Collins First Dictionary

Bricks are small blocks of baked earth used for building.

bride noun brides

A bride is a woman who is getting married.

bridegroom noun bridegrooms

A bridegroom is a man who is getting married.

bridge noun bridges

A bridge is something that is built over a river, a road, or a railway so that people can get across it.

bright adjective brighter, brightest

1 A bright colour is very easy to see.

She wore a bright red dress.

2 Something that is bright shines with a lot of light.

The sun is very bright today.

brilliant adjective

Something that is brilliant is very good.

I thought the film was brilliant.

bring verb brings, bringing, brought

If you bring something, you take it with you when you go somewhere.

You can bring a friend to the party.

broke

Look at break.

I’m sorry I broke the radio.

broken adjective

If something is broken, it is in pieces.

All of his toys are broken.

broom noun brooms

A broom is a brush with a long handle that you use to sweep the floor.

brother noun brothers

Your brother is a boy or a man who has the same mother and father as you do.

brought

Look at bring.

We brought some food for the picnic.

brown noun/adjective

Brown is the colour of earth or wood.

Her eyes are dark brown.

bruise noun bruises

A bruise is a purple mark on your skin that appears if something hits a part of your body.

She has a big bruise on her leg.

brush noun brushes

A brush has lots of short hairs fixed to a handle. You use a brush to make your hair tidy, to clean things, or to paint.

bubble noun bubbles

A bubble is a small ball of liquid with air inside it.

bucket noun buckets

A bucket is a deep, round container with a handle that you use to hold or carry liquids.

buckle noun buckles

A buckle is something you use to fasten a belt, a shoe or a bag.

bud noun buds

A bud is a small, new part on a tree or plant that grows into a leaf or a flower.

build verb builds, building, built

If you build something, you make it by putting the parts of it together.

They are going to build the school here.

building noun buildings

A building is a place with walls and a roof.

Houses, shops and schools are all buildings.

built

Look at build.

We built our house on a hill.

bulb noun bulbs

A bulb is the part of a lamp that is made of glass and gives out light.

bull noun bulls

A bull is a male cow. Bulls have horns.

bump verb bumps, bumping, bumped

If you bump something, or bump into it, you hit it without meaning to.

I bumped the table with my bag.

bunch noun bunches

A bunch of things is a group of them.

He held a bunch of keys.

bundle noun bundles

A bundle is a lot of clothes, sticks or other things that are fastened together.

buried

Look at bury.

The pirates buried the gold beneath a tree.

burn verb burns, burning, burned, burnt

1 If you burn something, you destroy it or damage it with fire.

He burned all the rubbish.

2 If you burn yourself, you touch something that is hot and get hurt.

I burned myself on the hot iron.

3 If something is burning, it is on fire.

The bonfire is still burning.

burst verb bursts, bursting, burst

When something bursts, it breaks open suddenly.

The bag burst and everything fell out of it.

bury verb buries, burying, buried

If you bury something, you put it into a hole in the ground and cover it up.

Squirrels bury nuts to eat in the winter.

bus noun buses

A bus is a large vehicle that carries lots of people.

I go to school on the bus.

bush noun bushes

A bush is a plant with lots of leaves and branches that is smaller than a tree.

busy adjective busier, busiest

1 If you are busy, you have a lot of things to do.

We were busy cleaning the house.

2 A busy place is full of people.

The shops are busy today.

butcher noun butchers

A butcher is a person who sells meat.

butter noun

Butter is a soft yellow and white food that is made from cream. You spread it on bread or cook with it.

butterfly noun butterflies

A butterfly is an insect with four large wings.

button noun buttons

Buttons are small, round things on clothes that you push through holes to fasten the clothes together.

buy verb buys, buying, bought

If you buy something, you pay money so that you can have it.

We went into the shop to buy sweets.

buzz verb buzzes, buzzing, buzzed

If something buzzes, it makes a sound like a bee makes when it flies.

An insect buzzed around my head.

