Did you know?

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

To move up and down or backwards and forwards

swing

verb

to move, or to make something move, backwards and forwards or from one side to another, especially from a fixed point

bounce

verb

if a ball or other object bounces, or if you bounce it, it hits a surface then immediately moves away from it

rock

verb

to move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a gentle way

sway

verb

to move or swing gently from side to side

vibrate

verb

to shake very quickly with small movements

flutter

verb

to move up and down or from side to side with short, quick, light movements, or to make something move in this way

wobble

verb

to rock slightly from side to side, or to make something do this

oscillate

verb

to move continuously from side to side at a steady speed around a central point

shake

verb

to make lots of quick small movements up and down, or side to side

wave

verb

to move smoothly and gently from side to side

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

dray

a type of cart pulled by a horse and used in the past for carrying barrels of beer

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 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