Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
permanent
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/ˈpɜː(r)mənənt/- happening or existing for a long time or for all time in the future
She suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the accident.
They’ve offered me a room until I can find something more permanent.
permanent staff (=people who are employed by an organization for as long as they wish to stay):We have a permanent staff of 24, plus 8 seasonal workers in the summer.
a permanent fixture (=someone or something that is part of a system, organization, or your life for a long time):Blomquist has become a permanent fixture in the team.
derived word
permanently
adverbShe complained of feeling permanently exhausted.
the decision to close down the factory permanently
This is the British English definition of permanent. View American English definition of permanent.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
glottal stop
a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog