
hoard | hoard: n. 1 supply, stock, store, stockpile, reserve, fund, reservoir, accumulation, collection, cache: They kept a hoard of food in the shelter in case of attack. Occasionally, farmers turn up a hoard of gold coins buried by the ancient Romans. --v. 2 amass, collect, accumulate, pile (up), assemble, gather, put away, stockpile, store, reserve, set aside, save (up), squirrel away, lay in or away or aside or up, Colloq stash away: Hoarding food was against the law during rationing.
hoax | hoax: n. 1 deception, fraud, swindle, trick, flam or flimflam, imposture, cheat, humbug, Slang con (game), gyp, scam, game, US snow job: They perpetrated a hoax on you, and I am afraid there is no way of getting your money back. --v. 2 deceive, defraud, swindle, trick, fool, dupe, take in, cozen, hoodwink, gull, bluff, Slang con, gyp, bamboozle: She was hoaxed into investing in Sicilian gold-mines.
hobble | hobble: v. 1 limp, falter, dodder, totter, stagger, reel, weave, stumble, shuffle, shamble: I hobbled about on crutches for weeks. 2 shackle, fetter, restrain, restrict, hamper, hinder, impede, trammel: As hobbled horses do not stray, she tried to think of some way to hobble Clarence''s errant ways. --n. 3 limp, shuffle, shamble, claudication, stagger: With the leg-irons on, I could walk only with a jerking hobble.
hobby | hobby: n. pastime, avocation, sideline, recreation, diversion, relaxation: Her hobby is collecting wedding rings.
hobnob | hobnob: v. associate, fraternize, socialize, consort, mingle, rub elbows or shoulders, mix, hang about or around, keep company: He hobnobs with the aristocrats.
hocus-pocus | hocus-pocus: n. 1 trickery, chicanery, deceit, deception, artifice, cheat, duplicity, mischief, hoax, humbug, trick, swindle, pretence, Colloq con (game), jiggery-pokery, flimflam, hanky-panky: He tried some hocus-pocus on the company books but was caught. 2 mumbo-jumbo, abracadabra, incantation, nonsense, rigmarole, gibberish, Colloq gobbledegook: The medicine man muttered some hocus-pocus over the body, which began to rise into the air. 3 sleight of hand, legerdemain, prestidigitation, magic, conjuring, jugglery: From the earliest days religion has had its share of hocus-pocus.
hoggish | hoggish: adj. piggish, greedy, avaricious, insatiable, gluttonous, voracious, edacious, acquisitive, possessive, self-seeking, selfish: Don''t be so hoggish; share the cake with the others.
hoi polloi | hoi polloi: n. riff-raff, rabble, mob, common herd, proletariat, populace, common people, crowd, masses, multitude, rank and file, plebeians, multitude, bourgeoisie, man in the street, Brit admass, man on the Clapham omnibus, US John Q. Public, Colloq great unwashed, proles, plebs, US silent majority: Much of what goes on in government is incomprehensible to hoi polloi.
hoist | hoist: v. 1 lift (up), elevate, raise, heave, uplift, winch: The lifeboat with the survivors aboard is now being hoisted onto the rescue vessel. --n. 2 crane, lift, elevator, davit, winch, tackle: The cable of the hoist broke, and the container dropped onto the pier.
hoity-toity | hoity-toity: adj. haughty, arrogant, overweening, snobbish, disdainful, supercilious, conceited, lofty, superior, self-important, Colloq high and mighty, stuck-up, snooty, uppity or chiefly Brit uppish, Brit toffee-nosed, Slang snotty: Eleanor became very hoity-toity after her husband got his knighthood.
