Words starting with A — 1,142 entries

The 1,142 dictionary words that begin with the letter A, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• atom12 sensesThe smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by…
• Atom1 senseA Meitei surname from Manipuri
• atomic10 sensesOf or relating to atoms; composed of atoms; monatomic.
• atone5 sensesTo make reparation, compensation, amends or satisfaction for an offence, crime, mistake or deficiency.
• atta2 sensesthat's the; that's a
• Atta2 sensesA surname.
• attaboy2 sensesUsed to show encouragement or approval to a boy, man, or male animal.
• attach8 sensesTo fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively).
• attached6 sensesConnected; joined.
• attachment8 sensesThe act or process of (physically or figuratively) attaching.
• attack25 sensesAn attempt to cause damage, injury to, or death of an opponent or enemy.
• attacker2 sensesSomeone who attacks.
• attacking1 senseCarrying out an attack.
• attain17 sensesTo come to or reach (a place) by motion or progression.
• attempt9 sensesTo try.
• attempted1 senseTried, with the connotation of failure.
• attend22 sensesSenses relating to caring for or waiting on someone, or accompanying or being present. To care for (someone requiring attention); specifically, of a…
• attendance5 sensesThe act of attending; the state of being present; presence.
• attendant7 sensesOne who attends; one who works with or watches over someone or something.
• attended2 sensesHaving a person or people present; with someone in attendance.
• attending4 sensesThat attend or attends; that is or are in attendance; attendant.
• attention6 sensesMental focus.
• attentive2 sensesPaying attention; noticing, watching, listening, or attending closely.
• attic3 sensesThe space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for…
• Attic4 sensesMarked by the qualities traditionally considered characteristic of the ancient Athenians: classical, refined.
• attila2 sensesA short, fringed cape worn as part of traditional Hungarian costume.
• Attila1 senseA king of the tribes of Huns.
• attire3 sensesOne's dress; what one wears; one's clothes.
• attitude7 sensesThe position of the body or way of carrying oneself.
• attorney9 sensesA lawyer; one who advises or represents others in legal matters as a profession.
• attract3 sensesTo pull toward without touching.
• attracted1 sensedrawn towards
• attraction7 sensesThe tendency to attract.
• attractive3 sensesCausing attraction; having the quality of attracting by inherent force.
• au1 senseA vowel found in Indic abugidas.
• Au2 sensesA language spoken in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea.
• Aubrey4 sensesAn English patronymic surname.
• auction3 sensesA public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.
• audacity2 sensesInsolent boldness, especially when imprudent or unconventional.
• Audi2 sensesA German car manufacturer
• audible3 sensesAble to be heard.
• audience7 sensesA group of people within hearing; specifically, a large gathering of people listening to or watching a performance, speech, etc.
• audio3 sensesFocused on audible sound, as opposed to sight.
• audit11 sensesA judicial examination.
• audition6 sensesA performance, by an aspiring performer, to demonstrate suitability or talent.
• auditorium2 sensesA large room for public meetings or performances.
• Audrey2 sensesA female given name from Old English.
• august4 sensesAwe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable.
• August5 sensesThe eighth month of the Roman, Julian, and Gregorian calendars, following July and preceding September.
• Augustine3 sensesA male given name from Latin, notably borne by Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430), a church father and a writer.
• Augustus2 sensesThe Roman emperor Augustus, also called Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (63 B.C.E. – 14 C.E.); heir to Julius Caesar
• aunt5 sensesThe sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
• auntie4 sensesTerm of familiarity or respect for a middle-aged or elderly woman.
• Auntie2 sensesThe BBC.
• aura7 sensesA subtle emanation or exhalation of any substance, such as an aroma or odour.
• Aura2 sensesA diminutive of the female given name Aurelia, from Latin.
• aurora3 sensesAn atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually…
• Aurora45 sensesRoman goddess of the dawn; equivalent of the Greek Eos. Sister of Luna and Sol.
• Auschwitz2 sensesSynonym of Oświęcim, A city in Poland.
• auspicious3 sensesOf good omen; indicating future success.
• Austen3 sensesAn English surname transferred from the given name; a variant of Austin.
• Austin24 sensesA male given name from Old French, of Anglo-Norman origin.
• Australia3 sensesAn island of Oceania.
• Australian7 sensesA person from the Commonwealth of Australia.
• Austria1 senseA country in Central Europe. Official name: Republic of Austria. Capital and largest city: Vienna.
• Austrian5 sensesOf, from, or pertaining to Austria.
• authentic5 sensesOf the same origin as claimed; genuine.
• authenticity2 sensesThe quality of being genuine or not corrupted from the original, of having the same origin (or attribution, commitment, intention, etc.) as claimed.
