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.

• Skinner2 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• skinny11 sensesThin, generally in a negative sense (as opposed to slim, which is thin in a positive sense).
• skins1 senseThe drums.
• skip34 sensesTo move by hopping on alternate feet.
• Skip1 senseA male given name from Old Norse.
• skipper14 sensesThe master of a ship.
• Skipper2 sensesA surname.
• skipping2 sensesThe act by which something is skipped or omitted.
• skirt13 sensesA separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
• skull10 sensesThe main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.
• skunk11 sensesAny of various small mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two…
• sky17 sensesThe atmosphere above a given point, especially as visible from the surface of the Earth as the place where the sun, moon, stars, and clouds are seen.
• Sky2 sensesA surname.
• Skye5 sensesA female given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage, or a fanciful spelling of the word sky.
• skype3 sensesTo make (a telephone call) using Skype software.
• Skype1 senseA telecommunications application by Skype Technologies.
• slab20 sensesA large, flat piece of solid material; a solid object that is large and flat.
• slack23 sensesThe part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it.
• Slack5 sensesA surname.
• slade4 sensesA hillside.
• Slade7 sensesA surname.
• slag14 sensesWaste material from a mine.
• slain1 senseThose who have been killed.
• slam33 sensesTo shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
• slammed3 sensesVery busy with work.
• slamming4 sensesGreat; awesome.
• slander3 sensesA false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a…
• slang14 sensesLanguage outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
• slap14 sensesA blow, especially one given with the open hand, or with something broad and flat.
• slapping3 sensesThe act of giving a slap or slaps
• slaps1 senseA two-player reaction game in which opponents slap each other's hands.
• slash37 sensesA slashing action or motion: A swift, broad cutting stroke, especially one made with an edged weapon or whip.
• slashed2 sensesHaving been slashed, cut or rent.
• slate30 sensesA flake or piece of certain types of stone that tend to cleave into thin layers. A piece of such stone, usually cut into a rectangular shape, used as…
• Slate1 senseA surname.
• slater3 sensesOne who lays slates, or whose occupation is to slate buildings.
• Slater8 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• slaughter8 sensesThe killing of animals, generally for food.
• Slaughter3 sensesA surname.
• slaughtered1 senseExtremely drunk.
• slaughterhouse2 sensesA place where animals are slaughtered.
• slave10 sensesA person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's…
• Slave1 senseSynonym of Sclavia.
• slavery5 sensesAn institution or social practice of owning human beings as property, especially for use as forced laborers.
• slay9 sensesTo kill; to murder.
• Slay1 senseA surname.
• slayer2 sensesA killer; a murderer; someone who slays.
• sleazy4 sensesMarked by low quality; inferior; inadequate.
• sled7 sensesA small, light vehicle with runners, used recreationally, mostly by children, for sliding down snow-covered hills; no draft animal pulls it.
• sledge9 sensesA sledgehammer.
• Sledge1 senseA surname.
• sleep17 sensesTo rest in a state of reduced consciousness.
• Sleep1 senseA surname from English.
• sleeper19 sensesSomeone who sleeps.
• Sleeper1 senseA surname.
• sleeping3 sensesAsleep.
• sleepless1 senseCharacterized by an absence of sleep: wakeful.
• sleepover2 sensesThe act of spending the night as a guest in another's house, especially when the participants are children.
• sleepwalking1 senseThe act of walking while not conscious or aware of it, during one's sleep.
• sleepy8 sensesTired; feeling the need for sleep.
• sleet5 sensesPellets of ice made of mostly-frozen raindrops or refrozen melted snowflakes.
• sleeve11 sensesThe part of a garment that covers the arm.
• sleigh4 sensesA vehicle, generally pulled by an animal, which moves over snow or ice on runners, used for transporting persons or goods. (contrast "sled", which is…
• Sleigh1 senseA surname.
• slender4 sensesThin; slim.
• Slender1 senseA simple country gentleman.
• slice26 sensesThat which is thin and broad.
• Slice1 senseA surname.
• sliced1 senseThat has been cut into slices.
• slicing1 senseThe action of the verb to slice.
• slick18 sensesSlippery or smooth due to a covering of liquid; often used to describe appearances.
