Полная версия
Collins Primary Thesaurus
cosy ADJECTIVE
Somewhere cosy is warm and comfortable.
comfortable
Gramps finds his new reclining armchair very comfortable.
comfy INFORMAL
I was very comfy in my little room right up in the loft.
snug
The two dogs were snug in their baskets when Peter foolishly mentioned “walkies”.
ANTONYM: uncomfortable
count (1) VERB
If you count, or count up, all the things in a group, you add them up to see how many there are.
add up
Irina added up the number of times Mr Reid clapped his hands.
calculate
The salesman calculated the money he would make that week.
reckon up
If you reckon up the rainy days we’ve had recently, you’ll get a surprise.
tot up INFORMAL
My friend Ainsley and I totted up the number of cakes our dads had eaten.
count (2) VERB
If something counts in a situation, it is important or valuable.
carry weight
The politician assured people that their opinions did carry weight.
make a difference
The crook’s previous crimes certainly made a difference to the length of his jail sentence.
matter
The goals you scored before don’t matter. It’s the ones you get now that are important.
count (3) VERB
If you can count on someone or something, you can rely on them.
bank
We were banking on good weather for the school fête.
depend
“I’m depending on you, Smithers. Don’t let me down,” the lieutenant said.
rely
“Can I rely on you to check that all doors are locked?” my mother asked.
country (1) NOUN
A country is one of the political areas the world is divided into.
kingdom
Beyond the barren plains of Kremmen lay the kingdom of the Wargs.
land
“We’re very proud of our land,” said the large Welshman.
nation
Napoleon once said that England was a nation of shopkeepers.
state
After the war a new state was created which united the people.
country (2) NOUN
The country is land away from towns and cities.
bush NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIAN AND AFRICAN
The Pritchards’ farm is right out in the bush.
countryside
The countryside was a patchwork of fields.
outback AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND
A lot of the outback in Australia is really very wild.
wilds
The gamekeeper lived out in the wilds in a small cottage.
courage NOUN
Courage is the quality shown by people who do things that they know are dangerous or difficult.
bravery
His bravery in saving the child brought him letters from all over the world.
daring
The daring of King Arthur’s knights is recorded in legend.
guts INFORMAL
The timid girl showed real guts when she went down the rope slide.
heroism
For her heroism in an enemy country, the undercover agent received a secret award.
ANTONYM: cowardice
course NOUN
A course is the route something such as an aircraft, river or ship takes.
path
The plane’s flight path brought it close to the enemy coast.
route
Our quickest route to the Far East is, surprisingly, over the North Pole.
trajectory
The stone’s trajectory was a graceful arc from my catapult to our greenhouse.
way
“Which way do you go home?” I asked Sunil.
of course PHRASE
If you say of course, you are showing that you are absolutely sure about something.
certainly
School meals are certainly tastier than they used to be.
definitely
“I’m definitely coming to camp,” Vadim confirmed.
undoubtedly
I bragged that my team was undoubtedly the best in the world.
crack NOUN
A crack is a narrow gap.
cranny
In a tiny cranny in the cupboard lay the key that they sought.
crevice
Climbers use crevices in the rock to hold the pieces of equipment that support them.
nook
The birds lay their eggs in nooks in the sheer cliffs above the sea.
crafty ADJECTIVE
Someone who is crafty gets what they want by tricking people in a clever way.
cunning
Bond’s cunning trick was to hide above the door.
sly
The sly fox hid behind the henhouse.
wily
The wily coyote was no match for the even cleverer roadrunner.
crash (1) NOUN
A crash is an accident in which a moving vehicle hits something and is damaged.
accident
Queues built up, as the accident had blocked both sides of the road.
collision
The collision took place at a busy road intersection.
pile-up
Pile-ups often occur during fog, when vehicles collide with one another.
smash
It was a bad smash, with two people injured.
crash (2) VERB
If a vehicle crashes, it hits something and is badly damaged.
bump
The motorbike bumped into the back of the car.
collide
My dad’s car collided with a quarry truck on a narrow bend.
plough into
The runaway lorry ploughed into the wall.
crazy ADJECTIVE INFORMAL
Someone or something crazy is very strange or foolish.
absurd
How absurd that you should think that baked beans grow on trees!
bizarre
To see my brother on a bike dressed as a teddy bear was a bizarre experience.
insane
I reckon that bungee jumping is an insane thing to do.
