• You can use the Index at the back of the ebook which lists all of the dictionary words in alphabetical order. Scroll through the Index until you find the letter your word begins with, then look down the words until you find the one you are looking for. You can then follow the link to the entry in the dictionary.

• You can use the Contents page at the front of the book, which has a link to every letter in the dictionary. Follow the link to the letter your word begins with, then look through the entries in this letter until you find the word you are looking for. The entries are in alphabetical order.

Features of this dictionary

1. You can check how to spell words.

2. You can see how the word changes when it is used in different ways.

3. You can see what the word means.

4. You can see how the word is used in a sentence.

5. You can see if a word has more than one meaning.

6. You can see if a word is a noun, verb or adjective. Some words can be used in more than one way.

How words work

Nouns

A noun is a word that is used for talking about a person or thing.

arm noun

bird noun

car noun

If you have more than one of the thing, you use the word that ends in –S.

arms

Some words have special endings, or different spellings, when there is more than one.

child ➔ children

Adjectives

An adjective is a word like “big” or “beautiful” that tells you more about a person or thing.

happy adjective

wild adjective

wet adjective

Adjectives can be used in different ways.

happier, happiest

wilder, wildest

wetter, wettest

Verbs

A verb is a word like “sing”, “feel” or “eat” that you use for saying what someone or something does.

eat verb

cry verb

talk verb

Verbs can be used in different ways.

eats, eating, ate, eaten

cries, crying, cried

talks, talking, talked

Verbs can be used to talk about things that you are doing now.

He teaches people how to play the piano.

He is in the school football team.

They can be used to talk about things that you did in the past.

She took the plates into the kitchen.

She talked to him on the phone.

They can also be used to talk about things that you will do in the future.

Mum will be angry.

Our teacher will give the prizes to the winners.

We’ll come along later.

Tips to help you become a super speller!

When you have found a word you need in the dictionary, try to learn how to spell it using the “Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check” strategy:

Look	at the word carefully. Look at its shape and length. Look at the letters in it to see if there are any letter patterns that might help you remember how to spell it in future, for example, bright, light, tight.
Say	the word out loud. Think about how the word sounds! Can you spell a word that sounds like it? Does your word have a similar sound pattern in it? Sound out the word and try to spell it.
Cover	the word up so you cannot see it.
Write	the word down without looking at it in the dictionary. As you do this, think about how the word looks! Does it look right? Is it the right shape? Is it the right length?
Check	that you have written it correctly.

Explore further at www.collins.co.uk/homeworkhelp for games, activities and extra support for parents and children.

abacus noun abacuses

An abacus is a frame with beads that move along pieces of wire. It is used for counting.

able adjective

If you are able to do something, you know how to do it.

She is able to swim.

about

1 About means to do with.

This book is about history.

2 About also means near to something.

His grandfather is about 80 years old.

above

If something is above another thing, it is over it or higher than it.

Lift the ball above your head.

accident noun accidents

1 An accident is something nasty that happens, and that hurts someone.

He broke his leg in a car accident.

2 If something happens by accident, you do not expect it to happen.

I dropped a cup by accident.

ache verb aches, aching, ached

If a part of your body aches, you feel a steady pain there.

My leg aches a lot.

acorn noun acorns

An acorn is the seed of an oak tree.

across

If someone goes across a place, they go from one side of it to the other.

She walked across the road.

act verb acts, acting, acted

1 When you act, you do something.

The police acted quickly to stop the fight.

2 If you act in a play or film, you pretend to be one of the people in it.

active adjective

Someone who is active moves around a lot.

My grandmother is very active for her age.

add verb adds, adding, added

1 If you add one thing to another, you put it with the other thing.

Add the water to the flour.

2 If you add numbers together, you find out how many they make together.

Add three and six.

address noun addresses

Your address is the name of the place where you live.

adjective noun adjectives

An adjective is a word like “big” or “beautiful”, that tells you more about a person or thing.

admire verb admires, admiring, admired

If you admire something, you like it and think that it is very nice or very good.

I admired his painting.

adopt verb adopts, adopting, adopted

If you adopt another person’s child, you take them into your own family as your son or daughter.

adult noun adults

An adult is a person who is not a child anymore.

adventure noun adventures

An adventure is something exciting which you do, or which happens to you.

