Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms
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that tailors were like storks - known for their big bills. |
wage |
n. 1 Often, wages. pay, compensation, emolument, remuneration, |
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payment, fee, salary, stipend, recompense, reward, earnings; |
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honorarium: The strikers wanted a ten per cent increase in |
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their hourly wage. |
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--v. 2 carry on, pursue, conduct, engage in, undertake, |
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practise, prosecute, proceed with: History shows that wars are |
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often waged over trifling differences. |
wait |
v. 1 tarry, linger, hold on, stay, bide (one's) time, mark |
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time, stand by, Colloq cool (one's) heels, stick around, sit |
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tight, hang on, Brit hang about, US hang around: If you wait |
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till I've finished this, I'll join you for dinner. 2 be delayed |
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or postponed or deferred or shelved or put off, US be tabled, |
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Colloq be put on ice or on the back burner: The quarterly sales |
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figures can wait - we haven't yet completed those for this |
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month. 3 wait on or upon. serve, attend (to), minister (to): |
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Rose made such a fuss that the restaurant staff refused to wait |
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on her. |
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--n. 4 delay, pause, stay, hold-up, interval, halt, stop, |
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stoppage, break, hiatus, lacuna, gap, respite, rest (period), |
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intermission, discontinuation, recess: There was an extra long |
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wait between trains because of track repairs further up the |
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line. |
waiter n. waitress, head waiter, maŒtre d'h“tel, host, hostess, sommelier (des vins), wine steward, stewardess; cup-bearer, Ganymede, Hebe: Marie asked the waiter to bring her a clean plate.
waive v. 1 give up, relinquish, renounce, resign, forsake, forgo, cede, sign away, surrender, abandon, yield, dispense with: I waived my right to the inheritance in favour of my daughters. 2 set or put aside, except, ignore, disregard, overlook, abandon, defer, postpone: We are happy to waive the rules in your case, madam.
waiver n. renunciation, relinquishment, forgoing, ceding, cession, resignation, surrender, abandonment, setting or putting aside, deferral, remission, postponement: Her waiver of all rights to
the inheritance was duly recorded.
wake° v. 1 Often, wake up. awaken, awake, rouse, waken, bring around; stir, bestir (oneself), get up, come to, get going: Wake me
when it is over. She didn't wake up till noon. 2 awake, waken, awaken, animate, stimulate, enliven, galvanize, fire, quicken, inspirit, inspire, activate, liven up, vivify, kindle, vitalize,
stir, arouse, get (someone) going, bring to life: When I feel this tired, it takes a lot to wake me up. Seeing Margo woke a spark in me I thought had long since died.
--n. 3 vigil, watch, death-watch, funeral: If you have ever been to an Irish wake, you will know what I mean.
wakeý n. 1 track, trail, aftermath, path, backwash, wash, bow wave; trace, spoor, scent: The wake from the passing boats damages the docks. No matter where he went, they followed in his wake. 2 in the wake of. following (on or upon), after, subsequent to; as
a result or consequence of, on account of, because of, owing to, by virtue of: In the wake of the law's enactment, scores of abortions were performed.
wakeful adj. 1 awake, sleepless, waking, unsleeping, restless, restive,
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insomniac: The children were wakeful the entire night in |
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anticipation of a visit from Santa Claus. 2 watchful, (on the) |
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alert, on the qui vive, sharp, attentive, vigilant, wary, |
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cautious, observant, heedful, on the lookout: We remained |
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wakeful, alert to any footstep. |
walk |
v. 1 advance, proceed, move, go, wend, go or make (one's) way |
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by foot, tread, step, perambulate, stalk, stride, tramp, stroll, |
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amble, ramble, ambulate, shamble, pad, shuffle, saunter, trudge, |
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trek, plod, slog, hike, parade, promenade, strut, swagger, |
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prance, march, goose-step, pace, trip, sidle, tiptoe, sashay, |
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flounce, stagger, lurch, limp, waddle, stamp, mince, slink, |
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steal, prowl, skulk, sneak, creep, Colloq go by or ride by |
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shanks's or shanks' mare or pony, hoof it, foot it, traipse, |
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pussyfoot, Slang US boogie: Guthrie certainly has a peculiar |
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way of walking. 2 take, convoy, accompany, escort, go with; |
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conduct, lead; empty: Let me walk you to the station. I have to |
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walk the dog twice a day. 3 patrol, trace out, stalk, cover, |
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haunt, prowl, wander, roam, rove or range about in or on, |
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frequent: Her mother could not understand why Maizie walked the |
streets nightly. 4 walk out. a leave, depart, desert; walk out on: She just walked out and no one has seen her since. b strike, go (out) on strike, protest, take industrial action, Brit down tools: Negotiations reached an impasse, so the employees walked out.
