about the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Egypt.
2 a highly developed and organized way of life
civilized; also spelt civilised
ADJECTIVE 1 A civilized society is one with a highly developed social organization and a comfortable way of life.
2 A civilized person is polite and reasonable.
civil war civil wars
NOUN a war between groups of people who live in the same country
claim claims, claiming, claimed
VERB 1 If you claim that something is the case, you say that it is so.
2 If you claim something, you ask for it because you believe you have a right to it.
clamber clambers, clambering, clambered
VERB If you clamber somewhere, you climb there with difficulty. • We clambered over the rocks to get to the beach.
clammy clammier, clammiest
ADJECTIVE unpleasantly damp and sticky • The weather was very clammy.
clamp clamps, clamping, clamped
NOUN 1 a device that holds something firmly in place
VERB 2 When you clamp one thing to another, you fasten them together with a clamp.
clan clans
NOUN a group of families related to each other by being descended from the same ancestor
clang clangs, clanging, clanged
VERB When something made of metal clangs, or when you clang it, it makes a loud, ringing sound.
clank clanks, clanking, clanked
VERB When something clanks, it makes a loud, metallic sound.
clap claps, clapping, clapped
VERB 1 When you clap, you hit your hands together loudly to show that you have enjoyed something or that you approve of something.
NOUN 2 a sudden loud noise of thunder
clarify clarifies, clarifying, clarified
VERB If you clarify something, you make it clear and easier to understand.
clarification NOUN
clarinet clarinets
NOUN a woodwind instrument with a straight tube and a single reed in its mouthpiece
clarity
NOUN The clarity of something is its clearness. • The clarity of the water made me think it was very clean.
clash clashes, clashing, clashed
VERB 1 Colours or ideas that clash are so different that they do not go together. • Debbie’s red shirt clashed with her green shorts.
2 If one event clashes with another, they happen at the same time, so you cannot go to both.
3 If people clash with each other, they fight or argue.
clasp clasps, clasping, clasped
VERB 1 If you clasp something, you hold it tightly.
NOUN 2 a fastening such as a hook or a catch
class classes
NOUN 1 a group of pupils or students taught together, or a lesson that they have together
2 A class of people or things is a group of them of a particular type. • Beetles and ants belong to different classes of insect.
SYNONYMS: group, kind, type
classic
ADJECTIVE Something described as classic is considered a high quality example of something. • He has a classic car.
classical
ADJECTIVE 1 traditional in style and content • classical ballet
2 Classical music is serious music thought to be of lasting value.
classify classifies, classifying, classified
VERB to arrange things into groups with something in common • We classified the foods into three groups: fruits, vegetables and meats.
classification NOUN
classroom classrooms
NOUN a room in a school where lessons take place
clatter clatters, clattering, clattered
VERB 1 When things clatter, they hit each other with a loud, rattling noise.
NOUN 2 a loud noise made by hard things hitting against each other • There was a great clatter when the waitress dropped the tray.
clause clauses
NOUN In grammar, a clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb, which may be a complete sentence or part of a sentence.
claw claws, clawing, clawed
NOUN 1 An animal’s claws are the hard, curved nails at the end of its feet.
2 The claws of a crab or a lobster are the two jointed parts at the end of the leg, used for holding things.
VERB 3 3 If an animal claws something, it digs its claws into it
clay
NOUN a type of earth that is soft and sticky when wet and hard when baked dry. It is used to make pottery and bricks.
clean cleaner, cleanest; cleans, cleaning, cleaned
ADJECTIVE 1 free from dirt or unwanted marks
VERB 2 to remove dirt from something
clear clearer, clearest; clears, clearing, cleared
ADJECTIVE 1 easy to understand, see or hear • The instructions on the packet were very clear.
2 easy to see through • a clear liquid
VERB 3 To clear unwanted things from a place is to remove them. • We cleared the dirty dishes from the table.
4 If you clear a fence or other obstacle, you jump over it without touching it.
clearly ADVERB
clear up
VERB When you clear up a place, you tidy