hold | hold: v. 1 grasp, grip, clasp, seize, clutch, keep; carry, Colloq hang on to: She asked me to hold the baby for just a minute while she bought her railway ticket. 2 hug, embrace, clasp, cradle, clench, clutch, enfold: He held me in his arms briefly before the guards led him into the quad. 3 maintain, keep, put: Hold up your hands and kick the gun over here to me. 4 maintain, keep, sustain, absorb, occupy, engage, involve, engross, monopolize: You hold his attention while I try to get round behind him. 5 confine, restrain, detain, contain, coop up: Even a strait-jacket and chains couldn''t hold Houdini. 6 imprison, detain, confine, place into custody, put behind bars, jail: He is being held overnight for questioning. 7 believe, deem, judge, consider, regard, look on or upon, maintain, think, esteem, take, assume: What do you hold to be important in life? Father holds me responsible for every little dent in his car. 8 accommodate, support, carry: That little nail won''t hold this picture. 9 contain, include, comprise: This suitcase holds everything I own in the world. 10 call, convene, assemble, convoke; run, conduct, engage in, participate in, have, carry on, preside over, officiate at: The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, at noon. 11 apply, hold good, be in effect or in force, stand or hold up, hold or prove or be true, be the case, function, operate, be or remain or prove valid or relevant or applicable or operative, Colloq hold water, wash: What may be in order for Manchester may not necessarily hold for another city. 12 have, possess: She holds two engineering degrees. He was holding four aces. 13 remain or keep (fast), stay, stick: Screws are needed here - nails won''t hold. 14 hold back. a restrain, repress, suppress, curb, inhibit, control, check, keep back, hinder: Many reasons hold me back from telling you what I think. b withhold, reserve, deny, keep back, refuse: We ought to hold back payment till the work is completed. 15 hold down. a control, restrain, check; reduce, diminish: We must hold down inflation. b keep, maintain, manage: He has to hold down two jobs to pay all the bills. 16 hold forth. a Often, hold forth on or upon. lecture (on), declaim, harangue, preach (on or about), orate, sermonize (on), discourse (on), speechify (on or about), expatiate or expand on or upon, Colloq go on (about), Brit rabbit or natter or witter on (about): As usual, Pinckley endlessly held forth on his pet subject, fishing. b hold out, offer, proffer, tender, submit, advance, propose, propound, hold out, extend: The company has held forth a profit-sharing plan that we cannot refuse. 17 hold in. a control, curb, check, hold back, restrain, contain: I could hold myself in no longer and a scream escaped my lips. b conceal, hide, suppress: How can I hold in my feelings for you? 18 hold off. a delay, defer, put off, refrain from, postpone, avoid: We held off buying till we had the money saved up. b repel, keep off, repulse, fend off, rebuff, resist, withstand: We held off the attackers till help came. 19 hold on. a grip, grasp, hold, clutch, cling: Hold on to the rope and I''ll pull you up. b keep, maintain, cling, hang on, retain: Don''t try to hold on to yesterday''s dreams. c stop, wait, hold off, Colloq hang on: Hold on a minute! I''m not finished. 20 hold out. a last, carry on, persist, persevere, continue, hang on, stand firm or chiefly US pat, endure: I hope that the good weather holds out for our trip. Can we hold out till reinforcements arrive? b offer, proffer, extend, hold forth, present: I grasped the hand he held out. 21 hold over. a postpone, delay, defer, put off, hold off, suspend: The decision is to be held over till next year. b continue, retain, extend, prolong: The singer was popular enough to be held over a month. 22 hold up. a rob, waylay, Colloq mug, stick up; knock off or US over: Two men held up the bank courier last night. b delay, impede, hinder, slow (down or up), set back, detain: I was held up by the infernal traffic again. c last, survive, fare, bear up, endure: I am not sure that my car will hold up through another winter. d present, show, exhibit, display: Gibbons has been held up to ridicule since the scandal. 23 hold with. support, sustain, agree to or with, favour, countenance, approve (of), subscribe to, condone, concur with: Being married to her doesn''t mean you have to hold with all her ideas. --n. 24 grasp, grip, clasp, clutch: Take hold of the rope! 25 foothold, toe-hold, purchase: She lost her hold and fell. He has a good hold on the subject. 26 power, dominance, mastery, control, ascendancy, authority, influence, leverage, sway, Colloq pull, clout: She has a hold over him that makes him do her bidding.
hold-up | hold-up: n. 1 (armed) robbery, Colloq stick-up, mugging, US heist: The robbers escaped with my gold watch in the hold-up. 2 delay, set-back, hitch, snag, interruption, lacuna, gap, hiatus, break, stoppage: The cause of the hold-up was an overturned van.
hole | hole: n. 1 cavity, pit, hollow, excavation, burrow, crater, cavern, cave, recess, niche, nook, pocket, depression, indentation, dent, impression: The snake disappeared into a hole in the rock. 2 opening, aperture, orifice, perforation, puncture, slit, slot, breach, rip, tear, rent, break, crack, fissure: The water poured through a hole in the pipe. 3 hole in the wall, shack, hut, shanty, slum, hovel; Slang dump, dive, joint: How can anyone live in such a hole? She finally got a job dancing in some hole downtown. 4 cell, prison, dungeon, donjon, keep, jail, oubliette, brig, cage: When he refused to talk, they put him in the hole for a week. 5 difficulty, trouble, dilemma, predicament, situation, fix, corner, Colloq (tight) spot, hot water, scrape, box, bind, pickle, catch-22, mess, muddle: She really got herself into a hole with the tax man. 6 flaw, shortcoming, inconsistency, fault, error, mistake, fallacy, discrepancy, loophole: He never offers anything original but is always ready to pick holes in any suggestion you make. --v. 7 puncture, pierce, perforate: A floating log holed the hull and the boat went down with all aboard.