outrageous
Uncle Will is aways doing outrageous things.
ridiculous
Dad thought the idea was ridiculous.
strange
The cowboy had a strange look in his eye.
creep VERB
If you creep somewhere, you move there quietly and slowly.
edge
I edged towards the door, hoping that no one would notice me leave.
slink
“Don’t try to slink off. I haven’t finished yet!” snapped the irritable countess.
sneak
The cat sneaked up the fire escape and crept in through the back door.
tiptoe
I heard my big brother tiptoe past my room.
creepy ADJECTIVE
Someone or something creepy is strange and frightening.
eerie
Eerie noises floated down from the moor.
mysterious
The mysterious stranger disappeared into the mist with a flourish of his cloak.
sinister
With his eyepatch and wooden leg, Long John looked a truly sinister character.
spooky INFORMAL
The film was so spooky Hailey had to cover her eyes.
criminal NOUN
A criminal is someone who has committed a crime.
crook INFORMAL
Two crooks called at our door pretending to be from the water company.
offender
As a young offender, the 15-year-old was not sent to prison.
villain
“Have nothing to do with him. He’s a total villain,” Mum warned.
Types of criminal:
assassin
bandit
blackmailer
burglar
gangster
highwayman
hijacker
kidnapper
mugger
murderer
pickpocket
pirate
robber
shoplifter
smuggler
terrorist
thief
vandal
Types of crime committed by criminals:
abduction
assassination
blackmail
burglary
hijacking
kidnapping
mugging
murder
robbery
shoplifting
smuggling
terrorism
theft
vandalism
crisp ADJECTIVE
Food that is crisp is pleasantly fresh and firm.
crispy
To really be enjoyed, lettuce needs to be fresh and crispy.
crunchy
The apples were crunchy and juicy.
ANTONYM: soft
criticize VERB
If you criticize someone or something, you say what you think is wrong with them.
disapprove of
My parents disapprove of expensive fast food which is full of chemicals.
find fault with
The duchess managed to find fault with everyone in the room.
crooked (1) Said “kroo-kid” ADJECTIVE
Something that is crooked is bent or twisted.
deformed
Gran’s hands are deformed with arthritis.
distorted
The distorted shape of the trees was caused by the onshore wind.
twisted
The wreckage of the car was twisted beyond all recognition.
ANTONYM: straight
crooked (2) Said “kroo-kid” ADJECTIVE
A crooked person is dishonest.
corrupt
The corrupt police officer accepted bribes.
criminal
“You have committed a criminal offence,” intoned the judge.
dishonest
Something made me suspect that the salesman was dishonest.
shady INFORMAL
“He looks a shady customer,” said Carlos, nodding towards a surly man across the street.
ANTONYMS: law-abiding or honest
cross ADJECTIVE
Someone who is cross is rather angry.
angry
My friend Anna was rather angry when I lost her favourite CD.
annoyed
Dad was annoyed that I hadn’t washed up as I’d promised.
cantankerous
The cantankerous old farmer used to shout at anyone who walked past his farm.
crotchety
Gran sometimes gets crotchety when her arthritis is painful.
grumpy
My brother is always grumpy when it comes to having a bath.
irritable
Mum was rather irritable because she had a bad headache.
snappy
“There’s no need to get snappy,” Lynn retorted. “Here’s your wretched comb.”
crowd (1) NOUN
A crowd is a large group of people gathered together.
mass
The whole square was a seething mass of red, white and blue flags.
mob
Enraged, the mob surged through the streets like a human tide.
multitude
The prophet spoke to the multitude, foretelling the great events to come.
swarm
A swarm of demonstrators headed for the parliament building.
crowd (2) NOUN
A crowd is a large number of people watching an event.
audience
The concert audience clapped when the conductor took the stage.
gate
Fifty thousand were there – the biggest gate that United had had all season.
spectators
In the past, the spectators cheered as people were publicly executed.
cruel ADJECTIVE
Cruel people deliberately cause pain or distress to other people or to animals.
callous
The callous emperor made his slaves work their fingers to the bone.
hard-hearted
Hard-hearted Scrooge begrudged giving Cratchit a day off at Christmas.
heartless
The heartless landlord threw the poor widow into the street.
merciless
The merciless sniper picked off his victims one by one with precision.
ruthless
Anyone who disagreed with the ruthless dictator disappeared.
vicious
The vicious crocodile clamped its jaws on the unfortunate swimmer.
