wait for someone or something to anticipate the arrival of someone or something. wait on someone to serve someone as a waiter or waitress or as a clerk behind a counter. wait on someone hand and foot to serve someone very well, attending to all personal needs. wait up (for someone or some- thing ) 1. to slow down and pause for someone or something to catch up. 2. to delay going to bed for someone or something or until someone or something does some- thing. wait (up)on someone to pay hom- age to someone, as with a king or queen or other ruler. wait-and-see attitude a skeptical attitude; an uncertain attitude where someone will wait to see what happens before reacting. waiter ["we t#] n. a man who serves customers at a restaurant. waiting in the wings ready or prepared to do something, espe- cially to take over someone else’s job or position. waitress ["we trIs] n. a woman who serves customers at a restau- rant. waive ["wev] 1. tv. to give up some- thing, especially a right or a privi- lege. (Compare this to wave.) 2. tv. to allow someone not to have to do something that is usually required; to excuse someone from fulfilling a requirement. wake ["wek] 1. n. a gathering, shortly before a funeral, of the friends and relatives of someone who has recently died. 2. n. the path on the surface of a body of water caused by a boat or ship traveling through the water. 3. Go to wake (up). wake someone or some creature (up) to cause someone or some creature to stop sleeping. wake the dead to be so loud as to wake those who are “sleeping” the most soundly—the dead. wake (up) 1. to stop sleeping. iv. (Past tense: waked or woke; past participle: waked or woken.) 2. iv. to become alert; to pay attention. (Usually a command.) waken ["wek @n] 1. iv. to wake from sleep; to stop sleeping. 2. tv. to wake someone or something from sleep. walk ["wOk] 1. iv. to move on foot at a normal speed and in a way that only one foot at a time is on the ground. 2. tv. to move in, on, or through a space as in Q. 3. tv. to exercise an animal, usually a dog, by taking it for T. 4. tv. to go with someone to a certain place. 5. n. an act of walking as in Q, especially as exercise or for pleas- ure; a journey on foot. 6. n. a path; a place where one can walk Q. → all walks of life → cock of the walk → within walking distance walk a tightrope to be in a situa- tion where one must be very cau- tious. walk away with something and walk off with something 1. to wait for someone or something 686 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 686 TLFeBOOK steal something. 2. to win some- thing easily. walk in on someone or something to interrupt someone or some- thing by entering a place. walk off to walk away; to leave on foot abruptly. walk off with something Go to walk away with something . walk on air to be very happy; to feel very good about something. walk on eggs to be very cautious. walk out (of something ) 1. to exit something or someplace. 2. to exit one’s workplace on strike. walk out (on someone or some- thing ) to leave or abandon some- one or something in anger, disgust, or aversion. walk the floor to pace nervously while waiting. wall ["wOl] 1. n. the side of a room from the floor to the ceiling; the side of a building from the ground to the roof. 2. n. a large, flat side of anything; anything that looks like Q. 3. n. a thin tissue that encloses a part of the body of a human, plant, or animal. → bang one’s head against a brick wall → beat one’s head against the wall → drive someone to the wall → force someone to the wall → go to the wall → have one’s back to the wall → one’s back is to the wall → press someone to the wall → push someone to the wall → run into a stone wall → see the (hand)writing on the wall wallet ["wal @t] n. a small, flat case that is used for carrying money, identification, credit cards, etc. (Often made of leather.) wallpaper ["wOl pe p#] 1. n. paper, usually with a design on it, that is used to cover and decorate walls. (No plural.) 2. tv. to cover a wall with Q. 3. iv. to apply Q to a wall; to put up Q. Walls have ears. We m ay be over- heard. walnut ["wOl n@t] 1. n. the tree that produces a delicious, edible nut. 2. n. the nut of Q; the nut of Q and its shell. 3. n. wood from Q. (Plural only for types and instances.) 4. adj. made with W or from E. waltz ["wOlts] 1. n. a dance, with three beats to every measure of music, in which couples turn in a circle as they dance around the dance floor. 