Words starting with S — 2,257 entries

The 2,257 dictionary words that begin with the letter S, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• saying2 sensesA proverb or maxim.
• scale34 sensesAn ordered, usually numerical sequence used for measurement; means of assigning a magnitude.
• scales1 senseA device for measuring weight.
• Scales6 sensesA surname.
• scalp16 sensesThe top of the head; the skull.
• scalpel2 sensesA small straight knife with a very sharp blade used for surgery, dissection and craftwork.
• scam4 sensesA fraudulent or dishonest deal. A swindle.
• scan14 sensesTo examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely.
• scandal9 sensesAn incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
• scandalous8 sensesOf a thing: causing or having the nature of a scandal; regarded as so immoral or wrong as to be extremely disgraceful; despicable, shameful.
• scanned2 sensesConverted to a digital format using a scanner.
• scanner6 sensesOne who scans.
• scanning1 senseThe act of something being scanned.
• scapegoat3 sensesIn the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat symbolically imbued with the sins of the people, and sent out alive into the wilderness while another…
• scar10 sensesA permanent mark on the skin, sometimes caused by the healing of a wound.
• scarce3 sensesUncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand.
• Scarce1 senseA surname.
• scarcely3 sensesProbably not.
• scare6 sensesA minor fright.
• scarecrow11 sensesAn effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
• scared1 senseFeeling fear; afraid, frightened.
• scarf14 sensesA long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.
• scarlet6 sensesA brilliant red colour sometimes tinged with orange.
• Scarlet1 senseA female given name from English, a modern variant of Scarlett, or from the common noun scarlet.
• Scarlett2 sensesA surname originating as an occupation for a dyer or seller of (scarlet) fabric.
• scarred1 senseHaving a scar or scars.
• scary5 sensesCausing fear or anxiety
• scatter10 sensesTo (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse.
• scattered4 sensesDispersed, spread apart into disunited units.
• scavenger7 sensesSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.
• scenario3 sensesAn outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events.
• scene16 sensesThe location of an event that attracts attention.
• scenery2 sensesView, natural features, landscape.
• scenes1 senseA funny or incredible and usually chaotic situation.
• scent12 sensesA distinctive smell.
• schedule12 sensesA procedural plan, usually but not necessarily tabular in nature, indicating a sequence of operations and the planned times at which those operations…
• scheduled4 sensesPlanned; according to schedule (timetable).
• scheme12 sensesA representation of the aspects of the celestial bodies for any moment or at a given event.
• Scheme1 senseA programming language, one of the two major dialects of Lisp.
• scheming2 sensesTending to scheme; forming underhand plots.
• schiller1 senseA lustre, similar to sheen, observed in certain minerals, such as hypersthene or labradorite, due to the presence of minute parallel inclusions.
• Schiller1 senseA surname from German.
• schizophrenia3 sensesA psychiatric diagnosis denoting a persistent, often chronic, mental illness characterised by abnormal perception, thinking, behavior and emotion,…
• schizophrenic5 sensesOf or relating to schizophrenia.
• Schmidt1 senseA surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation].
• schmuck4 sensesA jerk; a person who is unlikable, detestable, or contemptible because they are stupid, foolish, clumsy, oafish, inept, malicious, or unpleasant.
• Schmuck1 senseA surname from German.
• schnapps2 sensesA type of distilled alcoholic beverage (liquor), often with a herbal or fruit flavoring, typically drunk neat as an apéritif or digestif.
• Schneider1 senseA surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation] meaning "tailor".
• scholar4 sensesA student; one who studies at school or college, typically having a scholarship.
• scholarship7 sensesA grant-in-aid to a student.
• school16 sensesAn institution dedicated to teaching and learning; an educational institution.
• schoolboy2 sensesA boy attending school.
• schoolgirl2 sensesA girl attending school.
• schooling5 sensesTraining or instruction.
• schoolteacher1 senseA teacher working in a school.
• Schultz2 sensesA surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation].
• Schwartz1 senseA surname from German.
• sci-fi3 sensesA genre of movies featuring mostly fictional scientific scenes.
• science10 sensesA particular discipline or branch of knowledge that is natural, measurable or consisting of systematic principles rather than intuition or technical…
• sciences1 senseAll the fields of science, collectively.
• scientific3 sensesRelated or connected to science
• scientifically5 sensesUsing science or methods of science.
• scientist1 senseOne whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original…
• Scientology1 senseA cult with certain religious aspects, developed in 1952, focused on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.
• scissors9 sensesA tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each…
• scold4 sensesA person who habitually scolds, in particular a troublesome and angry woman.
