Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary. Collins Dictionaries

Old French dent de lion meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the shape of the leaves]

      dandruff

      NOUN small, loose scales of dead skin in someone’s hair

      danger dangers

      NOUN the possibility that someone may be harmed or killed

      SYNONYMS: peril, risk

      dangerous

      ADJECTIVE If something is dangerous, it is likely to cause hurt or harm. • It is dangerous to walk close to the edge of the cliff.

      SYNONYMS: unsafe, hazardous

      dangerously ADVERB

      dangle dangles, dangling, dangled

      VERB When something dangles, or when you dangle it, it swings or hangs loosely. • We sat by the pool and dangled our legs in the water.

      dappled

      ADJECTIVE marked with patches of a different or darker shade • The lawn was dappled with the shadows of the leafy trees.

      dare dares, daring, dared

      VERB 1 If you dare to do something, you have the courage to do it.

      2 If you dare someone to do something, you challenge them to do it. • I dare you to ask him his name.

      [from Old English durran meaning to venture or to be bold]

      daredevil daredevils

      NOUN a person who enjoys doing dangerous things

      daring

      ADJECTIVE 1 bold and willing to take risks

      NOUN 2 the courage required to do things that are dangerous

      daringly ADVERB

      dark darker, darkest

      ADJECTIVE 1 If it is dark, there is not enough light to see properly.

      2 Dark colours have a lot of black, grey or brown tones in them.

      dark NOUN

      darken darkens, darkening, darkened

      VERB If something darkens, it becomes darker than it was before. • The sky darkened as the storm approached.

      darkness

      NOUN being dark

      darling darlings

      NOUN You call someone darling if you love them or like them very much.

      darn darns, darning, darned

      VERB 1 When you darn a hole in a garment, you mend it with crossing stitches.

      NOUN 2 A darn is the part of a garment that has been darned.

      dart darts, darting, darted

      NOUN 1 a small, pointed arrow

      2 Darts is a game in which the players throw darts at a round board divided into numbered sections.

      VERB 3 If you dart somewhere, you move there quickly and suddenly.

      dash dashes, dashing, dashed

      VERB 1 If you dash somewhere, you rush there.

      NOUN 2 the punctuation mark (–) which may be used instead of brackets

      dashboard dashboards

      NOUN the instrument panel in a car

      data

      NOUN information, usually in the form of facts or statistics

       Data is really a plural word, but is usually used as a singular word: Customer data is stored here.

      database databases

      NOUN a collection of information stored in a computer

      date dates

      NOUN 1 a particular day or year that can be named • What is your date of birth?

      2 If you have a date, you have an appointment to meet someone.

      3 a small, brown, sticky fruit with a stone inside. Dates grow on palm trees.

      daughter daughters

      NOUN Someone’s daughter is their female child.

      dawdle dawdles, dawdling, dawdled

      VERB If you dawdle, you are slow about doing something or going somewhere. • Don’t dawdle, we have to be there in ten minutes.

      dawn dawns

      NOUN the time in the morning when light first appears in the sky

      day days

      NOUN 1 the time taken between one midnight and the next. There are 24 hours in one day.

      2 the period of light between sunrise and sunset

      daydream daydreams, daydreaming, daydreamed

      NOUN 1 pleasant thoughts about things that you would like to happen

      VERB 2 When you daydream, you drift off into a daydream.

      daylight

      NOUN the part of the day when it is light

      daytime

      NOUN the part of the day when it is light

      daze

      PHRASE If you are in a daze, you are confused and bewildered.

      dazzle dazzles, dazzling, dazzled

      VERB If a bright light dazzles you, it blinds you for a moment.

      dazzling ADJECTIVE

      de-

      PREFIX added to some words to mean removal or reversal of something • She debugged the computer program. • We had to defrost the windscreen before leaving.

      dead

      ADJECTIVE 1 no longer living

      2 no longer functioning • The phone went dead.

      ADVERB 3 precisely or exactly • We arrived dead on eight o’clock.

      deadly deadlier, deadliest

      ADJECTIVE 1 likely or able to cause death • a deadly disease

      ADVERB OR ADJECTIVE 2 used to emphasize how serious or unpleasant something is • deadly dangerous • deadly serious

      deaf deafer, deafest

      ADJECTIVE Deaf people are unable to hear anything or unable to hear well.

      deafening

      ADJECTIVE A deafening sound is so loud that you cannot hear anything else.

      deal deals, dealing, dealt

      NOUN 1 an agreement or arrangement, especially in business

      VERB 2 If you deal with something, you do what is necessary to sort it out.

      3 When you deal cards, you give them out to the players.

      PHRASE 4 A good deal or a great deal of something is a lot of it.

      dear dearer, dearest

      NOUN 1 You call someone dear as a sign of affection.

      ADJECTIVE 2 Something that is dear is very expensive.

      3 You use dear at the beginning of a letter, with the name of the person you are writing to. • Dear Sunita.

      death deaths

      NOUN the end of the life of a human being or other animal or plant

      debate debates, debating, debated

      NOUN 1 argument or discussion

      2 a formal discussion in which opposing views