yowl /jaʊ l/ (yowls , yowling , yowled ) VERB If a person or an animal yowls , they make a long loud cry, especially because they are sad or in pain. □ [V ] The dog began to yowl. ● N‑COUNT Yowl is also a noun. □ Patsy could hardly be heard above the baby's yowls. ● yowl|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ I couldn't stand that yowling.
yo-yo /joʊ joʊ/ (yo-yos ) N‑COUNT A yo-yo is a toy made of a round piece of wood or plastic attached to a piece of string. You play with the yo-yo by letting it rise and fall on the string.
yr (yrs ) also yr. yr is a written abbreviation for year . □ Their imaginations are quite something for 2 yr olds.
yuan /juːæ n, [AM ] -ɑː n/ (yuan ) N‑COUNT [num N ] The yuan is the unit of money that is used in the People's Republic of China. □ For most events, tickets cost one, two or three yuan. ● N‑SING The yuan is also used to refer to the Chinese currency system. □ The yuan recovered a little; it now hovers around 8.2 to the dollar.
Yu|go|slav /juː gəslɑːv/ (Yugoslavs ) ADJ Yugoslav means belonging or relating to the former Yugoslavia, or to its people or culture. ● N‑COUNT A Yugoslav was a Yugoslav citizen, or a person of Yugoslav origin.
Yu|go|sla|vian /juː gəslɑː viən/ ADJ Yugoslavian means the same as Yugoslav .
yuk /jʌ k/ EXCLAM Some people say ' yuk ' when they think something is very unpleasant or disgusting. [INFORMAL ] □ 'It's lamb stew and cabbage,' said Malone. 'Yuk,' said Maureen.
Yule /juː l/ N‑UNCOUNT Yule is an old-fashioned word for Christmas .
Yule|tide /juː lta I d/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Yuletide is the period of several days around and including Christmas Day. □ …ideas for Yuletide food, drink and decorations.
yum /jʌ m/ EXCLAM People sometimes say ' yum ' or ' yum yum ' to show that they think something tastes or smells very good. [INFORMAL ]
yum|my /jʌ mi/ ADJ Yummy food tastes very good. [INFORMAL ] □ I'll bet they have yummy ice cream. □ It smells yummy.
yup|pie /jʌ pi/ (yuppies ) N‑COUNT A yuppie is a young person who has a well-paid job and likes to show that they have a lot of money by buying expensive things and living in an expensive way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The Porsche 911 reminds me of the worst parts of the yuppie era.
YWCA /wa I dʌb ə ljuː siː e I / (YWCAs ) N‑COUNT The YWCA is a place where women can stay cheaply, which is run by the YWCA organization. YWCA is an abbreviation for 'Young Women's Christian Association'.
Zz
Z , z /ze d, [AM ] ziː / (Z's, z's ) N‑VAR Z is the twenty-sixth and last letter of the English alphabet.
zany /ze I ni/ (zanier , zaniest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Zany humour or a zany person is strange or eccentric in an amusing way. [INFORMAL ] □ …the zany humour of the Marx Brothers.
zap /zæ p/ (zaps , zapping , zapped )
1 VERB To zap someone or something means to kill, destroy, or hit them, for example with a gun or in a computer game. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] A guard zapped him with the stun gun.
2 VERB If you zap channels while watching television, you change channels using the remote control. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Men like to zap the TV channels, something that can drive certain women berserk.
3 VERB To zap something such as a computer file or document means to delete it from the computer memory or to clear it from the screen. [COMPUTING , INFORMAL ]
zap|per /zæ pə r / (zappers ) N‑COUNT A zapper is a small device that you use to control a television, video, or stereo from a distance. [INFORMAL ]
zeal /ziː l/ N‑UNCOUNT Zeal is great enthusiasm, especially in connection with work, religion, or politics. □ [+ for ] …his zeal for teaching. □ Mr Lopez approached his task with a religious zeal.
zeal|ot /ze lət/ (zealots ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a zealot , you think that their views and actions are very extreme, especially in following a particular political or religious belief. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was forceful, but by no means a zealot.
zeal|ous /ze ləs/ ADJ Someone who is zealous spends a lot of time or energy in supporting something that they believe in very strongly, especially a political or religious ideal. □ She was a zealous worker for charitable bodies.
zeb|ra /ze brə, ziː -/ (zebras or zebra ) N‑COUNT A zebra is an African wild horse which has black and white stripes.
ze b|ra cro ss|ing (zebra crossings ) N‑COUNT In Britain, a zebra crossing is a place on the road that is marked with black and white stripes, where vehicles are supposed to stop so that people can walk across.
zeit|geist /za I tga I st/ N‑SING The zeitgeist of a particular place during a particular period in history is the attitudes and ideas that are generally common there at that time, especially the attitudes and ideas shown in literature, philosophy, and politics. □ [+ of ] He has caught the zeitgeist of rural life in the 1980s very well indeed.
Zen /ze n/ N‑UNCOUNT Zen or Zen Buddhism is a form of the Buddhist religion that concentrates on meditation rather than on studying religious writings.
zen|ith /ze n I θ, [AM ] ziː -/ N‑SING [usu with poss] The zenith of something is the time when it is most successful or powerful. □ His career is now at its zenith.
zero ◆◆◆ /z I ə roʊ/ (zeros or zeroes , zeroing , zeroed )