• Slick1 senseA term of address, generally applied to males, possibly including strangers, implying that the person addressed is slick in the sense of…
• slide37 sensesTo (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.
• sliding3 sensesThe motion of something that slides.
• slight20 sensesMinor; small in amount
• Slight1 senseA surname from Middle English.
• slightly2 sensesSlenderly; delicately.
• slim13 sensesSlender; thin. Slender in an attractive way.
• Slim2 sensesA surname.
• slime16 sensesSoft, moist earth or clay, having an adhesive quality; viscous mud; any substance of a dirty nature, that is moist, soft, and adhesive; bitumen; mud…
• slimy5 sensesOf or pertaining to slime.
• sling15 sensesTo throw with a circular or arcing motion.
• slip51 sensesTo lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.
• slipped1 senseWith part of the stalk displayed.
• slipper12 sensesA low soft shoe that can be slipped on and off easily.
• slippery5 sensesOf a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling,…
• slipping1 senseThe act of something that slips; a slip; a skidding or sudden loosening motion.
• slips1 sensethe area of the field covered by fielders in the slip positions; the slip fielders collectively
• slit7 sensesA narrow cut or opening; a slot.
• Sloan3 sensesA surname.
• Sloane3 sensesA surname.
• slob7 sensesA lazy and slovenly or obese person.
• slogan3 sensesA distinctive phrase of a person or group of people (such as a movement or political party); a motto.
• slop19 sensesA flip-flop.
• slope15 sensesA surface that either inclines or declines in a regular manner from the perspective of an observer.
• sloppy4 sensesComposed of or covered in slop; very wet.
• Sloppy1 senseA surname.
• slot27 sensesA narrow depression, perforation, or aperture; especially, one for the reception of a piece fitting or sliding into it.
• slow13 sensesTaking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.
• slower1 senseThat which slows.
• slowing1 senseA deceleration; a slowing down.
• slowly1 senseAt a slow pace.
• slows1 sensemilk sickness
• slug28 sensesAny of many gastropod mollusks, having no (or only a rudimentary) shell.
• SLUG1 senseA special-purpose security of the State and Local Government Series.
• slum6 sensesA dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty.
• slumber8 sensesA very light state of sleep, almost awake.
• slurping1 senseA sound or motion that slurps.
• slut12 sensesA sexually promiscuous woman.
• slutty1 senseOf, resembling, or suitable for, a slut.
• sly5 sensesArtfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
• Sly2 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Sylvester.
• smack18 sensesA distinct flavor, especially if slight.
• Smack1 senseA surname from German.
• SMACK1 senseAn Apache-based solution stack consisting of Spark, Mesos, Akka, Cassandra, and Kafka.
• smacking2 sensesA series of smacks; the act by which somebody is smacked.
• small20 sensesNot large or big; insignificant; few in number.
• Small1 senseA surname.
• small-time1 senseOn a small scale.
• smallpox1 senseAn acute, highly infectious often fatal disease caused by Variola virus of the family Poxviridae. It was completely eradicated in the 1970s, but…
• Smallville1 senseA fictional small town, frequently representing a backwater place of origin, usually a rural farming community in the United States
• smart20 sensesTo hurt or sting.
• Smart1 senseA surname.
• SMART1 senseAn acronym for remembering desirable characteristics for goal-setting: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timebound. (See SMART criteria on…
• SMARTER1 senseAn acronym for remembering desirable criteria for goal-setting: Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, Time Frame, Extending, Rewarding
• smash19 sensesThe sound of a violent impact; a violent striking together.
• smashed2 sensesExtensively broken; especially, in shards.
• smashing10 sensesServing to smash (something).
• smear20 sensesTo spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
• smell10 sensesA sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a…
• smelling2 sensesUsed in adjectival compounds.
• smelly5 sensesHaving a bad smell.
• smelt5 sensesAny small anadromous fish of the family Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and in lakes in North America and northern part of Europe.
• smile9 sensesA facial expression comprised by flexing the muscles of both ends of one's mouth, often showing the front teeth, without vocalisation, and in humans…
• Smiles1 senseA surname from Old English.
