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.

• Speaker1 senseA surname
• speaking10 sensesUsed in speaking.
• spear18 sensesA long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
• Spear1 senseAn English surname transferred from the nickname or originating as an occupation.
• Spears2 sensesAn English surname transferred from the nickname.
• special22 sensesDistinguished by a unique, particular, or unusual quality.
• specialist8 sensesSpecialised, involving detailed knowledge of a restricted topic.
• specialize9 sensesTo make distinct or separate from what is common To narrow in scope.
• specialized1 senseHighly skilled in, or specifically adapted to, a specific field.
• specially3 sensesFor a special purpose, person, or occasion.
• specialty6 sensesThat in which one specializes; a chosen expertise or talent; bailiwick.
• species11 sensesA type or kind. (Compare race.)
• specific15 sensesExplicit or definite.
• specifically2 sensesIn a specific manner, applying to or naming a particular thing or things, expressly, explicitly.
• specimen6 sensesAn individual instance that represents a class; an example.
• speck8 sensesA tiny spot or particle, especially of dirt.
• Speck1 senseA surname from German.
• specs1 senseSpecifications: plural of spec
• spectacle5 sensesAn exciting or extraordinary scene, exhibition, performance etc.
• spectacles2 sensesA pair of lenses set in a frame worn on the nose and ears in order to correct deficiencies in eyesight or to ornament the face.
• spectacular5 sensesAmazing or worthy of special notice.
• spectrum10 sensesA range; a continuous, infinite, one-dimensional set, possibly bounded by extremes.
• speculate4 sensesTo make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.
• speculation9 sensesThe process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
• speech8 sensesThe ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate.
• speechless2 sensesNot speaking; not knowing what to say; silent, especially due to surprise, amazement, etc.; wordless.
• speed22 sensesThe state of moving quickly or the capacity for rapid motion.
• Speed7 sensesA surname transferred from the nickname.
• speeding5 sensesTravelling very fast; moving at speed.
• speedy3 sensesProceeding with or characterized by high speed; rapid.
• Speedy1 senseA surname.
• spell25 sensesWords or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
• Spell1 senseA surname.
• spelling5 sensesThe act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography.
• spence1 senseA buttery or pantry.
• Spence5 sensesShort form of the male given name Spencer.
• spencer4 sensesA large loose-fitted gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque, used from the nineteenth century onwards.
• Spencer21 sensesAn English surname originating as an occupation.
• spend13 sensesTo pay out (money).
• spending1 senseAn amount that has been, or is planned to be spent.
• spent4 sensesConsumed, used up, exhausted, depleted.
• sperm5 sensesThe reproductive cell or gamete of the male; a spermatozoon.
• sphere12 sensesA surface in three dimensions consisting of all points equidistant from a center. .
• sphinx9 sensesA creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
• Sphinx2 sensesAn ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.
• spice12 sensesAromatic or pungent plant matter (usually dried) used to season or flavor food.
• Spice1 senseA surname.
• spicy7 sensesOf, pertaining to, or containing spice.
• spider23 sensesAny of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey.
• Spider1 senseThe 29th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
• spike31 sensesA sort of very large nail.
• Spike2 sensesA male nickname.
• spiked3 sensesContaining alcohol or drugs, often without the knowledge of those who partake.
• spikes2 sensesA pair of athletic shoes equipped with spikes on the sole and heel for better traction.
• spill26 sensesTo drop something so that it spreads out or makes a mess; to accidentally pour.
• spilling2 sensesThe act of dropping or spreading out of a fluid or particles.
• spin36 sensesTo rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
• spinach3 sensesA particular edible plant, Spinacia oleracea, or its leaves.
• spinal4 sensesOf or relating to the spine.
• spine10 sensesA series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord…
• spinning3 sensesThe motion of something that spins.
• spins1 sensevertigo
• spiral9 sensesA curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
• spirit16 sensesThe soul of a person or other creature.
• spirited1 senseLively, vigorous, animated or courageous.
• spirits1 senseDistilled alcoholic beverages.
• spiritual8 sensesOf or pertaining to the spirit or the soul.
• Spiritual1 senseA member of a branch of the Franciscan order that advocated simple dress and renounced the owning of property.