2. n. music that has three beats to every measure and is written for Q or suitable for Q. 3. iv. to dance Q. wander ["wan d#] iv. to travel in no specific direction; to roam somewhere. wane ["wen] 1. iv. to become less important, less strong, less intense, or smaller. 2. iv. [for the moon] to gradually appear to be smaller after a full moon. (Compare this with wax R.) want ["want] 1. tv. to desire to have someone or something. 2. n. a desire; a need; something that someone would like to have. 3. n. a lack. (No plural.) → know when one is not wanted want 687 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 687 TLFeBOOK → Waste not, want not. want for nothing to lack nothing; to have everything one needs or desires. want in((to) something ) to want to come into something or some- place. want out (of something ) 1. to desire to get out of something or someplace. 2. to desire to be relieved of a responsibility. want someone or something out of something to desire that someone or something leave or be removed from something or someplace. want to do something to desire to do something; to wish to do some- thing. war ["wor] n. fighting or conflict between two or more nations, especially involving a military force of one country attacking another country. (Plural only for types and instances.) ward ["word] 1. n. someone, espe- cially a child, who is under the protection of the state, the govern- ment, a judge, or someone chosen by a court. 2. n. a political division of a city, especially one that is rep- resented by someone in a city council. 3. n. a section of a hospi- tal, usually containing the beds for patients having similar medical conditions. warden ["word n] n. someone who is in charge of a prison or jail. → game warden wardrobe ["wor drob] 1. n. a col- lection of clothes. 2. n. a piece of furniture that looks like a large box with a door, and is used to store clothing. warehouse ["wEr haUs] 1. n., irreg. a place where large amounts of goods are stored before they are sold or used. (Plural: [ haU z@z ].) 2. tv. to store something in Q. warm ["worm] 1. adj. somewhat hot; not too hot but not cold. (Adv: warmly. Comp: warmer; sup: warmest.) 2. adj. capable of retaining heat. (Adv: warmly. Comp: warmer; sup: warmest.) 3. adj. pleasant; friendly; indicat- ing that one is pleasant or friendly. (Adv: warmly. Comp: warmer; sup: warmest.) warm oneself up to help oneself get physically prepared to perform in an athletic event. warm someone or something (up) to cause someone or something to become warm. warm the bench [for a player] to remain out of play during a game—seated on a bench. warm (up) [for the weather or a person] to become warmer or hot- ter. warm up (for something ) to pre- pare for some kind of perfor- mance or competition. warm up to someone or something to become more fervent and earnest toward someone, some- thing, or a group; to become more responsive and receptive to some- one, a group, or something. warmth ["wormT] 1. n. a small amount of heat. (No plural.) 2. n. want for nothing 688 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 688 TLFeBOOK kindness; pleasantness; friendli- ness. (No plural.) warn ["worn] 1. tv. to alert some- one to danger; to inform someone about something dangerous or risky. 2. tv. to tell someone not to do something, implying that pun- ishment will follow repeated viola- tions. warn someone against someone or something to advise someone against someone, something, or doing something. warn someone away from some- one or something to advise some- one to avoid someone or something. warn someone off to advise a per- son to stay away. warning ["wor nIN] n. something that warns; a statement, sign, or threat of danger. warranty ["war @n ti] n. an official guarantee; a written promise from a manufacturer that something will function in the way that it is supposed to. warrior ["wor j#] n. someone who is trained to fight; a soldier; a fighter. warship ["w# SIp] n. a ship equipped with weapons for mak- ing war. wart ["wort] n. a hard, ugly bump that swells from the skin, espe- cially on the face, neck, and hands. warts and all including all faults and disadvantages. wary ["wEr i] adj. aware; on guard against harm or danger; careful. (Adv: warily. Comp: warier; sup: wariest.) was ["w^z, "waz, w@z] iv. a past tense of be used with the first and third persons singular. wash ["waS] 1. tv. to clean someone or something with water or some other liquid. 