
dab | dab: v. 1 daub, pat, tap, tamp, touch: Dab a little more paint into the crevices. --n. 2 touch, drop, trace, bit, mite, hint, suggestion, pinch, dash, spot, tinge, Colloq dollop, smidgen or smidgin: Add just a dab of mustard to the sauce. 3 daub, poke, pat, tap, touch: Wipe it away with a dab of a damp cloth.
dabble | dabble: v. 1 dip, splash, spatter, sprinkle, bespatter, besprinkle, bedabble: I sat on the rock, dabbling my toes in the pool. 2 dabble in or with or at. tinker, trifle (with), potter or US putter, dally, Colloq fool (around or about or with or about with): She''s not seriously interested in music - she just dabbles in it.
dab hand | dab hand: n.phr. past master, expert, master, adept, authority, wizard, Colloq ace: Oscar is a dab hand at wood-carving.
daft | daft: adj. 1 foolish, silly, giddy, senseless, absurd, ridiculous, stupid, nonsensical, fatuous, fatuitous, imbecile or imbecilic, idiotic, moronic, obtuse, cretinous, boneheaded, fat-headed, dim-witted, witless, asinine, attocerebral, weak-minded, simple-minded, brainless, feeble-minded, feather-brained, rattle-brained, hare-brained, slow-witted, halfwitted, fat-witted, addle-pated, addle-brained, Brit gormless; Colloq dumb, dopey or dopy, daffy; Slang cock-eyed, US cockamamie or cockamamy, running on ''Empty'': He has the daft idea that he will be appointed managing director. 2 See crazy, 1, above. 3 daft about. mad about, infatuated with, besotted by or with, sweet on, Colloq nuts about, crazy about: Those two are daft about each other.
dagger | dagger: n. knife, poniard, skean, short sword, stiletto, dirk, blade, kris, bowie knife, bayonet: It was his dagger that was sticking out of the man''s back.
daily | daily: adj. 1 diurnal, circadian, everyday, quotidian: The daily papers reported nothing about the fire. 2 ordinary, common, commonplace, everyday, routine, regular: Her trip to the market has become a daily occurrence. --adv. 3 constantly, always, habitually, day after day, regularly, every day, continually, continuously: The trains run daily between here and London.
dainty | dainty: adj. 1 delicate, graceful, fine, elegant, exquisite, neat: The value lies in this dainty border painted round the edge of the cup. 2 fastidious, sensitive, squeamish, finicky or finical, over-nice, overrefined, genteel, mincing: He seems somewhat dainty in his choice of words. 3 choice, delicious, delectable, tasty, appetizing, palatable, toothsome: They were given a few dainty morsels to nibble while waiting. --n. 4 delicacy, sweetmeat, treat, comfit, titbit or US tidbit, morsel: A plate of dainties was placed beside the bed each night.
damage | damage: n. 1 harm, injury, hurt, impairment, mutilation, destruction, devastation: Fortunately, there was little damage from the storm. 2 expense, price, cost; bill, invoice, US check: At the restaurant, the damage came to �50. 3 damages. compensation, reparation, indemnity: We won the suit and were awarded damages of �10,000 for defamation of character. --v. 4 harm, hurt, injure; wound; mutilate, disfigure, mar, deface; wreck, ruin, spoil, impair: Although the car was badly damaged, the passengers escaped unharmed. Will this news damage your chances of a promotion?
damn | damn: v. 1 condemn, criticize, find fault with, berate, castigate, upbraid, attack, blast, reprimand, reprove, remonstrate, denounce; blame: Some would damn him for saving the murderer from drowning, others would damn him if he didn''t. 2 doom, condemn, sentence: Sisyphus was damned for all eternity to roll a heavy stone up a hill. 3 curse (at), swear (at), execrate: I damned the day I first set foot in that house. --n. 4 jot or tittle, brass farthing, Slang hoot, two hoots (in hell), Slang tinker''s damn or cuss: His opinion isn''t worth a damn. 5 give a damn. care, mind, be concerned, worry, Slang give a hoot: Why should he give a damn if the critics panned his play?
damnable | damnable: adj. awful, terrible, horrible, horrid, atrocious, abominable, dreadful, hideous, execrable, accursed, cursed, detestable, hateful, abhorrent, despicable, loathsome, wicked, sinful, offensive, heinous, pernicious, infernal, malicious, malevolent, outrageous, foul, rotten, base, vile, odious: He has been telling the most damnable lies about her since they broke up.