crumble VERB
When something crumbles, or you crumble it, it breaks into small pieces.
collapse
Weak foundations caused the apartment block to collapse.
decay
The beam had decayed, bringing the floor above it crashing down.
decompose
Plants, animals and humans begin to decompose when they die.
disintegrate
The agent disintegrated as Morpheus fired his phaser weapon.
cry (1) VERB
When you cry, tears come from your eyes because you are unhappy or hurt.
bawl
The moment the baby’s bottle was put in its mouth it stopped bawling.
blubber
After being refused an ice cream, the toddler blubbered for the next half hour.
shed tears
Dad’s advice is not to shed tears over something that is in the past.
snivel
“Stop snivelling and you might get a lolly,” the girl’s mother snapped.
sob
Milly sobbed her heart out to think that her dog was dead.
weep
After her sisters had left for the ball, Cinderella wept silently as she swept.
cry (2) VERB
If you cry something, you shout it or say it loudly.
bawl
Everyone came running when the camp cook bawled “Dinner’s ready!”
bellow
“Time to go to school,” Dad bellowed up the stairs to us.
boom
“Attention!” boomed the sergeant major to the new recruits.
call
When I saw my friend on the other side of the street I called out her name.
shout
Ben shouted for help when he saw the child fall into the pond.
yell
“Watch out!” yelled Yanni as he saw the cricket ball flying in Aidan’s direction.
cry (3) NOUN
A cry is a shout or other sound made with your voice.
bellow
A loud bellow came from the bull at the end of the field.
howl
The wolf let out a howl as he prowled through the moonlit night.
shout
The crowd gave a shout of joy as another goal hit the back of the net.
shriek
My silly brother gave a shriek when he saw the spider in the bath.
yell
With a yell, Aidan jumped out of the way of the speeding cricket ball.
cupboard NOUN
A cupboard is a piece of furniture with doors and shelves.
Some types of cupboard:
cabinet
larder
locker
safe
sideboard
wardrobe
cure NOUN
A cure is something that heals or helps someone to get better.
antidote
There is no known antidote to the bite of that particular snake.
medicine
Dad took some medicine for his stomach ache.
remedy
The remedy for boredom is simple. You need to get out more!
treatment
Fortunately, the treatment helped and my ankle soon felt better.
curious ADJECTIVE
Someone who is curious wants to know more about something.
inquiring
“Dad, it said on my report that I’ve an inquiring mind. What does that mean?”
inquisitive
Inquisitive about anything mechanical, Fiona dismantled the cuckoo clock.
interested
If it’s anything about trains, then my brother is interested.
nosy
Our nosy neighbour was anxious to hear any gossip she could.
curl VERB
If something curls, it moves in a curve or spiral.
coil
The boa constrictor coiled its body slowly round the hapless victim.
entwine
Climbing clematis plants entwined themselves with the telephone wire.
spiral
Smoke spiralled up from the cottage chimney.
twist
The string from the kite twisted as it came tumbling down.
wind
The country road wound round in a series of bends.
curly ADJECTIVE
Curly hair has many curls in it.
curled
My sister’s hair was all curled when she came out of the hairdresser’s.
frizzy
In the Afro look of the 1970s, people had a mop of bushy, frizzy hair.
kinky
If your hair is naturally straight, you can make it kinky by having it permed.
wavy
I would love to have wavy hair, but mine’s dead straight.
cut (1) NOUN
A cut is a mark made with a knife or other sharp tool.
gash
The nasty gash in Billy’s knee needed to have several stitches.
groove
Uncle Ken chiselled a groove in the shelf for plates to stand up in.
nick
I was clumsy with the knife and made a nick in the desk.
slit
To make the pocket, Mum cut a slit in the fabric.
cut (2) VERB
If you cut something, you use a pair of scissors, a knife or another sharp tool to mark it or remove parts of it.
cut a little:
chip
When she fell, Vanessa chipped her tooth.
chisel
I tried to chisel out a hole for the lock, but I split the wood.
clip
Ross clipped the hedge for his auntie.
prune
When you prune roses in winter, you cut them right back near the base.
shave
Kay shaved a little off the shelf to make it fit.
snip
For a practical joke, I snipped a bit off Dad’s tie, but he didn’t find it funny.
trim
Grandad has his hair trimmed each month – what’s left of it, that is.
cut hard at something:
chop
The karate expert chopped the brick in half with a single blow.
hack
Hacking her way through the jungle, the botanist searched for the rare plant.
slash
Bluebeard slashed downward with his cutlass, through the rope.
cut something down:
chop
Dad had to chop the old tree down after it was damaged in the storm.
fell
The stupid lumberjack proceeded to fell the wrong tree.
mow
It’s useless to mow the lawn in wet weather.
cut something in two:
bisect
With one swing of the axe the man bisected the thick log.
divide
Using a sharp knife, Mum divided the last piece of pie for my brother and me.
halve
“If I halve this apple, will you share it with me?” I asked Helen.
