Words starting with C — 1,957 entries

The 1,957 dictionary words that begin with the letter C, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• Cher3 sensesA department of Centre-Val de Loire, France. Capital: Bourges.
• Cherie1 senseA female given name originating as a coinage.
• cherish3 sensesTo treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
• Cherish1 senseA female given name.
• cherished1 sensehighly valued, having a high personal value.
• Cherokee18 sensesA member of an indigenous North American people.
• cherries1 senseA rail-gap indicator.
• cherry17 sensesA small fruit, usually red, black or yellow, with a smooth hard seed and a short hard stem.
• Cherry9 sensesA female given name from English, a pet form of Charity, also interpreted as a flower name.
• Cheryl1 senseA female given name originating as a coinage.
• chess3 sensesA board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to…
• Chess2 sensesA surname.
• chest13 sensesA box, now usually a large strong box with a secure convex lid.
• Chest1 senseUniversity of Chester, used especially following post-nominal letters indicating status as a graduate.
• Chester37 sensesA placename. A city, the county town of Cheshire, in northwest England.
• chestnut8 sensesAn edible nut (technically a fruit) of the Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa); also (chiefly preceded by a descriptive word),…
• Chestnut1 senseA surname.
• Chet2 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Chester.
• Cheung1 senseA surname from Cantonese.
• chevy7 sensesA hunt or pursuit; a chase.
• Chevy2 sensesA vehicle of this make.
• chew11 sensesTo crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is…
• Chew2 sensesA surname.
• chewed1 senseThat has been chewed; masticated.
• chewing3 sensesThe act by which something is chewed on; mastication.
• Cheyenne6 sensesA member of an indigenous people of the Great Plains in North America.
• chi6 sensesThe twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets.
• Chi6 sensesA Chinese surname.
• Chiang3 sensesA surname from Mandarin; variant form Jiang.
• chic4 sensesElegant, stylish.
• Chic1 senseA diminutive of the male given name Charles.
• Chicago1 senseA large city, the county seat of Cook County, in northeastern Illinois, United States, located on Lake Michigan.
• chick9 sensesA young bird.
• Chick1 senseA surname.
• chicken13 sensesA domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus).
• Chicken1 senseA census-designated place in Alaska.
• chico3 sensesA Latin-American boy; a Latino.
• Chico4 sensesA city in Butte County, California, United States.
• chief9 sensesThe leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.
• Chief1 senseA township in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States.
• child11 sensesA person who has not yet reached adulthood, whether natural (puberty), cultural (initiation), or legal (majority).
• Child1 senseA surname.
• childbirth1 senseThe fact or action of giving birth to a child, as the culmination of pregnancy; the process by which it happens.
• childhood3 sensesThe state of being a child.
• childish2 sensesImmature in thought or behaviour.
• Children1 senseA surname.
• Chile1 senseA country in South America. Official name: Republic of Chile. Capital and largest city: Santiago.
• chili5 sensesThe pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
• Chili1 senseA town in New York, United States.
• chill24 sensesA moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness.
• Chill1 senseA surname.
• chilled2 sensesCooled.
• chilling4 sensesBecoming cold.
• chills2 sensesA biological response to being tickled; being cold; or experiencing fear, euphoria or sexual arousal in which the person forms goose bumps.
• chilly3 sensesCold enough to cause discomfort.
• chime10 sensesA musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to…
• chiming1 senseAn instance of chiming; a sound that chimes.
• chimney7 sensesA vertical tube or hollow column used to emit environmentally polluting gaseous and solid matter (including but not limited to by-products of burning…
• chimp3 sensesA black person.
• chin16 sensesThe bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.
• Chin5 sensesA hamlet in Alberta, Canada.
• china10 sensesSynonym of porcelain, a hard white translucent ceramic made from kaolin, now (chiefly US) sometimes distinguished in reference to tableware as fine…
• China16 sensesA cultural region and civilization in East Asia, occupying the region around the Yellow, Yangtze, and Pearl Rivers, taken as a whole under its…
• chinaman4 sensesA spin bowler who uses such an action.
• Chinaman3 sensesA sailing ship of the 18th and 19th centuries engaged in the Old China Trade.
• Chinatown23 sensesA district of a city or town (in a country other than China) in which there is a large concentration of Chinese residents and businesses.
• Chinese11 sensesOf, from, or related to China, particularly now the People's Republic of China.
• ching10 sensesA pair of small bowl-shaped finger cymbals made of thick and heavy bronze, used in the music of Thailand and Cambodia.