Cc

cabbage noun cabbages

A cabbage is a round vegetable with green, white, or purple leaves.

cage noun cages

A cage is a box or a room made of bars where you keep birds or animals.

cake noun cakes

A cake is a sweet food made from flour, eggs, sugar, and butter that you bake in an oven.

calculator noun calculators

A calculator is a small machine that you use to do sums.

calendar noun calendars

A calendar is a list of all the days, weeks, and months in a year.

calf noun calves

1 A calf is a young cow.

2 Your calves are also the thick parts at the backs of your legs, between your ankles and your knees.

call verb calls, calling, called

1 If you call someone something, you give them a name.

I called my cat Pippin.

2 If you call something, you say it in a loud voice.

Someone called his name.

3 If you call someone, you talk to them on the telephone.

I’ll call you tomorrow.

calves

Look at calf.

My calves hurt.

came

Look at come.

My friends came to play at my house.

camel noun camels

A camel is a large animal with one or two big lumps on its back. Camels live in hot, dry places and carry people and things.

camera noun cameras

A camera is a machine that you use to take pictures.

camp noun camps

A camp is a place where people live in tents for a short time.

can verb could

If you can do something, you are able to do it.

I can swim.

can noun cans

A can is a metal container for food or drink.

She opened a can of soup.

candle noun candles

A candle is a stick of wax with a piece of string through the middle that you burn to give you light.

cannot verb

If you cannot do something, you are not able to do it.

I cannot find my bag.

can’t

Can’t is short for cannot.

He can’t play the piano.

capital noun capitals

1 The capital of a country is the main city, where the country’s leaders work.

Paris is the capital of France.

2 A capital is also a big letter of the alphabet, for example A or R.

car noun cars

A car is a vehicle with four wheels and an engine that can carry a small number of people.

card noun cards

1 Card is stiff paper.

2 A card is a folded piece of stiff paper that has a picture on the front and a message inside. You send cards to people at special times, like birthdays.

3 Cards are pieces of stiff paper with numbers or pictures on them that you use for playing games.

cardboard noun

Cardboard is very thick, stiff paper that is used for making boxes.

care verb cares, caring, cared

1 If you care about something, you think that it is important.

He doesn’t care about the way he looks.

2 If you care for a person or an animal, you look after them.

She cared for her pets.

careful adjective

If you are careful, you think about what you are doing so that you do not make any mistakes.

Be careful when you cross the road.

careless adjective

If you are careless, you do not think about what you are doing, so that you make mistakes.

It was careless of me to forget my keys.

carpet noun carpets

A carpet is a thick, soft cover for a floor.

carrot noun carrots

A carrot is a long, orange vegetable.

carry verb carries, carrying, carried

If you carry something, you hold it and take it somewhere with you.

We carried our bags to the car.

carton noun cartons

A carton is a container made of plastic or cardboard that is used to hold food or drink.

I bought a carton of milk.

cartoon noun cartoons

1 A cartoon is a funny drawing.

2 A cartoon is also a film that uses drawings, not real people or things.

case noun cases

A case is a container that is used to hold or carry something.

He put the camera in its case.

castle noun castles

A castle is a large building with very thick, high walls. Most castles were built a long time ago to keep the people inside safe from their enemies.

cat noun cats

A cat is an animal that is covered with fur and has a long tail. People often keep small cats as pets. Large cats, for example lions and tigers, are wild.

catch verb catches, catching, caught

1 If you catch something that is moving, you take hold of it while it is in the air.

I tried to catch the ball.

2 If you catch a bus or a train, you get on it.

We caught the bus to school.

3 If you catch an illness, you become ill with it.

He caught measles.

caterpillar noun caterpillars

A caterpillar is a small animal that looks like a worm with lots of short legs. Caterpillars turn into butterflies or moths.

cattle noun

Cattle are cows and bulls.

There were cattle in the field.

caught

Look at catch.

I jumped and caught the ball.

cauliflower noun cauliflowers

A cauliflower is a big, round, white vegetable with green leaves.

cave noun caves

A cave is a big hole in the side of a hill or a mountain, or beneath the ground.

CD noun CDs

CD is short for compact disc.

