Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

wife|ly /wa I fli/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wifely is used to describe things that are supposed to be typical of a good wife. □  She strove to perform all her wifely functions perfectly.

Wi-Fi also wi-fi /wa I fa I / N‑UNCOUNT Wi-Fi is a system of using the internet without being connected with a wire. [COMPUTING ] □  There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. □  You can send data to the printer wirelessly over your wi-fi network.

wig /w I g/ (wigs ) N‑COUNT A wig is a covering of false hair which you wear on your head, for example because you have little hair of your own or because you want to cover up your own hair.

wig|gle /w I g ^ə l/ (wiggles , wiggling , wiggled ) VERB If you wiggle something or if it wiggles , it moves up and down or from side to side in small quick movements. □ [V n] She wiggled her finger. □ [V prep/adv] Your baby will try to shuffle or wiggle along the floor. ● N‑COUNT Wiggle is also a noun. □ [+ of ] …a wiggle of the hips.

wig|wam /w I gwæm, [AM ] -wɑːm/ (wigwams ) N‑COUNT A wigwam is the same as a tepee .

wi|ki /w I k I , -i ː-/ (wikis ) N‑COUNT A wiki is a website that allows anyone visiting it to change or add to the material in it. □  …wiki technology. □  Most wikis are collaborative websites.

wild ◆◆◇ /wa I ld/ (wilds , wilder , wildest )

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wild animals or plants live or grow in natural surroundings and are not looked after by people. □  We saw two more wild cats creeping towards us in the darkness. □  The lane was lined with wild flowers.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wild land is natural and is not used by people. □  Elmley is one of the few wild areas remaining in the South East. ●  wild|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the wildness of the mountains.

3 N‑PLURAL The wilds of a place are the natural areas that are far away from towns. □ [+ of ] They went canoeing in the wilds of Canada.

4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wild is used to describe the weather or the sea when it is stormy. □  The wild weather did not deter some people from swimming in the sea.

5 ADJ Wild behaviour is uncontrolled, excited, or energetic. □ [+ with ] The children are wild with joy. □  As George himself came on stage they went wild. □  They marched into town to the wild cheers of the inhabitants. ●  wild|ly ADV [ADV with v] □  As she finished each song, the crowd clapped wildly.

6 ADJ If you describe someone or their behaviour as wild , you mean that they behave in a very uncontrolled way. □  The house is in a mess after a wild party. ●  wild|ly ADV [ADV with v] □  Five people were injured as Reynolds slashed out wildly with a kitchen knife. ●  wild|ness N‑UNCOUNT □  He had come to love the danger and the wildness of his life.

7 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is wild , they are very angry. [INFORMAL ] □  For a long time I daren't tell him I knew, and when I did he went wild.

8 ADJ [ADJ n] A wild idea is unusual or extreme. A wild guess is one that you make without much thought. □  Browning's prediction is no better than a wild guess. ●  wild|ly ADV □  'Thirteen?' he guessed wildly.

9 → see also wild child , wildly

10 PHRASE If you are wild about someone or something, you like them very much. [INFORMAL ] □  I'm just wild about Peter, and he's just wild about me.

11 PHRASE Animals that live in the wild live in a free and natural state and are not looked after by people. □  Fewer than a thousand giant pandas still live in the wild.

12 PHRASE If something or someone, especially a child, runs wild , they behave in a natural, free, or uncontrolled way.