2. tv. to remove dirt through the use of water or some other liquid. 3. tv. [for water] to carry or move something. 4. iv. to clean [oneself or some part of oneself] with water or some other liquid. 5. iv. to be carried or moved by water. 6. n. laundry; clothes that need to be, are being, or have been cleaned as in Q; clothes that are cleaned as in Q together at one time. (No plural.) 7. n. an act or instance of cleaning or being cleaned as in Q, W, or R. → come out in the wash wash away to be carried away by water or some other liquid. wash off ((of) someone or some- thing ) to be carried off of or away from someone or something by the action of water or another liquid. wash one’s dirty linen in public to discuss one’s personal problems in public. wash one’s hands of someone or something to end one’s association with someone or something. wash someone or something away [for a flood of water] to carry someone or something away. wash someone or something off to clean someone or something by washing. wash someone or something off 689 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 689 TLFeBOOK wash something away to clean something by scrubbing and flush- ing away the dirt. wash something off ((of) someone or something ) to clean something off someone or something. washcloth ["waS klOT] n., irreg. a small cloth used for washing one’s body, especially the face. (Plural: [ "waS klODz].) washer ["waS #] 1. n. a washing machine; a machine that washes clothing. 2. n. a small, flat circle of metal or rubber, with a hole in the center, that is put under the head of a bolt or screw or between a nut and a bolt to make a tighter seal. washroom ["waS rum] n. a bath- room; a restroom; a room with a toilet. wasn’t ["w^z @nt] cont. was not. wasp ["wasp] n. a large stinging insect that is similar to a bee but is able to sting again and again. waste ["west] 1. tv. to use some- thing foolishly or wrongly; to use too much of something. 2. n. gar- bage; trash; something that is not used and is thrown away. (No plu- ral.) 3. n. a poor or foolish use of something; the failure to use all of the parts of something that are able to be used. (No plural.) 4. n. material that is sent out from the body; urine and feces. (Sometimes plural with the same meaning, but not countable.) → lay something to waste → lay waste to something Waste not, want not. a saying meaning that if one never wastes anything, one will never be short of anything. waste one’s breath to waste one’s time talking; to talk in vain. wastebasket ["west bAs kIt] n. a container that is used to hold trash. wastepaper ["west pe p#] n. paper that is not needed and is thrown away or reused. (No plural.) wastepaper basket ["west pe p# "bAs k@t ] n. a container for receiv- ing wastepaper. watch ["watS] 1. tv. to observe something as it happens; to pay someone or something attention; to look at someone or something to see what happens. 2. tv. to guard someone or something; to protect someone or something. 3. iv. to pay attention to someone or something; to look at someone or something carefully and atten- tively. 4. n. a device, typically worn on one’s wrist, that displays the time. → bear watching watch one’s step to act with care and caution so as not to make a mistake or offend someone. watch out (for someone or some- thing ) to keep looking for some- one or something. watch over someone or something to monitor or guard someone or something. watch someone like a hawk to watch someone very carefully. water ["wOt #] 1. n. the liquid that forms oceans, lakes, and rivers; the liquid that falls from the sky as rain and is drunk by humans and wash something away 690 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 690 TLFeBOOK animals. (No plural.) 2. n. the sur- face of a body of Q. (E.g., the water reflected the image of the clouds. No plural.) 3. tv. to provide a plant with Q; to put Q on the soil around a plant. 4. iv. [for one’s eyes] to fill with tears. 5. iv. [for one’s mouth] to fill with moisture, especially when one is about to eat or is thinking about eating food. → as a duck takes to water → dash cold water on something → fish in troubled waters → get one’s head above water → hold water → in deep water → keep one’s head above water → like a fish out of water → like water off a duck’s back → make someone’s mouth water → not hold water → of the first water → pour cold water on something → pour oil on troubled water → salt water → seawater → soda water → throw cold water on something water under the bridge some- thing that is past and forgotten. waterfall ["wOt # fOl] n. a flow of water off the side of a mountain, rock, or dam. waterproof ["wOt # pruf] 1. adj. not allowing water to pass through; able to keep water inside or outside; not leaking water. 