The Longman Defining Vocabulary
WORD CLASS LABELS
If a word has a specific word class label it is used in definitions
only in the word class shown. Otherwise the word may be used in any of
its usual word classes.
A = Adjective
Av = Adverb
C = Conjunction
D = Determiner
P = Preposition
Pd = Predeterminer
Pn = Pronoun
N = Noun
V = Verb
DEFINING VOCABULARY
a, ability, about, above AvP, abroad, absence, absent A, accept,
acceptable, accident, accordance, according, according to, account,
ache, acid, across, act, action N, active A, activity, actor, actress,
actual, add, addition, address, adjective, admiration, admire, admit,
admittance, adult, advance NV, advantage, adventure N, adverb,
advertise, advertisement, advice, advise, affair, afford, afraid,
after AvCP, afternoon, afterwards, again, against, age N, ago, agree,
agreement, ahead, aim, air N, aircraft, airforce, airport, alcohol,
alike, alive, all AvDPdPn, allow, almost, alone, along, aloud,
alphabet, already, also, although, altogether Av, always, among,
amount N, amuse, amusement, amusing A, an, ancient A, and, anger N,
angle N, angry, animal, ankle, annoy, annoyance, another, answer, ant,
anxiety, anxious, any, anyhow, anyone, anything, anywhere, apart,
apparatus, appear, appearance, apple, appoint, approval, approve, arch
N, area, argue, argument, arm, armor N, arms, army, around, arrange,
arrangement, arrival, arrive, art, article, artificial, as, ash,
ashamed, aside Av, ask, asleep, association, at, atom, attack,
attempt, attend, attendance, attention, attract, attractive, aunt,
autumn, average AN, avoid, awake A, away Av, awkward, baby, back AAvN,
background, backward Av, backwards Av, bacteria, bad A, bag N, bake,
balance, ball N, banana, band N, bank N, bar NV, bare A, barrel, base
NV, basket, bath N, bathe V, battle N, be, beak, beam N, bean, bear,
beard N, beat NV, beautiful, beauty, because, become, bed N, bee,
beer, before, beg, begin, beginning, behave, behavior, behind AvP,
belief, believe, bell, belong, below AvP, belt N, bend, beneath,
berry, beside, besides, best AAvN, better AAv, between, beyond AvP,
bicycle N, big A, bill N, bind V, bird, birth, birthday, bit, bite,
bitter A, black AN, blade, blame, bleed, bless, blind, block, blood N,
blow, blue, board N, boat N, body, boil V, bomb, bone N, book N, boot
N, border, born, borrow, both, bottle N, bottom N, bowels, bowl, box,
boy, brain N, branch, brass, brave A, bread, breadth, break V,
breakfast N, breast N, breath, breathe, breed, brick N, bridge N,
bright A, bring, broad A, broadcast, brother, brown AN, brush, bucket
N, build V, building, bullet, bunch N, burial, burn, burst, bury, bus
N, bush N, business, busy, but C, butter N, button N, buy V, by, cage
N, cake N, calculate, calculator, call, calm A, camera, camp NV, can
NV, candle, cap N, capital N, captain N, car, card N, cardboard, care,
careful, careless, carriage, carry, cart N, case N, castle N, cat,
catch V, cattle, cause, cell, cement N, cent, center N, centimeter,
central, century, ceremony, certain AD, chain, chair N, chairperson,
chalk N, chance N, change, character, charge, charm, chase V, cheap,
cheat, check [cheque], cheek N, cheer, cheerful, cheese, chemical,
chemistry, chest, chicken N, chief, child, childhood, children,
chimney, chin, chocolate, choice N, choose, church N, cigarette,
cinema, circle N, circular A, citizen, city, civilization, claim,
class N, clay, clean AV, clear AV, clerk, clever, cliff, climb V,
clock N, clockwork, close AAvV, cloth, clothes, clothing, cloud N,
club N, coal, coast N, coat N, coffee, coin N, cold, collar N, collect
V, college, color, comb, combination, combine V, come, comfort,
comfortable, command, committee, common A, companion, company, compare
V, comparison, compete, competition, competitor, complain, complaint,
complete, compound N, computer, concern V, concerning, concert,
