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.

• civilians1 senseSynonym of civvies
• civilisation1 senseUK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Commonwealth spelling of civilization.
• civilised1 senseNon-Oxford British English spelling of civilized.
• civilization6 sensesAn organized culture encompassing many communities, often on the scale of a nation or a people; a stage or system of social, political, or technical…
• civilized3 sensesHaving a highly developed society or culture; belonging to civilization.
• clacking1 senseA sound that clacks.
• claim15 sensesA demand of ownership made for something.
• claiming1 senseThe act of making a claim.
• Clair4 sensesA female given name from French.
• claire1 senseA small enclosed pond used for gathering and greening oysters.
• Claire2 sensesA female given name from French.
• clam16 sensesA bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria), hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria),…
• clamoring1 senseA sound that clamors.
• clamp14 sensesA brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things that are apart together.
• Clamp1 senseA surname.
• clan6 sensesA group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.
• clancy1 senseAn overflow or spillage.
• Clancy2 sensesAn English surname from Irish.
• clang9 sensesA loud, ringing sound, like that made by free-hanging metal objects striking each other; usually, one considered more jarring than melodious.
• clanging2 sensesA noise that clangs.
• clank4 sensesA loud, hard sound of metal hitting metal.
• clanking1 senseA noise that clanks.
• clap18 sensesThe act of striking the palms of the hands, or any two surfaces, together.
• clapping1 senseThe action by which someone or something claps.
• Clara5 sensesA female given name from Latin.
• Clare18 sensesA county of Ireland.
• clarence1 senseA kind of carriage popular in the 19th century; a four-wheeled horse-driven vehicle with a glass front and room for four passengers.
• Clarence20 sensesA ducal title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British royal families
• Clarice1 senseA female given name from French.
• clarify3 sensesTo make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.
• clarinet1 senseA woodwind musical instrument that has a distinctive liquid tone whose characteristics vary among its three registers: chalumeau (low), clarion…
• Clarissa2 sensesA female given name from Latin or Italian.
• clarity4 sensesThe state or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity.
• Clark16 sensesAn English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation for a scribe, secretary, or cleric.
• Clarke1 senseAn English surname originating as an occupation, variant of Clark.
• Clarkson12 sensesA surname originating as an occupation or as a patronymic for a son of a scribe or priest.
• clary1 senseclary sage (Salvia sclarea)
• clash18 sensesA loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects; a crash.
• class21 sensesA group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
• classic13 sensesOf or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
• classical9 sensesOf or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
• classics1 senseSynonym of classical studies: the study of Ancient Greek and Latin, their literature, history etc.
• classified4 sensesSorted into classes or categories.
• classmate2 sensesA student who is in the same class at school.
• classroom1 senseA room, often in a school, where classes take place.
• classy2 sensesElegant, highly stylish or fashionable.
• clatter7 sensesTo make a rattling sound.
• clattering2 sensesIn a state or process of being clattered.
• Claude3 sensesA male given name from Latin.
• Claudia1 senseA female given name from Latin, masculine equivalent Claudius.
• Claudius2 sensesA male given name from Latin.
• Claus3 sensesA male given name from Dutch or from German [in turn from Ancient Greek].
• clause6 sensesA group of words that contains a subject and a verb; it may be part of a sentence or may constitute the whole sentence, depending on the syntax in…
• Clause1 senseA surname.
• claustrophobic3 sensesSuffering from claustrophobia; being scared of being enclosed in a confined space.
• claw16 sensesA curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
• Claw1 senseA surname from Navajo.
• clay11 sensesA mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
• Clay13 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• Clayton40 sensesA placename: A large number of places in the United States: A town, the county seat of Barbour County, Alabama; named for Georgia jurist and…
• clean38 sensesFree of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
• Clean1 senseA surname.
• cleaned1 senseHaving been made clean.
• cleaner5 sensesA person whose occupation is to clean things, especially rooms, floors, and windows.
• cleaners1 senseA professional laundry or dry cleaner.
• cleaning2 sensesThe process of making something clean; a freeing from filth or dirt.
• cleanse4 sensesTo free from dirt; to clean, to purify.
• cleansing2 sensesThat cleanses.
• cleanup3 sensesThe act of cleaning or tidying something.