• Ching2 sensesA surname from Cantonese.
• chino1 senseA coarse cotton fabric commonly used to make trousers and uniforms.
• Chino2 sensesA surname.
• chip37 sensesA small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
• Chip2 sensesA diminutive of the male given names Christopher and Charles.
• CHiP1 senseAn officer of the California Highway Patrol.
• chipped3 sensesHaving one or more chips (small pieces) missing.
• chips2 sensesA carpenter.
• Chips1 senseTraditional nickname for someone whose surname is Carpenter.
• chirp8 sensesA short, sharp or high note or noise, as of a bird or insect.
• chirping1 senseThe act, or an instance of, chirping.
• chittering1 senseThe sound of a chitter.
• Chiu3 sensesA surname from Cantonese.
• chivalry6 sensesThe ethical code of the knight prevalent in Medieval Europe, having such primary virtues as mercy towards the poor and oppressed, humility, honour,…
• Chloe1 senseA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• chlorine3 sensesA toxic, green, gaseous chemical element (symbol Cl) with an atomic number of 17.
• Cho2 sensesA surname from Korean.
• chocolate12 sensesA food made from ground roasted cocoa beans.
• Choi2 sensesA surname from Chinese.
• choice10 sensesAn option; a decision; an opportunity to choose or select something.
• Choice1 senseA surname.
• choir6 sensesA group of people who sing together; a company of people who are trained to sing together.
• Choir1 senseA city in Govisümber, Mongolia.
• choke22 sensesTo be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles…
• choked2 sensesHaving been unable to breathe due to airway obstruction (choking) or strangulation, but usually to the point of pain and discomfort without death.
• choking4 sensesThe process in which a person's airway becomes blocked, resulting in asphyxia in cases that are not treated promptly.
• cholera1 senseAny of several acute infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals, caused by certain strains of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium through ingestion…
• cholesterol2 sensesA sterol lipid synthesized by the liver and transported in the bloodstream to the membranes of all animal cells; it plays a central role in many…
• Chong1 senseA surname.
• choo1 senseThe sound of a locomotive whistle.
• Choo1 senseA surname.
• choose7 sensesTo pick; to make the choice of; to select.
• choosing1 senseThe act of making a choice.
• chop42 sensesA cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib.
• Chop3 sensesA city, the administrative center of Chop urban hromada, Uzhhorod Raion, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine, first mentioned in 1281. An urban hromada of…
• CHOP1 sensea chemotherapy regimen used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, consisting of Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunorubicin (also called doxorubicin or…
• chopin1 senseA liquid unit of measure of almost half a pint.
• Chopin2 sensesA surname from French.
• chopped6 sensesCut or diced into small pieces.
• chopper14 sensesSomething that chops A tool for chopping wood; an axe/ax.
• Chopper1 senseA British Rail Class 20 locomotive.
• choppers3 sensesTeeth.
• chopping3 sensesThe action by which something is chopped; the act of assailing something with chops.
• chops6 sensesJaws, lips, mouth.
• chopsticks1 senseA hand game in which players hold up a number of fingers on each hand and try, through certain moves, to eliminate their opponent's hands.
• Chopsticks1 senseA simple waltz, written in 1877 by Arthur de Lulli, that serves as a two-finger exercise for beginner piano players.
• chord13 sensesA harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
• choreography7 sensesThe art of creating, arranging and recording the dance movements of a work, such as a ballet.
• chorus25 sensesA group of singers performing together; a choir; specifically, such a group singing together in a musical, an opera, etc., as distinct from the…
• Chorus2 sensesA group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
• chose1 senseA thing; personal property.
• chosen2 sensespicked; selected
• Chosen1 senseA former colony of Japan in East Asia; Korea under Japanese rule, from 1910 through 1945.
• chou2 sensesChoux pastry, usually in the form of a small round cake with a sweet filling.
• Chou1 senseA common Chinese surname
• chow9 sensesFood, especially snacks.
• Chow2 sensesA surname from Cantonese.
• Chris2 sensesA diminutive of the male given names Christopher or (less commonly) Christian.
• Chrissy2 sensesA diminutive of the female given names Christine or Christina.
• Christ5 sensesThe anointed one, the savior predicted by the Old Testament.
• Christa1 senseA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• christening2 sensesThe Christian sacrament at which someone, usually a child, is baptized and given a Christian name.
• Christian12 sensesA believer in Christianity.
• Christianity3 sensesAn Abrahamic religion originating from the community of the followers of Jesus Christ.
