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English Words Starting With S

15,552 entries — pick a word to see its definition, pronunciation, and usage.

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Noun Verb Adjective Adverb Plural noun Combining form Verb (transitive)Verb (intransitive)Verb (ambitransitive)

secondary recovery
nounLow
/ˈsɛkənd(ə)ri rɪˈkʌv(ə)ri/The process of extracting additional oil or gas from a reservoir after primary recovery methods (which rely on natural reservoir pressure) have been exhausted.
secondary road
nounB2
/ˈsɛkənd(ə)ri rəʊd/A road of less importance than a main road (primary road); typically has lower traffic capacity, connects smaller towns or villages, or serves as a local access route.
secondary school
nounB1
/ˈsɛkənd(ə)ri skuːl/A school for children roughly between the ages of 11 and 18, providing education after primary school.
secondary seventh chord
nounC2
/ˌsekəndri ˈsevənθ kɔːd/A seventh chord built on a scale degree other than the tonic (I), functioning as a temporary dominant leading to another chord. Specifically, a V7/V (dominant seventh of the dominant) is the most common type.
secondary sex characteristic
nounC1
/ˌsekəndri ˈseks ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/A physical feature that develops during puberty and distinguishes between the sexes but is not directly involved in reproduction.
secondary sexual characteristic
nounC1
/ˌsekəndri ˈsekʃuəl ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk/A physical feature that appears during puberty and distinguishes between the sexes but is not directly involved in reproduction.
secondary storage
nounB2/C1
/ˌsekəndri ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/Non-volatile, long-term data storage in a computer system, not directly accessed by the CPU and used to hold programs and files permanently.
secondary stress
nounC1
/ˈsekəndri ˈstres/In phonology, a level of stress weaker than the primary (main) stress but stronger than unstressed syllables in a word.
secondary structure
nounC2
/ˌsɛkənd(ə)ri ˈstrʌktʃə/The local, regularly repeating three-dimensional folding patterns of a protein or nucleic acid chain, primarily stabilised by hydrogen bonds, such as alpha helices and beta sheets.
secondary syphilis
nounTechnical/Professional
/ˌsɛkənd(ə)ri ˈsɪfɪlɪs/The second stage of syphilis, a sexually transmitted bacterial infection.
secondary tissue
nounLow
/ˈsɛkəndəri ˈtɪʃuː/Plant tissue that develops from lateral meristems during secondary growth, such as secondary xylem and phloem, contributing to the thickening of stems and roots.
secondary wall
nounC2
/ˌsɛkənd(ə)ri ˈwɔːl/In plant cell biology, a thicker inner layer of the cell wall that forms after the primary wall, providing structural support and rigidity.
secondary xylem
nounRare (Technical)
/ˌsɛk(ə)nd(ə)ri ˈzaɪləm/The woody, structural tissue in vascular plants that is produced after the first year of growth, forming the bulk of the stem and root wood.
seconde
nounLow
/sɪˈkɒnd/In fencing, a defensive position where the sword is held to the side with the blade horizontal and the point slightly lowered.
secondee
nounC1
/ˌsɛkɒnˈdiː/A person who is temporarily transferred to a different department, organization, or location, while still employed by their original organization.
secondhand smoke
nounB2
/ˌsek.əndˈhænd ˈsməʊk/Smoke from a burning tobacco product or smoke exhaled by a smoker that is involuntarily inhaled by people nearby.
secondment
nounC1/C2
/sɪˈkɒndmənt/The temporary transfer of an employee to another role, department, organisation, or location.
secondo
nounC2/Rare
/sɛˈkɒndəʊ/In the context of classical music, the performer or part that plays the accompanying or secondary role in a duet, especially for piano.
secos
nounN/A
secrecy
nounB2
/ˈsiːkrəsi/The act or condition of keeping information hidden from others, especially from those who are not meant to know it.

Showing 3141–3160 of 15552 words.