Definition of 'acid'
Word forms: plural acids
1. variable noun
2. adjective
An acid substance contains acid.
These shrubs must have an acid, lime-free soil.
3. graded adjective
An acid fruit or drink has a sour or sharp taste.
A tomatillo is a small green Mexican fruit with a delicate and slightly acid taste.
acidity uncountable noun
Taste, and adjust the acidity of the fruit by adding a pinch of sugar if required.
4. graded adjective
This comedy of contemporary manners is told with compassion and acid humour.
acidly graded adverb [usually ADVERB with verb, also ADVERB adjective]
'You don't know how to be a mother and you never did,' she said acidly.
6. See also amino acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, nucleic acid, sulphuric acid
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of 'acid'
noun
1.
any substance that dissociates in water to yield a sour corrosive solution containing hydrogen ions, having a pH of less than 7, and turning litmus red
See also Lewis acid2.
a sour-tasting substance
3. a slang name for LSD
adjective
4. chemistry
b.
being or having the properties of an acid
sodium bicarbonate is an acid salt
8.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
adverb
acidness (ˈacidness)
noun
acidy (ˈacidy)
adjective
Word origin of 'acid'
adjective
2.
sharp or sarcastic in temperament or speech
3.
that is, or has the properties of, an acid
4.
having too heavy a concentration of acid
noun
5.
a sour substance
7. Chemistry
any compound that can react with a base to form a salt, the hydrogen of the acid being replaced by a positive ion; in modern theory, any substance that produces a positive ion and accepts electrons from a base to form covalent bonds: in water solution an acid tastes sour, turns blue litmus paper red, and, in the dissociation theory, produces free hydrogen ions
see also pH SIMILAR WORDS: sour
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
adverb
acidness (ˈacidness)
noun
Example sentences containing 'acid'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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Your other medicines ease the muscle spasm and empty acid from your stomach faster. The Sun (2016)And the one with acid rain. Times, Sunday Times (2017)The foods naturally cut acid in the body, which diseased organs fail to do. The Sun (2016)The acid test will come when we get to Germany. Times, Sunday Times (2016)When you digest a protein, essential amino acids are absorbed. Times, Sunday Times (2017)The acid test comes then. The Sun (2016)It contains an amino acid that converts into a chemical called serotonin and, apparently, an imbalance can affect your mood and sleep. The Sun (2016)Many have suffered acid or fire burns. Times, Sunday Times (2010)When acid from the stomach leaks up into the oesophagus it can lead to heartburn. The Sun (2016)This is already done when a free form amino acid capsule is taken. The Beat Fatigue Workbook - how to identify the causes (1988)Do not boil too long with an acid food or it will not set. Food Watch (1994)The soils vary from acid to basic and carry a wide range of plants. A Guide to Britain's Conservation Heritage (1991)The muscles can get quite tight and it flushes out the lactic acid. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The process of substituting one amino acid for another in a protein is not an instantaneous one. The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)Another criticism is that the fruit sugar and acid in an apple are bad news for teeth. Times, Sunday Times (2011)This cooled the planet and caused acid rain. The Sun (2009)They tickle acid house classics in a folk style. The Sun (2011)Like somebody put acid in my drink. Times, Sunday Times (2014)Guilt burns like acid in my veins. Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)We all have acid in our stomachs to help digest our food. The Sun (2009)But sometimes it results from medication or bowel trouble such as excess acid or food intolerance. The Sun (2011)The next thing to explore is whether your soil is acid or alkaline. Times, Sunday Times (2008)But the acid test comes when you set the cost of servicing and repaying debts against the benefits of instant gratification. Times, Sunday Times (2006)What are its component amino acids? Times, Sunday Times (2010)We smoked weed, we dropped acid. Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Word Lists
Trends of 'acid'
Very Common. acid is one of the 4000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for 'acid'
British English: acid
/ˈæsɪd/ NOUN
An acid is a chemical, usually a liquid, that can burn your skin and cause damage to other substances.
As you can see, the acid damaged the metal bowl.
- American English: acid
- Arabic: حَمْض
- Brazilian Portuguese: ácido
- Chinese: 酸
- Croatian: kiselina
- Czech: kyselina
- Danish: syre
- Dutch: zuur
- European Spanish: ácido
- Finnish: happo
- French: acide
- German: Säure
- Greek: οξύ
- Italian: acido
- Japanese: 酸
- Korean: 산
- Norwegian: syre
- Polish: kwas
- European Portuguese: ácido
- Romanian: acid
- Russian: кислота
- Spanish: ácido
- Swedish: syra
- Thai: กรด
- Turkish: asit
- Ukrainian: кислота
- Vietnamese: axit
Nearby words of 'acid'
Source
Definition of acid from the
Collins English Dictionary
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