English Dictionary (Humor) beta

nursing The art of comforting and caring for a sick or injured person, typically by providing them with medical care, food, and other necessities.  ■ After years of working as a nurse, I'm an expert at nursing my patients back to health. And by "nursing" them back to health, I mean giving them large quantities of chocolate and telling them they can watch all the TV they want.

mistreated Treating someone badly or unfairly, often by taking advantage of them.  ■ "The boss mistreated his employees by not giving them raises and making them do all the work themselves."

congratulating The act of expressing enthusiasm and admiration for someone's achievement, usually by sending them a message or calling them to congratulate them.  ■ "I was so thrilled when my friend got accepted into her dream school. I couldn't help but congratulating her on social media with a meme featuring a dancing cat saying 'You did it!'"

detente A state of relative ease and relaxation between two parties, especially between nations.  ■ "After years of tension between the United States and Russia, the two countries finally reached a detente, allowing them to work together on important issues like climate change.",  ■ "The couple's first date was filled with detente as they shared a bottle of wine and talked about their mutual love of cats.",  ■ "The city council agreed to a detente with the local animal rights group, allowing them to hold protests but not blocking them from marching in the annual parade."

grandparents Old and wrinkled people who love to spoil their grandchildren's lives by giving them sweets, telling them bedtime stories, and buying them silly toys.  ■ When Grandma came over, she brought with her a huge bag of candy and told the kids the best joke they had ever heard. They were both so impressed that they asked her to tell it again and again.

hostess A woman who entertains guests in her home, often serving them food and drink.  ■ "The hostess welcomed the guests with open arms and a big smile on her face. She then led them to their seats and offered them drinks before starting the meal."

Kit A collection of small, round, fluffy objects that are often found in nature and have no known practical use.  ■ John was so excited to find a new kit of kittens. He spent the whole day playing with them and feeding them milk. But when he tried to take them home, they refused to leave his side.

compiling The act of collecting information about a person or thing in order to gain an advantage over them.  ■ John started compiling information on his competitors, and soon he was able to outsmart them all!

cuffed A person who has been physically restrained or incapacitated, often by having their hands or feet tied behind them.  ■ "I accidentally cuffed my shoelaces and couldn't untie them for a good 20 minutes."

Favors A person's extreme kindness or generosity, especially when it comes to helping others out.  ■ John was always doing favors for his friends, like lending them his car or buying groceries for them.

humoring to indulge in or humor someone by agreeing with their opinions or actions, even if you don't actually believe them  ■ "I know my jokes aren't funny, but I love humoring my friends when they ask for them."

Rile To make someone angry or upset by provoking them with a series of insults or criticisms.  ■ "I tried to rile my coworker about their presentation, but it just made them even more defensive."

swaddling The act of wrapping a newborn in cloth to protect them and keep them calm.  ■ "I forgot to pack the swaddling clothes for my baby's first trip, so I had to improvise with some old sheets."

ami A person who is always one step ahead of everyone else, making them seem like they're playing a game of cat and mouse.  ■ "I thought I was being sneaky, but my ami always knows where I'm going before I even tell them."

Arranging The act of organizing or planning things in a way that is most effective or efficient, often with the intention of amusing others.  ■ John spent all afternoon arranging his office supplies into neat rows and columns, only to realize that he forgot to arrange them in a way that was actually useful for him to access them.

Compassion A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.  ■ "When my friend lost their job, I felt such compassion for them that I gave them a gift card to their favorite restaurant."

compassionate Adjective used to describe someone who feels a great deal of sympathy and sorrow for another person's misfortune, and is willing to take action to help alleviate their suffering.  ■ "Despite being a ruthless businessman, Mr. Smith was surprisingly compassionate when he found out that one of his employees was struggling with a serious illness. He immediately offered to pay for all their medical bills and even took them on as a personal project to keep them engaged at work."

Copyright A legal right granted to the creator of an original work, giving them exclusive control over its reproduction and distribution for a limited time.  ■ "I may have copyrighted my funny jokes, but that doesn't mean you can use them without my permission."

criminology The study of crime, criminals, and criminal behavior, including the psychological, social, and legal aspects.  ■ "I'm majoring in criminology because I want to become a world-renowned expert on why people commit crimes. Or maybe just so I can catch them all and put them away for good."

crucifixion A method of executing criminals by nailing them to a wooden cross and leaving them to die of dehydration, hypothermia, or exhaustion.  ■ When the judge sentenced him to crucifixion, the convicted murderer tried to make a joke by saying, "Well, at least it won't be boring!"

Crush A feeling of intense desire and admiration for someone, usually accompanied by an urge to physically close in on them or touch them.  ■ "I have such a crush on my boss, I can't help but follow him around the office and try to find ways to be near him."

dilettante A person who is interested in many different activities, but not particularly good at any of them.  ■ "John is such a dilettante - he tries to learn four languages, play three instruments, and cook a dozen different cuisines, but he's just okay at all of them."

electricians A group of people who are highly skilled at wiring things up and making them go "electric" by zapping them with electricity.  ■ "I need to hire some electricians to fix my house. I don't want anything going on in there that could possibly be described as 'electric'."

enamel A thin, glassy, translucent coating that is applied to the surface of teeth or other objects to protect them from decay or damage.  ■ "She accidentally chipped off a piece of her enamel while biting into an apple." "I had my teeth professionally whitened with a special enamel treatment that left them sparkling like diamonds!"

flyers A group of people who are incredibly annoying and hard to get rid of.  ■ John's neighbor always leaves flyers on his doorstep, even though he asked them to stop. He calls them "the pests" because they refuse to go away!

frail A person or thing that is very weak and easily broken.  ■ The old lady was so frail that she could barely carry her own grocery bags. But when someone tried to take them away from her, she became unexpectedly strong and chased them down the street.

