Collins Primary Thesaurus. Collins Dictionaries

is the headquarters of an organization.

      centre

      A humble office in a run-down district was the unlikely centre of a huge corporation.

      headquarters

      We arranged to meet at our scout headquarters at four o’clock.

      HQ

      “HQ calling Tank 5,” the colonel snapped.

      bat NOUN

      A bat is a specially shaped piece of wood with a handle, used for hitting a ball in some games.

      You play with…

      a bat in baseball, cricket, rounders, softball and table tennis.

      a club in golf.

      a cue in pool and snooker.

      a racket in badminton, squash and tennis.

      a stick in hockey.

      battle NOUN

      A battle is a fight between armed forces, or a struggle between two people or groups with different aims.

      action

      It was the first time that the young soldier had seen action.

      conflict

      There was a conflict of opinions: the red party on one side, the greens on the other.

      struggle

      The struggle for power between the king and the government was a long one.

      beach NOUN

      The beach is an area of sand or pebbles beside the sea.

      sands

      The lifeguards sprinted down the sands and plunged into the waves.

      seashore

      After the tanker disaster, much of the seashore was coated in an oily sludge.

      seaside

      Aaron loved to spend his holidays at the seaside.

      shore

      We walked along the shore, looking for attractive shells.

      water’s edge

      The water’s edge was a seething mass of turtles.

      beat (1) VERB

      If someone or something beats someone or something else, they hit them hard and repeatedly.

      batter

      The burglar had battered down the door.

      flog

      In Nelson’s day, sailors who stole would be flogged with a whip called a cat-o’-nine-tails.

      pound

      Waves pounded the shore as the wind rose to screaming pitch.

      thrash

      The bully threatened, “Tom Brown, I shall thrash the living daylights out of you.”

      beat (2) VERB

      If you beat someone in a race or game, you defeat them or do better than them.

      conquer

      William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066.

      lick INFORMAL

      Abdel really licked me in the 100 metres sprint race.

      run rings round INFORMAL

      Our speedy attackers ran rings round their lumbering defenders.

      thrash INFORMAL

      “It’s a safe bet that we’ll get thrashed when we play you,” said Tim.

      wipe the floor with INFORMAL

      Our school team wiped the floor with kids much bigger than they were.

      beautiful ADJECTIVE

      You say someone or something is beautiful if they are very pleasing to look at.

      attractive

      People say my sister is attractive.

      gorgeous

      I overheard Dad telling Mum she looked gorgeous.

      lovely

      The photograph, I had to admit, even made my aunt look lovely.

      pretty

      Even some garden weeds can look pretty at certain times.

      stunning INFORMAL

      The sunset over the mountains was nothing less than stunning.

      ANTONYMS: ugly or unattractive

      beauty (1) NOUN

      If a person has beauty, they have the quality of being beautiful.

      elegance

      Every movement the duchess made had an elegance about it.

      good looks

      The actor possessed rugged good looks.

      loveliness

      The opera singer’s loveliness was not matched by her selfish behaviour.

      beauty (2) NOUN

      If a place has beauty, it has the quality of being beautiful.

      charm

      This country cottage has tremendous charm and character.

      loveliness

      I think the loveliness of Athens is somewhat spoilt by the pollution.

      splendour

      Rome is famous for the splendour of its ancient buildings.

      ANTONYM: ugliness

      because CONJUNCTION

      Because is used with other words to give a reason for something.

      as

      As you’ve been so helpful, I’ll treat you to an ice cream.

      owing to

      Owing to work on the track this Sunday, trains will be delayed.

      since

      “Since Fred is here, why don’t we build a tree house?” my sister suggested.

      thanks to

      I got no pocket money, thanks to my brother telling tales on me.

      bed NOUN

      A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.

      Some types of bed:

      bunk beds

      cot

      cradle

      double bed

      futon

      hammock

      inflatable bed

      single bed

      sofa bed

      water bed

      Some things that are put on a bed:

      bedspread

      blanket

      duvet

      eiderdown

      mattress

      pillow

      pillowcase

      quilt

      sheet

      sleeping bag

      before ADVERB

      If something happens before, it happens earlier than something else.

      formerly

      Formerly, Mrs Patterson was