Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

something is the case, you say that it is so.

      allege

      The witness alleged that Jones had threatened several people.

      argue

      The boss argued that it was fair to sack someone who worked slowly.

      declare

      The smuggler declared that he had nothing illegal in his case.

      insist

      The arrested woman insisted that the officer had made a mistake.

      maintain

      Hal maintained that only Leroy was better than him at basketball.

      class (1) NOUN

      A class is a group of pupils or students who are taught together.

      group

      Mum’s quilting group meets on Tuesday.

      set

      My clever sister is in the top maths set.

      stream

      At the grammar school, children were put in streams according to their ability.

      tutor group

      Jennifer is in Mrs Burton’s tutor group.

      class (2) NOUN

      A class of people or things is a group of them that are alike in some way.

      category

      Nitesh entered the junior category of the poetry competition.

      kind

      Beavenutti is the best restaurant of its kind in the area.

      sort

      “What is your favourite sort of music?” Carly asked Hannah.

      type

      The market stall sold lots of different types of vegetables and fruits.

      clean (1) ADJECTIVE

      If something is clean, it is free from dirt or unwanted marks.

      immaculate

      The car was immaculate when Dad bought it, but filthy two days later.

      spotless

      “I want this cabin spotless,” rasped the captain, “or you’re for the high jump!”

      ANTONYM: dirty

      clean (2) VERB

      If you clean something, you remove dirt from it.

      Different ways to clean:

      bathe

      brush

      dry-clean

      dust

      hoover

      launder

      mop

      polish

      rinse

      scour

      scrub

      shampoo

      sponge

      sweep

      swill

      vacuum

      wash

      wipe

      clear (1) ADJECTIVE

      If something is clear, it is easy to understand, see or hear.

      apparent

      It was apparent we were going to lose, right from the start of the match.

      definite

      There were definite indications that the swallows were nesting in the eaves.

      distinct

      We could hear the distinct sound of church bells in the distance.

      evident

      It was evident from the wet roads that it had been raining.

      obvious

      The man showed obvious signs of having been in a fight.

      plain

      “It’s plain to see that you have learnt very little,” the head teacher said.

      ANTONYM: unclear

      clear (2) ADJECTIVE

      A clear sky has no clouds in it.

      bright

      A very bright morning can mean rain later.

      cloudless

      Skylarks sang high in the cloudless sky.

      moonlit

      The UFO slid silently across the moonlit sky.

      starlit

      On that starlit night, I could have stayed for hours by the shore.

      ANTONYM: cloudy

      clear (3) ADJECTIVE

      If something is clear, it is easy to see through.

      see-through

      My mum has a see-through plastic coat.

      translucent

      The dragonfly’s translucent wings beat against the sky.

      transparent

      Scott covered his book with transparent sticky-backed plastic.

      ANTONYMS: murky or opaque

      clever ADJECTIVE

      Someone who is clever is intelligent and quick to understand things.

      brainy

      My brainy brother came top of his class.

      bright

      Jim was only three, but he was bright enough to understand what was going on.

      intelligent

      “It’s no good just being intelligent. You have to work hard too,” said my English teacher.

      smart

      He’s far too smart to get mixed up in anything illegal.

      ANTONYM: unintelligent

      climb VERB

      When you climb, you move upwards.

      ascend

      Alice ascended the stairs, carrying a candle.

      clamber up

      Having locked himself out, Dad had to clamber up the drainpipe to an open window.

      scale

      The daring climber had to scale the overhanging rockface.

      clock NOUN

      A clock is an instrument that measures and shows the time.

      Other instruments that measure the time:

      alarm clock

      digital clock

      egg timer

      grandfather clock

      hourglass

      stopwatch

      sundial

      timer

      watch

      wristwatch

      close (1) Said “klohz” VERB

      If you close something, you move it so that it is no longer open.

      seal

      The crewman sealed the hatch and the submarine was ready to dive.

      secure

      “Make