I bought the band’s new CD.

ceiling noun ceilings

A ceiling is the part of a room that is above your head.

centimetre noun centimetres

A centimetre is used for measuring the length of something. There are ten millimetres in a centimetre, and one hundred centimetres in a metre.

centre noun centres

The centre of something is the middle of it.

She stood in the centre of the room.

cereal noun cereals

1 A cereal is a food made from grains that you eat with milk for breakfast.

2 A cereal is also a kind of plant, for example wheat or rice. The seeds of cereals are used for food.

chain noun chains

A chain is a row of rings made of metal that are joined together in a line.

chair noun chairs

A chair is a seat with a back and four legs, for one person.

He suddenly got up from his chair.

chalk noun

Chalk is a kind of soft rock. You use small sticks of chalk to write or draw on a blackboard.

change verb changes, changing, changed

1 When you change something, or when it changes, it becomes different.

The caterpillar changed into a butterfly.

2 When you change, you put on different clothes.

He changed to go to the party.

change noun

Change is the money that you get back when you pay too much for something.

chapter noun chapters

A chapter is a part of a book.

This book has ten chapters.

character noun characters

1 Your character is the kind of person you are.

2 A character is also a person in a story or a film.

charge verb charges, charging, charged

If someone charges you an amount of money for something, they ask you to pay that amount for it.

They charged us too much for our meal.

chase verb chases, chasing, chased

If you chase someone, you run after them and try to catch them.

The dog chased the cat.

cheap adjective cheaper, cheapest

If something is cheap, you do not have to pay a lot of money for it.

Milk is very cheap in this shop.

check verb checks, checking, checked

If you check something, you make sure that it is right.

The teacher checked my homework.

cheek noun cheeks

Your cheeks are the sides of your face below your eyes.

My cheeks were red.

cheer verb cheers, cheering, cheered

When people cheer, they shout to show that they like something.

We all cheered when he won the race.

cheerful adjective

Someone who is cheerful is happy.

cheese noun

Cheese is a solid food that is made from milk.

cheetah noun cheetahs

A cheetah is a big wild cat with yellow fur and black spots.

cherry noun cherries

A cherry is a small, round fruit with a hard stone in the middle. Cherries are red, black, or yellow.

chew verb chews, chewing, chewed

When you chew food, you use your teeth to break it up in your mouth before you swallow it.

chick noun chicks

A chick is a very young bird.

chicken noun chickens

1 A chicken is a bird that is kept on a farm for its eggs and meat.

2 Chicken is also the meat that comes from chickens.

child noun children

A child is a young boy or girl.

chimney noun chimneys

A chimney is a long pipe above a fire. Smoke from the fire goes up the chimney and out of the building.

chimpanzee noun chimpanzees

A chimpanzee is a kind of small ape with dark fur.

chin noun chins

Your chin is the part of your face below your mouth.

A black beard covered his chin.

chip noun chips

Chips or potato chips are thin pieces of potato fried in hot oil.

chip verb chips, chipping, chipped

If you chip something, you break a small piece off it by accident.

I chipped my tooth when I fell.

chocolate noun chocolates

Chocolate is a sweet brown food that is used to make sweets, cakes, and drinks.

choose verb chooses, choosing, chose, chosen

If you choose something, you decide to have it.

You can choose any book you want.

chop verb chops, chopping, chopped

If you chop something, you cut it into pieces with a knife or an axe.

He chopped some wood for the fire.

chose

Look at choose.

She chose a dress to wear.

chosen

Look at choose.

We have chosen which film to watch.

circle noun circles

A circle is a round shape.

circus noun circuses

A circus is a big tent where you go to see clowns and animals.

city noun cities

A city is a very big town where a lot of people live and work.

clap verb claps, clapping, clapped

When you clap, you hit your hands together to make a loud noise. People clap to show that they like something.

Everyone clapped at the end of her song.

class noun classes

A class is a group of people who are taught together.

He is in my class at school.

classroom noun classrooms

A classroom is a room in a school where children have lessons.

claw noun claws