2. tv. to cause something to resist water as in Q. waters n. vast amounts of water as found in rivers, oceans, or large lakes. watertight ["wOt # taIt] 1. adj. not allowing water to pass through; able to keep water inside or out- side; not leaking water. 2. adj. per- fect; [of an agreement or argu- ment] having no mistakes or defects. (Figurative on Q.) wave ["wev] 1. n. a moving ridge of water made by wind, the tide, or the movement of something through water. 2. n. a ridge in the surface of something. 3. n. a movement of the hand as in Y. 4. n. an increase in crime, heat, or cold. 5. tv. to move something, especially one’s hand, when greet- ing someone, trying to get some- one’s attention, or calling attention to oneself. 6. iv. to greet someone, to get someone’s attention, or to call attention to oneself by moving one’s hand. 7. iv. to move up and down or back and forth in the air. wax ["wAks] 1. n. an oily or fatty substance that melts easily when it is warmed but hardens when it is cool, used to make candles, floor polish, and other substances. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. an oily substance that is produced in the ears. (No plural.) 3. tv. to coat or polish a floor with Q. 4. tv. [for the moon] to gradually appear to be brighter and fuller before a full moon. (Compare this with wane.) way ["we] 1. n. a manner; the man- ner in which something is done; a method. 2. n. a habit; a custom; a regular manner in which some- thing is done. (Usually plural.) 3. n. the route to a certain place. (No plural.) 4. adv. far; far away in time or space. → argue one’s way out (of something ) → buy one’s way out (of something ) → cut both ways way 691 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 691 TLFeBOOK → elbow ( one’s way) through something → fight ( one’s way) back to something → fight one’s way out of something → fight ( one’s way) through something → find one’s or its way somewhere → get something under way → have the right-of-way → look the other way → mend one’s ways → one’s way → rub someone’s fur the wrong way → rub someone the wrong way → shove one’s way somewhere → thread one’s way through something (way) over there in a place some distance away. wayside ["we saId] adj. along the way, road, or highway. → drop by the wayside → fall by the wayside we ["wi] 1. pron. the first-person plural subjective pronoun, refer- ring to the speaker or writer— “I”—together with at least one other person. 2. pron. a special use of Q as a first-person singular subjective pronoun, meaning “I, the speaker or writer.” (Used by writers and sometimes by royalty.) 3. pron. everyone; all humans. weak ["wik] 1. adj. lacking power or strength; not strong or power- ful. (Adv: weakly. Comp: weaker; sup: weakest.) 2. adj. lacking strong morals; lacking a moral character. (Adv: weakly. Comp: weaker; sup: weakest.) 3. adj. hav- ing too much water; diluted. (Adv: weakly. Comp: weaker; sup: weakest.) → (as) weak as a kitten weaken ["wik @n] 1. iv. to become weak. 2. tv. to cause someone or something to become weak. weakness ["wik n@s] 1. n. the con- dition of being weak, especially concerning the health of some- one’s mind or body. (No plural form.) 2. n. a fault; a flaw; some- thing that weakens someone or something. → have a weakness for someone or something wealth ["wElT] n. riches; a large amount of money or property. (No plural.) a wealth of something a large amount of something. wealthy ["wEl Ti] adj. rich; having a large amount of money or prop- erty. (Adv: wealthily. Comp: wealthier; sup: wealthiest.) the wealthy n. people who are wealthy. (No plural. Treated as plural, but not countable.) wean ["win] tv. to cause a child or young animal to begin to eat food other than milk from the mother. weapon ["wEp @n] n. any object or machine used to hurt someone, to kill someone, or to defend oneself during a fight or an attack. wear ["wEr] 1. tv., irreg. to have something on the body, including clothes, glasses, jewelry, perfume, makeup, and similar things. (Past tense: wore; past participle: worn.) 2. tv., irreg. to have something on or related to the body kept or held in a particular way. 3. tv., irreg. to damage something gradually because of continued use. 4. iv., irreg. to damage or worsen gradu- (way) over there 692 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 692 TLFeBOOK ally. 5. n. gradual damage that is caused because of continued use. (No plural.) 