Handicapped adjective 1: Unable to do something due to a physical or mental limitation  ■ The blind man was handicapped in his ability to see the road signs., verb 1: To make someone unable to do something due to a physical or mental limitation  ■ The coach handicapped the team by not giving them any rest days during training., noun 1: A person with a physical or mental limitation that makes it difficult for them to do something  ■ The handicapped child was able to walk short distances with the help of crutches.

implanted To place something (like a joke or a secret) into someone's mind or memory, usually in an attempt to make them laugh or keep them informed.  ■ When I found out my friend had implanted the idea of a surprise birthday party in my head, I was both shocked and amused. "Surprise? More like planned to perfection!" I exclaimed when everyone jumped out from behind the tree.

innings The act of putting on a pair of shoes, but instead of lacing them up, you just put your feet in and leave the laces hanging down.  ■ "I was running late for the game and didn't have time to tie my shoes, so I just put them on 'innings' style."

isolate To separate someone or something from the rest of humanity, either by placing them in a special room or by creating an imaginary barrier around them.  ■ "The new employee was so awkward that they were isolated in a small cubicle at the back of the office."

Luring A method of tempting or enticing someone with the promise of something better, often in order to deceive them or take advantage of them.  ■ "The salesman was so good at luring unsuspecting customers into buying his product that he became known as 'the con man of the century'."

matrimony The state of being married, or the act of getting married.  ■ John and Jane's matrimony was blessed by all their friends and family, who were ecstatic to finally see them together. They even had a wedding dance that ended with them falling into each other and rolling on the floor, much to everyone's amusement.

musketeers A group of people who dress up as musketeers and pretend to be them.  ■ The musketeers were having a great time at the renaissance fair, but they had to stop and fix their swords when one of them accidentally fell in the mud.

omelet A dish made by beating eggs and cooking them in a pan with butter, oil or other fats, usually with additional ingredients such as cheese, ham, spinach, or mushrooms.  ■ "I had a fantastic omelet this morning - it was so delicious I ate two of them!"

Peeking The act of looking over one's shoulder or around a corner to see something that is happening nearby.  ■ "I was peeking in on my neighbor's yard and saw them having a picnic. I decided to crash their party and join them for some fun!"

persistent A person who is extremely annoying and will not stop bugging you, even when you've told them to leave you alone.  ■ I tried to ignore the persistent telemarketer, but they just kept calling and calling. I eventually had to hang up on them, but not before I made a note to never answer their calls again.

pluck The act of removing feathers from a bird's body, typically with the intention of using them for quills or other purposes.  ■ "I accidentally plucked a feather from my own head while combing my hair.", The act of pulling something out by its roots, often forcefully and causing damage.  ■ "I had to pluck the weeds out of my garden by hand because the lawn mower couldn't reach them."

preserves A jar of pickled cucumbers or other vegetables, made by sealing them in airtight containers and exposing them to acidic liquid.  ■ "I accidentally left my jar of preserves on the counter for three days instead of in the fridge. Now it's as sour as a pickled lemon!

Respects A feeling of admiration for someone or something, typically accompanied by a conscious effort to treat them with consideration and politeness.  ■ "I respect my elders because they have more life experience and wisdom than I do. But that doesn't mean I can't still give them a hard time every now and then!"

Shanghaied To trick or deceive someone into doing something they didn't want to do, often by making them believe they were going to one place but taking them to another.  ■ "John was shanghaied by his friends and taken to a karaoke bar against his will."

smithers A person who is extremely eager to please and gain favor with someone, often by going out of their way to do something for them or make them happy. These individuals may be overly submissive or obsequious in their behavior, often to the point of being insincere.  ■ "I can't believe John is such a smithers, always trying to win my approval with his silly antics and flattery."

stitch A very small, tiny, almost imperceptible piece of fabric that is woven through two pieces of fabric in order to connect them together.  ■ If you see someone with a big hole in their shirt, just offer them a stitch and they'll be good as new!

stowed To hide something in a clever or sneaky way, usually in order to avoid detection.  ■ "John had been stowing away his grandmother's prized antiques for years, but when he finally revealed them to the family, they were horrified to learn that he had been secretly selling them on eBay!

subsidize To provide financial support to a person or business in order to help them succeed, but at the expense of another person or business.  ■ "The government subsidizes big corporations by giving them tax breaks, which makes it harder for small businesses to compete."

sugarplum A delicious and magical fruit that grows only in the most remote and enchanted forests, often said to be the favorite food of woodland creatures.  ■ "Once I stumbled upon a grove of sugarplums while on a hike in the woods. It was like nothing I had ever seen before - they were so big and juicy, with a glowing pink flesh that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. I knew I had to share this amazing discovery with my friends, so I picked as many as I could carry and brought them back home. We all agreed that sugarplums were the best fruit we had ever tasted, and we vowed to go on a quest to find more of them every summer."

Tracer A person or thing that leaves a trail of clues behind, typically in order to be found.  ■ When the police were looking for the thief who stole my bike, they used a tracer to track down his location. But instead of leading them to the thief, the tracer just led them to a pile of stolen bikes!

abduction The act of kidnapping someone and forcing them to become a member of a cult, often involving brainwashing and mind control.  ■ "I heard that the leader of the group was using abduction tactics to recruit new members."

Absolved To be found innocent of a charge or accusation.  ■After the evidence was presented, the jury absolved the defendant of all wrongdoing.  ■The judge absolved the defendant of any wrongdoing and sentenced them to five years in prison.

abuse To treat someone poorly or disrespectfully, often by verbally or physically attacking them.  ■ "When my roommate accidentally broke my favorite mug, I abused him by throwing a stack of books at him."