• clear48 sensesTransparent in colour.
• Clear1 senseAn idea state of beingness free of unwanted influences.
• clearance15 sensesThe act of clearing or something (such as a space) cleared.
• clearer3 sensesSomeone who or something which clears.
• clearing7 sensesThe act or process of making or becoming clear.
• clearly3 sensesIn a clear manner.
• clears1 senseA relatively strong, coarse flour that has only been sifted once.
• cleaver6 sensesA squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for hacking through bones, etc.
• Cleaver1 senseA surname from Middle English.
• clem4 sensesTo be hungry; starve.
• Clem2 sensesA unisex given name. A diminutive of the male given name Clement.
• Cleo2 sensesA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• cleopatra1 senseThe butterfly Gonepteryx cleopatra of the family Pieridae.
• Cleopatra5 sensesA given name of women in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt; notably Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt (69–30 BCE); last of the Ptolemy line.
• clergy1 senseA body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
• clerk11 sensesOne who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
• Clerk1 senseA surname.
• Cleveland28 sensesA geographic area of hills and dales in North Yorkshire, England.
• clever12 sensesNimble with hands or body; dexterous; skillful; adept.
• Clever1 senseA city in Missouri.
• cliché4 sensesSomething, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are…
• click29 sensesA brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such…
• Click2 sensesA surname.
• clicking1 senseThe sound or action of a click.
• client5 sensesA customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
• clientele1 senseThe body or class of people who frequent an establishment or purchase a service, especially when considered as forming a more-or-less homogeneous…
• cliff2 sensesA vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
• Cliff7 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Clifford or Clifton.
• Clifford14 sensesA habitational surname from Old English.
• Cliffs1 senseCliff notes
• climate5 sensesThe long-term manifestations of weather and other atmospheric conditions in a given area or country, now usually represented by the statistical…
• climax10 sensesA rhetorical device in which a series is arranged in ascending order.
• Climax14 sensesA village in the Rural Municipality of Lone Tree No. 18, Saskatchewan, Canada.
• climb14 sensesTo traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending).
• climbing3 sensesThe sport of climbing, ascending a wall or a rock or another object using available holds, generally with the safety of a rope and belayer.
• cling11 sensesFruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit.
• clinging2 sensesClingy.
• clinic9 sensesA medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
• clinical7 sensesDealing with the practical management of patients, in practice at the point of care; as contrasted with other health care venues (see clinical…
• clink6 sensesThe sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass.
• Clink1 senseA surname.
• clinking1 senseA noise that clinks.
• clint1 senseThe relatively flat part of a limestone pavement between the grikes
• Clint3 sensesA male given name.
• Clinton53 sensesA surname.
• clip33 sensesTo grip tightly.
• clipped3 sensesHaving an end cut off; trimmed or cut back.
• clive3 sensesTo climb; ascend.
• Clive8 sensesA topographic surname from Old English - someone who lived near a cliff (Old English clif).
• cloak7 sensesA long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
• clock24 sensesA chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
• Clock1 senseA surname.
• clocked3 sensesEmbroidered with clocks (i.e. figured decorations, not timepieces).
• clockwork4 sensesA mechanism powered by a coiled spring and regulated by some form of escapement; the power is transmitted through toothed gearwheels and used to…
• clogged1 senseHaving an obstructed flow; blocked.
• clone6 sensesA living organism (originally a plant) produced asexually from a single ancestor, to which it is genetically identical.
• Clones1 senseA small town in County Monaghan, Ireland (Irish grid ref H 5026).
• cloning2 sensesThe production of an exact copy of an object.
• close66 sensesTo remove or block an opening, gap or passage through. To move a thing, or part of a thing, nearer to another so that the gap or opening between the…
• Close1 senseA surname.
• close-up2 sensesIn near proximity.
• closed25 sensesPhysically obstructed, sealed, etc. Made impassable.
• closely2 sensesIn a close manner.
• closer7 sensesWithin a shorter distance.
• closet23 sensesA small room within a house used to store clothing, food, or other household supplies.
• closing5 sensesThe act by which something is closed.
• closure15 sensesAn event or occurrence that signifies an ending.
• clot5 sensesA thrombus, solidified mass of blood.
• cloth7 sensesA fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use.…
• clothed2 sensesWearing clothes or clothing.
