2 N‑COUNT A West German is someone who was a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany, or a person of West German origin.
We st I n|dian (West Indians )
1 ADJ West Indian means belonging or relating to the West Indies, or to its people or culture.
2 N‑COUNT A West Indian is a person who comes from the West Indies.
west|ward /we stwə r d/ also westwards ADV [usu ADV after v, oft n ADV ] Westward or westwards means towards the west. □ [+ from ] He sailed westward from Palos de la Frontera. □ Within hours, she was free to resume her journey westward. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Westward is also an adjective. □ …the one-hour westward flight over the Andes to Lima.
wet ◆◇◇ /we t/ (wetter , wettest , wets , wetting , wetted ) The forms wet and wetted are both used as the past tense and past participle of the verb. 1 ADJ If something is wet , it is covered in water, rain, sweat, tears, or another liquid. □ He towelled his wet hair. □ I lowered myself to the water's edge, getting my feet wet. □ My gloves were soaking wet. □ [+ with ] I saw his face was wet with tears. ● wet|ly ADV [usu ADV after v] □ Her hair clung wetly to her head. ● wet|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Anti-perspirants stop wetness, deodorants stop odour.
2 VERB To wet something means to get water or some other liquid over it. □ [V n] When assembling the pie, wet the edges where the two crusts join. □ [V n] Fielding nervously wet his lips and tried to smile.
3 ADJ If the weather is wet , it is raining. □ If the weather is wet or cold, choose an indoor activity. □ It was a miserable wet day. ● N‑SING The wet is used to mean wet weather. □ They had come in from the cold and the wet.
4 ADJ If something such as paint, ink, or cement is wet , it is not yet dry or solid. □ I lay the painting flat to stop the wet paint running.
5 VERB If people, especially children, wet their beds or clothes or wet themselves , they urinate in their beds or in their clothes because they cannot stop themselves. □ [V n] A quarter of 4-year-olds frequently wet the bed. □ [V pron-refl] To put it plainly, they wet themselves.
6 PHRASE If you say that someone is still wet behind the ears , you mean that they have only recently arrived in a new place or job, and are therefore still not experienced. SYNONYMS wet ADJ 1
damp: Her hair was still damp.
moist: The soil is reasonably moist after the September rain.
soaked: My tent got soaked last night in the storm.
wet|back /we tbæk/ (wetbacks ) N‑COUNT Wetback is sometimes used to refer to a Mexican or a Mexican-American who has entered the United States illegally in order to work or live there. [AM , INFORMAL , OFFENSIVE ]
we t bla n|ket (wet blankets ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a wet blanket , you are criticizing them because they refuse to join other people in an enjoyable activity or because they want to stop other people enjoying themselves. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
we t drea m (wet dreams )
1 N‑COUNT If a man has a wet dream , he has a dream about sex which causes him to have an orgasm while he is asleep.
2 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] If someone says that a person or thing is a particular person's wet dream , they are saying in an unkind and mocking way that this person or thing would give that person a lot of pleasure. [INFORMAL , RUDE ]
wet|land /we tlænd/ (wetlands ) N‑VAR [oft N n] A wetland is an area of very wet, muddy land with wild plants growing in it. You can also refer to an area like this as wetlands . □ …a scheme that aims to protect the wilderness of the wetlands. □ There are some areas of wetland which are of ancient origin.
we t nurse (wet nurses ) also wet-nurse N‑COUNT In former times, a wet nurse was a woman who was paid to breast-feed another woman's baby.
we t suit (wet suits ) also wetsuit N‑COUNT A wet suit is a close-fitting rubber suit which an underwater swimmer wears in order to keep their body warm.
we've /w I v, STRONG wiːv/ We've is the usual spoken form of 'we have', especially when 'have' is an auxiliary verb. □ It's the first time we've been to the cinema together as a family.
whack / h wæ k/ (whacks , whacking , whacked )
1 VERB If you whack someone or something, you hit them hard. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] You really have to whack the ball. □ [V n prep] Someone whacked him on the head. ● N‑COUNT Whack is also a noun. □ [+ across ] He gave the donkey a whack across the back with his stick.
2 N‑SING [oft poss N ] Your whack of something is your share of it. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ The majority of people in this country pay their whack. □ [+ of ] We need to win a fair whack of the contracts.
whack|ing / h wæ k I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] You can use whacking to emphasize how big something is. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ The supermarkets may be making whacking profits. ● ADV [ADV adj] Whacking is also an adverb. □ …a whacking great hole.
whacky / h wæ ki/ → see wacky
whale / h we I l/ (whales )
1 N‑COUNT Whales are very large mammals that live in the sea.