Word
world
US/ˈwɝɫd/
UK/wˈɜːld/
Definitions
01the planet Earth
n. the planet that we live on.
n. the planet Earth, often considered in a physical, geopolitical, or environmental context.
“The ship sailed all the way around the world in eighty days.”
“Environmental scientists are increasingly concerned about the impact of rising temperatures on the world's polar ice caps.”
02human society
n. all the people in the world and the way they live together.
n. the collective human experience or the global community of people.
“The internet has changed the way the whole world communicates.”
“The leader's speech was broadcast live, reaching a world that was eager for news of a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
03a specific area of interest
n. a particular group of things, people, or activities.
n. a specific sphere of activity, interest, or profession.
“She has always wanted to work in the world of fashion.”
“Navigating the complex world of international finance requires both specialized knowledge and a high degree of professional intuition.”
04gaming/fiction
n. a fictional place or a part of a video game.
n. a fictional realm or a discrete subdivision of a game environment.
“I finally reached the third world in the game after playing for hours.”
“The author spent years developing the history and languages of her fantasy world before writing the first chapter of the novel.”
05a great amount
n. a very large amount of something.
n. a significant or vast amount; often used in the phrase 'a world of difference'.
“Getting a good night's sleep did him a world of good.”
“There is a world of difference between theoretical knowledge and the practical skills gained through years of on-the-job experience.”
Informal
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Germanic *weraz Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi Proto-Germanic *alaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *aldiz Proto-Germanic *weraldiz Proto-West Germanic *weraldi Old English weorold Middle English world English world From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic weraldi, from Proto-Germanic weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”). Cognates Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld (“world”), Norn vrildan (“the earth”), Norwegian Bokmål verd, verden (“(the) world”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“world”), Swedish värld (“world”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Related words
Idioms
all over the world — throughout the world, everywhere, worldwide, globally.
best of both worlds — A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.
come into the world — To be born.
coming into the world — The act of being born; a birth.
dead to the world — Sound asleep.
edge of the world — A very remote place.
end of the world — Any change that seems catastrophic or devastating.
for all the world to see — in plain view; clearly visible
have the world by the tail — To possess great influence and opportunity.
it takes all kinds to make a world — Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike; an expression of surprise at a person or people's eccentricity.
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lost to the world — Of a thing, event, etc., no longer used or available; unknown to or forgotten by everyone.
make a noise in the world — To attract great notoriety.
make the world go around — To play an essential role in causing the things in life to work as they should; to underlie the fulfillment of the needs of human existence.
mean the world to — To be loved or cared about a great deal by.
move up in the world — To improve one's social or financial position.
not for the world — Absolutely not; under no circumstances. A defiant no.
not long for this world — Unlikely to endure for much more time.
not the end of the world — (It's of) minor importance, at least not as important as it first seemed.
out of this world — Of exceptionally high quality; wonderful; marvelous.
outside world — The rest of the world outside of some closed, restricted, or remote environment.
set the world on fire — To do something remarkable or sensational.
shot heard round the world — Any cataclysmic event
the whole world and his dog — Everybody; too many people; a huge crowd.
the world over — All over the world; globally; throughout the world.
think the world of — To have a very high opinion of; to have a strong attachment to or affection for; to think highly / a lot of.
too good for this world — Out of this world; of exceptionally high quality; wonderful; marvelous.
watch the world burn — To watch the chaos, pain or death that results from the actions of others or oneself with an attitude of detachment or indifference.
watch the world go by — To pause and remain still whilst doing nothing but surveying the environment around oneself.
weight of the world — The distressing combined burden of the problems, doubts, imperfections, and responsibilities associated with human existence.
welcome to my world — Indicates that the speaker is very experienced with a (usually unpleasant) situation that is new to the interlocutor.
why in the world — used to add emphasis to “why” in a question.
window on the world — Something which provides information about or interaction with a variety of people, places, events, or things outside of one's immediate sphere of experience.
world of difference — A great or insurmountable difference.
world record — Any characteristic or accomplishment that exceeds all other instances of that characteristic or accomplishment.
worlds apart — Vastly different.
worlds away — Vastly different; incompatible.
worst of both worlds — A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/world