holiday | holiday: n. 1 time off, break, recess, respite, leave (of absence), furlough, sabbatical, Chiefly US vacation: We spent our holiday in Ibiza this year. 2 festival, feast, celebration, f�te or fete; gala, fair, red-letter day, event: Where are you going over the Christmas holiday?
hollow | hollow: adj. 1 vacant, empty, void, unfilled: A hollow space in the wall concealed a secret passage. 2 sunken, concave, indented, dented, sunken, recessed, depressed: Dust gathers in the hollow places of the floor. 3 hungry, ravenous, starved, empty, famished: I''m feeling hollow and should prefer to eat now, not later. 4 insincere, false, hypocritical, sham, artificial, counterfeit, feigned, fraudulent, spurious, deceitful, mendacious, deceptive, cynical: Politicians campaigning for office often make hollow promises they do not intend to keep. 5 empty, futile, costly, Pyrrhic, worthless, vain, unavailing, bootless, fruitless, profitless, unprofitable, valueless, ineffective, pointless, senseless, meaningless: Winning the lawsuit was a hollow victory, for the man was bankrupt. 6 muffled, dull, flat, low, sepulchral, toneless: His voice sounded hollow, as if he were speaking into a metal bowl. --n. 7 hole, cavity, cavern, crater, basin, depression, excavation, pit, trough, furrow, indentation, dent, impression; valley, dale, dell, glen, dip: We dug ourselves in a hollow in the ground hoping not to be seen. The dog herded the sheep into the hollow near the stream. --v. 8 excavate, dig (out or up), gouge, scoop, furrow, dredge: Huskies hollow out places for themselves to sleep in the snow.
holocaust | holocaust: n. 1 conflagration, fire-storm, inferno, fire; destruction, devastation: When the volcano exploded, few escaped the holocaust. 2 genocide, mass murder, massacre, blood bath, pogrom, butchery, carnage, annihilation, extinction, extermination, eradication, elimination: Survivors of the Nazi holocaust hold periodic memorial services.
holy | holy: adj. 1 sacred, religious, consecrated, sanctified, blessed, hallowed, venerated, divine, heavenly, supernal, celestial: The holy relics are kept in a silver casket. 2 godly, godlike, saintly, saintlike, pious, devout, reverent, reverential, faithful, God-fearing, chaste, pure, unsullied, clean, sinless, spotless, immaculate, undefiled, uncorrupted, untainted: The holy men, in their saffron robes, sat in a circle, contemplating the master of the universe.
homage | homage: n. obeisance, respect, deference, honour, esteem, admiration; loyalty, allegiance, fidelity, tribute: Today we pay homage to those who fought and died so that we might be free.
home | home: n. 1 dwelling-place, residence, domicile, abode, dwelling, house, (living) quarters, habitation, lodging(s), Brit accommodation or US accommodations, Colloq place, Chiefly Brit digs, diggings: He has been a guest in my home on many occasions. 2 (home) base, residency, territory, haunt, home ground, bailiwick, Colloq stamping-ground: As you travel so much, what do you call home these days? 3 hospice, retreat, nursing home, old folks'' or people''s home, retirement community, almshouse, poorhouse, refuge, haven, institution, shelter, rest-home, US snug harbor: His parents, who are very old and indigent, have been sent to a home. 4 at home. a comfortable, at ease, relaxed, cosy, composed, tranquil, placid, peaceful, serene, untroubled: The Harrises certainly do make one feel at home. b in, accessible, available, welcoming: You know that we are always at home to you, Frances. 5 at home with or in. comfortable with, conversant with, knowledgeable in or about, familiar with, well-versed in, competent in, expert in, proficient in, skilled in, up on, current in, adept in, adroit in, qualified in, (well-)informed in or on or about: Widely read, she is at home in almost any subject you can name. --adj. 6 domestic, native, national, internal: Buying more foreign than home goods upsets the balance of trade. 7 domestic, household: She now sells home appliances for a big manufacturer. 8 family, domestic: What kind of home life has he had? --adv. 9 homeward(s): When will you come home? 10 to the heart or core, to the quick; effectively, tellingly, profoundly, deeply, stingingly, cuttingly, harshly, severely, Colloq where it hurts, where one lives: That remark really hit home. 11 bring or drive home. stress, emphasize, impress upon, make clear: I am trying to bring home to you the hardships people suffered during the war.
homeless | homeless: adj. 1 dispossessed, outcast, exiled, vagabond, derelict, unsettled; unhoused: Their houses destroyed in the war, homeless people wandered everywhere. --n. 2 the homeless. knights of the road, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, US bums, hoboes: There are not enough shelters for the homeless.
