Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
I chose him to accompany me on my trip. = pick, take, prefer, select, elect, adopt, opt for, designate, single out, espouse, settle on, fix on, cherry-pick, settle upon, predestine ◼ OPPOSITE: reject 2 You can just take out the interest every year, if you choose. = wish, want, desire, see fitchoosy ADJECTIVE = fussy, particular, exacting, discriminating, selective, fastidious, picky (informal), finicky, faddy, nit-picky (informal) ◼ OPPOSITE: indiscriminatingchop VERB We were set to work chopping wood. = cut, fell, axe, slash, hack, sever, shear, cleave, hew, lop, truncate ● chop something up Chop up three firm tomatoes. = cut up, divide, fragment, cube, dice, mince ● the chop I was amazed when I got the chop from the team. = the sack, sacking (informal), dismissal, the boot (slang), your cards (informal), the axe (informal), termination, the (old) heave-ho (informal), the order of the boot (slang, old-fashioned)choppy ADJECTIVE = rough, broken, ruffled, tempestuous, blustery, squally ◼ OPPOSITE: calmchore NOUN = task, job, duty, burden, hassle (informal), fag (informal), errand, no picnicchortle VERB He began chortling heartily. = chuckle, laugh, cackle, guffaw ▸ NOUN The man broke into a wheezy chortle of amusement. = chuckle, laugh, cackle, guffawchorus NOUN 1 Everyone joined in the chorus. = refrain, response, strain, burden 2 The chorus was singing 'The Ode to Joy'. = choir, singers, ensemble, vocalists, choristers ● in chorus 'Let us in,' they all wailed in chorus. = in unison, as one, all together, in concert, in harmony, in accord, with one voicechristen VERB 1 She was born in March and christened in June. = baptize, name 2 a boat which he christened 'the Stray Cat' = name, call, term, style, title, dub, designateChristmas NOUN = the festive season, Noël, Xmas (informal), Yule (archaic), Yuletide (archaic)chronic ADJECTIVE 1 He has to live with chronic back pain. = persistent, constant, continual, deep-seated, incurable, deep-rooted, ineradicable 2 The programme was chronic, all banal dialogue and canned laughter. = dreadful, awful, appalling, atrocious, abysmalchronicle VERB The rise of collectivism in Britain has been chronicled by several historians. = record, tell, report, enter, relate, register, recount, set down, narrate, put on record, log, blog ▸ NOUN this vast chronicle of Napoleonic times = record, story, history, account, register, journal, diary, narrative, annals, log, blogchronicler NOUN = recorder, reporter, historian, narrator, scribe, diarist, annalistchronological ADJECTIVE = sequential, ordered, historical, progressive, consecutive, in sequence ◼ OPPOSITE: randomchubby ADJECTIVE = plump, stout, fleshy, tubby, flabby, portly, buxom, roly-poly, rotund, round, podgy ◼ OPPOSITE: skinnychuck VERB 1 Someone chucked a bottle at the stage. = throw, cast, pitch, shy, toss, hurl, fling, sling (informal), heave 2 (often with away or out) I chucked a whole lot of old magazines and papers. = throw out, dump (informal), scrap, get rid of, bin (informal), ditch (slang), junk (informal), discard, dispose of, dispense with, jettison 3 Last summer, he chucked his job and went on the road. = give up or over, leave, stop, abandon, cease, resign from, pack in, jack in (informal) 4 It smelt so bad I thought I was going to chuck. = vomit, throw up (informal), spew, heave (slang), puke (slang), barf (U.S. slang), chunder (slang, chiefly Austral.), upchuck (U.S. slang), do a technicolour yawn (slang), toss your cookies (U.S. slang)chuckle VERB He chuckled appreciatively at her riposte. = laugh, giggle, snigger, chortle, titter ▸ NOUN She gave a soft chuckle and said, ‘No chance’. = laugh, giggle, snigger, chortle, titterchum NOUN = friend, mate (informal), pal (informal), companion, cock (Brit. informal), comrade, crony, blood or blud (Brit. slang), main man (slang, chiefly U.S.), cobber (Austral. & N.Z. old-fashioned, informal), E hoa (N.Z.)chummy ADJECTIVE = friendly, close, thick (informal), pally (informal), intimate, affectionate, buddy-buddy (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), palsy-walsy (informal), matey or maty (Brit. informal)chunk NOUN = piece, block, mass, portion, lump, slab, hunk, nugget, wad, dollop (informal), wodge (Brit. informal)chunky ADJECTIVE The sergeant was a chunky man in his late twenties. = thickset, stocky, beefy (informal), stubby, dumpychurch NOUN = chapel, temple, cathedral, kirk (Scot.), minster, tabernacle, place of worship, house of God, megachurch (U.S.) ◼ RELATED WORD: adjective ecclesiasticalchurlish ADJECTIVE = rude, harsh, vulgar, sullen, surly, morose, brusque, ill-tempered, boorish, uncouth, impolite, loutish, oafish, uncivil, unmannerly ◼ OPPOSITE: politechurn VERB 1 The powerful thrust of the boat's engine churned the water. = stir up, beat, disturb, swirl, agitate 2 Churning seas smash against the steep cliffs. = swirl, boil, toss, foam, seethe, frothcigarette NOUN = fag (Brit. slang), smoke, gasper (slang), ciggy (informal), coffin nail (slang), cancer stick (slang)cinema NOUN 1 They decided to spend an evening at the cinema. = pictures, movies, picture-house, flicks (slang) 2 Contemporary African cinema has much to offer in its vitality and freshness. = films, pictures, movies, the big screen (informal), motion pictures, the silver screencipher NOUN 1 The codebreakers cracked the cipher. = code, coded message, cryptogram 2 They were little more than ciphers who faithfully carried out their master's commands. = nobody, nonentitycirca PREPOSITION = approximately, about, around, roughly, in the region of, round aboutcircle NOUN 1 The flag was red with a large white circle. = ring, round, band, disc, loop, hoop, cordon, perimeter, halo 2 a small circle of friends = group, company, set, school, club, order, class, society, crowd, assembly, fellowship, fraternity, clique, coterie 3 She moved only in the most exalted circles. = sphere, world, area, range, field, scene (informal), orbit, realm, milieu ▸ VERB 1 This is the ring road that circles the city. = go round, ring, surround, belt, curve, enclose, encompass, compass, envelop, encircle, circumscribe, hem in, gird, circumnavigate, enwreath 2 There were two helicopters circling around. = wheel, spiral, revolve, rotate, whirl, pivotcircuit NOUN 1 I get asked this question a lot when I'm on the lecture circuit. = course, round, tour, track, route, journey 2 the historic racing circuit at Monza = racetrack, course, track, racecourse 3 She made a slow circuit of the room. = lap, round, tour, revolution, orbit, perambulationcircuitous ADJECTIVE 1 They were taken on a circuitous route home. = indirect, winding, rambling, roundabout, meandering, tortuous, labyrinthine ◼ OPPOSITE: direct 2 He has a pedantic and circuitous writing style. = oblique, indirectcircular ADJECTIVE 1 The car turned into a spacious, circular courtyard. = round, ring-shaped, discoid 2 Both sides of the river can be explored on this circular walk. = circuitous, cyclical, orbital ▸ NOUN A circular has been sent to 1,800 newspapers. = advertisement, notice, ad (informal), announcement, advert (Brit.), press releasecirculate VERB 1 Public employees are circulating a petition calling for his reinstatement. = spread, issue, publish, broadcast, distribute, diffuse, publicize, propagate, disseminate, promulgate, make known 2 Cooking odours can circulate throughout the entire house. = flow, revolve, rotate, radiatecirculation NOUN 1 The paper once had the highest circulation of any daily in the country. = distribution, currency, readership 2 Anyone with circulation problems should seek medical advice before flying. = bloodstream, blood flow 3 Fit a ventilated lid to allow circulation of air. = flow, circling, motion, rotation 4 measures inhibiting the circulation of useful information = spread, distribution, transmission, disseminationcircumference NOUN = edge, limits, border, bounds, outline, boundary, fringe, verge (Brit.), rim, perimeter, periphery, extremitycircumscribe VERB = restrict, limit, define, confine, restrain, delineate, hem in, demarcate, delimit, straitencircumspect ADJECTIVE = cautious, politic, guarded,