condition N, confidence, confident, confuse, connect, conscience,
conscious, consider, consist, consonant N, contain, contents N,
continue, continuous, contract N, control, convenient, conversation,
cook, cool A, copper, copy, cord N, corn, corner N, correct A, cost,
cotton, cough, could, council, count V, country N, courage, course N,
court N, cover, cow N, coward, cowardly, crack NV, crash NV, cream N,
creature, creep V, cricket, crime, criminal, crop N, cross NV, crowd
N, cruel, cruelty, crush V, cry, cultivate, cup N, cupboard, cure,
curl, current, curse, curtain, curve, custom N, customer, cut, cycle
V, daily AAv, damage, dance, danger, dangerous, dare V, daring, dark,
date N, daughter, day, dead A, deal, dear A, death, debt, decay,
deceit, deceive, decide, decimal, decision, declaration, declare,
decorate, decoration, decrease, deep A, deer, defeat, defend, defense,
degree, delay, delicate, delight, deliver, demand, department, depend,
dependent, depth, descend, describe, description, descriptive, desert
N, deserve, desirable, desire, desk, destroy, destruction, detail N,
determination, determined, develop, devil N, diamond, dictionary, die
V, difference, different, difficult, difficulty, dig V, dinner, dip V,
direct, direction, dirt, dirty A, disappoint, discourage,
discouragement, discover, discovery, dish N, dismiss, distance N,
distant, ditch N, divide V, division, do V, doctor N, dog N, dollar,
door, doorway, dot N, double AAvPdV, doubt, down AAvP, drag V, draw V,
drawer, dream, dress NV, drink, drive V, drop, drown, drug N, drum N,
drunk, dry, duck N, dull A, during, dust N, duty, each, eager, ear,
early, earn, earth N, east, eastern, easy, eat, edge N, educate,
education, effect N, effective, effort, egg N, eight, eighth, either,
elastic, elbow N, elect V, election, electric, electricity, elephant,
else, employ V, employer, employment, empty AV, enclose, enclosure,
encourage, encouragement, end, enemy, engine, engineer N, English,
enjoy, enjoyment, enough, enter, entertain, entertainment, entrance N,
envelope, equal ANV, equality, escape, especially, establish,
establishment, even AAv, evening, event, ever, every, everyone,
everything, everywhere, evil, exact A, examination, examine, example,
excellent, except CP, exchange, excite, excited, exciting, excuse,
exercise, exist, existence, expect, expensive, experience, explain,
explanation, explode, explosion, explosive, express V, expression,
extreme, eye, eyelid, face, fact, factory, fail V, failure, faint AV,
fair A, fairy, faith, faithful A, fall, false A, fame, familiar A,
family, famous, fancy A, far, farm, farmer, farmyard, fashion N,
fashionable, fast AAv, fasten, fat, fate, father N, fault, favor N,
favorable, favorite A, fear, feather N, feed V, feel V, feeling,
feelings, fellow N, female, fence N, fever, few, field N, fierce,
fifth, fight, figure N, fill V, film, find V, fine A, finger N,
finish, fire, fireplace, firm AN, first AvD, fish, fisherman, fit AV,
five, fix V, flag N, flame, flash NV, flat, flesh, flight, float V,
flood, floor N, flour, flow, flower N, fly NV, fold, follow, fond,
food, fool N, foolish, foot N, football, footpath, footstep, for P,
forbid, force, forehead, foreign, foreigner, forest, forget, forgive,
fork N, form, formal, former, formerly, fort, fortunate, fortune,
forward Av, forwards Av, four, fourth, fox N, frame N, free, freedom,
freeze V, frequent A, fresh, friend, friendly, frighten, frightening,
from, front AN, fruit N, fulfill, full A, fun, funeral, funny, fur N,
furnish, furniture, further AAv, future, gain V, game N, garage N,
garden, garment, gas N, gasoline [petrol], gate N, gather V, general,
generous, gentle, gentleman, get, gift, girl, give V, glad, glass AN,
glory N, glue, go V, goat, god, God, gold, golden, good, good-bye,
goods, govern, government, grace, graceful, gradual, grain, gram,
grammar, grand A, grandfather, grandmother, grass N, grateful, grave