• scolding1 senseAn unloving succession of critical remarks, such as those directed by a parent towards a misbehaving child; an earful; dressing down.
• Scooby2 sensesScooby-Doo, a fictional cowardly anthropomorphic dog in a children's cartoon; used to make phrases bringing to mind aspects of that cartoon.
• scoop23 sensesAny cup-shaped or bowl-shaped tool, usually with a handle, used to lift and move loose or soft solid material.
• scoot12 sensesA swift movement or trip
• scooter9 sensesA kick scooter or push scooter; a human-powered land vehicle with a handlebar, deck and wheels that is propelled by a rider pushing off the ground.
• Scooter1 senseA male nickname.
• scope14 sensesThe breadth, depth or reach of a subject; the extent of applicability or relevance; a domain, purview or remit.
• score36 sensesThe total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.
• scores1 senseA bag of cannabis worth £20.
• scoring5 sensesOf something or someone that scores.
• scorn7 sensesTo feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to despise.
• scorpion5 sensesAny of the order Scorpiones of arachnids related to spiders, characterised by two large front pincers and a curved tail with a venomous sting at the…
• Scorpion3 sensesThe constellation and zodiacal sign Scorpius.
• scotch11 sensesA surface cut or abrasion.
• Scotch8 sensesThe opening 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4.
• Scotland20 sensesA constituent country of the United Kingdom, located in northwest Europe to the north of England.
• Scots2 sensesA Germanic language closely related to English and descended from northern dialects of Middle English, spoken in parts of Scotland, now especially in…
• Scott21 sensesAn English ethnic surname transferred from the nickname for someone with Scottish ancestry.
• Scottie3 sensesA unisex given name, diminutive of Scott.
• Scottish4 sensesOf a thing or concept, of or pertaining to Scotland.
• Scotty1 senseA diminutive of the male given name Scott.
• scoundrel1 senseA mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a person without honor or virtue.
• scourge8 sensesA person or thing regarded as an agent of divine punishment.
• scout19 sensesA person sent out to gather and bring back information; especially, one employed in war to gain information about the enemy and ground.
• Scout3 sensesA member of any of various scouting organizations.
• scouting3 sensesThe act of one who scouts.
• Scouts3 sensesA worldwide youth movement with the aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play a…
• scrabble6 sensesTo scrape or scratch powerfully with hands or claws.
• Scrabble1 senseA board game in which players draw letter tiles and take turns to make interlocking words like a crossword, scoring points according to the letters…
• scram12 sensesTo leave in a hurry; to go away.
• scramble22 sensesTo move hurriedly to a location, especially by using all limbs against a surface.
• scrambled2 sensesMixed, disordered, shuffled.
• scrambling5 sensesThe act by which something is scrambled.
• scrap16 sensesA (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion.
• scrape23 sensesTo draw (an object, especially a sharp or angular one), along (something) while exerting pressure.
• scraping3 sensesThe sound or action of something being scraped.
• scratch34 sensesTo rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
• Scratch2 sensesA free educational visual programming language and a programming site developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.
• scratched1 senseProduced by scratching.
• scratches1 senseSynonym of pastern dermatitis.
• scratching4 sensesThe act or sound of something being scratched.
• scrawny1 senseThin, malnourished, and weak.
• scream8 sensesA loud, emphatic, exclamation of extreme emotion, especially horror, fear, excitement, or anger; it may comprise a word or a sustained, high-pitched…
• screaming6 sensesLoud, sharp, and piercing to the ear.
• screech6 sensesA high-pitched strident or piercing sound, such as that between a moving object and any surface.
• screeching1 senseThe act of producing a screech.
• screen30 sensesA physical barrier that shelters or hides. A physical divider intended to block an area from view, or provide shelter from something dangerous.
• Screen1 senseA surname.
• screening10 sensesMesh material that is used to screen (as in a "screen door").
• screenplay2 sensesA script for a movie or a television show; especially, the former specifically.
• screw28 sensesA device that has a helical function. A simple machine, a helical inclined plane.
• screwdriver2 sensesA hand tool or power tool which engages with the head of a screw and allows torque to be applied to turn the screw, thus driving it in or loosening…
• screwed2 sensesBeset with unfortunate circumstances that seem difficult or impossible to overcome; in imminent danger.
• screwing3 sensesThe act by which something is screwed (in various senses).
• script11 sensesA writing; a written document.
• scripture4 sensesA sacred writing or holy book.
• Scripture1 senseThe foundational text of a given religion, or a text considered especially holy.
• scroll17 sensesA roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
• scrooge4 sensesA miserly person; a person with an excessive dislike of spending money or other resources.
• Scrooge1 senseThe fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge.
