid

“William, that was a perfectly horrid thing to say,” said Mrs Brown.

horrific

“Unless this fog goes, I’m afraid there’ll be a horrific accident,” the police officer said.

shocking

“I think it’s shocking,” put in Dad, “that those refugees should be left without shelter.”

terrible

The sun rose on the scene of the earthquake, a terrible sight to behold.

unpleasant

Shingles is a very unpleasant disease to have.

ANTONYM: lovely

awkward (1) ADJECTIVE

If a situation is awkward, it is difficult to deal with.

delicate

It was a delicate situation: to ask Julie about her exams or not to mention the subject.

embarrassing

It was very embarrassing to be stuck outside in my pyjamas in the pouring rain!

tricky

“Now this bit could be tricky,” muttered Bond coolly. “Which wire should I cut?”

uncomfortable

The spy had an uncomfortable moment when the guards stared in through the car window.

awkward (2) ADJECTIVE

If a person or animal is awkward, they are difficult to deal with.

hard to handle

Donkeys have a reputation for being hard to handle.

stubborn

My brother can be very stubborn when it comes to helping me wash up.

troublesome

On the journey to Scotland, the car proved troublesome, but eventually we got there.

uncooperative

The lady at the enquiries desk was uncooperative and didn’t help at all.

Bb

baby NOUN

A baby is a child in the first year or two of its life.

infant

The shepherds found the infant in a stable, lying in a manger.

newborn child

The mother proudly gazed at her tiny newborn child.

toddler

Waddling on bandy legs, the toddler was off round the corner in a flash.

tot INFORMAL

“Don’t tease your brother,” said Mum. “He’s only a tot.”

The babies of animals and humans are their offspring. Together, the babies of an animal are sometimes called a litter.

back NOUN

The back of something is the part behind the front.

end

At the end of the queue, people were setting up tents for the night.

rear

I could see smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle in front.

reverse

Genevieve wrote her answers on the reverse of the worksheet.

ANTONYM: front

The back part of an animal is its rear, rump or hindquarters. The back end of a ship is the stern.

bad (1) ADJECTIVE

Bad things are harmful or upsetting.

WORD POWER: This word tends to be used a lot. To make your writing more varied, try to use some of the alternative words suggested here instead.

appalling

The weather for our sports day was appalling.

damaging

The fumes emitted by jet aircraft can be highly damaging to the environment.

dangerous

Building sites are dangerous places which should be avoided.

distressing

Melinda found it distressing to see pictures of starving children.

dreadful

It was a dreadful shame: all Barak’s hard work disappeared as the blaze took hold.

grave

A spokesperson announced the grave news that the king was dying.

serious

The artist’s illness was too serious for him to continue painting.

terrible

Our goalkeeper was terrible today. She let in four easy shots!

ANTONYM: good

bad (2) ADJECTIVE

A bad person is naughty or unkind.

WORD POWER: This word tends to be used a lot. To make your writing more varied, try to use some of the alternative words suggested here instead.

corrupt

The corrupt politician had taken money from all sorts of people.

cruel

I can’t stand people being cruel to children or animals.

disobedient

The disobedient boy ignored the warning notice and fell into the quarry.

evil

The evil villain plotted how to ensnare the handsome knight.

mischievous

Tying Kerry’s shoelaces together was a mischievous prank.

naughty

“You’re a naughty girl, Cassandra,” said her mother angrily.

wicked

The wicked witch lived alone.

ANTONYM: good

Names for bad people include rogue, villain and scoundrel.

bad (3) ADJECTIVE

Bad can also mean of poor quality.

WORD POWER: This word tends to be used a lot. To make your writing more varied, try to use some of the alternative words suggested here instead.

abysmal

“Such abysmal work will have to be redone,” said Mr Malone severely.

atrocious

The reporter admitted that his spelling was atrocious.

faulty

Engineers soon fixed the faulty telephone line.

inferior

The paint Dad bought was of inferior quality – it was hard to use and didn’t last long.

shoddy

Owing to shoddy workmanship, the house had to be redecorated.

unsatisfactory

The head teacher wrote that my school report was unsatisfactory.

ANTONYM: excellent

badly (1) ADVERB

If you do something badly, you do it in an inferior way.

inadequately

He had been inadequately trained for the job.

poorly

The event was poorly organized.

shoddily

This house has been shoddily built.

unsatisfactorily

I feel the whole business has been handled unsatisfactorily.

