Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

      The angry diner demanded to know what a beetle was doing in his pudding.

      implore

      “I implore you to think twice before running away,” said Emma.

      plead

      The princess pleaded to be set free by the wicked witch.

      request

      The soccer player requested a transfer to another club.

      ask (3) VERB

      If you ask someone to come or go somewhere, you invite them there.

      ask someone round

      The vicar asked us round for a cup of tea.

      bid OLD-FASHIONED

      His lordship bade me enter and enquired if I would drink wine with him.

      invite

      Whoopee! Della has invited me to her party.

      summon

      King Arthur summoned his knights to an assembly at the Round Table.

      asleep ADJECTIVE

      If you are asleep, your eyes are closed and your whole body is resting.

      dead to the world INFORMAL

      Dad was dead to the world in the armchair.

      fast asleep

      Jim, our dog, was fast asleep with his legs in the air.

      sound asleep

      I was so sound asleep that my little brother had to sit on me to wake me up.

      ANTONYM: awake

      ➔ See sleep (1)

       Animals that hibernate spend the winter in a state like a deep sleep.

      attack (1) VERB

      If a person or an animal attacks another person or animal, they use violence in order to hurt or kill them.

      assault

      The muggers assaulted the man, then tried to steal his wallet.

      charge

      The Light Brigade charged the enemy’s guns at full tilt.

      mug

      Unfortunately, some people are mugged on dark city streets.

      raid

      Police raided the house where the escaped criminal was living.

      storm

      Troops stormed the cliffs and succeeded in silencing the machine guns above.

      ANTONYM: defend

       In sport, to attack is to move forward.

      attack (2) NOUN

      An attack is a violent, physical action against someone or something.

      assault

      “This was a serious assault, for which you must pay,” said the judge grimly.

      charge

      The Light Brigade’s charge was brave but doomed.

      invasion

      The 1944 D-Day landings in France formed the biggest invasion in world history.

      raid

      The air raids continued night after night.

      strike

      The missile strike destroyed the buildings.

      ANTONYM: defence

      automatic ADJECTIVE

      An automatic machine is programmed to do a task without needing a person to operate it.

      automated

      The new automated answering service kept Dad waiting for half an hour.

      computerized

      Most photocopiers are computerized these days.

      robotic

      In car factories, robotic arms put most of the parts together.

      self-propelling

      My self-propelling model glider worked by twisting an elastic band.

      avoid (1) VERB

      If you avoid someone or something, you keep away from them.

      dodge

      We dodged our nosy neighbour by hiding behind a tree as she went past.

      elude

      By going out of the back door, the celebrity eluded the photographers.

      evade

      The criminal managed to evade the police for several days, but was eventually caught.

      shun

      The shy film star shunned publicity, preferring a quiet family life.

      steer clear of INFORMAL

      “If I were you I’d steer clear of that quarry,” my dad said sternly.

      avoid (2) VERB

      If you avoid doing something, you make an effort not to do it.

      dodge INFORMAL

      My lazy brother tried to dodge cleaning the car, but Dad made him do it.

      duck out of INFORMAL

      I tried to duck out of unpacking the dishwasher, with no success.

      escape

      The prisoner tried to escape, but the police officer stopped him.

      get out of

      “It’s no use trying to get out of it. You’ll have to mow the lawn,” said Dad.

      shirk

      The farmer tried to shirk responsibility for the pollution in the river.

      away ADVERB

      If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place.

      absent

      With such a high temperature, Edward was forced to be absent from school.

      elsewhere

      I searched the house for my gran, but she was obviously elsewhere.

      on holiday

      Our family is going on holiday to Florida this summer.

       To be away from school when you should be there is to play truant.

      awful ADJECTIVE

      Something awful is very unpleasant or very bad.

      appalling

      The karaoke singer’s voice was appalling – he sounded like a dog howling!

      dreadful

      We had a dreadful time in Venice. All the streets were flooded.

      fearful INFORMAL

      Mr Bellamy had a fearful cold and sneezed all the way to London.

      frightful

      The house was in a frightful state after it had been burgled.

      ghastly INFORMAL

      Mum made a ghastly mistake, and put salt in the cake mixture instead of sugar.

      gruesome

      The