6. n. clothing, espe- cially a collection of clothing available for sale at a store. (Used in combinations such as resort wear, business wear, etc. No plural. Treated as singular.) → none the worse for wear wear more than one hat to have more than one set of responsibili- ties; to hold more than one office. wear off [for the effects of some- thing] to gradually vanish or go away. wear out to become worn from use; to become diminished or use- less from use. wear out one’s welcome to stay too long (at an event to which one has been invited); to visit some- where too often. wear someone down 1. to exhaust someone. 2. to reduce someone to submission or agreement by con- stant nagging. wear someone out to exhaust or annoy someone. wear something down to grind something away; to erode some- thing. wear something out to make some- thing worthless or nonfunctional from use. wear (up)on someone to diminish someone’s energy and resistance; to bore or annoy someone. weary ["wIr i] 1. adj. tired; ex- hausted; fatigued. (Adv: wearily. Comp: wearier; sup: weariest.) 2. iv. to become tired, exhausted, or fatigued. weather ["wED #] 1. n. the condi- tion of the outside air, including the temperature, the amount of moisture in the air, and the pres- ence or absence of rain, snow, wind, clouds, and sunshine. (No plural.) 2. tv. to withstand some- thing (especially bad weather Q) without damage. 3. tv. [for kinds of Q] to damage something. 4. iv. to change because of exposure to Q. → fair-weather friend → keep one’s weather eye open → lovely weather for ducks → under the weather weather permitting if the weather allows it. weave ["wiv] 1. tv., irreg. to make something by crossing threads or strips of material from side to side so that they go over and under threads or strips of material that are stretched up and down. (Past tense: wove; past participle: woven.) 2. tv., irreg. to cross threads or strips of material from side to side so that they go over and under threads or strips of material that are stretched up and down. 3. tv., irreg. to make some- thing by combining different things into a whole. (Figurative on Q.) 4. iv., irreg. to move so that one is always changing direction. (Past tense: sometimes weaved.) web ["wEb] 1. n. a net of thin, silky threads made by spiders in order to trap other insects for food. 2. n. a network; a detailed arrangement of things that cross and connect with each other. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. the piece of thin skin between the toes of ducks and web 693 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 693 TLFeBOOK other animals that live in or near the water. → World Wide Web the Web n. the World Wide Web; a branch of the computer Internet. we’d ["wid] 1. cont. we had, where had is an auxiliary. 2. cont. we would. wed ["wEd] 1. tv., irreg. to marry someone; to take someone as a husband or wife. (Past tense and past participle: wedded or wed.) 2. tv., irreg. to cause two people to become married by performing a marriage ceremony. 3. iv., irreg. to become married. wed(ded) to someone married to someone. wedded to something mentally attached to something; firmly committed to something. wedding ["wEd IN] 1. n. the cere- mony where two people become married to each other; a marriage ceremony. 2. n. a merger or for- mation of a close association. (Fig- urative on Q.) → shotgun wedding wedge ["wEdZ] 1. n. a piece of wood, metal, or other material that is thick at one end and nar- rows to an edge at the other end. 2. n. any object shaped like Q. 3. tv. to stick someone or some- thing in a tight space between two people or things, especially so that nothing or no one can move. Wednesday ["wEnz de] Go to day. weed ["wid] 1. n. a rough plant that grows in a place where it is not wanted. 2. tv. to remove Q from an area of ground, such as a lawn or garden. 