vocabulary

Universal Words noun (plural vocabularies) 1 [C,U] all the words that a person knows or uses: to have a wide / limited vocabulary * your active vocabulary (= the words that you use) * your passive vocabulary (= the words that you understand but don't use) * Reading will increase your vocabulary. * The word 'failure' is not in his vocabulary (= for him, failure does not exist). 2 [C] all the words in a particular language: When did the word 'bungalow' first enter the vocabulary? 3 [C,U] the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject: The word has become part of advertising vocabulary. 4 (also informal vocab ) [C,U] a list of words with their meanings, especially in a book for learning a foreign language