would like |
used as a tentative form of "want" in order to express a greater degree of politeness than "want" expresses or when the possibility of doing what one wants is not considered likely or certain. |
wouldn't |
contracted form of "would not." |
would rather |
used to express a preference for one thing over another (usu. fol. by an infinitive of a verb without "to" or a clause in the subjunctive mood, but can also be followed by a noun). |
would've |
contracted form of "would have." |
wound1 |
an injury to living tissue, usu. involving penetration or cutting of the external surface. [4 definitions] |
wound2 |
past tense and past participle of wind2. |
wound up |
in a state of excitement, nervousness, or anxiety. |
wove |
past tense of "weave" and also archaic past participle of "weave." |
woven |
a past participle of weave. |
wow1 |
(informal) used to express amazement, pleasure, enthusiasm, or the like. [2 definitions] |
wow2 |
a slow variation or distortion of the pitch of sound reproduced from a recording. |
WPA |
abbreviation of "Works Progress Administration," the New Deal program in the U.S. (1935-43) that provided work for the unemployed during the Great Depression (later known as Work Projects Administration). |
wpm |
abbreviation of "words per minute." |
wrack1 |
severe damage or destruction. |
wrack2 |
that which remains after something has been destroyed; wreckage, esp. of a ship. [2 definitions] |
wrack3 |
variant of rack4. |
wraith |
an apparition of a living person, believed to foreshadow his or her imminent death. [2 definitions] |
wrangle |
to quarrel noisily or heatedly. [6 definitions] |
wrap |
to cover, encircle, or enfold with something. [11 definitions] |
wraparound |
something that wraps around or that has overlapping parts, esp. a skirt that wraps around with sufficient overlapping that it covers the body even though it is fastened only at the waist. [2 definitions] |
wrapped up in |
engrossed or absorbed in (an activity, entertainment, or the like). |