CEFR bands, common mistakes, sentence patterns — every sense in one place.
the connected set of bones that extends from the base of the skull to the lower back, forming a central column that supports the body and encloses the spinal cord
Amihan injured her spine in a car accident last year.
a stiff, pointed growth that sticks out of the skin or surface of some animals and plants, serving as a defence against threats
Felix touched the cactus and a spine got stuck in his finger.
the narrow outer edge where a book's front cover meets its back cover, holding the pages together and typically displaying the title on its surface
Renata read the title on the book spine to find it on the shelf.
to move at high speed through or across something, especially used for liquids such as blood, water, or tears.
something useful, desirable, or profitable that you get, often as a result of effort, hard work, or a good decision.
Connected with a more important matter or activity but not as significant or essential as it is.
the connected set of bones that extends from the base of the skull to the lower back, forming a central column that supports the body and encloses the spinal cord
Explore every public dictionary entry from A to Z and Other.
WORD UP Dictionary is a dictionary for people learning English.
One English word can mean several unrelated things, and a dictionary earns its keep by keeping them apart instead of collapsing them into a single line. Every sense here gets its own explanation, its own level and its own examples, so you can tell which meaning you are actually looking at — and use it without guessing.
Words carry a CEFR level (A1–C2) so you can tell at a glance whether it's worth learning now; IPA and KK pronunciation, because you remember a word better once you can say it; real example sentences, so you see how the word is actually used; synonyms and antonyms to pick up related words in one go; common collocations, so you know what a word usually pairs with; and the mistakes learners make most often. Verbs are marked transitive or intransitive with their sentence patterns; nouns are marked countable or uncountable.
Whether you're preparing for TOEIC or IELTS, or just need to look a word up at work, WORD UP helps you not only understand what a word means but learn how to use it.