whizz / h w I z/ (whizzes , whizzing , whizzed ) VERB If something whizzes somewhere, it moves there very fast. [INFORMAL ] □ [V prep/adv] Stewart felt a bottle whizz past his head. □ [V prep/adv] A car whizzed past.
whi zz-kid (whizz-kids ) also whizzkid , whizz kid N‑COUNT If you refer to a young person as a whizz-kid , you mean that they have achieved success at a young age because they are very clever and very good at something, especially making money. [INFORMAL ] □ …a financial whizz kid. □ …a whizz-kid physics student.
whizzy / h w I zi/ (whizzier , whizziest ) ADJ Whizzy is used to describe products and activities that are new, exciting, and based on the latest technology. [INFORMAL ] □ Japanese camera makers continually introduce whizzy new electronic models.
who ◆◆◆ /huː / Who is used as the subject or object of a verb. See entries at whom and whose . 1 PRON You use who in questions when you ask about the name or identity of a person or group of people. □ Who's there? □ Who is the least popular man around here? □ Who do you work for? □ Who do you suppose will replace her on the show? □ 'You reminded me of somebody.'—'Who?'
2 CONJ You use who after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you talk about the identity of a person or a group of people. □ Police have not been able to find out who was responsible for the forgeries. □ I went over to start up a conversation, asking her who she knew at the party. □ You know who these people are.
3 PRON You use who at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the person or group of people you are talking about or when giving more information about them. □ There are those who eat out for a special occasion, or treat themselves. □ The woman, who needs constant attention, is cared for by relatives.
whoa / h woʊ /
1 EXCLAM Whoa is a command that you give to a horse to slow down or stop.
2 EXCLAM You can say whoa to someone who is talking to you, to indicate that you think they are talking too fast or assuming things that may not be true. [INFORMAL ] □ Slow down! Whoa!
who'd /huː d, huːd/
1 Who'd is the usual spoken form of 'who had', especially when 'had' is an auxiliary verb.
2 Who'd is a spoken form of 'who would'.
who|dun|nit /huːdʌ n I t/ (whodunnits ) also whodunit N‑COUNT A whodunnit is a novel, film, or play which is about a murder and which does not tell you who the murderer is until the end. [INFORMAL ]
who|ever /huːe və r /
1 CONJ You use whoever to refer to someone when their identity is not yet known. □ Whoever wins the election is going to have a tough job getting the economy back on its feet. □ Ben, I want whoever's responsible to come forward.
2 CONJ You use whoever to indicate that the actual identity of the person who does something will not affect a situation. □ You can have whoever you like to visit you. □ Everybody who goes into this region, whoever they are, is at risk of being taken hostage.
3 ADV You use whoever in questions as an emphatic way of saying 'who', usually when you are surprised about something. [EMPHASIS ] □ Ridiculous! Whoever suggested such a thing?
whole ◆◆◆ /hoʊ l/ (wholes )
1 QUANT If you refer to the whole of something, you mean all of it. □ [+ of ] Early in the eleventh century the whole of England was conquered by the Vikings. □ [+ of ] I was cold throughout the whole of my body. □ [+ of ] …the whole of August. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Whole is also an adjective. □ He'd been observing her the whole trip. □ We spent the whole summer in Italy that year.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A whole is a single thing which contains several different parts. □ An atom itself is a complete whole, with its electrons, protons and neutrons.
3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If something is whole , it is in one piece and is not broken or damaged. □ I struck the glass with my fist with all my might; yet it remained whole. □ Small bones should be avoided as the dog may swallow them whole and risk internal injury.
4 ADV [ADV adj] You use whole to emphasize what you are saying. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ It was like seeing a whole different side of somebody. □ His father had helped invent a whole new way of doing business. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Whole is also an adjective. □ That saved me a whole bunch of money.
5 PHRASE If you refer to something as a whole , you are referring to it generally and as a single unit. □ He described the move as a victory for the people of South Africa as a whole. □ As a whole we do not eat enough fibre in Britain.
6 PHRASE You use on the whole to indicate that what you are saying is true in general but may not be true in every case, or that you are giving a general opinion or summary of something. □ On the whole, people miss the opportunity to enjoy leisure. SYNONYMS whole ADJ 1
entire: He had spent his entire life in China as a doctor.
totaclass="underline" The total cost of the project would be more than $240 million.
complete: A complete tenement block was burnt to the ground.
fulclass="underline" …a full tank of petrol.
whole|food /hoʊ lfuːd/ (wholefoods ) N‑VAR Wholefoods are foods which have not been processed much and which have not had artificial ingredients added. [mainly BRIT ] □ It pays to avoid food additives and eat only wholefoods.