He wrote a book about his adventures in the jungle.

adverb noun adverbs

An adverb is a word like “slowly”, “now”, or “very” that tells you about how something is done.

aeroplane noun aeroplanes

An aeroplane is a large vehicle with wings and engines that flies through the air.

afraid adjective

If you are afraid, you are frightened because you think that something bad will happen to you.

I am not afraid of the dark.

after

1 If something happens after another thing, it happens later than it.

I watched television after dinner.

2 If you go after a person or thing, you follow them or chase them.

They ran after her.

afternoon noun afternoons

The afternoon is the part of each day between twelve noon and about six o’clock.

again

If something happens again, it happens another time.

We went to the park again yesterday.

against

1 If something is against another thing, it is touching it.

He leaned against the wall.

2 If you play against someone in a game, you try to beat them.

The two teams played against one another.

age noun ages

Your age is the number of years that you have lived.

ago

You use ago to talk about a time in the past.

She left two weeks ago.

agree verb agrees, agreeing, agreed

If you agree with someone, you think the same as they do about something.

I agree with you about him.

ahead

Someone who is ahead of another person is in front of them.

My brother ran ahead of us.

air noun

Air is the mixture of gases all around us that we breathe.

I opened the window and let in some air.

aircraft noun aircraft

An aircraft is any vehicle which can fly.

airport noun airports

An airport is a place where aeroplanes fly from and land.

alarm noun alarms

An alarm is a piece of equipment that warns you of danger by making a noise.

The car alarm woke us up.

alien noun aliens

In stories and films, an alien is a creature from another planet.

alike adjective

If people or things are alike, they are the same in some way.

The two cats looked alike.

alive adjective

If a person, an animal or a plant is alive, they are living and not dead.

all

You use all to talk about everything, everyone, or the whole of something.

Did you eat all of it?

alligator noun alligators

An alligator is a large reptile with a long body, a long mouth and sharp teeth. Alligators’ mouths are in the shape of a letter U.

allow verb allows, allowing, allowed

If you allow someone to do something, you let them do it.

Mum allowed us to go out and play.

all right or alright adjective

If you say that something is all right, you mean that it is good enough.

I thought the film was all right.

almost

Almost means very nearly.

I almost missed the bus.

alone adjective

When you are alone, you are not with any other people.

She was alone in the room.

along

1 If you walk along a road or other place, you move towards one end of it.

We walked along the street.

2 If you bring something along when you go somewhere, you bring it with you.

She brought a present along to the party.

aloud

When you read or talk aloud, you read or talk so that other people can hear you.

She read the story aloud to us.

alphabet noun alphabets

An alphabet is a set of letters that is used for writing words. The letters are arranged in a special order.

A is the first letter of the alphabet.

already

You use already to show that something has happened before the present time.

She is already here.

also

You use also to give more information about something.

I’m cold, and I’m also hungry.

always

If you always do something, you do it every time or all the time.

She’s always late for school.

Look at be.

I am six years old.

amazing adjective

You say that something is amazing when it is a surprise and you like it.

We had an amazing holiday.

ambulance noun ambulances

An ambulance is a vehicle for taking people to hospital.

amount noun amounts

An amount of something is how much there is of it.

We only have a small amount of food.

amphibian noun amphibians

An amphibian is an animal that lives both on land and in water, for example a frog or a toad.

ancient adjective

Ancient means very old, or from a long time ago.

They lived in an ancient castle.

angry adjective angrier, angriest

When you are angry, you feel very upset about something.

She was angry at her brother for breaking the window.

animal noun animals

An animal is any creature that is alive, but not a plant or a person.

ankle noun ankles

Your ankle is the part of your body where your foot joins your leg.

I fell and twisted my ankle.

annoy verb annoys, annoying, annoyed

If something annoys you, it makes you angry and upset.

It annoys me when people are rude.

another

You use another to mean one more.

She ate another cake.

answer verb answers, answering, answered

If you answer someone, you say something back to them.

She said hello, but he didn’t answer.

ant noun ants

Ants are small insects that live in large groups.

antelope noun antelopes

An antelope is an animal that looks like a deer.

any

1 You use any to mean some of a thing.

Is there any juice left?

