Words starting with W — 625 entries

The 625 dictionary words that begin with the letter W, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• w9 sensesThe twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double-u and written in the Latin script.
• W3 sensesThe twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, called double U and written in the Latin script.
• W.3 sensesWednesday.
• wa3 sensesA traditional proa-style outrigger canoe of the Caroline Islands.
• Wa2 sensesAn ethnic group in Myanmar and China.
• wacko3 sensesAmusingly eccentric or irrational.
• wacky1 senseZany; eccentric.
• wad11 sensesAn amorphous, compact mass.
• wade7 sensesTo walk through water or something that impedes progress.
• Wade8 sensesA topographic surname from Old English.
• waffle14 sensesA flat pastry pressed with a grid pattern, often eaten hot with butter and/or honey or syrup.
• wage7 sensesAn amount of money paid to a worker for a specified quantity of work, usually calculated on an hourly basis and expressed in an amount of money per…
• wager6 sensesA bet; a stake; a pledge.
• Wager1 senseA surname.
• wages1 senseone's total income for a time period
• Wagner7 sensesA surname from German.
• wagon9 sensesA heavier four-wheeled (normally horse-drawn) vehicle designed to carry goods (or sometimes people).
• Wagon1 senseA bright circumpolar asterism of the northern sky, said to resemble a ladle or cart. It is part of the constellation Ursa Major and includes the…
• wah5 sensesA cry of fright, distress, etc. (especially of an infant or young child)
• Wah1 senseA surname.
• wai2 sensesA Thai greeting wherein the palms are brought together in front of the face or chest, sometimes accompanied with a bow.
• wail9 sensesTo cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
• Wail1 senseA locality in the Rural City of Horsham, western Victoria, Australia.
• wailing1 senseA loud drawn out scream or howl.
• waist6 sensesThe part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
• wait14 sensesTo delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness.
• Wait1 senseA surname.
• waiter7 sensesA male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar.
• Waiters1 senseA surname.
• waiting3 sensesThe act of staying or remaining in expectation.
• waitress2 sensesA female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar.
• waits1 senseA group of singers or musicians performing in the streets, especially around Christmas.
• Waits1 senseAn English surname originating as an occupation, a variant of Waite.
• wake18 senses(often followed by up) To stop sleeping.
• Wake1 senseA surname.
• wakes1 senseA community holiday, particularly in northern England.
• waking2 sensesOccurring during wakefulness.
• Walden14 sensesA surname.
• waldo1 senseSynonym of telefactor.
• Waldo2 sensesA male given name from Old English, in modern American use transferred back from the surname.
• Wales14 sensesOne of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, formerly a principality.
• walk38 sensesTo move on the feet by alternately setting each foot (or pair or group of feet, in the case of animals with four or more feet) forward, with at least…
• Walk1 senseA surname.
• WalK1 senseA particular histidine kinase
• walker11 sensesThe agent noun of to walk: a person who walks or a thing which walks, especially a pedestrian or a participant in a walking race.
• Walker18 sensesA northern English surname originating as an occupation from the occupation of treating cloth by "walking" it.
• walkie-talkie2 sensesA portable, bidirectional radio transceiver, usually one of a pair.
• walking5 sensesIncarnate as a human; living.
• Walks1 senseA nickname of the surname Walker.
• wall31 sensesA rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for defensive purposes.
• Wall13 sensesA surname.
• Wallace21 sensesA Scottish surname transferred from the nickname, notably of the Scottish patriot William Wallace.
• wallet6 sensesA small case, often flat and often made of leather, for keeping money (especially paper money), credit cards, etc.
• wallpaper9 sensesDecorative paper-like material used to cover the inner walls of buildings.
• walls1 senseThe vagina.
• Walls5 sensesA surname.
• wally3 sensesA fool.
• Wally2 sensesA diminutive of the male given names of Waldo, Walter, Wallabee, and Wallace.
• walnut5 sensesA hardwood tree of the genus Juglans.
• Walnut12 sensesA number of places in the United States: A city in Los Angeles County, California.
• walrus6 sensesA large Arctic pinniped having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
• Walsh5 sensesAn Irish surname from English.
• walt3 sensesTo roll; tumble
• Walt2 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Walter.
• Walter4 sensesA male given name from the Germanic languages.
• Walters4 sensesA surname transferred from the given name.