--n. 5 path, lane, pathway, pavement, footpath, promenade, esplanade, boardwalk, Brit footway, US sidewalk: We strolled along the pleasant walks that lead through the park. 6 gait, step, carriage, bearing, stride: He had great fun imitating Groucho Marx's slinky walk. 7 constitutional, stroll, amble; slog, tramp, hike: Lettie likes to take a walk in the park
after dinner. We had a five-day walk through the jungle before reaching civilization.
wall |
n. 1 screen, partition, divider, enclosure, separator, |
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bulkhead, barrier, obstruction, obstacle, impediment, block, |
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fence: Marcie built round herself a wall of resentment which no |
one could penetrate. 2 barricade, fortification, protection, bulwark, breastwork, embankment, rampart, palisade, stockade: It was questionable whether the walls would withstand the cannon-balls. 3 drive up the wall. drive crazy or insane or mad, madden, exasperate, derange, try, irritate, infuriate, enrage: The constant caterwauling from the next flat is driving me up the wall. 4 go to the wall. fail, collapse, be ruined,
face ruin, go bankrupt, lose everything, Colloq go broke, go under, fold (up), Slang go bust: Unicold went to the wall because of increased costs and decreased sales.
--v. 5 Often, wall up or off. enclose, partition (off), close (off), brick up, immure: A bricklayer was hired to wall up the openings where the windows had been.
wallet |
n. purse, pocketbook, Brit notecase, US billfold: An anonymous |
good Samaritan found my wallet and sent it to me intact, with |
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all the money in it. |
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wallow |
v. 1 roll or loll about or around, welter, writhe, tumble, |
splash or plash: He enjoys watching the pigs wallowing in the mud. 2 Usually, wallow in. luxuriate in, bask in, revel in, glory in, indulge (oneself) in, give (oneself) up to, succumb to, take to, appreciate, fancy, enjoy, like, love, savour, Slang
get a kick or a bang or a boot from or out of: Now that Gabriel
is a big rock star, he simply wallows in all the attention he is
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getting. 3 stumble, stagger, lurch, flounder, teeter, totter, |
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falter, pitch: Without its engines, the ship was lifted skyward |
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by a wave one moment only to wallow in a trough the next. |
wan |
adj. 1 white, sickly, pale, pallid, livid, pasty, ashen, |
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bloodless, waxen, whey-faced, sallow, colourless, deathly, |
ghostly, ghastly, cadaverous: I almost wept at seeing the child's wan face against the pillow. 2 weary, weak, hollow, feeble, frail, ineffectual, sorry, pitiful: She offered no more than a wan smile in response to questions about her family.
wand |
n. baton, stick, staff, stick: The magician pointed with his |
wand and a bottle of gin appeared. |
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wander |
v. 1 walk, go, roam, rove, range, stray, ramble, stroll, |
saunter, meander, drift, cruise, prowl, Colloq mosey: We |
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wandered about the village square, chatting and window-shopping. |
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2 wind, meander, zigzag, turn this way and that: A trout stream |
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wanders past our house. 3 digress, go off, become |
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absent-minded, go wool-gathering, lose concentration or focus: |
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My mind wandered as the speaker droned on. 4 deviate, digress, |
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turn, divagate, stray, drift, depart, go off at a tangent, lose |
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(one's) train of thought, lapse: The speaker tended to wander |
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occasionally. |
wane |
v. 1 decrease, diminish, grow less, lessen, decline, die out, |
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abate, ebb, subside, fade (away), dim, taper off, peter out, |
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wind down, weaken: The waning moon cast its pale light on the |
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dying knight. As his strength waned he could no longer lift his |
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sword. 2 draw to a close, end, terminate: The day waned into a |
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gloomy evening. |
--n. 3 decrease, diminution, lessening, decline, abatement, ebb, subsidence, fading, tapering off, petering out, winding
down, weakening, deterioration, degeneration: The 1970s saw the wane in popularity of large, gas-guzzling cars. 4 on the wane.
on the decrease or decline or ebb, diminishing, decreasing, declining, abating, subsiding, fading, tapering off, petering
out, winding down, weakening, deteriorating, degenerating: The economy is recovering, and inflation is on the wane. Since that latest illness, my energy has been on the wane.