3. tv. to remove a spe- cific kind of Q. 4. iv. to clean or improve [a garden or lawn] by removing Q. weed someone or something out to remove someone or something unwanted or undesirable from a group or collection. week ["wik] 1. n. a period of seven days. (See a list of days of the week at day.) 2. n. a period of seven days beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday. (According to the calendar.) 3. n. the five or six days during which most workers work, especially Monday through Friday. weekday ["wik de] 1. n. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. 2. adj. happening on Q; of Q. (Prenominal only.) weekend ["wik End] 1. n. the period of time from Friday eve- ning to Sunday night. 2. adj. hap- pening at some time between Friday evening and Sunday night. (Prenominal only.) weeks running Go to days run- ning. weep ["wip] 1. iv., irreg. to cry. (Past tense and past participle: wept.) 2. tv., irreg. to shed tears; to cry and make tears. weigh ["we] 1. tv. to use a scale to determine the weight of someone or something. 2. tv. to think care- fully and compare different options or alternatives when mak- ing a choice or decision. 3. iv. to have a certain weight. 4. iv. to have a particular kind of influence on someone or something. Web 694 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 694 TLFeBOOK weight ["wet] 1. n. the degree of heaviness of someone or some- thing or how heavy someone or something is, as measured accord- ing to a specific system. (No plu- ral.) 2. n. a heavy object, used for exercising. 3. n. a heavy object, especially one that keeps some- thing in place, holds something down, or balances something. 4. n. a mental burden; something that occupies one’s thoughts. (No plural.) 5. n. influence; important factors. → carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders → groan under the weight of something → not carry weight (with someone ) → worth its weight in gold weird ["wIrd] adj. very strange; very odd; very unusual. (Adv: weirdly. Comp: weirder; sup: weirdest.) welcome ["wEl k@m] 1. tv. to greet someone in a friendly way. 2. tv. to be happy to receive or experience something. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. the act of greeting or receiv- ing someone or something with pleasure. 4. adj. accepted with pleasure; wanted. → wear out one’s welcome welfare ["wEl fEr] 1. n. a state of having good health, comfort, and enough money to live satisfacto- rily. (No plural.) 2. n. money pro- vided by the government for poor people to live on; the system of providing money for poor people to live on. (No plural.) we’ll ["wil] cont. we will. well ["wEl] 1. adv., irreg. in a good way. (Comp: better; sup: best.) 2. adv. enough; sufficiently; to a good degree. 3. adv. completely; thoroughly; fully. 4. adj., irreg. healthy; in good health. (Comp: better.) 5. n. a deep hole that is dug in the ground to reach water, gas, or oil. well- adv. well Q, W, or E used in compounds. well liked ["wEl "laIkt] adj. popu- lar; liked by many people. (Hyphenated before a nominal.) well-fed ["wEl "fEd] adj. eating enough good food to be healthy. (Hyphenated only before a nomi- nal.) well-fixed Go to well-heeled. well-heeled and well-fixed; well-off wealthy; having a suffi- cient amount of money. well-known ["wEl "non] adj. usu- ally known by many people; [of people] famous. (Hyphenated only before a nominal.) well-made ["wEl "med] adj. prop- erly constructed; sturdy; made with skill. (Hyphenated only before a nominal.) well-off Go to well-heeled. well-to-do wealthy and of good social position. went ["wEnt] past tense of go. wept ["wEpt] past tense and past participle of weep. we’re ["wIr] cont. we are. were ["w#] 1. iv. past tense of be used with plural forms and you singular. 2. iv. the form of be used with all nouns and pronouns to indicate something that is con- trary to fact. weren’t ["w#nt] cont. were not. weren’t 695 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 695 TLFeBOOK . a nominal.) well-off Go to well-heeled. well-to-do wealthy and of good social position. went ["wEnt] past tense of go. wept ["wEpt] past tense and past participle of weep. we’re ["wIr]. condi- tion of the outside air, including the temperature, the amount of moisture in the air, and the pres- ence or absence of rain, snow, wind, clouds, and sunshine. (No plural.) 2. tv. to withstand. poor or foolish use of something; the failure to use all of the parts of something that are able to be used. (No plural.) 4. n. material that is sent out from the body; urine and feces. (Sometimes plural