Collins Junior Illustrated Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

      care VERB

      If you care about something, you are concerned about it.

      be bothered

      I am bothered about missing my swimming lessons.

      be concerned

      My brother is concerned about the world’s endangered wildlife.

      mind

      Gavin said he didn’t mind who won the game of chess.

      careful (1) ADJECTIVE

      If you are careful, you try to do things well.

      accurate

      The soldier had to be accurate. He had only one chance to hit the target.

      thorough

      We made a thorough search of the room.

      careful (2) ADJECTIVE

      If you are careful, you try to do things safely.

      alert

      In Australia there is a danger of bush fires, and people have to be alert.

      cautious

      The lifeguard taught them to be cautious around the pool.

      wary

      Joe was wary of the elephant - it was very large.

      watchful

      With a toddler, you have to be watchful all the time.

      careless (1) ADJECTIVE

      If you are careless, you do not take enough care.

      messy

      My little sister is a messy eater.

      sloppy

      Her knitting was sloppy, with dropped stitches everywhere.

      untidy

      The professor was untidy. Now he couldn’t find his papers.

      careless (2) ADJECTIVE

      Careless can also mean not being sensible about things.

      reckless

      Sam took a reckless leap over the river.

      thoughtless

      Only thoughtless people went out in the storm without a jacket.

      carry VERB

      When you carry something, you pick it up and take it with you.

      move

      He moved the plant over to the window.

      take

      We’d better take an umbrella.

      transport

      We need a van to transport our furniture.

      catch (1) VERB

      If you catch something, like measles, you get that illness.

      come down with

      “Stay away from me or you’ll come down with chickenpox too,” said Beth.

      get

      I don’t want to get this cold.

      go down with

      It’s just like Ross to go down with something at the wrong moment.

      catch (2) VERB

      If you catch somebody or something, you capture them.

      arrest

      The police want to arrest a man they suspect of burglary.

      capture

      Prison guards set a trap to capture the escaped prisoner.

      trap

      “Trap that spider,” said Granny, “then put it outside.”

      change (1) VERB

      When you change something, it becomes different.

      alter

      The tailor said he could soon alter the length of the trouser legs.

      modify

      Let’s modify the plan. We’ll go this afternoon instead.

      reorganize

      “Oh no!” cried Mrs Jones. “I’m going to have to reorganize everything.”

      revise

      The teacher said my story was good, but I should revise the ending.

      change (2) VERB

      When something changes, it becomes different.

      develop

      Caterpillars develop into moths or butterflies.

      shift

      The wind shifted to the west.

      turn

      Tadpoles soon turn into frogs.

      change (3) VERB

      If you change something, you replace it with something else.

      exchange

      “Can I exchange this blue shirt for a green one?” asked the customer.

      swap

      Henry wanted to swap his pop music CD for one of Rosie’s.

      switch

      I didn’t see him switch his old pen for my new one.

      chase VERB

      If you chase someone, you try to catch them.

      follow

      The boys followed the man they suspected of stealing a bike.

      hunt

      Our cat was out all night, hunting mice and rats.

      pursue

      Police pursued the speeding car for miles along the motorway.

      trail

      It was easy to trail the robber by following his footprints in the snow.

      check VERB

      If you check something, you make sure it is correct and safe.

      examine

      The witch frowned and examined the contents of the cauldron.

      inspect

      The mechanic inspected the car’s brakes.

      make sure

      Before we set off, I made sure we’d remembered everything.

      test

      He tested the ground in case it was boggy.

      choose VERB

      When you choose, you decide what to have or do.

      elect

      They quickly elected a new leader.

      name

      Each one named the person they wanted.

      pick

      He picked the biggest cake he could find.

      select

      They were told to select a book and read for the rest of the lesson.

      take

      We took the shortest