homely | homely: adj. 1 homey, homelike, unpretentious, modest, unassuming, simple, unaffected, informal, plain, natural, everyday, unsophisticated, homespun, commonplace, ordinary, familiar, friendly, amiable, neighbourly, affable, congenial, Colloq chiefly US folksy: Her success as a doctor is traceable in part to her homely approach. 2 homey, homelike, warm, cosy, snug, domestic, comfortable, easy, serene, peaceful, restful, tranquil: I like staying here for the homely atmosphere. 3 ugly, plain, uncomely, unattractive, unlovely, ill-favoured: Peggy-Jo''s rather homely face is redeemed by her good-humoured nature.
homesick | homesick: adj. nostalgic, longing, pining, lonely, lonesome; wistful, reminiscent: I was homesick for the smell and taste of a good haggis.
homespun | homespun: adj. rustic, plain, simple, unrefined, unpolished, unsophisticated, down-to-earth, coarse, rough, rude, crude, inelegant, amateur, amateurish, non-professional, unprofessional; handmade: The furniture is not of museum quality, but it has a homespun quality.
homicidal | homicidal: adj. murderous, lethal, deadly, death-dealing, mortal, blood-thirsty, sanguinary, ferocious, maniacal, berserk, amok or amuck, mad, insane: The doctors say he is homicidal and should be institutionalized.
homogeneous | homogeneous: adj. uniform, consistent, unvarying, identical, constant; similar, comparable, alike, akin: The rock is ground up to make homogeneous powder.
homosexual | homosexual: n. 1 gay, homophile; lesbian, tribade, sapphist; All the following are offensive and derogatory pervert, invert, Slang queer, fairy, pansy, nancy, nance, queen, drag queen, homo; butch, (bull) dyke; Brit poof, poofter, ginger (beer), US fruit, auntie, fag, faggot: We suspected that he was a closet homosexual. --adj. 2 (of either sex) gay, homoerotic, homophile; (of a female) lesbian, tribadic, sapphic; (of a male) effeminate; All the following are offensive and derogatory perverted, inverted, Colloq chiefly Brit bent, Slang queer, camp, campy, faggy, kinky, Chiefly US fruity, limp-wristed, faggy, swish, swishy: We never knew of her homosexual tendencies.
honest | honest: adj. 1 trustworthy, truthful, veracious, trusty, honourable, creditable, decent, law-abiding, uncorrupted, uncorrupt, incorruptible, ethical, moral, virtuous, principled, upright, high-minded, dependable, reliable, reputable, on the up and up: How often does one meet an honest person in politics? 2 above-board, straight, square, square-dealing, fair, just, on the up and up, straightforward, proper, genuine, bona fide, real, authentic, Colloq on the level, US square-shooting: I write because I cannot earn an honest living. Would Felix give me an honest deal on a used car? 3 candid, frank, open, plain, straightforward, forthright, direct, sincere, ingenuous, explicit, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, unconstrained, above-board, plain-spoken, unambiguous, unequivocal, Colloq upfront: To be completely honest, I cannot stand the sight of you. 4 fair, just, equitable, legitimate, valid, rightful, sound, proper: He gets an honest day''s pay for an honest day''s work.
honestly | honestly: adv. 1 truthfully, honourably, creditably, decently, ethically, morally, uprightly, dependably, reliably, in good faith, justly, fairly, equitably, even-handedly, disinterestedly, objectively, impartially: In general, the police deal honestly with suspects. 2 candidly, frankly, openly, straightforwardly, forthrightly, sincerely, truly, ingenuously, unreservedly, above-board, unambiguously, unequivocally, plainly, simply, straight (out), to one''s face, in plain words or English, bluntly: I tell you honestly that I have never heard of the man.
honesty | honesty: n. 1 trustworthiness, uprightness, rectitude, probity, integrity, virtue, virtuousness, honour: As he will deal with large amounts of money, his honesty cannot be in question. 2 truthfulness, veracity, candour, openness, frankness, forthrightness, directness, straightforwardness, outspokenness, sincerity, guilelessness, ingenuousness, bluntness: You might not like what he says, but you have to admire his honesty. 3 fairness, equity, equitableness, even-handedness, objectivity, impartiality, disinterestedness, justness, justice: We rely on the honesty of judges in meting out punishment to convicted felons.
honorarium | honorarium: n. (token) fee, compensation, recompense, pay, payment, remuneration, emolument: Would you be willing to accept an honorarium in lieu of your usual fee?
honorary | honorary: adj. nominal, titular, in name or title only, ex officio: She has several honorary doctoral degrees, which is not bad for someone who never went to university.