wangle v. scheme, plot, work out, contrive, manoeuvre, engineer,
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manage, manipulate, machinate, Colloq fix, fiddle, work, pull |
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off, finagle, swing: I hear that you were able to wangle an |
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audience with the pope. |
want |
v. 1 desire, crave, wish (for), long for, pine for, hope (for), |
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fancy, covet, hanker after, lust after, hunger for or after, |
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thirst for or after, yearn for, Colloq have a yen for: I want |
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you near me. Ignore his crying - he just wants some ice-cream. |
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Maybe he's crying because he wants to go. 2 need, lack, miss, |
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require, call for, demand, be deficient in, be or stand in want |
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or in need of, necessitate; be or fall short of: This engine |
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wants proper maintenance. The bottle wants only a few more drops |
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to fill it. |
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--n. 3 need, lack, shortage, deficiency, dearth, scarcity, |
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scarceness, insufficiency, scantiness, inadequacy, paucity: For |
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want of good writers, the literary quarterly diminished in size |
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and finally disappeared. 4 appetite, hunger, thirst, craving, |
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desire, fancy, wish, longing, yearning, hankering, demand, |
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necessity, requirement, requisite, prerequisite, Colloq yen: |
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She gave up trying to satisfy his wants. 5 poverty, need, |
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indigence, homelessness, destitution, privation, pauperism, |
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penury, neediness, impecuniousness: The civilized nations are |
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trying to solve the problems of want, which seem to increase |
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daily. |
wanting adj. 1 deficient, inadequate, not up to par or expectations, insufficient, leaving much to be desired, unsatisfactory, unsatisfying, disappointing, second-rate, inferior, poor, shabby, shoddy, flawed, faulty, imperfect, incomplete, unfinished, defective, patchy, impaired, damaged, broken,
unsound: These robots were tested at the factory and were found wanting. 2 absent, missing, lacking, short (of), US and Canadian shy (of): What good is a banjo wanting its strings?
wanton adj. 1 immoral, dissolute, profligate, dissipated, depraved, loose, promiscuous, lustful, licentious, lecherous, wild, libidinous, lewd, lascivious, unchaste: She is a wanton hussy who is no better than she ought to be. 2 abandoned, unrestrained, undisciplined, ungoverned, ungovernable,
unmanageable, outrageous, immoderate, intemperate, untempered: It is not the boy's fault, it is the wanton company he keeps. 3
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reckless, rash, uncaring, lavish, extravagant, wilful, heedless, |
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irresponsible, careless: This situation arises from the |
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parents' wanton disregard for their children's moral training. 4 |
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wicked, evil, malevolent, malicious, merciless, inhumane, |
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vicious, cruel, violent, unjustified, unprovoked, uncalled-for, |
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purposeless, motiveless, unjustifiable, arbitrary, gratuitous: |
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We were subject to wanton attacks by the hill people. |
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--n. 5 vamp, strumpet, whore, harlot, loose woman, prostitute, |
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voluptuary, slut, trollop, Jezebel, Colloq tart, Slang hooker, |
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working girl, call-girl: Who invited that wanton, with her |
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tight-fitting, shamelessly low-cut dress? |
war |
n. 1 warfare, combat, conflict, fighting, clash, hostilities, |
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battle, struggle, engagement, encounter, strife, contention: |
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The war, in which several millions died, lasted six years. 2 at |
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war. fighting, battling, in combat, in conflict; in |
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disagreement, in dispute, in contention, struggling, |
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antagonistic, at daggers drawn: They are at war because an |
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ambassador refused to retract some silly insult. |
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--v. 3 do battle or fight or struggle or (engage in) combat |
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with or against, make or wage war with or against, take up arms |
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or strive or campaign or tilt against, cross swords or contend |
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or joust with: We must continue to war against the forces of |
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evil. |
ward |
n. 1 district, division, precinct, section, zone, quarter: |
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Perkin was running for re-election as councillor of the Eastgate |
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ward. 2 minor, dependant: The child was made a ward of the |
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court. |
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--v. 3 ward off. fend off, repel, avert, avoid, block, thwart, |
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keep away or off or at bay or at arm's length, check, repulse, |
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chase away or off, forestall: This brandy should help ward off |
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the night chill. |
wardrobe n. 1 (collection or stock of) clothing or clothes or attire or apparel: At the time, my entire wardrobe consisted of a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a dinner suit. 2 clothes-press, closet, clothes-cupboard: In her wardrobe they found more than three thousand pairs of shoes.