2 You also use any to show that it does not matter which one.

Take any book you want.

anybody

You use anybody to talk about a person, when it does not matter which one.

Is there anybody there?

anyone

You use anyone to talk about a person, when it does not matter who.

Don’t tell anyone.

anything

You use anything to talk about a thing, when it does not matter which one.

I can’t see anything.

anywhere

You use anywhere to talk about a place, when it does not matter which one.

You can go anywhere you like.

apart

1 When things are apart, there is a space or a distance between them.

The desks are too far apart.

2 If you take something apart, you take it to pieces.

He took his bike apart.

ape noun apes

An ape is an animal like a large monkey with long, strong arms and no tail.

apologize or apologise verb apologizes, apologizing, apologized

When you apologize, you say that you are sorry for something you have said or done.

He apologized for breaking the window.

appear verb appears, appearing, appeared

When something appears, it becomes possible to see it.

The sun appeared from behind the clouds.

apple noun apples

An apple is a firm, round fruit with green, red, or yellow skin.

April noun

April is the month after March and before May. It has 30 days.

His birthday is in April.

apron noun aprons

An apron is a large piece of cloth that you wear over your other clothes to keep them clean when you are cooking or painting.

are

Look at be.

They are both in my class.

area noun areas

An area is a part of a place.

We live in an area near the park.

aren’t

Aren’t is short for are not.

My friends aren’t here today.

argue verb argues, arguing, argued

If you argue with someone, you talk about something that you do not agree about.

We argued about where to go.

argument noun arguments

If you have an argument with someone, you talk about something that you do not agree about.

She had an argument with another girl.

arm noun arms

Your arms are the two parts of your body between your shoulders and your hands.

She stretched her arms out.

armchair noun armchairs

An armchair is a big comfortable chair with parts on the sides for you to put your arms on.

army noun armies

An army is a large group of soldiers who fight in a war.

around

1 Around means in a circle.

There were lots of people around her.

2 You also use around to say that something is in every part of a place.

His toys lay around the room.

3 Around also means near to something.

We left around noon.

arrange verb arranges, arranging, arranged

1 If you arrange something, you make plans for it to happen.

We arranged a party for her birthday.

2 If you arrange things somewhere, you put them in a way that looks tidy or pretty.

He arranged the books in piles.

arrive verb arrives, arriving, arrived

When you arrive at a place, you get there.

We arrived ten minutes late.

arrow noun arrows

1 An arrow is a long, thin stick with a sharp point at one end.

The soldiers used bows and arrows.

2 An arrow is also a sign that shows you which way to go.

Follow the arrows along the path.

art noun

Art is something that someone has made for people to look at, for example a painting or drawing.

ask verb asks, asking, asked

1 If you ask someone a question, you say that you want to know something.

I asked him what his name was.

2 If you ask for something, you say that you want it.

She asked for some sweets.

asleep adjective

If you are asleep, you are sleeping.

The cat was asleep under the tree.

assembly noun assemblies

An assembly is a group of people who meet together.

We were late for school assembly.

assistant noun assistants

An assistant is someone who helps another person in their work.

astronaut noun astronauts

An astronaut is a person who travels in space.

ate

Look at eat.

He ate three apples.

atlas noun atlases

An atlas is a book of maps.

attack verb attacks, attacking, attacked

If someone attacks another person, they try to hurt them.

attention noun

If you pay attention, you watch and listen.

He always pays attention in class.

attract verb attracts, attracting, attracted

If something attracts things to it, it makes them move towards it.

Magnets attract anything made of iron.

audience noun audiences

An audience is all of the people who watch or listen to something, for example a film or a play.

August noun

August is the month after July and before September. It has 31 days.

We went on holiday in August.

aunt noun aunts

Your aunt is the sister of your mother or father, or the wife of your uncle.

author noun authors

An author is a person who writes books.

autumn noun autumns

Autumn is the season after summer and before winter. In the autumn the weather usually becomes cooler and the leaves fall off the trees.

awake adjective

Someone who is awake is not sleeping.

I stayed awake until midnight.

away

1 If someone moves away from a place, they move so that they are not there any more.

He walked away from the house.

