Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary. Collins Dictionaries

4 A call is a shout or a cry. • We heard a call for help.

      call off

      VERB If something is called off it is cancelled. • The party was called off.

      call on

      VERB If you call on someone, you pay them a short visit.

      calm calmer, calmest

      ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is calm is quiet and does not show any worry or excitement.

      2 If the sea is calm, the water is not moving very much.

      calorie calories

      NOUN The amount of energy that food gives you is measured in calories.

      came

      VERB the past tense of come

      camel camels

      NOUN a large mammal with either one or two humps on its back. Camels live in hot desert areas and are used for carrying people and things.

      camera cameras

      NOUN a piece of equipment used for taking photographs or for filming

      camouflage camouflages, camouflaging, camouflaged

      NOUN 1 a way of avoiding being seen by having the same colour or appearance as the surroundings

      VERB 2 To camouflage something is to hide it by giving it the same colour or appearance as its surroundings.

      camp camps, camping, camped

      NOUN 1 a place where people live in tents or stay in tents for a holiday

      VERB 2 If you camp, you stay in a tent.

      NOUN 3 a collection of buildings for soldiers or prisoners

      camper NOUN

      campaign campaigns, campaigning, campaigned

      VERB When people campaign, they take action in order to achieve something. • She campaigned against the export of live animals.

      campaign NOUN

      can could; cans

      VERB 1 If someone says you can do something, you are allowed to do it.

      2 If you can do something, you are able to do it. • I can say “hello” in French.

      NOUN 3 a metal container, often sealed, with food or drink inside

      canal canals

      NOUN a long, narrow, man-made stretch of water

      canary canaries

      NOUN a yellow songbird

      cancel cancels, cancelling, cancelled

      VERB If you cancel something that has been arranged, you stop it from happening. • They cancelled the school trip.

      cancer cancers

      NOUN a serious disease in which abnormal cells in a part of the body increase rapidly, causing growths

      candidate candidates

      NOUN a person who is being considered for a job

      candle candles

      NOUN a stick of hard wax with a piece of string called a wick through the middle. You light the wick to produce a flame.

      cane canes

      NOUN 1 the long, hollow stem of a plant such as bamboo

      2 strips of cane used for weaving baskets and other containers

      3 a long, narrow stick used to support plants

      canine canines

      ADJECTIVE 1 relating to dogs

      NOUN 2 a canine is one of the pointed teeth near the front of the mouth in humans and some animals

      cannibal cannibals

      NOUN a person who eats human flesh

      cannon cannons or cannon

      NOUN a large gun, usually on wheels, which fires heavy iron balls

      cannot

      VERB the same as can not

      canoe canoes

      NOUN a small, narrow boat that you row using a paddle

      canoeing NOUN canoeist NOUN

      can’t

      VERB a contraction of cannot

      canteen canteens

      NOUN a place to eat in a school or workplace

      canvas canvases

      NOUN 1 strong, heavy cloth used for making things such as sails and tents

      2 a piece of canvas on which an artist does a painting

      canyon canyons

      NOUN a narrow river valley with steep sides

      cap caps

      NOUN 1 a soft, flat hat, often with a peak at the front

      2 a bottle top

      3 a small explosive used in toy guns

      capable

      ADJECTIVE 1 If you are capable of doing something, you are able to do it.

      2 Someone who is capable is able to do something well.

      capacity capacities

      NOUN the maximum amount that something can hold or produce • The arena has a seating capacity of two thousand.

      capital capitals

      NOUN 1 The capital of a country is the city where the government meets. • Paris is the capital of France.

      2 A capital, or a capital letter, is a larger, upper-case letter used at the beginning of a sentence or a name: Carol, Tim.

      capsize capsizes, capsizing, capsized

      VERB If a boat capsizes, it turns upside down.

      capsule capsules

      NOUN 1 a small container with medicine inside, which you swallow

      2 the part of a spacecraft in which astronauts travel

      [from Latin capsula meaning little box]

      captain captains

      NOUN 1 the officer in charge of a ship or aeroplane

      2 the leader of a sports team

      caption captions

      NOUN a title printed underneath a picture or a photograph

      captive captives

      NOUN someone who is locked up and kept prisoner

      capture captures, capturing, captured

      VERB If someone captures someone or something, they take them prisoner.

      car cars

      NOUN 1 a four-wheeled road vehicle with an engine and room to carry a few passengers

      2 a railway carriage used for a particular purpose • the buffet car

      caravan caravans

      NOUN 1 a vehicle pulled by a car in which people live or spend their holidays

      2 a group of people and animals travelling together, usually across a desert

      carbohydrate carbohydrates

      NOUN a substance that gives you energy. It is found in foods like sugar and bread.

      carbon

      NOUN a chemical found in coal,