damp | damp: adj. 1 clammy, moist, wettish; humid, dank, misty, dewy, steamy, muggy: Wipe off the table with a damp cloth. Nothing dries out in this damp weather. --n. 2 moistness, moisture, dampness, clamminess, humidity: The mould on the walls is the result of the damp.
dampen | dampen: v. 1 damp, moisten, sprinkle, bedew: Dampen the clothes before ironing them. 2 stifle, deaden, damp, check, chill, cool, restrain, retard, lessen, diminish, reduce, suppress, abate, moderate, allay, subdue, temper, dull, discourage: His constant chattering on about himself dampened her ardour.
dance | dance: v. 1 cavort, gambol, caper, skip, leap, romp, trip the light fantastic (toe), US cut a rug, sashay, Colloq bop, hoof it: We danced for joy when we heard the news. Would you care to dance? --n. 2 ball, social, dancing party, th� dansant, US tea dance, promenade, Colloq shindig or shindy, hop, bop, US and Canadian prom: I have invited her to the dance on Saturday evening.
dandy | dandy: n. 1 fop, coxcomb, (gay) blade, beau, gallant, lady-killer, ladies'' or lady''s man, rake, Colloq swell, clothes-horse, Brit toff, blood, US dude: He was a great dandy, and spent hours dressing every day. --adj. 2 fine, splendid, first-rate, great, marvellous, neat, spectacular: Penny''s father bought her a dandy new car.
danger | danger: n. 1 peril, risk, threat, hazard, jeopardy: The danger of an avalanche is too great to go skiing. 2 in danger of. likely (to be), liable (to be): If you drink and drive, you are in danger of causing a road accident.
dangerous | dangerous: adj. 1 risky, perilous, hazardous, unsafe, precarious, rickety, Colloq chancy, iffy: Rock-climbing is very dangerous. 2 threatening, menacing, harmful, treacherous: He is a dangerous criminal, wanted for murder.
dangerously | dangerously: adv. 1 perilously, hazardously, unsafely, precariously, recklessly: He''s a mountain-climber who likes to live dangerously. 2 ominously, alarmingly: She is standing dangerously close to the edge.
dangle | dangle: v. 1 hang (down), droop, depend, swing, sway: The rope dangled from the top of the flag-pole. 2 flaunt, brandish, wave, flourish: Competitors often dangle big salary increases in front of those who agree to leave our company. 3 wait, Slang cool one''s heels: They have kept me dangling for weeks for their decision.
dapper | dapper: adj. neat, spruce, smart, trim, well-dressed, well turned out, stylish, fashionable, elegant, chic, dressy; Colloq got up or dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, swanky or swank, ritzy; Slang snazzy, nifty, spiffy, sharp, swell, classy: Tony looks very dapper in his new Savile Row suit.
dapple | dapple: adj. 1 spotted, dotted, mottled, speckled, flecked, dappled; brindled; pied, piebald, skewbald, paint, flea-bitten, US pinto: Take the chestnut mare - I''ll ride the dapple grey. --v. 2 spot, dot, mottle, speckle, bespeckle, stipple: Dapple paint on the wall with a sponge to get a mottled effect.
dare | dare: v. 1 challenge, defy, provoke; throw down the gauntlet: She dared me to jump, so I jumped. 2 risk, hazard, gamble, venture, face, make bold, be so bold as: I would never dare to talk to my father that way. --n. 3 challenge, provocation, taunt; ultimatum: She took the dare and swam across the lake.
daredevil | daredevil: n. 1 exhibitionist, showman, stunt man, stunt woman; adventurer, soldier of fortune, Colloq show-off: William finally got a job as a daredevil in the circus. --adj. 2 reckless, rash, death-defying, impulsive, daring, dashing, impetuous, incautious, imprudent, wild, foolhardy, madcap, devil-may-care; audacious, bold, brave, fearless, gallant, courageous, intrepid: Do you consider ski-jumping a sport or an example of daredevil madness?
daring | daring: n. 1 courage, boldness, bravery, valour, intrepidity, fearlessness, grit, pluck, spirit, mettle, adventurousness, derring-do, Colloq guts, spunk, nerve; Slang Brit bottle: Diving from a cliff into the sea takes a lot of daring. --adj. 2 bold, audacious, courageous, brave, valorous, intrepid, fearless, unafraid, plucky, mettlesome, adventurous, venturesome, hardy; rash, reckless, Colloq gutsy, US nervy: In the 19th century, a few daring explorers penetrated the jungles of Africa.