ANTONYM: well

badly (2) ADVERB

If something affects you badly, it affects you in a serious way.

deeply

I am deeply hurt by these remarks.

gravely

He was gravely ill following a heart operation.

seriously

Four people have been seriously injured.

bad-mannered ADJECTIVE

Bad-mannered people are rude and thoughtless.

disrespectful

It is disrespectful to interrupt people when they are speaking.

inconsiderate

It was inconsiderate of Meg to take a second helping when others had not had their first.

rude

We decided not to leave a tip for the rude waiter.

bad-tempered ADJECTIVE

Bad-tempered people often lose their temper.

grumpy

Dad is always cheerful in the mornings. It’s me that is grumpy.

irritable

Some people get irritable when you read over their shoulder.

moody

When people are moody, you never quite know how they will greet you.

quarrelsome

The two quarrelsome brothers were always looking for a fight.

sulky

“If you’re going to be sulky, miss, you can go to your room,” Dad replied.

sullen

The sullen waiter snatched my plate and stalked off to the kitchen.

bag NOUN

A bag is a container for carrying things in.

Some types of bag:

backpack

briefcase

carrier bag

duffel bag

handbag

holdall

rucksack

sack

satchel

shopping bag

shoulder bag

suitcase

ban VERB

If you ban something, you forbid it to be done.

make illegal

The government proposes to make illegal the sale of imitation guns.

prohibit

Using all sorts of barricades, the landowner prohibited walkers from crossing his land.

bang (1) NOUN

A bang is a hard, painful bump against something.

blow

Kirstin suffered a blow to her head when the door opened suddenly.

knock

When I slipped on the stairs, I got a sharp knock on my funny bone.

bang (2) NOUN

A bang is a sudden, short, loud noise.

blast

The blast echoed round the quarry.

thud

With a thud, the encyclopedia hit the floor.

bare (1) ADJECTIVE

If your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.

in your birthday suit INFORMAL

I dreamt I was walking down the high street in my birthday suit.

naked

Lady Godiva rode naked on a horse through the middle of town.

nude

For many centuries, the nude body has been a popular subject for artists.

undressed

The nurse asked me to get undressed, ready for the medical examination.

without a stitch on INFORMAL

“And there I was, without a stitch on,” Mrs Lee, our neighbour, told me.

bare (2) ADJECTIVE

If something is bare, it is not covered with anything.

barren

The Grand Canyon, although magnificent, is a barren wilderness.

bleak

The Brontë sisters lived on the edge of a bleak, windswept moor.

desolate

The abandoned town was desolate.

➔ See empty (1)

barrier NOUN

A barrier is a fence or wall that prevents people or animals getting from one area to another.

barricade

The protesters erected a barricade across the main street.

obstacle

There are lots of obstacles to get over and under in an obstacle race.

obstruction

The roadworks were an obstruction and drivers had to be diverted around them.

base (1) NOUN

The base is the lowest part of something.

bottom

The lost cat mewed at the bottom of the well.

foot

“Please would you stand on the foot of my ladder to stop it slipping?” Dad asked.

foundation

The foundations of New York’s skyscrapers rest on solid rock.

base (2) NOUN

A base is the headquarters of an organization.

centre

A humble office in a run-down district was the unlikely centre of a huge corporation.

headquarters

We arranged to meet at our scout headquarters at four o’clock.

HQ

“HQ calling Tank 5,” the colonel snapped.

bat NOUN

A bat is a specially shaped piece of wood with a handle, used for hitting a ball in some games.

