84 words starting with W

• wage noun

  money paid to a worker, usually for each hour, day or week

  The farm workers receive their wages every Friday.

  Like pay, earnings

• wait verb

  to stay where you are until something happens or someone comes

  We waited at the bus stop for twenty minutes.

• wake verb

  to stop sleeping

  I wake at six o’clock every morning to study.

  Like awaken, wake up

• walk verb

  to move along on foot at a normal speed

  I walk to school with my friends every morning.

  Like stroll

• wall noun

  a solid upright side of a room or building, or a barrier around an area

  We hung the class map on the wall beside the board.

• wander verb

  to walk around slowly without a clear direction

  We wandered through the old streets of Patan.

  Like roam, stroll

• want verb

  to wish to have or do something

  I want a new bicycle so I can ride to school.

  Like wish, desire

• war noun

  fighting between countries or large groups using armies and weapons

  The museum shows old coins and swords from a war fought centuries ago.

  Like conflict

• warm adjective

  slightly hot, in a pleasant way

  The sun felt warm on our faces.

  Like mild

• warn verb

  to tell someone about a danger or problem before it happens

  The sign warned visitors not to swim in the fast river.

  Like alert, caution

• wash verb

  to clean something with water and often soap

  Always wash your hands with soap before eating.

  Like clean, rinse

• waste verb

  to use more of something than needed, or use it badly

  Don’t waste water when you brush your teeth.

  Like squander, misuse

• watch verb

  to look at something for some time and pay attention to it

  We sat on the rooftop and watched the sun set behind the hills.

  Like observe, view

• water noun

  the clear liquid that falls as rain and is in rivers, lakes and seas

  Drink plenty of water on a hot day.

• watershed noun

  an area of land where all the water drains into one river or lake; an important turning point

  The forest protects the watershed that supplies water to the town.

  Like catchment

• wave verb

  to move your hand from side to side to say hello or goodbye

  The children waved to the passengers on the passing train.

  Like signal, gesture

• wavelength noun

  the distance between one wave and the next

  Red light has a longer wavelength than blue light.

• way noun

  a method of doing something; a road or route to a place

  Is this the right way to the bus park?

  Like method, route, path

• weak adjective

  not having much strength or power

  After his fever, he felt too weak to walk far.

  Like feeble, frail

• weakness noun

  a fault or lack of strength

  My biggest weakness in math is fractions, so I practice them every day.

  Like fault, flaw

• wealth noun

  a large amount of money or valuable things

  The merchant’s wealth came from trading salt and wool.

  Like riches, fortune

• wealthy adjective

  having a lot of money

  The wealthy merchant built a beautiful temple in Bhaktapur.

  Like rich

• weapon noun

  something used to fight or attack, such as a sword or gun

  The museum shows old weapons like swords and shields.

  Like arms

• wear verb

  to have clothes, shoes or jewelry on your body

  Students wear blue uniforms at our school.

  Like dress in, have on

• weather noun

  how hot, cold, wet, windy, or sunny it is outside at a time

  The weather in Kathmandu was sunny, so we had lunch in the garden.

  Like conditions

• weave verb

  to make cloth by crossing threads over and under each other

  Women in the village weave colorful dhaka cloth on wooden looms.

  Like interlace

• web noun

  a net of thin threads made by a spider; the internet

  A spider spun a web between the branches of the tree.

• website noun

  a set of pages on the internet about one subject or group

  You can find the timetable on the school website.

  Like site

• wed verb

  to marry

  My cousin will wed in the spring, and the whole family will celebrate.

  Like marry

• week noun

  a period of seven days

  We have science class three times a week.

• weekend noun

  Saturday and Sunday, when many people do not work

  We often visit our grandparents on the weekend.

• weekly adjective

  happening or done once a week

  We have a weekly spelling test every Friday.

• weigh verb

  to measure how heavy something is; to have a certain heaviness

  The shopkeeper weighed the rice before putting it in a bag.

• weight noun

  how heavy something is

  The doctor checked my height and weight.

  Like heaviness, mass

• weird adjective

  very strange and unusual

  We heard a weird noise coming from the attic.

  Like strange, odd, bizarre

• welcome verb

  to greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive

  The students welcomed the visitors with flower garlands.

  Like greet, receive

• welfare noun

  the health, happiness and safety of a person or group

  The club works for the welfare of street dogs.

  Like well-being

• well adverb

  in a good, right or skillful way

  He prepared well for the exam and answered every question.

  Like nicely, properly, skillfully

• west noun

  the direction where the sun goes down

  The sun sets in the west every evening.

• western adjective

  in or from the direction where the sun sets

  The western part of Nepal has many wide valleys and rivers.

• wet adjective

  covered with or full of water or another liquid

  My socks got wet when I stepped in the puddle.

• wheat noun

  a grain crop used to make flour for bread and roti

  Farmers in the Terai grow wheat in winter and rice in summer.