• smiley7 sensesCheerful and happy; smiling.
• Smiley6 sensesSynonym of Samoyed (a breed of dog)
• smiling2 sensesThat smiles or has a smile.
• smith4 sensesA craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a…
• Smith18 sensesAn English surname originating as an occupation (the most common in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
• smitten3 sensesAffected by an act of smiting.
• Smitty1 senseA nickname of the surname Smith.
• smoke33 sensesThe visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine particles given off by burning or smoldering material.
• Smoke3 sensesThe 44th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
• smoked2 sensesOf food, treated with smoke, often for flavor or as a method of preservation.
• smoker14 sensesA person who smokes tobacco habitually.
• Smoker1 senseA surname.
• smokey2 sensesA state trooper.
• Smokey2 sensesAlternative form of Smokey Bear. Highway patrolman.
• smoking9 sensesGiving off smoke.
• smoky13 sensesFilled with smoke.
• smooth27 sensesHaving a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
• smoothie5 sensesA smooth-talking person.
• smoothly1 sensein a smooth manner; smooth
• smother17 sensesTo suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
• smug8 sensesIrritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
• smuggle4 sensesTo import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties
• smuggler2 sensesOne who smuggles things.
• smuggling1 senseAn act of something being smuggled.
• smurf9 sensesA blue pixie with a white stocking cap, from the media franchise The Smurfs.
• snack9 sensesA light meal.
• snag18 sensesA stump or base of a branch that has been lopped off; a short branch, or a sharp or rough branch.
• snail7 sensesAny of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell.
• snake17 sensesAny of the suborder Serpentes of legless reptiles with long, thin bodies and fork-shaped tongues.
• Snake4 sensesThe sixth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
• snakes1 senseSynonym of snakes alive (“an expression of surprise”).
• snap64 sensesA quick breaking or cracking sound or the action of producing such a sound.
• Snap2 sensesA visual message sent through the Snapchat application.
• snapping2 sensesThe sound or action of a snap.
• snappy6 sensesRapid and without delay.
• snarling2 sensesGrowling, having a snarl.
• snatch16 sensesTo grasp and remove quickly.
• snatched4 sensesGood-looking.
• sneak15 sensesOne who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to acquire an item or information.
• sneaking2 sensesThe act of one who sneaks.
• sneaky3 sensesElusive; difficult to capture or observe due to constantly outwitting the adversaries.
• sneeze4 sensesTo expel air as a reflex induced by an irritation in the nose.
• sneezing1 senseThe act of producing a sneeze.
• snickering1 senseThe act of one who snickers.
• Snickers1 senseA chocolate bar produced by the Mars company, with a peanut, caramel and nougat filling.
• sniff13 sensesTo make a short, audible inhalation, through the nose, as when smelling something.
• sniffing1 senseA sniff sound or action.
• sniffles1 senseAny minor ailment causing a runny nose; the symptom of a runny nose itself.
• sniffling1 senseA sniffle sound or action.
• snip19 sensesTo cut with short sharp actions, as with scissors.
• sniper8 sensesA person using long-range small arms for precise attacks from a concealed position.
• snitch8 sensesTo inform on someone, especially in betrayal of others.
• snob5 sensesA person who wishes to be seen as a member of the upper classes or of some other elite (such as the masters of a certain craft) and who looks down on…
• snoop6 sensesTo be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
• snooping1 senseA secret spying or investigation.
• snore3 sensesTo breathe during sleep with harsh, snorting noises caused by vibration of the soft palate.
• snoring1 senseThe action or sound of breathing during sleep with harsh, snorting noises caused by vibration of the soft palate.
• snort10 sensesThe sound made by exhaling or inhaling roughly through the nose.
• snorting2 sensesA snort sound or action.
• snot7 sensesMucus, especially mucus from the nose.
• snout11 sensesThe long, projecting nose, mouth, and jaw of a beast, as of pigs.
• snow26 sensesThe partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the…
• Snow1 senseA surname.
• snowball11 sensesA ball of snow, usually one made in the hand and thrown for amusement in a snowball fight; also a larger ball of snow made by rolling a snowball…
• Snowball2 sensesA surname transferred from the nickname.