Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

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.

2 → see also killer whale , sperm whale

3 PHRASE If you say that someone is having a whale of a time , you mean that they are enjoying themselves very much. [INFORMAL ] □  I had a whale of a time in Birmingham.

whal|er / ^h we I lə ^r / (whalers )

1 N‑COUNT A whaler is a ship which is used in hunting whales.

2 N‑COUNT A whaler is someone who works on a ship which is used in hunting whales.

whal|ing / ^h we I l I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Whaling is the activity of hunting and killing whales. □  …a ban on commercial whaling. □  …the whaling industry.

wham / ^h wæ m/ EXCLAM You use wham to indicate that something happens suddenly or forcefully. [INFORMAL ] □  Then I met someone and wham, bam, I was completely in love.

wham|my / ^h wæ mi/ N‑SING [adj N ] Whammy is used in expressions such as double whammy and triple whammy to indicate that two or three unpleasant or difficult situations occur at the same time, or occur one after the other. [mainly JOURNALISM ] □ [+ for ] This is a double whammy for public sector workers.

wharf / ^h wɔː ^r f/ (wharves or wharfs ) N‑COUNT A wharf is a platform by a river or the sea where ships can be tied up.

what ◆◆◆ / ^h wɒ t/

1 PRON You use what in questions when you ask for specific information about something that you do not know. □  What do you want? □  'Has something happened?'—'Indeed it has.'—'What?' □  Hey! What are you doing? ● DET What is also a determiner. □  What time is it? □  'The heater works.'—'What heater?' □  What kind of poetry does he like?