dark | dark: adj. 1 unlit, unlighted, unilluminated, ill-lighted, ill-lit, sunless; black, Stygian, pitch-dark, inky, jet-black: We cowered in a recess in the dark cave. 2 dim, murky, tenebrous, shady, shadowy: I could scarcely see ahead of me in the dark forest. 3 gloomy, dismal, dreary, dull, drab, subfuscous, subfusc, bleak, cheerless, mournful, dour, pessimistic, sombre, doleful, joyless, grim, sad, melancholy, sorrowful: Why do you always look at the dark side of things? 4 evil, wicked, vile, base, foul, iniquitous, nefarious, black-hearted, villainous, sinister, satanic, devilish, hellish: Nostradamus predicted that dark forces would overrun the world. 5 murky, overcast, cloudy, threatening, black, dusky, louring or lowering; foggy, misty; US glowering: Another dark day on the moor and I thought I''d go mad. 6 mysterious, deep, profound, incomprehensible, enigmatic, puzzling, impenetrable, unfathomable, abstruse, recondite, arcane, obscure: She took her dark secret to the grave. 7 hidden, concealed, secret, occult, mystic(al), cryptic: The true reason for his leaving was always kept dark in the family. 8 brunette; black, swarthy, brown; (sun)tanned, Old-fashioned swart: One is fair with dark hair, the other has dark skin. 9 ignorant, unenlightened, benighted: Our culture passed through a dark phase before the Renaissance. --n. 10 night, night-time, nightfall: We waited till dark to make good our escape. 11 darkness, blackness, gloom, gloominess, murk, murkiness: At fifty, isn''t he a bit old to be afraid of the dark? 12 obscurity, ignorance: She was always kept in the dark about his true identity.
darling | darling: n. 1 sweetheart, beloved, love, dear, dearest, true-love: She insists on buying all her darling''s clothes. 2 pet, favourite, apple of one''s eye, Brit blue-eyed boy; US fair-haired boy: Frank might have been the black sheep of the family, but he was always his mother''s darling. --adj. 3 beloved, loved, cherished, adored, dear, precious, treasured: He travelled everywhere with his darling niece. 4 pleasing, fetching, attractive, adorable, enchanting, lovely, alluring, engaging, bewitching, charming: Josephine was wearing a darling frock she''d just bought at the Corner Boutique.
dash | dash: v. 1 crash, smash, shatter, break, shiver, fragment, split; destroy, ruin, spoil, frustrate, obliterate: The mirror was dashed to smithereens when it fell. The ship didn''t see our raft, and our hopes of rescue were dashed. 2 hurl, toss, throw, fling, cast, pitch, Colloq chuck: We drank a toast, then dashed our glasses into the fireplace. 3 rush, run, dart, spring, bolt, bound, race, sprint; hasten, fly, hurry, speed: I''ll have to dash to catch my train. 4 dash off. scribble: I''ve just dashed off a note to mother. --n. 5 dart, bolt, rush, run, spurt, spring, bound, sprint: He made a dash for the door but it was too late. 6 flourish, �lan, flair, liveliness, style, panache, spirit, brio, verve, zest, spice; ardour, fervour, vigour, energy: She is known for her beauty as well as her dash and courage. 7 bit, pinch, soup�on, hint, suggestion, touch, trace, tinge, taste, drop, piece, Colloq smidgen or smidgin, US tad: Add a dash of nutmeg at the end.
dashing | dashing: adj. 1 spirited, lively, impetuous, energetic, vigorous, dynamic, animated, Colloq peppy: She is now going out with a dashing young fellow from the City. 2 fashionable, stylish, chic, � la mode, modish, smart, elegant, dapper, Colloq Brit swish: That''s a dashing coat, Felicia. 3 flamboyant, showy, ostentatious, pretentious: George Hutton was a bit too dashing for her taste.
data | data: n. facts, information, statistics, figures, details, matter, observations, material(s); text; evidence: We shall process the data on the computer and print out the results.
date | date: n. 1 time, year, season, period, day; age, era, epoch, stage, phase: These artefacts are from an earlier date than was first supposed. 2 appointment, meeting, engagement, rendezvous, assignation, tryst; fixture: She already has a date for Saturday night. 3 escort, companion, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, girl, woman, boy, man, swain, beau, lover, Colloq steady: Bob is Sally''s date for the dance. 4 out of date. old-fashioned, old, ancient, archaic, antiquated, dated, pass�, outmoded, obsolete, obsolescent, Colloq old hat: This timetable is out of date. Why do you wear those out of date clothes? 5 up to date. modern, latest, current, contemporary, � la mode, fashionable, Colloq trendy: Her taste in music is quite up to date. Use this up-to-date edition of the encyclopedia. --v. 6 show one''s age, make obsolete or obsolescent or old-fashioned: That pompadour hair-do really dates her. 7 entertain, escort, go out (with), go steady (with): Does Michael still date Patsy? Those two are still dating.
