crisper, crispest; crisps
ADJECTIVE 1 pleasantly fresh and firm • crisp lettuce leaves
NOUN 2 a thin slice of potato that has been fried until it is hard and crunchy
critic critics
NOUN 1 someone who writes reviews of books, films, plays or musical performances for newspapers or magazines
2 a person who criticizes someone or something publicly
critical
ADJECTIVE 1 A critical time or situation is a very important and serious one when things must be done correctly.
2 If the state of a sick or injured person is critical, they are in danger of dying.
3 Someone who is critical judges people and things very severely.
criticism criticisms
NOUN 1 spoken or written disapproval of someone or something
2 A criticism of a book, film or play is an examination of its good and bad points.
criticize criticizes, criticizing, criticized; also spelt criticise
VERB If you criticize someone or something, you say what you think is wrong with them.
croak croaks, croaking, croaked
VERB 1 When animals and birds croak, they make harsh, low sounds.
NOUN 2 a harsh, low sound
croaky ADJECTIVE
crochet crochets, crocheting, crocheted
Said “kroh-shay” NOUN 1 a kind of knitting done with a hooked needle and cotton or wool
VERB 2 If you crochet, you use a hooked needle and wool or cotton to make lacy material for things such as clothes and shawls.
crockery
NOUN things you use for eating and drinking, such as plates, cups, bowls and saucers
crocodile crocodiles
NOUN a large, scaly, meat-eating reptile that lives in tropical rivers
[from Greek krokodeilos meaning lizard]
crocus crocuses
NOUN Crocuses are yellow, purple or white flowers that grow in early spring.
crook crooks
NOUN 1 a criminal
2 The crook of your arm or leg is the soft, inside part of your elbow or your knee.
3 a long stick with a hooked end used by shepherds
crooked
ADJECTIVE 1 bent or twisted
2 dishonest
crop crops, cropping, cropped
NOUN 1 plants such as wheat and potatoes that are grown for food
2 the plants collected at harvest time • They gather two crops of rice a year.
VERB 3 If you crop something such as your hair, you cut it very short.
cross crosses, crossing, crossed; crosser, crossest
VERB 1 If you cross something, such as a room or a road, you go to the other side of it.
2 Lines or roads that cross meet and go across each other.
3 If you cross your arms, legs or fingers, you put one on top of the other.
NOUN 4 a mark or a shape like + or ×
ADJECTIVE 5 Someone who is cross is rather angry.
cross out
VERB If you cross out words on a page, you draw a line through them.
cross-country
NOUN the sport of running across open countryside, rather than on roads or a track
crossing crossings
NOUN 1 a place where you can cross the road, a railway or a river
2 a journey by ship to a place across the sea
crossroads
NOUN a place where two roads meet and cross each other
cross-section cross-sections
NOUN 1 the flat part of something that you see when you cut straight through it to see inside • We looked at cross-sections of kiwi fruit and oranges.
2 a typical sample of people or things • We interviewed a cross-section of teenagers.
crossword crosswords
NOUN a word puzzle in which you work out answers to clues and write them in a grid
crouch crouches, crouching, crouched
VERB If you crouch, you lower your body with your knees bent.
crow crows, crowing, crowed
NOUN 1 a large black bird that makes a loud, harsh sound
VERB 2 When a cock crows, it makes a series of loud sounds, usually early in the morning.
crowbar crowbars
NOUN a heavy, iron bar used as a lever or for forcing things open
crowd crowds, crowding, crowded
NOUN 1 a large group of people gathered together
VERB 2 When people crowd around someone or something, they gather closely together around them.
crown crowns, crowning, crowned
NOUN 1 a circular ornament made of gold or jewels, which a king or queen wears on their head
VERB 2 When a king or queen is crowned, a crown is put on their head and they are officially made king or queen.
crucial
ADJECTIVE Something that is crucial is very important.
crucify crucifies, crucifying, crucified
VERB When a person is crucified they are tied or nailed to a cross and left there to die.
crucifixion NOUN
crude cruder, crudest
ADJECTIVE 1 rough and simple • a crude shelter made of old boxes
2 rude and vulgar
cruel crueller, cruellest
ADJECTIVE Cruel people deliberately cause pain or distress to other people or to animals.
SYNONYMS: brutal, unkind
cruelly ADVERB cruelty NOUN
cruise cruises, cruising, cruised
NOUN 1 a holiday in which you travel on a ship and visit places
VERB 2 When a vehicle cruises, it moves at a constant, moderate speed.
crumb crumbs
NOUN a very small piece of bread or cake
crumble crumbles, crumbling, crumbled
VERB When something crumbles, or when you crumble it, it breaks into small pieces.
crumple crumples, crumpling, crumpled
VERB If you crumple paper or cloth, you squash it so that it is full of creases and folds.
crunch crunches, crunching, crunched
VERB If you crunch something, you crush it noisily, for example between your teeth or under your feet.
crusade crusades
NOUN 1 In the Middle Ages, the Crusades were a number of expeditions to Palestine by Christians who were attempting to recapture the