2 If you put something away, you put it where it should be.

Put your books away before you go.

awful adjective

If something is awful, it is very bad.

There was an awful smell.

axe noun axes

An axe is a tool with a handle and a big, sharp blade. It is used to chop wood.

baby noun babies

A baby is a very young child.

back noun backs

1 Your back is the part of your body from your neck to your bottom.

He was lying on his back in the grass.

2 The back of something is the side or part of it that is farthest from the front.

She was in a room at the back of the shop.

backwards

1 If you move backwards, you move in the direction behind you.

She walked backwards.

2 If you do something backwards, you do it the opposite of the usual way.

He had his jumper on backwards.

bad adjective worse, worst

1 Something that is bad is not nice or good.

The weather is bad today.

2 Someone who is bad does things they should not do.

Some bad boys stole the money.

badge noun badges

A badge is a small piece of metal or plastic with words or a picture on it that you wear on your clothes.

badger noun badgers

A badger is an animal that has a white head with two black stripes on it. Badgers live beneath the ground and come out at night.

bag noun bags

A bag is a container that you use to hold or carry things.

He put his shoes in his bag.

bake verb bakes, baking, baked

When you bake food, you cook it in an oven.

baker noun bakers

A baker is a person who makes and sells bread and cakes.

balance verb balances, balancing, balanced

When you balance something, you keep it steady and do not let it fall.

She balanced a book on her head.

ball noun balls

A ball is a round thing that you kick, throw or catch in games.

ballet noun

Ballet is a kind of dance with special steps that often tells a story.

balloon noun balloons

A balloon is a small bag made of thin rubber that you blow into to make it bigger.

banana noun bananas

A banana is a long curved fruit with a thick yellow skin.

band noun bands

1 A band is a group of people who play music together.

He plays the guitar in a band.

2 A band is also a narrow strip of material that you put around something.

She wore a band round her hair.

bandage noun bandages

A bandage is a long strip of cloth that you wrap around a part of your body when you have hurt it.

bang noun bangs

A bang is a sudden, loud noise.

The balloon burst with a bang.

bank noun banks

1 A bank is a place where people can keep their money.

He got some money from the bank.

2 A bank is also the ground beside a river.

We walked along the bank.

bar noun bars

A bar is a long, thin piece of wood or metal.

There were bars on the windows.

bare adjective barer, barest

1 If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothes.

Her feet were bare.

2 If something is bare, it has nothing on top of it or inside it.

The cupboard was bare.

bark verb barks, barking, barked

When a dog barks, it makes a short, loud noise.

barn noun barns

A barn is a big building on a farm where animals and crops are kept.

base noun bases

The base of something is the lowest part of it, or the part that it stands on.

She stood at the base of the stairs.

basket noun baskets

A basket is a container that you use to hold or carry things. It is made from thin strips of material.

bat noun bats

1 A bat is a special stick that you use to hit a ball in some games.

2 A bat is also a small animal that looks like a mouse with wings. Bats come out to fly at night.

bath noun baths

A bath is a long container that you fill with water and sit in to wash yourself.

bathroom noun bathrooms

A bathroom is a room with a bath or shower in it.

battery noun batteries

A battery is a small tube or box for storing electricity. You put batteries in things like toys and radios to make them work.

The clock needs a new battery.

be verb am, is, are, being, was, were, been

1 You use be to say what a person or thing is like.

She is very young.

2 You also use be to say that something is there.

There is a tree in the garden.

beach noun beaches

A beach is the land by the edge of the sea. It is covered with sand or stones.

bead noun beads

A bead is a small piece of glass, wood or plastic with a hole through the middle. You put beads on a string to make necklaces or bracelets.

beak noun beaks

A bird’s beak is the hard part of its mouth.

bean noun beans

A bean is the small seed of some plants that you can eat as a vegetable.

bear noun bears

A bear is a big, strong animal with thick fur and sharp claws.

beard noun beards

A beard is the hair that grows on a man’s chin and cheeks.

beat verb beats, beating, beat, beaten

1 If you beat something, you keep hitting it.

He beat the drum with a stick.