honour | honour: n. 1 integrity, honesty, fairness, justness, probity, uprightness, decency, goodness, righteousness, rectitude, justice, morality, principles, virtuousness, virtue: Doing the right thing is a matter of honour. 2 respect, esteem, reverence, veneration, approbation, deference, admiration, homage, regard, accolade, praise, kudos, fame, glory, celebrity, distinction, prestige, illustriousness: Great honour accompanies the award of a Nobel prize. 3 privilege, distinction, pleasure, joy, delight; credit, blessing: I have the honour to introduce tonight''s speaker. It has been an honour to serve under you, Admiral. 4 virginity, chastity, virtue, purity, innocence: How did she manage to preserve her honour when fighting with the partisans? --v. 5 respect, esteem, revere, venerate, adulate, adore, worship, approve, prize, value, defer to, admire, pay homage to: Albert Schweitzer was much honoured in the latter part of his life. 6 praise, laud, glorify, celebrate, eulogize, salute, hail, acclaim, ennoble, dignify, exalt: We have come together to honour those who have died for their country. 7 keep, maintain, carry out, live up to, discharge, fulfil, observe, meet: She has done her best to honour her obligations. 8 pay, redeem, accept, clear, cash: The bank refused to honour his cheque because of ''insufficient funds''.
honourable | honourable: adj. 1 upright, upstanding, trustworthy, trusty, honest, just, fair, moral, principled, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, incorruptible, high-minded, noble, virtuous: Mark Antony referred to Caesar as an honourable man. 2 right, correct, proper, fitting, appropriate, virtuous, ethical, worthy, respectable, reputable, decent, square: I think you can count on Cedric to do the honourable thing. 3 fair (and square), impartial, equitable, just, honest, unbiased, unprejudiced, non-prejudicial, even-handed, straight, disinterested, guileless, ingenuous, artless, open, sincere, above-board, on the up and up, undeceiving, undeceitful, Colloq upfront, on the level: Eleanor is too honourable to accept payment for work she did not do. 4 distinguished, prestigious, eminent, notable, noteworthy, noted, illustrious, famous, famed, honoured, exalted, respected, celebrated, renowned, acclaimed, well-thought-of: Ian enjoys an honourable reputation as a publisher.
hoodlum | hoodlum: n. gangster, thug, racketeer, mobster, desperado, terrorist, ruffian, tough, rowdy, knave, Colloq hooligan, baddy, crook, US plug-ugly, Slang goon, Brit yob, yobbo, US mug, bad actor, roughneck, hood, gunsel, hit man, torpedo, French apache, Australian larrikin: He has a few hoodlums on the payroll who do the dirty work.
hoodwink | hoodwink: v. fool, trick, deceive, delude, dupe, gull, hoax, defraud, mislead, humbug, outwit, Colloq bamboozle, pull the wool over (someone''s) eyes, pull a fast one on, lead (someone) up or down the garden path, put one over on (someone), throw dust in (someone''s) eyes, take (someone) for a ride, string (someone) along, Slang rook, con, suck in, US sucker in, snow: They are trying to hoodwink the voters into believing that the recession is over.
hook | hook: n. 1 hanger, peg, holder; fastener, catch, clasp, clip, pin: Hang your hat on that hook. I''m using a safety pin because the hook on my dress is gone. 2 snare, trap; fish-hook: What can we use as a hook to catch the fish? 3 by hook or by crook. somehow (or other), someway, come what may, by fair means or foul, (by) one way or another: I have to get out of this place by hook or by crook. 4 hook, line, and sinker. completely, entirely, all the way, through and through, thoroughly, entirely, totally, utterly, wholly: She actually fell for that old routine hook, line, and sinker. 5 off the hook. (set) free, (in the) clear, out of it; out of trouble, acquitted, exonerated, cleared, let off, vindicated, off: After paying them the extortion money, he still wasn''t off the hook. --v. 6 catch, trap, entrap, snare, ensnare; grab, capture, collar, nab, seize; Chiefly US and Canadian snag, Colloq pinch: The petty crooks have been caught but we now want to hook the big fish himself. 7 steal, pilfer, filch, palm, shoplift, rob, Slang snitch, rip off, Euphemistic liberate, remove, borrow, appropriate, Brit nick, Chiefly Brit pinch: They used to hook sweets from Woolies''.
hop | hop: v. 1 jump, leap, bound, spring, vault; skip, caper, gambol, dance: Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hopping down the bunny trail. 2 take a (short) trip or voyage, travel, come, go, proceed; fly: Those yuppies think nothing of hopping over to Paris just for dinner. --n. 3 jump, leap, bound, spring, vault; skip, caper, dance: In a few hops the bird was off the branch and onto my finger. 4 (short) trip or flight or journey or voyage: The Bahamas are just a hop from Miami.
