english

English proper noun · English adjective · English noun · noun · English verb

SayING-glish/ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ//ˈɪŋ(ɡ)lɪʃ/

16 meanings of english

1
language itselfproper noun · Englishcountable or uncountable
The language first spoken in England and now used around the world, in all its different forms.
My grandmother learned English when she moved to Canada.
The menu at the cafe is written in English and Spanish.
UsageWrite English with a big E: I speak English.
2
of the countryadjective · English
From England or having to do with England.
We stayed in a small English village with an old stone church.
The English countryside is very green in the spring.
UsageEnglish is about England. For all of Britain, say British.
3
adjective · English
Having to do with the English language.
She looked up the word in her English dictionary.
Many English words came from French a long time ago.
4
school subjectnoun · Englishcountable or uncountable
The subject at school or college where you study the English language, its books and writing.
We have English right after lunch on Mondays.
Our English homework is to write a short poem about the sea.
5
noun · Englishcountable or uncountable
The English words used to say something.
The English on this sign is full of mistakes.
The story is good, but the English needs some work.
6
language skillnoun · Englishuncountable
How well someone can speak or write English.
His English is much better than it was last year.
You need good English to get a job at the hotel.
UsageSay she speaks good English, with no a.
7
noun · Englishcountable or uncountableplural
The people who come from England, thought of as a group.
The English and the Scots fought many wars long ago.
The English are famous for loving tea.
UsageSay the English are. One person is English or an Englishman.
Note

Less common meanings

8
ball spinnounCanadaUSuncountable
Sideways spin that a player puts on a ball, as in pool or bowling.
My uncle puts a lot of english on his bowling ball.
Give the cue ball some english so it bounces off the side at a sharper angle.
UsagePeople say put some english on the ball.
Similarspin, side
Note
9
plain wordsnoun · Englishcountable or uncountable
Clear, simple words in English that are easy to understand.
The doctor used so many long words that I asked her to say it again in English.
Can you explain the rules in English, without all the legal words?
UsageSay in plain English for simple, clear words.
Note
10
new twistnounfigurativelyuncountable
A new and surprising way of looking at an idea or a piece of writing.
The teacher put some english on the old story by telling it from the wolf's side.
She put a little english on the old joke, and the ending surprised everyone.
UsageSay put some english on a story to give it a twist.
Similarspin, twist, slant
Note
11
verb · Englishraretransitive
To change words from another language into English.
Here, the poems are Englished by twelve different translators
2011, Colin Cheney, 'Where Should I Start with Tomas Tranströmer?'Here, Englished means translated into English.
Mamma is an adaptation of a French farce by Mr. Sydney Grundy, made in the time when his chief claim to recognition as a playwright lay in his ingenious aptitude for Englishing the un-Englishable.
1901, The Speaker, the Liberal Review - Volume 3Here, Englishing means putting something into English.
Note
12
weightsadjective · English
Measured in old non-metric units, like inches, feet, pounds and gallons.
The ruler shows English units on one side and centimeters on the other.
The ship carried two hundred English tons of coal.
13
non-Amish folknoun · Englishcountable or uncountableplural
What Amish people call everyone who is not Amish.
The Amish sell quilts and pies to the English at the Saturday market.
Her Amish father told her not to spend so much time with the English.
OppositeAmish
14
adjective · English
Used by Amish people about people who are not Amish, because those people speak English, not a kind of German.
The Amish family paid an English neighbor to drive them to town.
The Amish children were shy around the English visitors at the market.
OppositeAmish
Note
15
verb · Englisharchaictransitive
To make something English, or to say that something now belongs to England.
While the man Clive—he fought Plassy, spoiled the clever foreign game, Conquered and annexed and Englished!
1880, Robert Browning, “Clive”Here, Englished means made English or claimed for England.
Note
16
type sizenoun · Englishdatedcountable or uncountable
An old printing name for letters that are 14 points in size.
The printer chose English for the headings because it was bigger than pica.
Old printers set the title in English and the rest in pica.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–7, 9, 11–16

From Old English Englisċ, meaning "of the Angles," an old Germanic tribe.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

English derives from Old English Englisċ. en.wiktionary.org
Old English Englisċ means “of the Angles.” en.wiktionary.org
The Angles were an old Germanic tribe. en.wikipedia.org

Meanings 8, 10

No one is sure, but it may come from English players bringing this kind of spin to America.

Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The origin of english meaning spin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
One proposed origin is that English players introduced the spin technique to America. en.wiktionary.org