naugh|ty /nɔː ti/ (naughtier , naughtiest )
1 ADJ If you say that a child is naughty , you mean that they behave badly or do not do what they are told. □ Girls, you're being very naughty. □ You naughty boy, you gave me such a fright.
2 ADJ You can describe books, pictures, or words as naughty when they are slightly rude or related to sex. □ You know what little boys are like with naughty words. □ …saucy TV shows, crammed full of naughty innuendo.
nau|sea /nɔː ziə/ N‑UNCOUNT Nausea is the condition of feeling sick and the feeling that you are going to vomit. □ I was overcome with a feeling of nausea.
nau|seam /nɔː ziæm/ → see ad nauseam
nau|seate /nɔː zie I t/ (nauseates , nauseating , nauseated ) VERB If something nauseates you, it makes you feel as if you are going to vomit. □ [V n] The smell of frying nauseated her. □ [V -ed] She could not eat anything without feeling nauseated.
nau|seat|ing /nɔː zie I t I ŋ/ ADJ If you describe someone's attitude or their behaviour as nauseating , you mean that you find it extremely unpleasant and feel disgusted by it. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The judge described the offences as nauseating and unspeakable. □ For them to attack the Liberals for racism is nauseating hypocrisy.
nau|seous /nɔː ziəs, [AM ] -ʃəs/ ADJ If you feel nauseous , you feel as if you want to vomit. □ If the patient is poorly nourished, the drugs make them feel nauseous. □ A nauseous wave of pain broke over her.
nau|ti|cal /nɔː t I k ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Nautical means relating to ships and sailing. □ …a nautical chart of the region you sail.
nau |ti|cal mi le (nautical miles ) N‑COUNT A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used at sea. It is equal to 1852 metres.
na|val ◆◇◇ /ne I v ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Naval means belonging to, relating to, or involving a country's navy. □ He was the senior serving naval officer. □ …a U.S. naval base.
nave /ne I v/ (naves ) N‑COUNT The nave of a church is the long central part where people gather to worship.
na|vel /ne I v ə l/ (navels ) N‑COUNT Your navel is the small hollow just below your waist at the front of your body.
na vel-gazing N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to an activity as navel-gazing , you are critical of it because people are thinking about something for a long time but take no action on it. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ She dismisses the reform process as an exercise in collective navel gazing.
navi|gable /næ v I gəb ə l/ ADJ A navigable river is wide and deep enough for a boat to travel along safely. [FORMAL ] □ …the navigable portion of the Nile.
navi|gate /næ v I ge I t/ (navigates , navigating , navigated )
1 VERB When someone navigates a ship or an aircraft somewhere, they decide which course to follow and steer it there. You can also say that a ship or an aircraft navigates somewhere. □ [V n] Captain Cook safely navigated his ship without accident for 100 voyages. □ [V prep/adv] The purpose of the visit was to navigate into an ice-filled fiord. □ [V ] The system will enable aircraft to navigate with pinpoint accuracy. ● navi|ga|tion /næ v I ge I ʃ ə n/ (navigations ) N‑VAR □ The expedition was wrecked by bad planning and poor navigation. □ …the boat's navigation system.
2 VERB When a ship or boat navigates an area of water, it sails on or across it. □ [V n] …a lock system to allow sea-going craft to navigate the upper reaches of the river. □ [V prep] Such boats can navigate on the Nile.
3 VERB When someone in a car navigates , they decide what roads the car should be driven along in order to get somewhere. □ [V ] When travelling on fast roads at night, it is impossible to drive and navigate at the same time. □ [V prep/adv] …the relief at successfully navigating across the Golden Gate Bridge to arrive here. □ [V n prep] They had just navigated their way through Maidstone on their way to the coast. [Also V n]
4 VERB When fish, animals, or insects navigate somewhere, they find the right direction to go and travel there. □ [V adv/prep] In tests, the bees navigate back home after being placed in a field a mile away. [Also V ]
5 VERB If you navigate an obstacle, you move carefully in order to avoid hitting the obstacle or hurting yourself. □ [V n] He was not able to walk without a cane and could only navigate steps backwards. □ [V n prep/adv] In the corridors he let her navigate her own way round the trolleys and other obstacles. □ [V prep/adv] Guests had to navigate around chairs in the middle of the room.
navi|ga|tion /næ v I ge I ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to the movement of ships as navigation . □ Pack ice around Iceland was becoming a threat to navigation.
2 → see also navigate
navi|ga|tion|al /næ v I ge I ʃən ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Navigational means relating to the act of navigating a ship or an aircraft. □ The crash was a direct result of inadequate navigational aids.
navi|ga|tor /næ v I ge I tə r / (navigators ) N‑COUNT The navigator on an aircraft or ship is the person whose job is to work out the direction in which the aircraft or ship should be travelling. □ He became an RAF navigator during the war.
nav|vy /næ vi/ (navvies ) N‑COUNT A navvy is a person who is employed to do hard physical work, for example building roads or canals. [BRIT , OLD-FASHIONED ]
navy ◆◆◇ /ne I vi/ (navies )
1 N‑COUNT A country's navy consists of the people it employs to fight at sea, and the ships they use. □ Her own son was also in the Navy. □ …a United States navy ship.