hope | hope: n. 1 desire, wish, expectation, yearning, hankering, craving, longing, fancy; ambition, (day)dream: It was always my hope that you would go to university. 2 prospect, promise, expectation, expectancy, confidence, anticipation, assumption, security, faith, conviction, belief, trust: We had given up hope of being rescued. --v. 3 aspire, count or rely on or upon, anticipate, contemplate, foresee, look forward to, expect, await, wait: After all these years, he is still hoping to meet the girl of his dreams. 4 trust; wish, want, desire; Dialect expect: I hope my ship will come in soon. I hope to see the last of her tomorrow.
hopeful | hopeful: adj. 1 expectant, anticipating, optimistic, sanguine, confident, assured: We are hopeful of victory in the forthcoming election. 2 promising, bright, rosy, reassuring, heartening, encouraging, auspicious, propitious, inspiriting: Today was a disaster, but tomorrow looks more hopeful.
hopefully | hopefully: adv. 1 expectantly, optimistically, sanguinely, confidently: Jocelyn set off hopefully for the party. 2 with (any) luck, if things go well, all being well, it is hoped, expectedly: Hopefully, we shall arrive in time to catch the train.
hopeless | hopeless: adj. 1 desperate, beyond hope or saving, irreparable, beyond repair, irremediable, lost, gone, irretrievable; incurable, terminal, deadly, fatal, lethal: As their ship drifted into the intergalactic void, they saw that their situation was hopeless. They told me that her condition was hopeless. 2 bad, poor, incompetent, inferior, inadequate, inept, unqualified, unfit, unskilful, deficient: You might make a good surgeon, but as a judge of human nature you''re hopeless. 3 despairing, despondent, forlorn, woebegone, disconsolate, inconsolable, depressed, dejected, melancholy, downcast, gloomy, miserable, discouraged, wretched, lugubrious, funereal, sorrowful, sad, unhappy: Utterly hopeless after his script was rejected by Hollywood, he moped in his room. 4 futile, vain, bootless, unavailing, impossible, impracticable, unworkable, pointless, worthless, useless: It would be hopeless to try to send out a lifeboat in this storm.
horizon | horizon: n. view, purview, range, scope, vista, compass, perspective, prospect, ken, field of vision, limit(s): This is something that lies beyond the horizon of present-day knowledge.
horizontal | horizontal: adj. level, flat, plane; prone, supine: Make sure that the plank is horizontal before fastening it down. They say that dancing is merely a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.
horrible | horrible: adj. 1 awful, horrendous, horrid, horrifying, horrific, terrible, terrifying, dreadful, abominable, abhorrent, appalling, frightening, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, ghoulish, gruesome, loathsome, hideous, repulsive, revolting, disgusting, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, harrowing, blood-curdling, macabre, unspeakable, shocking: The horrible sight of her father''s mangled body haunted her for the rest of her days. 2 awful, nasty, unpleasant, disagreeable, horrid, terrible, dreadful, obnoxious, offensive, atrocious, monstrous, contemptible, detestable, despicable, Colloq Brit beastly: The food was perfectly horrible at our hotel. Take that horrible little dog away.
horrify | horrify: v. 1 terrify, frighten, scare, alarm, intimidate, panic, scare or frighten to death, petrify, Colloq scare or frighten the living daylights out of, scare stiff, make (someone''s) hair stand on end, make (someone''s or the) blood run cold, curl (someone''s) hair, scare the pants off: I was horrified to see the attack dogs racing towards me. 2 shock, startle, upset, put off, outrage, dismay, appal, distress, discountenance, disconcert: I was horrified to hear that you weren''t coming to my party.
horror | horror: n. 1 fear and loathing, repugnance, terror, dread, hatred, revulsion, detestation, abhorrence, distaste, dislike; aversion, antipathy, hostility, animosity, animus, rancour; odium, execration: She has a horror of bats. 2 fear, dismay, distress, dread, fright, alarm, upset, perturbation, panic, terror, fear and trembling, trepidation, anxiety, angst, apprehension, uneasiness, queasiness, nervousness, awe: The doctor helped me overcome my horror of flying.
hors-d euvre | hors-d euvre: n. appetizer, ap�ritif, antipasto, smorgasbord or sm�rg�sbord, relish; Chiefly Brit starter; Archaic warner: A Sauvignon was served with the hors-d''oeuvre, which was gravadlax.
hospitable | hospitable: adj. 1 welcoming, gracious, courteous, genial, friendly, agreeable, amicable, cordial, warm, congenial, sociable, generous: It was most hospitable of you to invite me. 2 open-minded, receptive, amenable, approachable, tolerant: The director is always hospitable to suggestions for improving sales.
