| aardvark |
a large mammal with a long snout, long ears, a long tail, and with long fur mostly around its legs. Aardvarks are active at night, when they use their powerful claws to dig open ant or termite nests. They catch their food with their long, sticky tongue. Aardvarks live in southern and central Africa. Although they are sometimes called anteaters, aardvarks are not closely related to any other kind of mammal. |
| abreast |
closely aware. [1/2 definitions] |
| alligator |
a large reptile with short legs, a long body and tail, and a long, wide snout. Alligators are protected by thick skin with many hard bumps. They live in rivers, lakes, swamps, and other bodies of water in the southeast United States and in China. They usually eat insects, fish, turtles, snakes, birds, and other water animals, but have been known to attack small land mammals. They are closely related to crocodiles. Chinese alligators are endangered because their habitat is being changed by people. |
| alpaca |
an animal with long legs and a long neck. Alpacas live in the mountains of South America. They are mammals closely related to llamas and to camels. Alpacas are raised for their long, soft wool. |
| antelope |
the American pronghorn, an animal that looks like some of the true antelopes but is not closely related. [1/2 definitions] |
| ass |
a mammal with long legs and hooves that is closely related to the horse. A donkey is a domestic ass. Asses look like horses but are smaller and have longer ears. Wild asses live in Africa and Asia and are in danger of becoming extinct. [1/2 definitions] |
| at one's heels |
following closely. |
| bison |
a very large mammal with a large head, humped shoulders, and short curved horns. Bison used to roam the plains of North America in large herds, but they were hunted until they were almost extinct. North American bison are also called buffalo, but they are not related to the true buffalo of Africa and Asia. Bison have hooves and are closely related to cattle. Bison eat only plants and chew their cud. [2 definitions] |
| brag |
to speak with too much pride about oneself, or about anyone or anything closely connected with oneself; boast. |
| buffalo |
a large mammal that has long legs, hooves, and horns, and that is closely related to cattle. Different kinds of buffaloes live in Africa or Asia. The North American bison is sometimes called a buffalo, but is not a true buffalo. |
| butterfly |
an insect with four large wings that flies mostly in the daytime. Butterflies are closely related to moths but have thinner bodies and are usually more brightly colored. |
| caribou |
an animal with long legs and a long neck. Caribou are mammals with antlers and hooves. They live in the northern part of North America. Caribou are closely related to moose and other kinds of deer. Both male and female caribou have antlers. |
| checkup |
an examination of a person or thing to discover if there are any problems. Having a doctor look closely at one's body to make sure one is healthy is one kind of checkup. Having a mechanic look at a car to make sure it is running properly is another kind of checkup. |
| chinchilla |
a small mammal from the mountains of South America. Chinchillas are rodents closely related to guinea pigs. They have very soft fur and live in tunnels called burrows. Sometimes they are kept as pets. |
| cling |
to stick closely. [1/2 definitions] |
| cock1 |
an adult male chicken or the male of other closely related birds, such as turkeys or pheasants; rooster. [1/3 definitions] |
| colony |
a group of people who come from the same country, or animals of the same type living closely together. [1/2 definitions] |
| compact1 |
to pack closely and tightly together. [1/6 definitions] |
| compress |
to press into less space; squeeze closely together. [1/3 definitions] |
| conch |
a sea animal with a soft body and a large, spiral shell. Conches are carnivorous mollusks that eat smaller mollusks such as clams. Several kinds of conches live in warm parts of the ocean all around the world. Conches are closely related to snails. [1/2 definitions] |
| condense |
to make smaller or less in volume; make more closely packed together; concentrate. [1/4 definitions] |