• christie1 senseA high-speed ski turn in which the skis are kept parallel.
• Christie3 sensesA diminutive of the female given name Christine and of its variant forms; fairly common as a formal female given name in the 20th century.
• Christina1 senseA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• Christine5 sensesA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• Christmas15 sensesA festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan, and secular customs…
• Christopher2 sensesA male given name from Ancient Greek.
• Christy3 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Christopher.
• chronic10 sensesOf a problem, that continues over an extended period of time.
• chronicle2 sensesA written account of events and when they happened, ordered by time.
• chu2 sensesThe sound of a kiss.
• Chu6 sensesA surname from Mandarin.
• chubby6 sensesOf a person: slightly overweight, somewhat fat, and hence plump, rounded, and soft.
• chuck28 sensesMeat from the shoulder of a cow or other animal.
• Chuck3 sensesA form of the male given name Charles, of mostly American usage.
• chuckle7 sensesA quiet laugh.
• chuckling1 senseAn instance in which someone chuckles
• chug12 sensesA dull, fairly quick explosive or percussive sound, as if made by a labouring engine.
• chum11 sensesTo share rooms with someone; to live together.
• Chum1 senseA surname.
• chump5 sensesAn incompetent person, a blockhead; a loser.
• Chun1 senseA surname.
• Chung2 sensesA common surname from Korean.
• chunk11 sensesA part of something that has been separated; a generally squat, thick, irregular piece of something, e.g. wood or stone.
• chunky4 sensesHaving chunks.
• church11 sensesA Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place.
• Church5 sensesA surname.
• Churchill22 sensesAny of several placenames, derived from church and hill. A suburb of the city of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.
• chute7 sensesA framework, trough, or tube, upon or through which objects are made to slide from a higher to a lower level, or through which water passes to a…
• Chute3 sensesA surname.
• ci1 senseOne of the Classical Chinese poetry forms
• Ci1 senseA county of Handan, Hebei, China.
• ciao3 sensesHello, hi.
• CID4 sensescaller identification; a feature that identifies the phone number of the caller.
• cider6 sensesAn alcoholic, often sparkling (carbonated) beverage made from fermented apples.
• cigar2 sensesA cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.
• cigarette2 sensesA small cigar consisting of tobacco or another substance, wrapped up in a thin roll with paper, intended for smoking.
• cinch9 sensesA simple saddle girth used in Mexico.
• Cincinnati10 sensesThe third largest city in Ohio, United States and the county seat of Hamilton County.
• Cinderella9 sensesA popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression and triumphant reward.
• Cindy1 senseA diminutive of the female given name Cynthia and Lucinda; also used as a formal female given name.
• cinema6 sensesA movie theatre, a movie house.
• cinematography2 sensesThe art, process, or job of filming movies.
• cinnamon7 sensesA small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and southern India, Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the family Lauraceae.
• Cinnamon2 sensesA surname.
• cipher16 sensesA numeric character.
• circle24 sensesA two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from a given point (center).
• Circle4 sensesA census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. Erroneously thought to be on the Arctic Circle, which is 50 miles…
• circled3 sensesMarked with a surrounding circle or ellipse; ringed.
• circling3 sensesA circular motion.
• circuit20 sensesThe act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution
• circular12 sensesOf or relating to a circle.
• circulation6 sensesThe act of moving in a circle, or in a course which brings the moving body to the place where its motion began.
• circumstance5 sensesSomething which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.
• circumstantial6 sensesPertaining to or dependent on circumstances, especially as opposed to essentials; incidental, not essential.
• circus9 sensesA traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular…
• cisco1 senseAny North American freshwater fish of certain species of the genus Coregonus that live in cold-water lakes.
• Cisco1 senseCisco Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of routers, switches, and other networking and communications equipment.
• citadel4 sensesA strong fortress that sits high above a city.
• citizen8 sensesA resident of a city or town, especially one with legally recognized rights or duties.
• Citizen2 sensesA personal Title denoting citizenship, implicitly of the nation in which it is spoken
• citizenship1 senseThe state of being a citizen; the status of a citizen.
• city4 sensesA large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes with a specific legal definition, depending on the place.
• City5 sensesManchester City Football Club, an English football club.
• civic2 sensesOf, relating to, or belonging to a city, a citizen, or citizenship; municipal or civil.
• Civic1 senseA central business district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
• civil5 sensesHaving to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
• Civil1 senseA surname.
• civilian7 sensesA person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.