Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

69

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n

o

f

drastic

divide^2

verb to form a barrier between

things » A fence divides the

field between the sheep and

the cows.

bisect, separate

divide^3

verb to cause people to

disagree » My parents were

divided over which colour to

paint the walls.

come between, set against

one another, split

division^1

noun separation into parts

» The city’s division into two

parts was caused by the railway

line that ran through its centre.

partition, separation

division^2

noun a disagreement

» There were divisions in the

community over where the

carnival should be held.

breach, difference of

opinion, rupture, split

division^3

noun a section of something

» The costume division was

easier to find than the props.

department, section, sector

dizzy

adjective about to lose your

balance » Manuel had a dizzy

spell and almost fell over.

giddy, light-headed

do^1

verb to carry out a task » He

just didn’t want to do any work.

carry out, execute (formal),

perform, undertake

do^2

verb to be sufficient » It is

best to send a birthday card,

but an email will do.

be adequate, be sufficient,

suffice (formal)

do^3

verb to perform at a certain

level » Connie did well at tap.

fare, get on, manage

dodge^1

verb to move out of the way

» The player in white

dodged the tackle.

duck, swerve

dodge^2

verb to avoid doing something

» He dodged the question by

talking about something else.

avoid, elude, evade,

get out of, shirk, sidestep

dog

noun an animal often kept as

a pet » The dog is a loyal pet.

canine, mongrel,

mutt (slang), pooch (slang)

related words:

adjective canine; female bitch;

young pup, puppy

doomed

adjective certain to fail

» It was a doomed attempt

to retrieve the ball – they would

never be able to reach it up in

the tree.

condemned, hopeless,

ill-fated

double^1

adjective twice the usual size

» Bad traffic meant it took

double the time to get home.

twice, twofold

double^2

adjective consisting of two

parts » A double pram was

needed for the twin babies.

dual, twin, twofold

doubt^1

noun a feeling of uncertainty

» She had doubts about

travelling in rainy weather.

misgiving, qualm,

scepticism, uncertainty

antonym: certainty

doubt^2

verb to feel uncertain about

something » Sam doubted his

ability to play a concerto.

be dubious, be sceptical,

query, question

antonym: believe

doubtful

adjective unlikely or uncertain

» It’s doubtful he’ll do another

tour as he wants a change.

debatable, dubious,

questionable, uncertain

antonym: certain

down^1

adverb towards the ground,

or in a lower place

» He walked down the stairs.

downwards, downstairs

antonym: up

down^2

adjective depressed » He felt

down when his team lost.

dejected, depressed,

dispirited, fed up (informal),

glum, melancholy,

miserable, sad,

despondent, morose,

pessimistic

downfall

noun the failure of a person

or thing » The king’s greed

had been his downfall.

collapse, fall, ruin

drab

adjective dull and lacking

brightness » The army truck

was painted in drab colours.

dingy, dismal, dreary, dull,

gloomy, grey, sombre,

cheerless, lacklustre

antonym: bright

drag

verb to pull something along

the ground

◀◀ SEE LEFT

drain^1

verb to cause a liquid to flow

somewhere » Kevin pulled

out the plug to drain water

from the bath.

draw off, pump

drain^2

verb to flow somewhere

» Some rivers drain into lakes.

discharge, empty, flow,

seep

drain^3

verb to use something up

» The long day of travelling

drained her of energy.

consume, exhaust,

sap, tax, use up

drastic

adjective severe and urgent

» Now is the time for drastic

action if we are going to save

the day.

extreme, harsh,

radical, severe

The player in white dodged

the tackle.

The army truck was painted

in drab colours.

He walked down the stairs.

A fence divides the field between

the sheep and the cows.

057-071_D.indd 69 22/03/17 11:35 am