Tools you can use to cut things:
axe
carving knife
chisel
cleaver
clippers
guillotine
knife
mower
razor
saw
scalpel
scissors
secateurs
shears
Dd
damage (1) VERB
If you damage something, you harm or spoil it.
deface
The teacher turned purple when she saw Craig had defaced his language book.
harm
Fortunately, no one was harmed in the crash.
spoil
My painting was spoilt when I spilt water on it.
vandalize
It’s very sad when people vandalize buildings.
➔ See destroy
damage (2) NOUN
Damage is injury or harm done to something.
destruction
“The destruction of rainforests should worry everyone on earth,” said my sister.
harm
The stolen painting was returned with no harm done to it.
vandalism
Owing to vandalism, the public lavatory had to be closed.
damp ADJECTIVE
Something that is damp is slightly wet.
clammy
Beneath her jungle gear, the explorer’s skin felt clammy.
drizzly
All day the weather had been dull and drizzly.
humid
In tropical places, the weather is hot and humid.
moist
As its soil was still moist, Sophie didn’t water the plant.
muggy
We all expected thunder as the air was muggy.
dance (1) VERB
When you dance, you move around in time to music.
caper
The clown capered about to the music.
cavort
The party guests cavorted to the loud music on the dance floor.
dance (2) NOUN
A dance is a series of rhythmic movements that you do in time to music.
Types of dance:
ballet
ballroom dancing
belly dancing
break-dancing
disco dancing
jive
line dancing
mambo
salsa
tap dancing
danger NOUN
Danger is the possibility that someone may be harmed or killed.
hazard
That raised paving stone is a hazard. Someone might trip over it.
menace
Pollution from farm fertilizers is a menace to fish in the rivers.
peril
Ivan put himself in peril by walking near the cliff edge.
risk
Despite the risks, the medic crawled out to help the wounded soldier.
threat
The prime minister tried to avert the threat of war by having meetings with other leaders.
ANTONYM: safety
dangerous ADJECTIVE
If something is dangerous, it is likely to cause hurt or harm.
hazardous
Road tankers have signs to show if their liquid cargo is hazardous.
perilous
Captain Scott set out on his perilous trek to the South Pole.
risky
Jenny knew that climbing the cliff was risky, but she had to escape the waves.
treacherous
“Keep away from those mud flats. They’re treacherous,” warned the boatman.
unsafe
The derelict buildings were unsafe, and about to be demolished.
ANTONYMS: safe or harmless
dare (1) VERB
If you dare to do something, you have the courage to do it.
brave
Ray decided to brave a visit to the dentist’s.
have the courage
The airman had the courage to go back to the burning plane.
risk
The athlete was not willing to risk getting an injury.
venture
Dad ventured to ask his boss for a pay rise.
dare (2) VERB
If you dare someone to do something, you challenge them to do it.
challenge
Yoshi challenged Tim to climb the wall.
defy
I defied my sister to race me.
daring ADJECTIVE
A daring person is bold and willing to take risks.
adventurous
“Rihana is the adventurous type,” her dad said. “She’s always getting into scrapes.”
brave
It was a brave and unexpected move by the submarine captain.
fearless
Even as a young midshipman, Nelson displayed a fearless character.
dark (1) ADJECTIVE
If it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly.
dim
In the dim light of the cave, Crusoe could make out a heap of bones.
dingy
With the shutters closed, the villa was dingy after the bright sunlight outside.
gloomy
On every gloomy landing, paintings of the baron’s ancestors stared out from the walls.
murky
The divers could not see anything in the murky depths of the lake.
shadowy
A sinister figure appeared from a shadowy side street.
ANTONYM: light
dark (2) NOUN
The dark is the lack of light in a place.
dusk
Street lights began to twinkle in the dusk.
gloom