• clothes3 sensesItems of clothing; apparel.
• clothing4 sensesAny of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for…
• cloud24 sensesA visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air.
• Cloud1 senseA surname.
• cloudy7 sensesCovered with or characterised by clouds.
• clover2 sensesA plant of the genus Trifolium with leaves usually divided into three (rarely four) leaflets and with white or red flowers.
• Clover12 sensesA surname.
• clown8 sensesA slapstick performance artist often associated with a circus and usually characterized by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a…
• club25 sensesA heavy object, often a kind of stick, intended for use as a bludgeoning weapon or a plaything.
• clubhouse3 sensesAny building used by a club for meetings or social activities.
• clubs3 sensesOne of the four suits of playing cards, marked with the symbol ♣.
• clucking2 sensesThe action of the verb cluck; a cluck sound.
• clue7 sensesInformation which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
• Clue1 senseThe board game Cluedo whose goal is to solve the mystery of a fictitious murder.
• clueless2 sensesWithout any clues or hints.
• clumsy4 sensesAwkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
• cluster16 sensesA bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
• clutch17 sensesTo seize, as though with claws.
• clutches1 senseGrasp; possession; control.
• Clyde23 sensesA major river in Scotland, flowing from South Lanarkshire council area, past North Lanarkshire council area, through Glasgow council area, and past…
• CM1 senseA member of the Order of Canada.
• co2 sensesGender-neutral subject pronoun, coordinate with gendered pronouns he and she.
• coach13 sensesA wheeled vehicle, generally pulled by a horse.
• coaching4 sensesThe process by which someone is coached or tutored; instruction.
• coal14 sensesA black or brownish black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel.
• Coal3 sensesAn unincorporated community in Henry County, Missouri, United States, named after early settler Stephen Coale.
• coalition2 sensesA temporary group or union of organizations, usually formed for a particular advantage.
• Coalition1 senseAny of several series of nations allied against France in the Napoleonic Wars; in the War of the First Coalition, War of the Second Coalition, etc.
• COALition1 senseThe Coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party, emphasising its pro-coal policies.
• coarse6 sensesWith a rough texture; not smooth.
• coast11 sensesThe edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake.
• Coast1 senseA region of British Columbia, Canada.
• coastal1 senseRelating to the coast; on or near the coast; longshore.
• Coastal1 senseCoastal Carolina University.
• coaster13 sensesA person who originates from or inhabits a coastal area.
• coastline1 senseThe shape, outline, or boundary of a coast. (The term coastline is generally used to describe the approximate boundaries at relatively large spatial…
• coat11 sensesAn outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
• Coats1 senseA surname.
• cobb5 sensesA sea-cob or gull.
• Cobb11 sensesA surname.
• cobbler16 sensesA person who repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes.
• Cobbler1 senseA person from Northamptonshire (traditionally a centre for shoemaking)
• cobra9 sensesAny of the genus Naja of venomous snakes that can spread their neck ribs into a broad hood when threatened; a true cobra.
• Cobra1 senseA male given name.
• COBRA2 sensesA cabinet committee meeting that would use a COBR room
• Coca-Cola2 sensesA particular cola soft drink (type of carbonated drink), produced by the Coca-Cola Company.
• cocaine4 sensesAn addictive drug derived from coca (Erythroxylum) or prepared synthetically, used sometimes medicinally as a local anesthetic and, often illegally,…
• Cochran4 sensesA Scottish surname.
• cock34 sensesA male bird, especially: A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).
• Cock1 senseA surname.
• cocking3 sensesOffensive or worthless
• Cocking2 sensesA village and civil parish in Chichester district, West Sussex, England (OS grid ref SU8717).
• cockpit10 sensesA site of conflict; a battlefield.
• cockroach5 sensesAny black or brown straight-winged insect of the order Blattodea that is not a termite.
• Cocks2 sensesA hamlet in Cornwall, England.
• cocksucker2 sensesA very annoying or objectionable person; any contemptible person.
• cocktail8 sensesA mixed alcoholic beverage.
• cocky4 sensesOverly confident; arrogant and boastful.
• coco2 sensesCoconut palm.
• Coco3 sensesAn unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States.
• cocoa6 sensesThe dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.