daunt | daunt: v. intimidate, cow, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, unnerve, shake, upset, disconcert, discomfit, put off, awe, overawe, appal, alarm, threaten, frighten, terrify, scare, terrorize: He was daunted by the prospect of facing the entire council.
dauntless | dauntless: adj. fearless, undaunted, unafraid, unflinching, stalwart, brave, courageous, bold, audacious, intrepid, valorous, daring, gallant, heroic, venturesome, plucky, stout-hearted, valiant: Dauntless, the knight rode into the thick of the fray.
dawdle | dawdle: v. linger, loiter, straggle, delay, procrastinate, dally, lounge, laze, idle, lag, lie about, waste time, Colloq dilly-dally, shilly-shally: We have to catch the next train, so stop dawdling.
dawn | dawn: n. 1 daybreak, sunrise, break of day, crack of dawn, first light, dawning, cock crow, Literary aurora, day-spring, US sun-up: We shall attack the castle at dawn. 2 dawning, beginning, commencement, start, birth, awakening, inception, genesis, outset, onset, origin, appearance, arrival, advent, emergence, inauguration, rise, first occurrence: The dawn of western civilization has been placed in Anatolia. --v. 3 gleam, break, brighten, lighten: The day dawned on the deserted beach. 4 begin, originate, commence, arise, appear, emerge, start, arrive, develop, unfold: The day of the computer had not yet dawned when I was a child. 5 dawn on or upon. occur to, come to mind, become apparent or evident to: It slowly dawned on me that he had been lying all along.
day | day: n. 1 daytime, daylight, broad daylight, light of day: Sunrise quickly turned night into day. 2 time, hour, age, period, era, epoch, date, prime, heyday; lifetime: Her day will come. In his day, there was no telephone.
day-dream | day-dream: n. 1 reverie, wool-gathering, fantasy, fancy, dream, musing, castle in the air or in Spain, pipedream: The realities of life have cured me of many day-dreams. --v. 2 fantasize, imagine, fancy, envision, dream: She still day-dreams that a knight in shining armour will come and carry her away.
daylight | daylight: n. 1 sunlight, sun, sunshine, light: Coming from the cave, we were blinded by the daylight. 2 open, broad daylight, light of day, full view, full knowledge, clarity: We must bring his treachery out into the daylight.
daze | daze: v. 1 stun, stupefy, blind, dazzle, bedazzle, shock, stagger, startle, astonish, astound, amaze, surprise, overcome, overpower, dumbfound, benumb, paralyse, Colloq bowl over, floor, flabbergast; Slang blow one''s mind: She was dazed to learn her husband was still alive. 2 befuddle, confuse, bemuse, bewilder, puzzle, mystify, baffle, perplex, nonplus, blind: He was dazed by the difficulty of the examination. --n. 3 confusion, flurry, spin, whirl: The entire week was a continuous daze of cocktail parties and dinner parties. 4 in a daze. stupefied, in a trance, bewildered, confused, perplexed, disoriented, dizzy, dazzled, bedazzled, overcome, overpowered, nonplussed, befuddled, flustered; startled, surprised, shocked, stunned, astonished, astounded, amazed, staggered; bemused, baffled, puzzled, mystified, Colloq flabbergasted, bowled over, floored: Arthur was in a daze to find himself the centre of attention.
dazzle | dazzle: v. 1 impress, bewitch, enchant, charm, beguile, intrigue, captivate, fascinate, spellbind, entrance, hypnotize, mesmerize: Every man in the room was dazzled by Mrs d''Arcy''s brilliant wit and good looks. 2 See daze, def. 1. --n. 3 brilliance, splendour, magnificence, sparkle, glitter, Slang razzle-dazzle, razzmatazz: Many actors are lured to New York by the dazzle of Broadway.
dazzling | dazzling: adj. bright, brilliant, resplendent, blinding, bedazzling, radiant, splendid, magnificent, glorious, sparkling, scintillating; stunning, overwhelming, overpowering, stupefying, dizzying; gorgeous; Colloq splendiferous, mind-boggling: In the chest was a dazzling collection of the finest jewels.
