Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

Surprises and shocking events

surprise

noun

an unusual or unexpected event

shock

noun

something that happens unexpectedly and makes you feel very surprised and upset

blow

noun

an event that causes you to feel very sad, disappointed, or shocked

revelation

noun

a surprising and enjoyable experience that makes you realize something that you previously had not known

scandal

noun

a situation that shocks you and makes you angry, especially one that you think someone in authority should change

trauma

noun

a bad experience that makes you feel very upset, afraid, or shocked

affront

noun

something insulting that makes you shocked and angry

a rude awakening

a shock that comes from learning that what you had believed or expected is not true

a first

adverb, number, pronoun, noun

something that has never happened before and is therefore important or exciting

a blinding revelation/realization/vision

a situation in which you suddenly realize something very clearly

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

picture messaging

the sending of images and photographs from one mobile phone to another

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

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