4 A call is a shout or a cry. • We heard a call for help.
call off
VERB If something is called off it is cancelled. • The party was called off.
call on
VERB If you call on someone, you pay them a short visit.
calm calmer, calmest
ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is calm is quiet and does not show any worry or excitement.
2 If the sea is calm, the water is not moving very much.
calorie calories
NOUN The amount of energy that food gives you is measured in calories.
came
VERB the past tense of come
camel camels
NOUN a large mammal with either one or two humps on its back. Camels live in hot desert areas and are used for carrying people and things.
camera cameras
NOUN a piece of equipment used for taking photographs or for filming
camouflage camouflages, camouflaging, camouflaged
NOUN 1 a way of avoiding being seen by having the same colour or appearance as the surroundings
VERB 2 To camouflage something is to hide it by giving it the same colour or appearance as its surroundings.
camp camps, camping, camped
NOUN 1 a place where people live in tents or stay in tents for a holiday
VERB 2 If you camp, you stay in a tent.
NOUN 3 a collection of buildings for soldiers or prisoners
camper NOUN
campaign campaigns, campaigning, campaigned
VERB When people campaign, they take action in order to achieve something. • She campaigned against the export of live animals.
campaign NOUN
can could; cans
VERB 1 If someone says you can do something, you are allowed to do it.
2 If you can do something, you are able to do it. • I can say “hello” in French.
NOUN 3 a metal container, often sealed, with food or drink inside
canal canals
NOUN a long, narrow, man-made stretch of water
canary canaries
NOUN a yellow songbird
cancel cancels, cancelling, cancelled
VERB If you cancel something that has been arranged, you stop it from happening. • They cancelled the school trip.
cancer cancers
NOUN a serious disease in which abnormal cells in a part of the body increase rapidly, causing growths
candidate candidates
NOUN a person who is being considered for a job
candle candles
NOUN a stick of hard wax with a piece of string called a wick through the middle. You light the wick to produce a flame.
cane canes
NOUN 1 the long, hollow stem of a plant such as bamboo
2 strips of cane used for weaving baskets and other containers
3 a long, narrow stick used to support plants
canine canines
ADJECTIVE 1 relating to dogs
NOUN 2 a canine is one of the pointed teeth near the front of the mouth in humans and some animals
cannibal cannibals
NOUN a person who eats human flesh
cannon cannons or cannon
NOUN a large gun, usually on wheels, which fires heavy iron balls
cannot
VERB the same as can not
canoe canoes
NOUN a small, narrow boat that you row using a paddle
canoeing NOUN canoeist NOUN
can’t
VERB a contraction of cannot
canteen canteens
NOUN a place to eat in a school or workplace
canvas canvases
NOUN 1 strong, heavy cloth used for making things such as sails and tents
2 a piece of canvas on which an artist does a painting
canyon canyons
NOUN a narrow river valley with steep sides
cap caps
NOUN 1 a soft, flat hat, often with a peak at the front
2 a bottle top
3 a small explosive used in toy guns
capable
ADJECTIVE 1 If you are capable of doing something, you are able to do it.
2 Someone who is capable is able to do something well.
capacity capacities
NOUN the maximum amount that something can hold or produce • The arena has a seating capacity of two thousand.
capital capitals
NOUN 1 The capital of a country is the city where the government meets. • Paris is the capital of France.
2 A capital, or a capital letter, is a larger, upper-case letter used at the beginning of a sentence or a name: Carol, Tim.
capsize capsizes, capsizing, capsized
VERB If a boat capsizes, it turns upside down.
capsule capsules
NOUN 1 a small container with medicine inside, which you swallow
2 the part of a spacecraft in which astronauts travel
[from Latin capsula meaning little box]
captain captains
NOUN 1 the officer in charge of a ship or aeroplane
2 the leader of a sports team
caption captions
NOUN a title printed underneath a picture or a photograph
captive captives
NOUN someone who is locked up and kept prisoner
capture captures, capturing, captured
VERB If someone captures someone or something, they take them prisoner.
car cars
NOUN 1 a four-wheeled road vehicle with an engine and room to carry a few passengers
2 a railway carriage used for a particular purpose • the buffet car
caravan caravans
NOUN 1 a vehicle pulled by a car in which people live or spend their holidays
2 a group of people and animals travelling together, usually across a desert
carbohydrate carbohydrates
NOUN a substance that gives you energy. It is found in foods like sugar and bread.
carbon
NOUN a chemical found in coal,