2 If you beat someone in a game or a competition, you do better than they do.

He beat me in the race.

beautiful adjective

If something is beautiful, it is very nice to look at or to listen to.

He painted a beautiful picture.

became

Look at become.

She became very angry.

because

You use because to say why something happens.

I went to bed because I was tired.

become verb becomes, becoming, became, become

If one thing becomes another thing, it starts to be that thing.

The weather became cold.

bed noun beds

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

bedroom noun bedrooms

A bedroom is a room with a bed in it where you sleep.

bedtime noun bedtimes

Your bedtime is the time when you usually go to bed.

My bedtime is at eight o’clock.

bee noun bees

A bee is an insect with wings and black and yellow stripes on its body. Bees live in large groups and make honey.

been

Look at be.

We have always been good friends.

beetle noun beetles

A beetle is an insect with hard wings that cover its body when it is not flying.

before

If one thing happens before another thing, it happens earlier than it.

My birthday is just before his.

began

Look at begin.

She began to laugh.

begin verb begins, beginning, began, begun

If you begin to do something, you start to do it.

You can begin to write now.

begun

Look at begin.

He has begun to play the piano.

behave verb behaves, behaving, behaved

1 The way you behave is the way that you do and say things.

She behaves like a baby.

2 If you behave yourself, you are good.

You can come if you behave yourself.

behind

If something is behind another thing, it is at the back of it.

He stood behind his desk.

believe verb believes, believing, believed

If you believe something, you think that it is true.

I don’t believe that story.

bell noun bells

A bell is a piece of metal in the shape of a cup that rings when you shake it or hit it.

belong verb belongs, belonging, belonged

1 If something belongs to you, it is yours.

The book belongs to her.

2 If you belong to a group of people, you are one of them.

He belongs to our team.

3 If something belongs somewhere, that is where it should be.

Your toys belong in your room.

below

If something is below another thing, it is lower down than it.

His shoes were below his bed.

belt noun belts

A belt is a band of leather or cloth that you wear around your waist.

bench noun benches

A bench is a long seat that two or more people can sit on.

bend verb bends, bending, bent

When you bend something, you change its shape so that it is not straight any more.

Bend your legs when you do this exercise.

beneath

If something is beneath another thing, it is below it.

The dog was beneath the table.

bent

Look at bend.

He bent to pick up the bags.

berry noun berries

A berry is a small, soft fruit that grows on a bush or a tree.

beside

If something is beside another thing, it is next to it.

He sat down beside me.

best

If you say that something is best, you mean that it is better than all the others.

You are my best friend.

better

1 You use better to mean that a thing is very good compared to another thing.

His painting is better than mine.

2 If you feel better, you do not feel ill any more.

I feel much better today.

between

If you are between two things, one of them is on one side of you and the other is on the other side.

She stood between her two brothers.

bicycle noun bicycles

A bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels. You push the pedals with your feet to make the wheels turn.

big adjective bigger, biggest

A person or thing that is big is large in size.

She lives in a big house.

bike noun bikes

A bike is a bicycle or motorbike.

bin noun bins

A bin is a container that you put rubbish in.

bird noun birds

A bird is an animal with feathers, wings, and a beak. Most birds can fly.

birthday noun birthdays

Your birthday is the date that you were born.

She gave me a present on my birthday.

biscuit noun biscuits

A biscuit is a kind of small, hard, dry cake.

bit noun bits

A bit of something is a small amount of it, or a small part of it.

I ate a bit of bread.

bite verb bites, biting, bit, bitten

If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it.

The dog tried to bite him.

black noun/adjective

Black is the colour of the sky at night.

The car is black.

blackboard noun blackboards

A blackboard is a flat, black surface that you write on with chalk in a classroom.

blade noun blades

A blade is the flat, sharp part of a knife that you use to cut things.

blame verb blames, blaming, blamed

If you blame someone for something bad, you think that they made it happen.

Mum blamed me for making the mess.

blanket noun blankets

A blanket is a large, thick piece of cloth that you put on a bed to keep you warm.

blew

Look at blow.

The wind blew outside.

blind adjective

Someone who is blind cannot see.

block noun blocks

A block of something is a large piece of it with straight sides.

We made a house with blocks of wood.

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