hospital | hospital: n. medical centre, health centre, infirmary, clinic, polyclinic, dispensary, sickbay; asylum, sanatorium, nursing home, convalescent home or facility, US sanitarium: With that wound, you ought to be in a hospital.
hospitality | hospitality: n. graciousness, courtesy, courteousness, friendliness, amicability, cordiality, warmth, congeniality, sociability, generosity: I am grateful for the hospitality you showed my sister during her visit.
host� | host�: n. 1 hostess, innkeeper, hotelier, hotel-keeper, hotelman, landlord or landlady, manager or manageress, proprietor or proprietress, Brit publican: As host, it is my responsibility to greet the guests. 2 entertainer, master or mistress of ceremonies, emcee, MC, announcer, Brit presenter, comp�re, US tummler: For twenty years he has been the host of popular TV quiz shows. --v. 3 entertain, act or play the host or hostess, have: She hosts a dinner-party for close friends every Wednesday.
host� | host�: n. army, swarm, crowd, horde, multitude, throng, mob, pack, herd, troop, legion, body, assembly, assemblage, drove: The rock group turned up with a host of followers, their so-called groupies.
hostage | hostage: n. pledge, security, surety, pawn, captive, prisoner, gage: The terrorists threatened that if their demands were not met they would kill the hostages.
hostile | hostile: adj. 1 opposed, antagonistic, contrary, against, anti, adverse; averse, loath: The government is hostile to curbs on business. 2 unfriendly, inimical, unsympathetic, cold, inhospitable; unfavourable: Why do many social workers seem hostile to the people they are supposed to help? The polar regions are very hostile environments to man. 3 warring, belligerent, bellicose, warlike, combative, militant, aggressive: The UN units function as a buffer between the hostile forces.
hostility | hostility: n. 1 antagonism, opposition, enmity, animosity, antipathy, animus, ill will, malevolence, malice, aversion, unfriendliness: Do you still harbour the feelings of hostility towards them that you had during the war? The petty quarrels broke out into open hostility. 2 hostilities. war, warfare, fighting, combat, action, state of war, bloodshed: Hostilities ceased when the factions agreed to parley.
hot | hot: adj. 1 fiery, white-hot, red-hot, piping hot, burning, blistering, scorching, roasting, frying, sizzling, searing, boiling, scalding, steaming, simmering, torrid, sweltering, sultry, heated: The hot, molten steel is cast into ingots here. During the day it is hot, but it cools down at night. 2 spicy, peppery, sharp, piquant, pungent, biting, acrid: She likes very hot food, with plenty of chilli. 3 intense, fervent, zealous, ardent, enthusiastic, passionate, fervid, vehement, excited, animated; impetuous, fiery, fierce, inflamed, sharp, violent: He had some hot words with the foreman who had dismissed him. 4 eager, keen, avid, anxious, burning; intense, fervent, zealous, ardent, enthusiastic, passionate, fervid, vehement, excited, animated, earnest, Slang US gung-ho: Desmond set out in hot pursuit of the thief. 5 recent, fresh, new, latest, brand-new: The hottest gossip is that she is marrying for the seventh time. 6 popular, sought-after, commercial, saleable, marketable: The publisher believes Zenobia''s Memoirs to be the hot property of the year. 7 lustful, lecherous, libidinous, lubricous or lubricious, sensual, concupiscent, prurient, licentious, oversexed, sex-crazed, sex-mad, Archaic lickerish, horn-mad, Slang horny, Chiefly Brit randy, US hard up: They were really hot, not having been with anyone of the opposite sex for months. 8 intense, vivid, striking, bright, brilliant, dazzling, loud: That hot pink lipstick looks good with your suntan. 9 electrified, live, charged, powered: The hot wire connects to the other terminal - I think. 10 dangerous, precarious, risky, sensitive, delicate, unstable, touchy, unpredictable: The situation is getting a bit too hot to handle. --v. 11 hot up. intensify, build up, heighten, increase, worsen, warm up, heat up: The environment is hotting up as a political issue.
hot air | hot air: n. blather or blether, bunkum, verbiage, talk, wind, pretentiousness, pomposity, bombast, grandiloquence, magniloquence, flatulence, gasconade, rodomontade, Colloq claptrap, bosh, gas, guff: Management''s promises of pay increases were nothing but hot air.
hotbed | hotbed: n. breeding ground, fertile source: Slums are a hotbed of crime.
hotchpotch | hotchpotch: n. miscellany, mixture, gallimaufry, jumble, farrago, m�lange, mishmash, mess, tangle, medley, hash, conglomeration, agglomeration, olio, olla podrida, pot-pourri, rag-bag, welter, US and Canadian hodgepodge, Colloq omnium gatherum, mixed bag: That hotchpotch of junk is scarcely what I should call an ''antiques collection''.