warehouse n. storehouse, store, storeroom, depository, stockroom, depot, go-down: The books are kept in a warehouse and shipped to customers as needed.
wares |
n.pl. merchandise, goods, commodities, manufactures, produce, |
stock-(in-trade), supplies, lines: A blind man peddled his |
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wares on this corner for twenty years. |
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warlike |
adj. combative, belligerent, bellicose, aggressive, pugnacious, |
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hostile, bloodthirsty; hawkish, militaristic, jingoistic, |
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warmongering: Violation of the border was a warlike act that |
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must be punished. There are warlike factions in every |
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government. |
warm |
adj. 1 heated, tepid, lukewarm, cosy, comfortable, not |
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uncomfortable, balmy: We chose a beautiful warm day for our |
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picnic. 2 passionate, impassioned, excited, animated, fervent, |
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fervid, spirited, lively, ardent, zealous, keen, eager, |
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emotional, heated, intense, irritated, annoyed, vexed, angry, |
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irate, furious, testy, short-tempered, touchy, quick-tempered, |
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irascible, irritable, stormy, turbulent, vigorous, violent, |
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Colloq worked up, hot under the collar, steamed up: Charles |
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occasionally became a bit warm on the subject of architecture. |
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The debate grew warm as we joined in. 3 amiable, friendly, |
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cordial, affable, pleasant, genial, cheerful, kindly, |
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hospitable, hearty; affectionate, tender, mellow, loving, |
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amorous: After a warm greeting from our host, we went in to |
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meet the other guests. Her generous gifts to charity revealed |
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that she really has a warm heart. 4 ardent, enthusiastic, |
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earnest, eager, sincere: Our ideas for the new campaign met |
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with warm approval from the client. 5 uncomfortable, awkward, |
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unpleasant, strained, tense: The people in this town tend to |
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make things a bit warm for strangers. 6 Often, getting warm. |
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close or near to making a discovery, about to make a discovery: |
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From her look as I approached the cabinet, I knew I was getting |
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warm. |
--v. 7 heat (up), warm up or over: I warmed myself by the fire. 8 Often, warm to. become less antagonistic or hostile to or toward(s), become enthusiastic or supportive of, become excited or animated about or over, be attracted to or toward(s), like, feel affection for: Martin never did warm to my idea of using the village notice-board for his message. 9 stir, move,
please, delight, make (one or someone) feel good: It warmed me to know that she had at last found someone to love.
warm-blooded
adj. 1 Technical homoeothermic or homoeothermal or homoiothermic or homoiothermal or homeothermic or homeothermal: Birds and mammals are warm-blooded, reptiles and fish are cold-blooded. 2 passionate, ardent, fervid, hot-blooded,
impetuous, Colloq randy: He tried to excuse his behaviour towards her by saying that he was just a normal, warm-blooded man.
warmly adv. 1 affectionately, tenderly, fondly, lovingly: Linda kissed him warmly to thank him for the gift. 2 cordially, amiably, amicably, solicitously, warm-heartedly: We were greeted warmly by the manager on our arrival and shown to our rooms. 3 earnestly, eagerly, fervently, enthusiastically, well, kindly: The directors are warmly disposed to your plan for reorganization. 4 vigorously, intensely, fiercely, intensively, intently, energetically, doggedly, persistently, zealously, fervently, fervidly, hotly, ardently, enthusiastically: We learned that she was being warmly pursued by Interpol. 5 heatedly, vehemently, vociferously, forcefully, energetically, vigorously, feverishly, frantically, furiously, angrily,
violently: The sending of a peace-keeping force was being warmly debated in the UN.
warmth n. 1 heat: We basked in the welcome warmth of the sun. 2 cordiality, heartiness, friendliness, geniality, amiableness,
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kindliness, tenderness, affability, love: Mother thrives on the |
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warmth of a family environment and should not be put in a |
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nursing home. 3 ardour, effusiveness, enthusiasm, zeal, |
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excitedness, fervour, vehemence, vigour, ebullience, passion: I |
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was taken aback by the warmth of the stranger's greeting. The |
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resolution was debated with considerable warmth. 4 irritation, |
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annoyance, pique: The warmth of his reaction to the accusation |
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is understandable. |
warn |
v. 1 caution, admonish, advise, notify, apprise, inform, give |
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(fair) warning, alert, give (prior) notice, put (someone) on |
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notice or on guard or on the alert, make (someone) aware (of), |
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forewarn, tip off, Rare premonish: The entire population has |
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been warned about the imminent hurricane. 2 advise, counsel, |
caution: You did warn me against investing in llama farms.