• wheel noun

  a round object that turns to help a vehicle move

  My bicycle’s front wheel is flat and needs more air.

• whereby adverb

  by which; through which

  We set up a system whereby each student waters the plants on one day.

• wherever adverb

  in or to any place at all

  My dog follows me wherever I go.

• whisper verb

  to speak very quietly, using your breath

  She whispered the answer so the others couldn’t hear.

  Like murmur

• white adjective

  having the color of fresh snow or milk

  The peaks of the Himalaya are white with snow all year.

• whole adjective

  complete; all of something

  She was so hungry that she ate the whole mango by herself.

  Like entire, complete, full

• wide adjective

  measuring a long distance from one side to the other

  The river is too wide to swim across.

  Like broad

• widely adverb

  by many people or in many places

  English is widely spoken in cities around the world.

  Like commonly

• widespread adjective

  found or happening in many places or among many people

  The use of mobile phones is widespread, even in remote villages.

  Like common, extensive

• wife noun

  the woman a man is married to

  My uncle’s wife teaches math at a school in Patan.

  Like spouse

• wild adjective

  living or growing in nature, not looked after by people

  Wild elephants sometimes walk out of the forest into the fields.

  Like untamed

• win verb

  to be the best or come first in a game or competition

  Our school won the football match by two goals.

  Like triumph

• wind noun

  air moving outside, often strongly

  The wind blew my hat off my head.

• window noun

  an opening in a wall, usually with glass, that lets in light and air

  Open the window to let some fresh air into the room.

• wine noun

  an alcoholic drink made from grapes

  Grapes are crushed and left for months to make wine.

• wing noun

  one of the parts of a bird, insect or plane used for flying

  The butterfly’s wings are covered with tiny colored scales.

• winner noun

  the person or team that comes first in a game or contest

  The winner of the drawing contest received a box of paints.

  Like champion

• winter noun

  the coldest season of the year

  In winter, snow falls on the high mountains.

• wipe verb

  to clean or dry something by rubbing it with a cloth

  Wipe the table after dinner.

  Like clean

• wire noun

  a long, thin piece of metal used to carry electricity or hold things

  Connect the wire to the battery to light the bulb.

• wisdom noun

  good judgment and knowledge that come from experience

  We often ask our grandparents for advice because of their wisdom.

  Like insight, judgment

• wise adjective

  having good judgment from knowledge and experience

  It was wise to bring an umbrella on such a cloudy day.

  Like sensible

• wish verb

  to want something that may be hard to get

  I wish I could fly like a bird.

  Like desire, hope

• withdraw verb

  to take money out of a bank account; to take something back or away

  My father withdrew some money from the bank before the Dashain shopping.

  Like take out, remove

• witness noun

  a person who sees something happen

  A witness told the police what she saw at the market.

  Like observer, onlooker

• woman noun

  an adult female person

  The woman at the shop gave us directions to the temple.

  Like lady

• wonder verb

  to want to know something; to think about something with curiosity

  I wonder how birds find their way home.

  Like ask oneself, ponder

• wonderful adjective

  very good, pleasant, or enjoyable

  We had a wonderful time watching the sunrise over the Himalaya.

  Like amazing, excellent, marvelous

• wood noun

  the hard material that tree trunks and branches are made of

  The old house has doors and windows carved from wood.

  Like timber

• wooden adjective

  made of wood

  The old house has beautiful wooden windows.

• word noun

  a single unit of language that has meaning

  “Namaste” is a word used to greet people in Nepal.

  Like term, expression

• work verb

  to do a job or task that needs effort; to function properly

  My father works in a bank and comes home at six o’clock.

  Like labor, operate

• worker noun

  a person who does a job, especially with their hands

  The workers are building a new bridge over the river.

  Like laborer, employee

• workshop noun

  a meeting where people learn skills by doing; a room where things are made or repaired

  We built small robots at a weekend science workshop.

• world noun

  the Earth and all the people and places on it

  People from all over the world come to see the Himalaya.

  Like earth, globe

• worry verb

  to feel uneasy about what might happen

  Don’t worry; the test will cover only what we studied.

  Like fret

• worth adjective

  having a certain value; good or useful enough to repay the time or effort

  The trip to the museum was really worth it.

• wound noun

  an injury where the skin is cut or broken

  The nurse cleaned the small wound on my knee and put on a bandage.

  Like injury, cut

• wrap verb

  to cover something by folding paper or cloth around it

  We wrapped the birthday gift in colorful paper and tied it with a ribbon.

  Like cover

• write verb

  to put letters or words on paper or a screen

  Write your name at the top of the answer sheet.

  Like record, note

• writer noun

  a person who writes books, stories or articles

  Laxmi Prasad Devkota was a famous Nepali writer.

  Like author

• wrong adjective

  not correct; not right

  I got one answer wrong on the quiz.

  Like incorrect, mistaken