hotel | hotel: n. hostelry, inn, lodging, caravanserai; motel, motor hotel, bed and breakfast or B & B, guest-house, pension, Australian and New Zealand pub, US tourist house: We are staying at a small hotel just outside of town.
hotheaded | hotheaded: adj. impetuous, headlong, hot-tempered, quick-tempered, volatile, rash, hasty, wild, foolhardy, reckless, precipitate, thoughtless, heedless, madcap, daredevil, devil-may-care: He is too hotheaded to succeed in the diplomatic corps.
hothouse | hothouse: n. 1 hotbed, greenhouse, glasshouse, conservatory: These tomatoes were grown during the winter in our hothouse. --adj. 2 dainty, delicate, sensitive, fragile, frail, pampered, overprotected, sheltered, shielded, spoiled, coddled, babied: She was glad to exchange the hothouse atmosphere of the university for the real world.
hotly | hotly: adv. intensively, energetically, doggedly, persistently, zealously, fervently, fervidly, ardently, warmly, enthusiastically: Hotly pursued by the police, I managed to hide in a culvert.
hound | hound: v. bully, browbeat, persecute, nag, harass, annoy, pester, harry, badger: Although he was found innocent, his neighbours hounded him so much that he had to leave town.
house | house: n. 1 residence, dwelling, dwelling-place, home, abode, household, homestead, domicile, lodging(s), quarters, building, edifice: We are playing bridge at my house next Saturday. 2 family, line, lineage, dynasty, clan, ancestry, strain, race, blood, descendants, forebears: She is a member of the royal house of Sweden. 3 legislature, legislative body, congress, parliament, assembly, council, diet: Both houses of the legislature passed the bill. 4 establishment, firm, concern, company, business, organization, enterprise, undertaking, Colloq outfit: He has gone from one publishing house to another with his manuscript. 5 auditorium, theatre, concert-hall: The house is sold out. 6 house of ill repute or ill fame or prostitution, brothel, whore-house, bagnio, bordello, Archaic bawdy-house, Colloq sporting house, crib, Slang US cat-house: She used to run a house in Lambeth. 7 on the house. free, gratis, for nothing, as a gift: Drinks will be on the house tonight to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our opening. --v. 8 shelter, accommodate, domicile, lodge, quarter, put up, take in, board, billet, harbour: We have housed as many as ten people at a time in the cottage. 9 contain, accommodate, quarter: This building houses our computer operations.
housing | housing: n. 1 homes, houses, lodging(s), quarters, accommodation, habitation, dwelling; shelter, protection: The Council is trying to provide housing for the elderly. 2 case, casing, cover, covering, enclosure, container, box, shield: We keep the sensitive equipment in a dust-proof housing.
hovel | hovel: n. hole, shack, shanty, (pig)sty, pigpen, coop, crib, hut, Colloq US dump: The beggar lives in a hovel near the railway station.
hover | hover: v. 1 drift, poise, float, hang, be or hang suspended, hang in the air: The humming bird hovers over a flower, drinking its nectar. 2 linger, loiter, wait, hang about or around: The waiter''s constant hovering about is making me nervous.
however | however: adv. 1 notwithstanding, regardless, nevertheless, nonetheless, despite (that), in spite of (that), still, but, though, yet, even so, be that as it may, come what may, no matter what; at any rate, anyway, anyhow, on the other hand, in all events, in any event, in any case, after all: He insisted the council should give their approval; however, that is not their responsibility. I was ready to move to Cardiff; she didn''t offer me the job, however. 2 to whatever manner or extent or degree, howsoever, no matter how, in any way or manner or respect, anyhow, how, in whatever way or manner: However you view it, he is still the boss. Spend the money however you see fit. --conj. 3 how, how on earth, how in the world, in what way or manner: However do you manage with only three to help, you poor thing? 4 no matter how, regardless how, putting or setting aside how, notwithstanding how: However much she earns, she is always short of money.
howl | howl: v. 1 yowl, cry, wail, ululate, bay; shout, yell, bellow, scream, roar, Colloq holler: The wolves were howling at the moon last night. He howled with pain when he caught his finger in the door. --n. 2 yowl, yowling, ululation, ululating, wail, wailing, yelp, yelping, cry; shout, yell, bellow, scream, roar, Colloq holler: The wolf''s howl is an eerie, chilling sound. I kicked him and he let out a howl.
howler | howler: n. blunder, mistake, error, gaffe; malapropism, Irish bull; Brit bloomer, US clinker, Colloq Brit clanger, US boner: One paper contained the howler, ''Money is the route of all evil'', which the author explained should be corrected to, ''The love of money is the root of all evil''.
