cow|er /kaʊ ə r / (cowers , cowering , cowered ) VERB If you cower , you bend forward and downwards because you are very frightened. □ [V ] The hostages cowered in their seats.
cow|hide /kaʊ ha I d/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Cowhide is leather made from the skin of a cow. □ …cowhide boots.
cowl /kaʊ l/ (cowls ) N‑COUNT A cowl is a large loose hood covering a person's head, or their head and shoulders. Cowls are worn especially by monks.
co -wo rker (co-workers ) N‑COUNT Your co-workers are the people you work with, especially people on the same job or project as you.
cow|pat /kaʊ pæt/ (cowpats ) also cow pat N‑COUNT A cowpat is a pile of faeces from a cow.
cow|shed /kaʊ ʃed/ (cowsheds ) N‑COUNT A cowshed is a building where cows are kept or milked.
cow|slip /kaʊ sl I p/ (cowslips ) N‑COUNT A cowslip is a small wild plant with yellow, sweet-smelling flowers.
cox /kɒ ks/ (coxes ) N‑COUNT In a rowing boat, the cox is the person who gives instructions to the rowers.
cox|swain /kɒ ks ə n/ (coxswains ) N‑COUNT The coxswain of a lifeboat or other small boat is the person who steers the boat.
coy /kɔ I /
1 ADJ A coy person is shy, or pretends to be shy, about love and sex. □ She is modest without being coy. ● coy|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ She smiled coyly at Algie as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is being coy , they are unwilling to talk about something that they feel guilty or embarrassed about. □ [+ about ] Mr Alexander is not the slightest bit coy about his ambitions. ● coy|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ The administration coyly refused to put a firm figure on the war's costs.
coy|ote /ka I oʊ ti/ (coyotes ) N‑COUNT A coyote is a small wolf which lives in the plains of North America.
coy|pu /kɔ I puː/ (coypus ) N‑COUNT A coypu is a large South American rodent which lives near water.
cozy /koʊ zi/ → see cosy
Cpl. N‑TITLE Cpl. is the written abbreviation for corporal when it is used as a title. □ …Cpl. G. Walker.
CPR /siː piː ɑː r / N‑UNCOUNT CPR is a medical technique for reviving someone whose heart has stopped beating by pressing on their chest and breathing into their mouth. CPR is an abbreviation for cardiopulmonary resuscitation . [MEDICAL ] □ McMullen performed CPR while other bystanders called 911.
CPU /siː piː juː / (CPUs ) N‑COUNT In a computer, the CPU is the part that processes all the data and makes the computer work. CPU is an abbreviation for 'central processing unit'. [COMPUTING ]
crab /kræ b/ (crabs ) N‑COUNT A crab is a sea creature with a flat round body covered by a shell, and five pairs of legs with large claws on the front pair. Crabs usually move sideways. ● N‑UNCOUNT Crab is the flesh of this creature eaten as food.
cra b ap|ple (crab apples ) N‑COUNT A crab apple is a tree like an apple tree that produces small sour fruit.
crab|by /kræ bi/ (crabbier , crabbiest ) ADJ Someone who is crabby is bad-tempered and unpleasant to people. [INFORMAL ]
crab|meat /kræ bmiːt/ also crab meat N‑UNCOUNT Crabmeat is the part of a crab that you eat.
crack
➊ VERB USES
➋ NOUN AND ADJECTIVE USES
➊ crack ◆◇◇ /kræ k/ (cracks , cracking , cracked )
1 VERB If something hard cracks , or if you crack it, it becomes slightly damaged, with lines appearing on its surface. □ [V ] A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage and gas had seeped into our homes. □ [V n] Crack the salt crust on the fish and you will find the skin just peels off.
2 VERB If something cracks , or if you crack it, it makes a sharp sound like the sound of a piece of wood breaking. □ [V ] Thunder cracked in the sky. □ [V n] He cracked his fingers nervously.
3 VERB If you crack a hard part of your body, such as your knee or your head, you hurt it by accidentally hitting it hard against something. □ [V n] He cracked his head on the pavement and was knocked cold.
4 VERB When you crack something that has a shell, such as an egg or a nut, you break the shell in order to reach the inside part. □ [V n] Crack the eggs into a bowl.
5 VERB If you crack a problem or a code, you solve it, especially after a lot of thought. □ [V n] He has finally cracked the system after years of painstaking research.
6 VERB If someone cracks , they lose control of their emotions or actions because they are under a lot of pressure. [INFORMAL ] □ [V ] She's calm and strong, and she is just not going to crack.
7 VERB If your voice cracks when you are speaking or singing, it changes in pitch because you are feeling a strong emotion. □ [V ] Her voice cracked and she began to cry.
8 VERB If you crack a joke, you tell it. □ [V n] Somebody cracked a joke and we all laughed.
9 → see also cracked , cracking
10 PHRASE If you say that something is not all it's cracked up to be , you mean that it is not as good as other people have said it is. [INFORMAL ] □ Package holidays are not always all they're cracked up to be.
▸ crack down
1 PHRASAL VERB If people in authority crack down on a group of people, they become stricter in making the group obey rules or laws. □ [V P + on ] The government has cracked down hard on those campaigning for greater democracy. □ [V P ] There has been a lot of drinking. We are cracking down now. Anyone who gets caught is fired.