N, gray AN, great, green, greet, greeting, grief, grieve, ground N,
group N, grow, growth, guard, guess, guest, guidance, guide, guilt,
gun N, habit, habitual, hair, hairy, half, hall, hammer N, hand,
handkerchief, handle, hang V, happen V, happy, hard, harden, hardly,
hardship, harm, harmful, harmless, hasty, hat, hate V, hatred, have,
he, head AN, health, healthy, hear, heart, heat, heaven, heavy A,
heel, height, help, helpful, hen, her, here, hers, herself, hide V,
high AAv, hill, him, himself, hire, his, historical, history, hit,
hold, holiday, hollow A, holy, home AvN, honest, honesty, honor N,
honorable, hook N, hope, hopeful, hopeless, horizon, horn, horse N,
hospital, host N, hot A, hotel, hour, hourly, house N, how Av, human,
humor, humorous, hundred, hundredth, hunger N, hungry, hunt V, hurry,
hurt V, husband N, hut, I, ice N, icy, idea, if, ill A, image,
imaginary, imagination, imagine, importance, important, improve,
improvement, in AvP, include, including, income, increase, indoor,
indoors, industrial, industry, infect, infection, infectious,
influence, influential, inform, information, ink N, inner, inquire,
inquiry, insect, inside, instead, instruct, instruction, instrument,
insurance, insure, intend, intention, interest, interesting,
international A, interrupt, interruption, into, introduce,
introduction, invent, invention, invitation, invite, inwards, iron AN,
island, it Pn, its, itself, jaw N, jealous, jealousy, jelly, jewel,
jewelry, job, join, joint, joke, journey N, joy, judge, judgment,
juice, jump, just, justice, keen, keep V, key N, kick, kill V, kilo,
kilogram, kilometer, kind, king, kingdom, kiss, kitchen, knee N,
kneel, knife N, knock, knot, know V, knowledge, labor N, lack, ladder
N, lady, lake, lamb, lamp, land, language, large, last AvDV, late,
lately, laugh, laughter, law, lawyer, lay V, lazy, lead N, lead V,
leaf N, lean V, learn, least, leather, leave V, left, leg N, legal,
lend, length, less AvDPn, lesson, let V, letter, level AAvN, library,
lid, lie, life, lift, light, lightning, like PV, likely, limb, limit,
line N, lion, lip, liquid, list N, listen V, liter, literature,
little, live V, load, loaf N, local A, lock, lodging, lodgings, log N,
lonely, long AAv, look, loose A, lord N, lose, loss, lot, loud, love,
low A, lower V, loyal, loyalty, luck N, lump N, lung, machine N,
machinery, mad, magazine, magic, magician, mail, main A, make V, male,
man N, manage, manager, manner, many, map N, march, mark, market N,
marriage, marry, mass N, master N, mat, match, material, matter, may
V, me, meal, mean V, meaning N, means, measure, meat, medical A,
medicine, meet V, meeting, melt, member, memory, mend V, mention V,
merry, message, messenger, metal N, meter, method, metric, microscope,
middle AN, might V, mile, military A, milk, million, millionth, mind,
mine NPn, mineral, minister N, minute N, mirror N, miss V, mist N,
mistake, mix V, mixture, model N, modern A, moment, money, monkey N,
month, monthly AAv, moon N, moral A, morals, more, morning, most,
mother N, motor AN, mountain, mouse, mouth N, move V, much, mud,
multiply, murder, muscle N, music, musician, must V, my, myself,
mysterious, mystery, nail, name, narrow A, nasty, nation, national A,
nature, naval, navy, near AAvP, nearly, neat, necessary, neck, need,
needle N, neighbor, neighborhood, neither, nerve N, nervous, nest N,
net N, network N, never, new, news, newspaper, next AAv, nice, night,
nine, ninth, no AvD, no one, noble A, nobleman, noise N, none Pn,
nonsense, nor, north, northern, nose N, not, nothing, notice, noun,
now, nowhere, number N, nurse, nut, nylon, o'clock, obedience,
obedient, obey, object N, obtain, occasion N, ocean, odd, of, off AvP,
offend, offense, offensive A, offer, office, officer, official, often,
oil, old, old-fashioned, on AvP, once Av, one, oneself, onion, only,
