Voice of America Broadcast Dictionary - W
This Special English Dictionary contains about 1,500 words and makes an excellent vocabulary goal for intermediate level learners.
N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Parts of Speech Key
n. (noun) - a name word
v. (verb) - an action word
ad. (adjective/adverb) - a describing word
prep. (preposition) - a word used to show a relation
pro. (pronoun) - a word used in place of a noun
conj. (conjunction) - a joining word
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wages - 
n. money received for work done
wait - v. to delay acting; to postpone
walk - v. to move by putting one foot in front of the other
wall - n. the side of a room or building formed by wood, stone or other material; a structure sometimes used to separate areas of land
want - v. to desire; to wish for; to need
war - n. fighting between nations, or groups in a nation, using weapons
warm - ad. almost hot; having or feeling some heat
warn - v. to tell of possible danger; to advise or inform about something bad that may happen
wash - v. to make clean, usually with water
waste - v. to spend or use without need or care; to make bad use of; n. a spending of money, time or effort with no value gained or returned; something thrown away as having no value; the liquid and solid substances that result from body processes and are passed out of the body
watch - v. to look at; to observe closely; to look and wait for
water - n. the liquid that falls from the sky as rain or is found in lakes, rivers and oceans
wave - v. to move or cause to move one way and the other, as a flag in the wind; to signal by moving the hand one way and the other; n. a large mass of water that forms and moves on the surface of a lake or ocean
way - n. a path on land or sea or in the air; how something is done; method
we - pro. two or more people, including the speaker or writer ("He and I will go together, and we will return together.")
weak - ad. having little power; easily broken, damaged or destroyed; opposite strong
wealth - n. a large amount of possessions, money or other things of value
weapon - n. anything used to cause injury or to kill during an attack, fight or war
wear - v. to have on the body, as clothes
weather - n. the condition of the atmosphere resulting from sun, wind, rain, heat or cold
week - n. a period of time equal to seven days
weigh - v. to measure how heavy someone or something is
welcome - v. to express happiness or pleasure when someone arrives or something develops
well - ad. in a way that is good or pleasing; in good health; n. a hole in the ground where water, gas or oil can be found
west - n. the direction in which the sun goes down
wet - ad. covered with water or other liquid; not dry
what - pro. used to ask about something or to ask for information about something ("What is this?"); ad. which or which kind ("He wants to know what you would like to drink.")
wheat - n. a grain used to make bread; the plant that produces the grain
wheel - n. a round structure that turns around a center
when - ad. at what time; at any time ("When will she come home?"); conj. during or at the time ("I studied hard when I was in school.")
where - ad., conj. at, to or in what place ("Where is his house?" "The house where he lives is in the old part of the city.")
which - pro. used to ask about what one or what ones of a group of things or people ("Which program do you like best?" "Which students will take the test?")
while - n. a space of time ("Please come to my house for a while."); conj. at or during the same time ("It may not be a good idea to eat while you are running.")
white - ad. having the color like that of milk or snow
who - pro. what or which person or persons that ("Who wants to go?"); the person or persons ("They are the ones who want to go.")
whole - ad. the complete amount; all together; not divided; not cut into pieces
why - ad. for what cause or reason ("Why did she do it?"); conj. the reason for which ("I do not know why she did it.")
wide - ad. having a great distance from one side to the other; not limited
wife - n. a woman who is married
wild - ad. living and growing in natural conditions and not organized or supervised by humans; angry; uncontrolled
will - v. a word used with action words to show future action ("They will hold talks tomorrow.")
willing - ad. being ready or having a desire to ("They are willing to talk about the problem.")
win - v. to gain a victory; to defeat another or others in a competition, election or battle
wind - n. a strong movement of air
window - n. an opening in a wall to let in light and air, usually filled with glass
winter - n. the coldest time of year, between autumn and spring
wire - n. a long, thin piece of metal used to hang objects or to carry electricity or electronic communications from one place to another
wise - ad. having much knowledge and understanding; able to use knowledge and understanding to make good or correct decisions
wish - v. to want; to express a desire for
with - prep. along or by the side of; together; using ("He fixed it with a tool."); having ("the house with the red door")
withdraw - v. to take or move out, away or back; to remove
without - prep. with no; not having or using; free from; not doing
woman - n. an adult female human
wonder - v. to ask oneself; to question ("She wonders if it is true."); n. a feeling of surprise
wonderful - ad. causing wonder; especially good
wood - n. the solid material of which trees are made
word - n. one or more connected sounds that form a single part of a language
work - v. to use physical or mental effort to make or do something; n. the effort used to make or to do something; that which needs effort; the job one does to earn money
world - n. the earth; the people who live on the earth
worry - v. to be concerned; to continue thinking that something, possibly bad, can happen
worse - ad. more bad than
worth - n. value measured in money
wound - v. to injure; to hurt; to cause physical damage to a person or animal; n. an injury to the body of a human or animal in which the skin is usually cut or broken
wreck - v. to damage greatly; to destroy; n. anything that has been badly damaged or broken
wreckage - n. what remains of something severely damaged or destroyed
write - v. to use an instrument to make words appear on a surface, such as paper
wrong - ad. not correct; bad; not legal; opposite right
This dictionary was created by the VOA (Voice of English) Special English and Voice of America. It makes an excellent starting vocabulary selection for intermediate level learners. This dictionary is used as the basis on which listening selections vocabulary is chosen and can help you understand VOA broadcasts which can be found at the Voice of America Special English site.
