Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

      My knee really throbbed after I fell over on the uneven pavement.

      action (1) NOUN

      An action is something you do for a particular purpose.

      act

      Rescuing the baby from the burning house was an act of great courage.

      deed

      Theseus’s bravest deed was the slaying of the dreaded Minotaur.

      exploit

      The explorer, Sir Archie Pounder, told the school of his exploits in the jungle.

      feat

      To build Stonehenge without modern equipment was a great feat.

      move

      I think resting after dinner is a sensible move.

      action (2) NOUN

      An action is a physical movement, such as jumping.

      activity

      Our classroom was a hive of activity as we got ready for the concert.

      motion

      The up-and-down motion of the boat made me feel queasy.

      movement

      The movements of the conductor’s baton guided the orchestra.

      actual ADJECTIVE

      Actual can mean something is real, rather than imaginary or guessed at.

      genuine

      “This table is a genuine antique,” said Gran.

      real

      The film is based on a real story.

      true

      “Is this a true record of what you said?” the judge demanded to know.

      very

      The guide told us Ann Boleyn was beheaded on the very spot where we stood.

      add (1) VERB

      If you add something to a number of things, you put it with those things.

      combine

      Orange juice combined with lemonade makes a refreshing drink.

      include

      “Don’t forget to include a sentence about what your friends think,” Mr Bishop reminded us.

       Remember that you add something to something else, but combine something with something else.

      add (2) VERB

      If you add numbers together, or add them up, you work out the total.

      count up

      I counted up the spoons, and found there were three missing.

      total

      Miss Dobson told us to total the figures at the bottom of each column.

      tot up INFORMAL

      It took me ages to tot up how many hours I had worked that week.

      ANTONYM: subtract

      adjust VERB

      If you adjust something, you change its position or alter it in some other way.

      change

      I changed the time on my new watch so that it was correct.

      correct

      Fortunately, the pilot corrected the plane’s course before it hit the storm clouds.

      modify

      The racing car’s tyres had been specially modified for wet weather.

      tune

      Dad tuned the radio to a different station.

      tweak INFORMAL

      Mrs Tordoff asked me to tweak my story to include more dialogue.

      admit VERB

      If you admit something, you agree that it is true.

      acknowledge

      Good drivers acknowledge when they have made a mistake.

      confess

      The prisoner confessed that she had lied.

      grant

      “I grant that it’s not a great meal,” my brother said, “but at least I cooked it myself.”

      own up

      The head teacher asked whoever had broken the window to own up to it.

      adult ADJECTIVE

      An adult is a mature and fully developed person.

      grown-up

      Dad asked another grown-up for directions.

      man

      Jim is now a man of 42.

      woman

      A woman was seen leaving the building.

      adventure NOUN

      An adventure is something that is exciting, and perhaps even dangerous.

      escapade

      Entering the Sheriff of Nottingham’s chamber was perhaps Robin Hood’s boldest escapade.

      exploit

      Several films have been made of the brave exploits of the Three Musketeers.

      feat

      To abseil down a skyscraper would certainly be a daring feat.

      venture

      The expedition proved a dangerous venture.

      advice NOUN

      Advice is a suggestion from someone about what you should do.

      guidance

      Larissa needed guidance from her teachers about which college to apply for.

      recommendation

      Mum followed the doctor’s recommendation, and gave up smoking.

      suggestion

      My friend’s suggestion was to do our work first and play later.

      tip INFORMAL

      A good tip is to test the water with your toe before you jump in.

      advise VERB

      If you advise someone to do something, you tell them you think they should do it.

      recommend

      Mrs Singh recommended that I should sit nearer the front of the classroom.

      suggest

      “I suggest we go home,” said Mum.

      urge

      In his speech, the MP urged people to vote for him in the election.

      affect VERB

      If something affects someone or something else, it influences or changes them.

      concern

      The issue of global warming concerns everybody on the planet.

      have an effect on

      The moon’s gravity has an effect on the oceans, creating high and low tides.

      influence

      The judge’s sentence was influenced by the prisoner’s previous good behaviour.

      involve

      The accident happened nearby, but fortunately our car was not involved.