warning n. 1 caution, admonition, advice, counsel, caveat, word (to the wise), tip, notification, notice, threat; lesson, example:
Cyril never took seriously his doctor's warning about his cholesterol level. Let that be a warning to you not to drink and drive. 2 omen, sign, signal, indication, augury, foretoken,
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portent, foreshadowing, forewarning, prophecy: Sailors take |
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that kind of sky and a falling barometer as warning of a |
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hurricane. |
warp |
v. 1 twist, contort, distort, deform, bend out of shape, |
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wrench, pervert, misshape: Using steam, the timber was warped |
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to fit the hull. You certainly have a warped idea of what Yvette |
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does for a living. |
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--n. 2 twist, contortion, distortion, bias, deformity, |
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deformation, bend, wrench, perversion, kink, idiosyncrasy, |
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quirk, deviation: There is too much of a warp in this veneer to |
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repair it. Harry has to overcome a serious warp in his attitude |
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towards food. |
warrant n. 1 authorization, sanction, reason, justification, approval, validation, licence, right, certification, entitlement, grounds, cause, rationale, basis, assurance, carte blanche, guarantee, pledge, security, charter, warranty: We demand to know what warrant may exist for such an action. 2 writ, order, affidavit, paper, document, credential, permit, entitlement, licence, permit, summons, subpoena, mandate, decree, fiat, edict, ukase:
Do not let them search the premises without a warrant. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
--v. 3 guarantee, promise, assure, ensure or insure, answer for, be answerable for, certify, vouch for, underwrite, back up,
uphold, stand by or behind: All these products are warranted by the manufacturer for one year. 4 authorize, sanction, justify, explain, approve, verify, validate, permit, allow, provide or offer grounds or justification or cause or reason for, call for, necessitate, entitle, empower, excuse, license: What is it that warrants such accusations of malfeasance?
warranty n. guarantee, assurance, promise, commitment, covenant, undertaking, agreement, pledge, bond: There is a maker's
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warranty that repairs of any defects will be made at no cost to |
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the buyer. |
wary |
adj. cautious, careful, on (one's) guard, circumspect, prudent, |
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apprehensive, chary, watchful, vigilant, on the qui vive, |
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heedful, observant, on (one's) toes, Colloq cagey, Slang leery |
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(of): Phoebe is wary of going out with someone she doesn't |
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know. |
wash |
v. 1 wash up, clean (up), cleanse, bathe, shower, douche, |
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douse, scrub (up), shampoo, soap up, lather, launder, scour, |
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soak, rinse, flush, wet, drench, deterge, sponge (off), |
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Facetious perform (one's) ablutions, Archaic absterge, Formal or |
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literary lave, Brit bath: Please wash the dishes when you have |
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finished eating. I must wash before I do anything else. 2 |
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Sometimes, wash away or out or off. remove, move, transport, |
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carry, bear, convey, deliver, deposit, drive, sweep: The silt, |
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with the gold dust, is washed downstream. In this process, the |
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impurities are washed away. 3 splash, spatter, splatter, plash, |
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dash, beat, pound, thrash, break, toss, surge, undulate, rush, |
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run, lap, ripple, roll, flow: We stood watching the sea washing |
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against the breakwater. 4 Usually, wash away or off. erode, |
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wear off or away, remove, delete, erase, expunge, destroy, |
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eradicate, obliterate, extinguish, blot out, wipe out: After |
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5000 years, the action of the waves had washed away all traces |
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of the Vengorian civilization. 5 Often, wash away or out. erode, |
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cut or dig or wear or eat or dredge (away or out), excavate, |
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channel: The river eventually washed out a new course, fifteen |
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miles to the west. 6 decontaminate, purify, sift, filter, |
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depurate: The wastes are thoroughly washed in these tanks |
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before being discharged into the ocean. 7 overlay, film, coat, |
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paint, glaze; plate: What do you think of colour they washed |
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the wall? 8 hold up, stand up, stand the test of time, carry |
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weight, bear scrutiny, prove true, make sense, be believable or |
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credible, Colloq hold water: I'm afraid that Helen's |
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explanation of her whereabouts at the time of the murder simply |
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won't wash. 9 wash down. swallow: Here, wash the pill down with |
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this. 10 wash (one's) hands of. stay or keep away from, disown, |
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repudiate, turn (one's) back on, have nothing more or further to |
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do with, get rid of, rid (oneself) of, desert, abandon, leave: |
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After Neil took the money, Violet washed her hands of him and |
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his problems. |