| abandon |
If you abandon something that you have, you go away from it without any plan to return to get it. If someone abandons an animal or another person, they leave them and don't plan to ever come back. [2/3 definitions] |
| ability |
An ability is something you are able to do. Humans have the ability to learn different languages. [2 definitions] |
| able |
If you are an able swimmer, it means that you are a good swimmer. You have good skills in swimming. [1/2 definitions] |
| about |
When you are somewhere about, it means that you are somewhere near. You have not gone out of the area. [1/9 definitions] |
| absolutely |
When you are absolutely sure about something, it means that you are completely sure. You have no doubt at all. If you are absolutely finished with something, there is not even one more little thing to do. [1/2 definitions] |
| abstract |
When something is abstract, it doesn't have any physical form. Feelings and ideas are abstract things. They are things, but you can't see them or touch them or even smell them! They exist in people's minds only. [1/3 definitions] |
| abyss |
a vast pit, too deep to be measured. |
| academy |
An academy is a school. Usually an academy is a private school. People have to pay to go to a private school. Some academies focus on a particular type of thing, such as art, music, military training, or science. Academies give special classes for these things. Some academies are regular schools for school children, and some academies give classes for adult students, especially in things like music, drama, or art. |
| acceptable |
When something is acceptable, it means that it is just good enough. It doesn't have to be fixed or changed for something else. It's not really great, but it is OK. [1/2 definitions] |
| access |
If you have access to something, you have the ability or right to use it, enter it, or look at it. [1/3 definitions] |
| accessory |
An accessory is a thing that you add to something else to make it nicer or better in some way. An accessory is a nice thing to have but it is not a necessary thing. [1/2 definitions] |
| accommodate |
to have room for. [1/3 definitions] |
| accord |
Accord is agreement or harmony. If things are in accord, they go well together. If something is in accord with another thing, it follows it. It doesn't go against it. If people are in accord, they agree about something or they have a similar opinion. |
| account |
If you have an account at a bank, it means that you can keep your money there. You can put more money into your account or take money out of your account when you need it. The bank sends a letter by mail each month to tell you how much money you have in your account. Some people don't get a letter but see their account on their computers. [2/5 definitions] |
| accountant |
An accountant is a person who keeps track of how a business spends its money, gives advice about spending money, and often makes sure the company is paying a correct amount of tax to the government each year. All businesses have to report to the government how much money they make and pay a correct amount of tax. Some companies only use an accountant when they are reporting their income to the government and need to figure out how much tax they have to pay. People who have regular jobs also use accountants sometimes if their money affairs are complicated. |
| accuse |
When you accuse someone, you say that they have done something wrong or against the law. |
| ache |
If you have a dull pain in some part of your body and the pain lasts a long time, it means that that part of your body aches. If you have dull pain in many parts of your body, it means that you ache. [2/4 definitions] |
| achieve |
When you achieve something, you get it or make it happen by trying very hard. When you reach a goal or finish something that is important to you, it means that you have achieved it. |
| acquire |
to get or come to have as one's own. |
| act |
An act can be the process of doing something. If someone is in the act of writing on the wall, they have already started writing on it and are planning to keep doing it. [2/9 definitions] |
| active |
When you are active, it means that you are always doing something, or you have a lot of energy. [1/2 definitions] |