Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

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.