• spit20 sensesA thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is skewered for cooking, often over a fire.
• spite6 sensesIll will or hatred toward another, accompanied with the desire to unjustifiably irritate, annoy, or thwart; a want to disturb or put out another;…
• spitting2 sensesAn appearance on the surface of melted silver or platinum allowed to cool slowly, jets of oxygen forming small cones and sometimes throwing up drops…
• splash23 sensesThe sound made by an object hitting a liquid.
• splashing1 senseAn action that splashes.
• spleen10 sensesIn vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the upper left abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells,…
• splendid3 sensesPossessing or displaying splendor; shining; very bright.
• splinter9 sensesA long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.
• Splinter1 senseA surname.
• split37 sensesTo divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line.
• Split1 senseA port city in Croatia.
• splits1 senseA maneuver in which the legs are extended straight out and perpendicular to the body, either to the sides or in front and behind.
• splitting6 sensesAn instance where something splits.
• Spock5 sensesAn American surname from Dutch.
• spoil14 sensesTo ruin; to damage in such a way as to make undesirable or unusable.
• spoiled3 sensesThat has deteriorated to the point of no longer being usable or edible.
• spoiling1 senseplunder; pillage
• spoils3 sensesThat which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage, booty.
• spoilt3 sensesHaving lost its original value
• spoke6 sensesA support structure that connects the axle or the hub of a wheel to the rim.
• spoken3 sensesExpressed in speech.
• spokesman1 senseOne who speaks as the voice of another person or a group of people.
• sponge23 sensesAny of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
• sponsor4 sensesA person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious,…
• sponsored1 senseFinancially supported by a sponsor.
• spontaneous6 sensesSelf-directed; happening or acting without external cause or instigation; proceeding from natural feeling, temperament, or momentary impulse.
• spontaneously1 senseIn a spontaneous manner; naturally; voluntarily.
• spook11 sensesA ghost or phantom.
• spooked4 sensesA little scared; worried by a feeling or event. Describing the unsettling feeling there being another unknown ghostly presence.
• spooky3 sensesEerie, or suggestive of ghosts or the supernatural.
• spoon18 sensesAn implement for eating or serving; a scooped utensil whose long handle is straight, in contrast to a ladle.
• spoons3 sensesA child's card game.
• Spoons1 senseAny pub belonging to the Wetherspoons chain.
• sport22 sensesAny activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.
• sporting5 sensesPertaining to sports
• sports2 sensesSynonym of sport (“the class of physical activies; athletics”).
• spot42 sensesA round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
• Spot1 senseA popular given name for a dog
• spotless3 sensesExceptionally clean.
• spotlight7 sensesA bright, directional light or lamp, especially one used to illuminate the focus or center of attention on a stage.
• spotted2 sensesDiscoloured by spots; stained.
• spouse2 sensesA person in a marriage or marital relationship.
• spray23 sensesA fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.
• sprayed1 sensechapped with cold
• spraying1 senseThe act by which something is sprayed.
• spread37 sensesTo stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
• spreading2 sensesThe act by which something is spread.
• spree3 sensesUninhibited activity.
• Spree1 senseA river in Germany that flows through Lusatia and into Berlin, where it flows into the Havel.
• spring62 sensesTo move or burst forth.
• Spring2 sensesA surname.
• springer7 sensesA person that springs.
• Springer3 sensesA surname.
• Springfield67 sensesA number of places in the United Kingdom: A suburb in Campbell Park parish, City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England (OS grid ref SP8638).
• Springs3 sensesA district of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province, South Africa.
• springtime2 sensesThe season of spring, between winter and summer.
• sprinkle9 sensesTo cause (a substance) to fall in fine drops (for a liquid substance) or small pieces (for a solid substance).
• Sprinkle1 senseA surname.
• sprint4 sensesA short race at top speed.
• sprout12 sensesA new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.
• Sprout1 senseA surname.
• sprung6 sensesFitted or cushioned with springs.
• spur27 sensesA rigid implement, often roughly y-shaped, that is fixed to one's heel for the purpose of prodding a horse. Often worn by, and emblematic of, the…
• Spur2 sensesAn occupational surname from Middle English
• Spurs3 sensesTottenham Hotspur Football Club
• sputtering2 sensesA noise that sputters.