open AV, operate, operation, opinion, opponent, oppose, opposite,
opposition, or, orange, order, ordinary, organ, organization, origin,
other, otherwise, ought, our, ours, ourselves, out AAv, outdoor,
outdoors, outer, outside, over AvP, owe, owing to, own DPnV, oxygen,
pack V, packet, page N, pain N, painful, paint, painting, pair N,
palace, pale A, pan N, paper N, parallel AN, parcel N, parent N, park,
parliament, part N, participle, particular A, partner N, party N, pass
V, passage, passenger, past, pastry, path, patience, patient A,
pattern N, pause, pay, payment, peace, peaceful, pen N, pence, pencil
N, people N, pepper N, per, perfect A, perform, perhaps, period N,
permission, permit V, person, personal, persuade, pet N, photograph,
photography, phrase N, physical, piano N, pick V, picture N, piece N,
pig N, pile, pilot, pin, pink AN, pipe N, pity, place, plain AN, plan,
plane N, plant, plastic, plate N, play, pleasant, please, pleased,
pleasure N, plenty Pn, plural, pocket N, poem, poet, poetry, point,
pointed, poison, poisonous, pole N, police N, polish, polite,
political, politician, politics, pool N, poor, popular, popularity,
population, port N, position N, possess, possession, possibility,
possible A, possibly, post, pot N, potato, pound N, pour, powder N,
power N, powerful, practical, practice, praise, pray, prayer, precious
A, preparation, prepare, presence, present AN, preserve V, president,
press V, pressure N, pretend, pretty A, prevent, price N, prickly,
pride N, priest, prince, principle, print, prison, prisoner, private
A, prize N, probability, probable A, problem, process N, procession,
produce V, product, production, profession, profit N, promise,
pronounce, pronunciation, proof N, proper, property, protect,
protection, protective, proud, prove, provide, provision, provisions,
public, pull, pump, punish, punishment, pupil, pure, purple, purpose
N, push, put, quality, quantity, quarrel, quarter N, queen N,
question, quick A, quiet AN, quite, rabbit N, race, radio N, railway,
rain, raise V, range N, rank N, rapid A, rare, rat N, rate N, rather,
raw A, reach, read V, ready A, real, really, reason, reasonable,
receive, recent, recently, recognition, recognize, record NV, red,
reduce, reduction, refusal, refuse V, regard, regular A, related,
relation, relative, religion, religious, remain, remark N, remember,
remind, remove V, rent, repair, repeat V, reply, report, represent,
representative, republic, request, respect, respectful, responsible,
rest, restaurant, result, return NV, reward, rice, rich, rid, ride,
right ANAv, ring, ripe, rise V, risk, river, road, rob, rock N, rod,
roll V, roof N, room N, root N, rope N, rose, rough A, round AAvP, row
NV, royal A, rub V, rubber, rude, ruin, rule, ruler, run, rush, sad,
safe A, safety, sail, sale, salt AN, same, sand N, satisfaction,
satisfactory, satisfy, save V, say V, scale N, scatter V, scene,
scenery, school N, science, scientific, scientist, scissors, screw,
sea, search, season N, seat, second AvDNPn, secrecy, secret,
secretary, see V, seed N, seem, seize, sell V, send, sensation, sense
N, senseless, sensible, sensitive, sentence N, separate AV, serious,
servant, serve, service N, set NV, settle V, seven, seventh, several,
severe, sew, sex N, sexual, shade, shadow N, shake, shall, shame N,
shape, share, sharp A, she, sheep, sheet, shelf, shell N, shelter,
shield N, shine V, ship N, shirt, shock NV, shoe N, shoot V, shop,
shopkeeper, shore N, short A, shot N, should, shoulder N, shout, show
NV, shut, sick A, side AN, sideways, sight N, sign, signal, signature,
silence N, silent, silk, silly A, silver, similar, similarity, simple,
since, sincere, sing, single A, singular, sink V, sister, sit,
situation, six, sixth, size N, skill, skillful, skin N, skirt N, sky
N, slave N, sleep, slide V, slight A, slip V, slippery, slope, slow,
small, smell, smile, smoke, smooth A, snake N, snow, so, soap N,