• author7 sensesThe originator or creator of a work, especially of a literary composition; or, one of the creators of a collaborative work.
• authorities2 sensesThe bodies that have political or administrative power and control in a particular sphere.
• authority6 sensesPower or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.
• authorization4 sensesAn act of authorizing.
• authorize1 senseTo grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.
• authorized1 senseExplicitly allowed.
• autism4 sensesAutism spectrum disorder, a condition characterized by impairment in social communication and interaction, as well as a need or strong preference for…
• auto6 sensesA setting for automatic operation.
• Auto1 senseAn unincorporated community in West Virginia.
• autograph7 sensesA person’s own handwriting, especially the signature of a famous or admired person.
• automated2 sensesMade automatic.
• automatic9 sensesCapable of operating without external control or intervention.
• automatically1 senseIn an automatic manner.
• automobile3 sensesA type of motor vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional…
• autopsy5 sensesA dissection performed on a cadaver to find possible cause(s) of death.
• autumn5 sensesTraditionally the third of the four seasons, when deciduous trees lose their leaves, and temperatures and daylight hours decrease; typically regarded…
• Autumn1 senseA female given name from English of modern usage, from autumn, the name of the season.
• auxiliary8 sensesHelping; giving assistance or support.
• Ava10 sensesA female given name from Hebrew, a variant of Eva.
• avail14 sensesTo turn to the advantage of.
• available5 sensesSuch as one may avail oneself of; capable of being used for the accomplishment of a purpose.
• avalanche6 sensesA large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.
• avatar6 sensesAn incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu.
• Avatar1 senseA male given name from Sanskrit used in India.
• ave3 sensesA salutation.
• Ave1 senseAn Ave Maria.
• avenge5 sensesTo take vengeance (for); to exact satisfaction for by punishing the injuring party; to vindicate by inflicting pain or evil on a wrongdoer.
• avenger2 sensesOne who avenges or vindicates.
• avenue4 sensesA broad street, especially one bordered by trees or, in cities laid out in a grid pattern, one that is on a particular side of the city or that runs…
• average15 sensesAny measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
• Avery15 sensesA surname originating as a patronymic.
• avi1 senseSynonym of avatar.
• Avi1 senseA male given name from Hebrew.
• aviation5 sensesThe art or science of making and flying aircraft.
• Aviv1 senseA transliteration of the Russian male given name Ави́в (Avív)
• avocado4 sensesThe large, usually yellowish-green or black, savory fruit of the avocado tree.
• avoid12 sensesTo try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun.
• avoiding1 senseAvoidance.
• Avon50 sensesA number of rivers in the United Kingdom: A river in Wiltshire, Somerset and Bristol, England; running from Acton Turville into the Bristol Channel…
• aw5 sensesUsed to express disappointment or dismay.
• Aw1 senseA surname.
• await8 sensesTo wait for.
• awake10 sensesNot asleep; conscious.
• awaken7 sensesTo cause to become awake.
• awakened2 sensesHaving been woken up.
• awakening5 sensesRousing from sleep, in a natural or a figurative sense; rousing into activity; exciting
• award10 sensesA judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.
• aware3 sensesVigilant or on one's guard against danger or difficulty.
• awareness2 sensesThe state or level of consciousness where sense data can be confirmed by an observer.
• away18 sensesFrom a place, hence.
• awe6 sensesA feeling of fear and reverence.
• Awe2 sensesA surname.
• AWE1 senseThe station code of AsiaWorld–Expo in Hong Kong.
• awesome3 sensesCausing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.
• awful9 sensesVery bad.
• awfully5 sensesBadly, terribly.
• awhile2 sensesFor some time; for a short time.
• awkward5 sensesLacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
• AWOL5 sensesAbsent without official leave (permission).
• aww2 sensesElongated form of aw.
• Ax1 senseA surname.
• axe10 sensesA tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
• Axe2 sensesA river in Dorset, Somerset, and east Devon, England, which flows into Lyme Bay at Seaton.
• axel2 sensesA jump that includes one (or more than one) complete turn and a half turn while in the air.
• Axel2 sensesA male given name from the Germanic languages in quiet use since the 19th century.
• axis9 sensesAn imaginary line around which an object spins (an axis of rotation) or is symmetrically arranged (an axis of symmetry).
• Axis2 sensesThe alliance (in effect before and during World War II) of Germany, Italy, Japan, and several minor allied countries, which opposed the Allies.
• Axl1 senseA male given name.
• ay6 sensesAh! alas! Expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.
• aya1 senseYes; yea; aye.
• Aya3 sensesIn Akkadian mythology, a mother goddess, consort of the sun god Shamash.
• aye6 sensesYes; yea; a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question.
• Aye1 senseA surname.
• Aziz1 senseA male given name from Arabic.