• Walton30 sensesA surname.
• waltz7 sensesA ballroom dance in 3/4 time.
• Waltz4 sensesA surname.
• wan5 sensesPale, sickly-looking.
• Wan1 senseA surname.
• wand8 sensesA hand-held narrow rod, usually used for pointing or instructing, or as a traditional emblem of authority.
• Wand1 senseA surname.
• Wanda2 sensesA female given name from Polish.
• wander7 sensesTo move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.
• Wander1 senseA surname.
• wanderer3 sensesOne who wanders, who travels aimlessly.
• Wanderer1 sensesomeone connected with any number of soccer clubs known as the Wanderers.
• wandering7 sensesWhich wanders; travelling from place to place.
• wang3 sensesTo batter; to clobber; to conk.
• Wang4 sensesA surname from Chinese.
• wank7 sensesTo masturbate.
• Wank1 senseA surname.
• wanker8 sensesSomeone who wanks; masturbates.
• wanna2 sensesRepresents a contracted pronunciation of want to.
• wannabe2 sensesSomeone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant.
• want18 sensesTo wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave, hanker, or demand.
• Want1 senseA personification of want.
• wanted2 sensesWished for; desired; sought.
• wanting6 sensesThat wants or desires.
• war13 sensesOrganized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving…
• War4 sensesPreceded by the: designating a particularly notable war. World War II.
• ward21 sensesProtection, defence. The action of a watchman; monitoring, surveillance (usually in phrases keep ward etc.)
• Ward18 sensesAn English surname originating as an occupation for a guard or watchman.
• warden6 sensesA chief administrative officer of a prison.
• Warden2 sensesA surname originating as an occupation for a warden.
• wardrobe17 sensesA governmental office or department in a monarchy which purchases, keeps, and cares for royal clothes.
• warehouse5 sensesA facility for storing large amounts of merchandise or products.
• warfare3 sensesThe waging of war or armed conflict against an enemy.
• warhead3 sensesThe part of a missile, projectile, torpedo, rocket, or other munition which contains either the nuclear or thermonuclear system, high explosive…
• warlock2 sensesA male magic-user; a male equivalent of a witch; a wizard.
• warlord1 senseA military commander or bandit leader wielding civilian power in an area where the government is weak.
• warm21 sensesOf a somewhat high temperature, often but not always connoting that the high temperature is pleasant rather than uncomfortable.
• warmed2 sensesAt a higher temperature.
• warmer3 sensesSomething that warms (something else) by providing some small amount of heat, such as a hot water bottle or a soup.
• warming2 sensesA small rise in temperature.
• warmth4 sensesA moderate degree of heat; the sensation of being warm.
• warn7 sensesTo make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially: To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc.
• Warn1 senseA surname.
• warner1 senseOne who warns.
• Warner11 sensesA surname. A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval given name, from Germanic war, warin "cautious; heedful; wary; watchful" +…
• warning3 sensesAn instance of warning someone.
• Warning1 senseA surname.
• warp26 sensesThe state, quality, or condition of being twisted, physically or mentally: The state, quality, or condition of being physically bent or twisted out…
• warped2 sensesDistorted by warping; twisted out of shape
• warrant15 sensesAuthorization or certification; a sanction, as given by a superior.
• warren6 sensesA system of burrows in which rabbits or other animals live.
• Warren42 sensesA surname from Old French.
• warrior3 sensesA person who is actively engaged in battle, conflict or warfare; a soldier or combatant.
• Warrior1 senseA surname.
• warsaw3 sensesAny of several species of grouper, subfamily Epinephelinae
• Warsaw8 sensesThe capital city of Poland; the capital city of Masovian Voivodeship.
• warship2 sensesAny ship built or armed for naval combat.
• Warship1 senseA British Rail Class 41 locomotive, dating from the late 1950s.
• wartime1 senseA period during which a war is in progress in a particular place.
• Warwick22 sensesA town and civil parish with a town council in Warwick district, and the county town of Warwickshire, England (OS grid ref SP2865).
• wary4 sensesCautious of danger; carefully watching and guarding against deception, trickery, and dangers; suspiciously prudent
• was1 senseUsed in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
• Was1 senseA surname.
• wash40 sensesTo clean with water.
• Wash2 sensesA bay with multiple estuaries of great ecological importance in eastern England, dividing Lincolnshire from Norfolk.