social A, society, sock N, soft, soil N, soldier N, solemn, solid,
some DPn, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhere, son,
song, soon, sore A, sorrow N, sorry, sort N, soul, sound NV, soup,
sour A, south, southern, space N, spacecraft, spade, speak, spear N,
special A, specialist, speech, speed N, spell V, spend, spin V, spirit
N, spite N, splendid, split V, spoil V, spoon N, sport N, spot N,
spread V, spring, square AN, stage N, stair, stamp, stand V, standard,
star N, start, state, station N, stay, steady A, steal V, steam N,
steel N, steep A, stem N, step, stick, sticky, stiff A, still AAv,
sting, stitch, stomach N, stone N, stop, store, storm N, story,
straight AAv, strange, stranger, stream N, street, strength, stretch,
strike V, string N, stroke N, strong, structure N, struggle, student,
study, stupid, style N, subject N, substance, subtract, succeed,
success, successful, such, suck V, sudden, suffer, sugar N, suggest,
suit, suitable, sum N, summer N, sun N, supper, supply NV, support,
suppose, sure A, surface N, surprise, surround V, swallow V, swear,
sweep V, sweet, swell V, swim, swing, sword, sympathetic, sympathy,
system, table N, tail N, take V, talk, tall, taste, tax, taxi N, tea,
teach, team N, tear V, tear N, telephone, television, tell, temper N,
temperature, temple, tend, tendency, tender A, tennis, tense N, tent,
terrible, terror, test, than, thank, that CDPn, the, theater, their,
theirs, them, themselves, then Av, there, therefore, these, they,
thick A, thief, thin A, thing, think V, third, thirst N, thirsty, this
DPn, thorough, those, though, thought, thousand, thousandth, thread N,
threat, threaten, three, throat, through AvP, throw, thumb N, thunder,
thus, ticket N, tidy AV, tie, tiger, tight A, time N, timetable N,
tin, tire [tyre] N, tire V, title N, to, tobacco, today, toe N,
together, tomorrow, tongue, tonight, too, tool N, tooth, top AN, total
AN, touch, tour, tourist, towards, tower N, town, toy N, track, trade
N, traffic N, train, translate, transparent, trap, travel, treat V,
treatment, tree, tremble V, tribe, trick NV, trip N, tropical,
trouble, trousers, true A, trunk, trust, truth, try V, tube, tune N,
turn, twice, twist, type N, typical, ugly, uncle, under P, understand,
undo, uniform N, union, unit, unite, universal, universe, university,
until, up AAvP, upper A, upright AAv, upset V, upside down, upstairs
AAv, urge, urgent, us, use, useful, useless, usual, valley, valuable
A, value N, variety, various, vary, vegetable, vehicle, verb, very Av,
victory, view N, village, violence, violent, visit, voice N, vote,
vowel, voyage N, wages, waist, wait V, waiter, wake V, walk, wall N,
wander, want V, war N, warm AV, warmth, warn, wash, waste, watch,
water, wave, way, we, weak, wealth, weapon, wear V, weather N, weave
V, wedding, week, weekly AAv, weigh, weight N, welcome, well AAvN,
west, western A, wet A, what, whatever, wheat, wheel N, when AvC,
whenever, where, whether, which, whichever, while C, whip, whisper,
whistle, white, who, whoever, whole, why, wicked, wide AAv,
widespread, width, wife, wild AAv, will, willing, win V, wind V, wind
N, window, wine N, wing N, winter N, wire N, wisdom, wise A, wish,
with, within P, without P, witness N, woman, wonder NV, wood, wooden,
wool, woolen, word N, work, world, worm N, worry, worse, worship,
worst, worth, worthy, worthy of, would, wound, wrap V, wreck, wrist,
write, wrong AAvN, wrongdoing, yard, year, yearly, yellow AN, yes,
yesterday, yet, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zero
PREFIXES
dis-, im-, in-, ir-, mid-, mis-, non-, re-, self-, un-
SUFFIXES
-able, -al, -an, -ance, -ar, -ate, -ation, -ed, -en, -ence, -er, -ery,
-ess, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ical, -ing, -ion, -ish, -ist, -ity, -ive, -ization
-ize -less -like -ly -ment -ness -or -ous -ry -ship -th -ward -wards
-work -y |