You play with…

a bat in baseball, cricket, rounders, softball and table tennis.

a club in golf.

a cue in pool and snooker.

a racket in badminton, squash and tennis.

a stick in hockey.

battle NOUN

A battle is a fight between armed forces, or a struggle between two people or groups with different aims.

action

It was the first time that the young soldier had seen action.

conflict

There was a conflict of opinions: the red party on one side, the greens on the other.

struggle

The struggle for power between the king and the government was a long one.

beach NOUN

The beach is an area of sand or pebbles beside the sea.

sands

The lifeguards sprinted down the sands and plunged into the waves.

seashore

After the tanker disaster, much of the seashore was coated in an oily sludge.

seaside

Aaron loved to spend his holidays at the seaside.

shore

We walked along the shore, looking for attractive shells.

water’s edge

The water’s edge was a seething mass of turtles.

beat (1) VERB

If someone or something beats someone or something else, they hit them hard and repeatedly.

batter

The burglar had battered down the door.

flog

In Nelson’s day, sailors who stole would be flogged with a whip called a cat-o’-nine-tails.

pound

Waves pounded the shore as the wind rose to screaming pitch.

thrash

The bully threatened, “Tom Brown, I shall thrash the living daylights out of you.”

beat (2) VERB

If you beat someone in a race or game, you defeat them or do better than them.

conquer

William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066.

lick INFORMAL

Abdel really licked me in the 100 metres sprint race.

run rings round INFORMAL

Our speedy attackers ran rings round their lumbering defenders.

thrash INFORMAL

“It’s a safe bet that we’ll get thrashed when we play you,” said Tim.

wipe the floor with INFORMAL

Our school team wiped the floor with kids much bigger than they were.

beautiful ADJECTIVE

You say someone or something is beautiful if they are very pleasing to look at.

attractive

People say my sister is attractive.

gorgeous

I overheard Dad telling Mum she looked gorgeous.

lovely

The photograph, I had to admit, even made my aunt look lovely.

pretty

Even some garden weeds can look pretty at certain times.

stunning INFORMAL

The sunset over the mountains was nothing less than stunning.

ANTONYMS: ugly or unattractive

beauty (1) NOUN

If a person has beauty, they have the quality of being beautiful.

elegance

Every movement the duchess made had an elegance about it.

good looks

The actor possessed rugged good looks.

loveliness

The opera singer’s loveliness was not matched by her selfish behaviour.

beauty (2) NOUN

If a place has beauty, it has the quality of being beautiful.

charm

This country cottage has tremendous charm and character.

loveliness

I think the loveliness of Athens is somewhat spoilt by the pollution.

splendour

Rome is famous for the splendour of its ancient buildings.

ANTONYM: ugliness

because CONJUNCTION

Because is used with other words to give a reason for something.

as

As you’ve been so helpful, I’ll treat you to an ice cream.

owing to

Owing to work on the track this Sunday, trains will be delayed.

since

“Since Fred is here, why don’t we build a tree house?” my sister suggested.

thanks to

I got no pocket money, thanks to my brother telling tales on me.

bed NOUN

A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.

Some types of bed:

bunk beds

cot

cradle

double bed

futon

hammock

inflatable bed

single bed

sofa bed

water bed

Some things that are put on a bed:

bedspread

blanket

duvet

eiderdown

mattress

pillow

pillowcase

quilt

sheet

sleeping bag

before ADVERB

If something happens before, it happens earlier than something else.

formerly

Formerly, Mrs Patterson was a teacher at my dad’s old school.

previously

Previously, Mr Cruickshank had always let us off homework, but not today.

sooner

If I had got the invitation sooner, I would have come to the party.

Something that goes before something else precedes it.

begin VERB

If you begin something, you start it.

commence

The king shouted “Let battle commence!” and the two knights thundered towards each other.

embark on

As soon as we’d embarked on our journey to the park, it started to rain.

set about

We set about digging the vegetable garden.

start

Dad told me to start my homework soon.

ANTONYM: end

beginner NOUN

A beginner is someone who has just started to learn something.

learner

Swimmers use the big pool, while learners use the shallower pool.

novice

Although a complete novice, Britney showed a flair for ski jumping.

ANTONYM: veteran

beginning NOUN

The beginning of something is when or where it starts.

introduction

In the introduction, the author explains how she came to write the book.

opening

The band played at the opening of the fête.

origin

The origin of the universe is still a mystery.

ANTONYM: end

behave VERB

If you behave in a particular way, you act that way.

act

Emir is acting like a spoilt child.

function

“The girls are finally functioning as a team!” exclaimed the coach.

operate

Sally operates in a certain way to get what she wants.

work

Anoup worked methodically in order to get the work done.

believe (1) VERB

If you believe someone, you accept that they are telling the truth.

accept

It took some people a long time to accept that the world was round.

be certain of

“We have to be certain of your story before we can take action,” warned the sergeant.

have faith in