• washer6 sensesSomething that washes; especially an appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher.
• Washer1 senseA surname.
• washing8 sensesThe action of the verb to wash.
• washington1 senseSynonym of agawan base (a team game)
• Washington52 sensesA state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Capital: Olympia. Largest city: Seattle.
• washroom2 sensesA room intended to wash the face and hands.
• wasp5 sensesAny of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
• waste29 sensesExcess of material, useless by-products, or damaged, unsaleable products; garbage; rubbish.
• wasted6 sensesNot profitably used.
• wasteland4 sensesA place with no remaining resources; a desert.
• wasting3 sensesCausing a waste, or wasting away; causing pronounced loss of body mass.
• watch21 sensesA portable or wearable timepiece.
• watched2 sensesWearing a watch.
• watches1 senseThe species Sarracenia flava (so-called because its leaves look similar to a clock face).
• watching1 senseThe act of one who watches.
• watchman1 senseA man set to watch: a man who keeps guard, especially one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night; (loosely) any such person of any…
• Watchman1 senseA surname.
• water28 sensesAn inorganic compound (of molecular formula H₂O) found at room temperature and pressure as a clear liquid; it is present naturally as rain, and found…
• Water4 sensesA hamlet in Manaton parish, Teignbridge district, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX7580).
• waterfall11 sensesA flow of water over the edge of a cliff.
• Waterfall7 sensesA barangay of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines.
• waterfront2 sensesThe land alongside a body of water.
• watering2 sensesAn act of watering, that is, pouring water on something, or diluting a liquid.
• Waterloo43 sensesA village in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; the site of a major military battle in 1815.
• watermelon6 sensesA plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit.
• waters1 senseAmniotic fluid (see note at water (“amniotic fluid”)).
• Waters3 sensesA surname originating as a patronymic.
• Watkins7 sensesA surname transferred from the given name.
• Watson18 sensesA northern English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.
• Watts4 sensesA surname transferred from the given name.
• wave23 sensesTo move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely.
• WAVE1 senseA members of the WAVES; a member of the US Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve).
• waved3 sensesHaving a wave-like form or outline; undulating.
• Waves1 senseA census-designated place and unincorporated community in Dare County, North Carolina, United States.
• waving2 sensesThe motion of something that waves.
• wax21 sensesBeeswax.
• Wax1 senseA surname.
• way22 sensesTo do with a place or places. A road, a direction, a (physical or conceptual) path from one place to another.
• Way5 sensesChristianity.
• Wayne7 sensesA surname originating as an occupation.
• ways1 senseA distance.
• wayward4 sensesGiven to a wilful, perverse deviation from the expected norm; tending to stray.
• we16 sensesTwo or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s). Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)
• weak25 sensesLacking in force (usually strength) or ability.
• weaken2 sensesTo make weaker or less strong.
• weakened1 senseReduced; made less strong.
• weaker1 senseSaid of one proposition with respect to another one: that the latter entails the former, but the former does not entail the latter.
• weakly2 sensesFrail, sickly or of a delicate constitution; weak.
• weakness3 sensesThe condition of being weak.
• wealth3 sensesRiches; a great amount of valuable assets or material possessions.
• wealthy4 sensesPossessing financial wealth; rich.
• Wealthy1 senseA certain cultivar of American apple from Minnesota.
• weapon7 sensesAn instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords.
• weaponry1 senseWeapons collectively
• wear19 sensesTo have on: To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, perfume, etc.
• Wear1 senseA river in the counties of County Durham and Tyne and Wear, north east England. The cities of Durham and Sunderland are situated upon its grand banks.
• wearing7 sensesIntended to be worn.
• Wearing1 senseA surname.
• weary5 sensesHaving the strength exhausted by toil or exertion; tired; fatigued.
• Weary1 senseA surname.
• weasel8 sensesAny of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light…
• weather15 sensesThe short-term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including the temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, precipitation, wind,…
• weave9 sensesTo form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another.
• weaver6 sensesA person who weaves; especially, one who weaves cloth for a living.
• Weaver8 sensesA surname originating as an occupation for a weaver.
• weaving4 sensesThe process of making woven material on a loom.
• Weaving1 senseA surname.
• web29 sensesThe silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb.
• Web1 senseThe World Wide Web.