Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

130

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

lay^1

verb to put something

somewhere » Lay a sheet

of newspaper on the floor.

place, put, set, set down,

settle, spread

lay^2

verb to arrange or set

something out » A man

came to lay the carpet.

arrange, set out

layer

noun something that covers a

surface or comes between two

other things » A fresh layer

of snow covered the street.

blanket, coat, coating,

covering, film, sheet,

stratum

layout

noun the way in which

something is arranged

» The hotel layout was

so confusing, it was hard

to find our rooms.

arrangement, design,

format, plan

laze

verb to relax and do no work

» Tanya spent a few days

lazing on the beach.

idle, loaf, lounge

antonym: work

lazy

adjective not willing to work or

move » Our lazy dog refused

to come out for a walk.

idle, slack, good-for-

nothing, indolent, shiftless,

slothful, torpid, workshy

antonym: industrious

lead^1

verb to guide or take someone

somewhere » She led him

towards the door.

conduct, escort, guide,

steer, usher

lead^2

verb to be in charge of

» The captain led his

side to a convincing victory.

command, direct, govern,

head, manage, supervise

lead^3

noun a clue that may help

solve a crime » The police

are following up several leads.

clue, indication, trace

leader

noun the person in charge of

something » Sophie was the

expedition leader.

boss (informal), captain,

chief, commander, director,

head, principal, ringleader

antonym: follower

leading

adjective particularly important,

respected, or advanced

» He was a leading authority

on modern art.

chief, eminent, key, main,

major, principal, prominent,

top, foremost, pre-eminent

lead to

verb to cause something

to happen » Regular exercise

leads to a healthier life.

cause, contribute to,

produce, bring on,

conduce to, result in

leaflet

noun a piece of paper with

information about a subject

» The hotel lobby had leaflets

of nearby tourist attractions.

booklet, brochure,

circular, pamphlet,

handbill, mailshot

leak^1

verb to escape from a container

or other object » The bottle of

lemonade had leaked all over

the sandwiches.

escape, ooze, seep, spill

leak^2

noun a hole that lets gas

or liquid escape » The

plumber plugged the leaks

in the pipe.

chink, crack, fissure,

hole, puncture

leap^1

verb to jump a great distance

or height » The deer leapt

into the air.

bounce, bound, jump,

spring, vault

leap^2

noun a jump of great

distance or height

» He made a huge

leap right over the river.

bound, jump, spring

learn^1

verb to gain knowledge

by studying or training

» I am trying

to learn French.

grasp, master, pick up

learn^2

verb to find out about

something » On learning who

she was, I asked to meet her.

ascertain, determine,

discover, find out, gather,

hear, understand

learned

adjective having gained a lot

of knowledge by studying

» My father is a very learned

man in the field of history.

academic, erudite,

intellectual, literate,

scholarly, lettered,

well-read

least

adjective as small or few as

possible » Which cheese

contains the least fat?

fewest, lowest, minimum,

slightest, smallest

antonym: most

leave^1

verb to go away from a

person or place

▶▶ SEE RIGHT

leave^2

noun a period of time off work

» Why don’t you take a few

days’ leave?

holiday, time off, vacation,

furlough, sabbatical

lecture^1

noun a formal talk about

a particular subject

» The professor gave a lecture

on the basics of chemistry.

address, discourse,

presentation, sermon,

speech, talk, exposition,

oration

Tanya spent a few days lazing

on the beach.

The hotel lobby had leaflets

of nearby tourist attractions.

The professor gave a lecture

on the basics of chemistry.

The captain led his side

to a convincing victory.

lay

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