• scrub24 sensesA thicket or jungle, often specified by the name of the prevailing plant.
• scrubbed3 sensesWith hands washed according to operating room protocol and wearing sterile gown and sterile gloves.
• scrubbing3 sensesThe action of the verb to scrub
• scrubs1 senseClothing worn while performing surgery.
• scrutiny6 sensesIntense study of someone or something.
• scuba2 sensesAn apparatus carried by a diver, which includes a tank holding compressed, filtered air and a regulator which delivers the air to the diver at…
• scully1 senseAn obstacle set up against military vehicles; a Czech hedgehog.
• Scully2 sensesA surname from Irish.
• sculpt4 sensesTo form by sculpture.
• sculpting1 senseThe act or product of one who sculpts; sculpture.
• sculptor1 senseA person who sculpts; an artist who produces sculpture.
• Sculptor1 senseA dim spring constellation of the southern sky. It lies between Aquarius and Phoenix and lies in the direction of the southern pole of the Milky Way.
• sculpture8 sensesA three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
• scum11 sensesA layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water).
• scumbag2 sensesA sleazy, disreputable, despicable, or otherwise immoral person; a lowlife.
• se1 senseA type of ancient Chinese plucked zither.
• sea11 sensesA large body of salt water.
• Sea3 sensesA surname.
• seafood2 sensesFood from the sea, including that derived from fish, shellfish, crustaceans, cephalopods, seaweed, algae, marine mammals, and other marine organisms.
• seagull6 sensesAny of several white, often dark-backed birds of the family Laridae having long, pointed wings and short legs.
• Seagull2 sensesA surname
• Seagulls1 senseBrighton & Hove Albion Football Club
• seal25 sensesA pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal.
• Seal2 sensesA surname.
• sealed4 sensesClosed by a seal (something to prevent leakage).
• Seals2 sensesA Cornish habitational surname.
• seaman4 sensesSynonym of sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel.
• Seaman2 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• Sean1 senseA male given name from Irish.
• search8 sensesAn attempt to find something.
• Search1 senseA surname.
• searching3 sensesThorough.
• Sears1 senseA surname.
• seasick1 senseSuffering from sickness, nausea or dizziness due to the motion of a ship or boat at sea.
• seaside3 sensesThe area by and around the sea; including the beach, promenade or cliffs.
• Seaside3 sensesA city in Monterey County, California, United States.
• season18 sensesEach of the divisions of a year based on the prevailing weather: spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter; or the rainy (monsoon) and dry season,…
• seasonal3 sensesOf, related to, or reliant on a season or period of the year, especially with regard to weather characteristics.
• seasoned2 sensesExperienced, especially in terms of a profession or a hobby
• seat26 sensesSomething to be sat upon.
• Seat1 senseA surname.
• SEAT2 sensesSociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, a Spanish automobile manufacturer.
• seated5 sensesSitting.
• seating7 sensesThe act of one that seats.
• Seattle1 senseA seaport and the largest city in Washington, United States, and the county seat of King County.
• seaweed2 sensesAny of numerous marine algae, such as a kelp.
• Sebastian5 sensesA male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.
• sec1 senseSecond, ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute.
• secluded1 senseHidden, isolated, remote.
• second30 sensesNumber-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
• secondary23 sensesNext in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc.
• secondly1 senseIn the second place.
• seconds3 sensesA second helping of food for one person, or refill of coffee or other drink.
• secrecy2 sensesConcealment; the condition of being secret or hidden.
• secret13 sensesA piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
• secretary8 sensesA person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
• Secretary1 senseA town in Maryland.
• secretive2 sensesHaving an inclination to secrecy.
• secretly1 senseIn secret, covertly.
• sect4 sensesAn offshoot of a larger religion or denomination.
• section26 sensesA cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
• sector14 sensesA section.
• secure14 sensesFree from attack or danger; protected.
• secured1 senseThat has been secured or fastened.
• security10 sensesThe condition of not being threatened, especially physically, psychologically, emotionally, or financially.
• sedan3 sensesAn enclosed windowed chair suitable for a single occupant, carried by at least two porters, in equal numbers in front and behind, using wooden rails…
• Sedan14 sensesA commune in Ardennes department, France, notable as the site of two major battles between France and Germany.
• sedative2 sensesAn agent or drug that sedates, having a calming or soothing effect, or inducing sleep.
• seduce4 sensesTo beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.
• seduction3 sensesThe act of seducing.
• seductive1 senseAttractive, alluring, tempting.
• see24 sensesTo perceive or detect someone or something with the eyes, or as if by sight.
• See3 sensesA surname. An English surname.