• spy6 sensesA person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an…
• spying1 senseespionage; the act of secretly gathering information
• squad8 sensesA group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
• Squad3 sensesAn informal group of left-wing Democrats in the House of Representatives.
• squadron7 sensesA body of infantrymen made up of several platoons, averaging from eighty to one hundred and fifty men, and led by a captain or a major.
• square58 sensesA polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
• Square1 senseA surname.
• squared3 sensesCovered with a grid of squares.
• squash20 sensesA sport played in a walled court with a soft rubber ball and bats like tennis racquets.
• Squash1 senseA surname
• squashed2 sensessqueezed until flattened, or until a pulp
• squat22 sensesRelatively short or low, and thick or broad.
• squawk12 sensesA shrill noise, especially made by a voice or bird. If made by a bird, it typically signals discomfort or anger; a yell, scream, or call.
• squawking1 senseSquawk, the sound of a squawk.
• squeak8 sensesA short, high-pitched sound, as of two objects rubbing together, or the sounds made by mice and other small animals.
• Squeak1 senseThe British War Medal.
• squeaking1 senseA sound that squeaks.
• squeaky1 senseTending to produce a high-pitched sound or squeak.
• squeal5 sensesA high-pitched sound, such as the scream of a child or a female person, or noisy worn-down brake pads.
• squealing1 senseThe sound of one who squeals; a squeal.
• squeeze22 sensesTo apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once.
• squeezing2 sensesThe act of pressing; compression.
• squid9 sensesAny of several carnivorous marine cephalopod mollusks, of the order Teuthida, having a mantle, eight arms, and a pair of tentacles
• squire12 sensesA shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
• Squire2 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• squirrel7 sensesAny of the rodents of the family Sciuridae.
• squirt17 sensesAn instrument from which a liquid is forcefully ejected in a small, quick stream.
• SS3 sensesA shiptype Initialism of subsurface, a subsurface ship, a submarine A conventionally-powered submarine
• ssh4 sensesBe quiet or reduce the volume.
• SSH1 senseSocial sciences and Humanities.
• st1 senseExpressing a sudden desire for silence.
• ST3 sensesAn ST segment.
• stab16 sensesAn act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
• STAB1 senseA 50% damage boost applied when a Pokémon uses a move with the same type as itself (for example, an Electric-type Pokémon using an Electric-type…
• stabbing2 sensesSharp, intense.
• stability2 sensesThe condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.
• stabilize2 sensesTo make stable.
• stable15 sensesA building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses.
• stabler1 senseA stablekeeper.
• Stabler4 sensesA surname. A surname originating as an occupation for a stablekeeper.
• Stacey3 sensesAn English surname transferred from the given name derived from a medieval diminutive of Eustace.
• stack31 sensesA pile. A large pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, larger at the bottom than the top, sometimes covered with thatch.
• Stack1 senseA surname.
• stacked8 sensesArranged in a stack.
• stacks1 senseA large amount of money, especially winnings.
• Stacy4 sensesA surname, variant of Stacey.
• stadium6 sensesA venue where sporting events are held.
• staff13 sensesA long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick, especially one used to assist in walking.
• Stafford15 sensesA placename: A town in and the county town of Staffordshire, England.
• stag17 sensesAn adult male deer, especially a red deer and especially one in high adulthood versus a young adult.
• stage27 sensesA phase.
• Stage1 senseA surname.
• staged2 sensesOf an event, intentionally performed while being falsely contrived to appear authentic or coincidental.
• staggering6 sensesIncredible, overwhelming, amazing.
• staging12 sensesA performance of a play.
• stain11 sensesA discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
• stained2 senseshaving a stain
• Stains1 senseA city in Seine-Saint-Denis department, France.
• staircase5 sensesA flight of stairs; a stairway.
• stairs1 senseA contiguous set of steps connecting two floors.
• stairway1 senseA set of steps, with or without a case, that allow one to walk up or down.
• stairwell1 senseA shaft in a multi-story building enclosing a stairway or staircase.
• stake13 sensesA piece of wood or other material, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a marker or a support or…
• Stake1 senseA surname.
• staked1 senseMarked with stakes
• stakeout1 senseThe act of watching a location or people, generally covertly.