Compound Nouns in English: A Detailed List
Compound Nouns: Definitions and Examples
Understanding Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are formed by combining two or more words. These words can be nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Here’s a detailed list with definitions and examples in Spanish:
- After-effect: A bad effect that remains after taking a drug or after an unpleasant event such as an illness (efecto secundario).
- Aftershock: A sudden movement of the Earth’s surface that often follows an earthquake and is less violent than the first main movement (réplica sísmica).
- Aftertaste: The taste that a particular food or other substance leaves in your mouth when you have swallowed it (regusto).
- Downfall: (Something that causes) the usually sudden destruction of a person, organization, or government and their loss of power, money, or health (caída).
- Downpour: A lot of rain in a short time (chaparrón).
- Downturn: A reduction in the amount or success of something, such as a country’s economic activity (bajón).
- Income: Money that is earned from doing work or received from investments (ingresos).
- Intake: The amount of a particular substance that is eaten or drunk during a particular time (consumo).
- Outbreak: A time when something suddenly begins, especially a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant (brote).
- Outburst: A sudden forceful expression of emotion, especially anger (estallido).
- Outcome: A result or effect of an action, situation, etc. (resultado).
- Outcry: A strong expression of anger and disapproval about something, made by a group of people or by the public (protestas).
- Outlay: An amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as a first investment in something (gasto).
- Outlook: The likely future situation (perspectivas).
- Output: An amount of something produced by a person, machine, factory, country, etc. (producción).
- Upbringing: The way in which you are treated and educated when young, especially by your parents, especially in relation to the effect that this has on how you behave and make moral decisions (crianza).
- Update: To give someone the most recent information (actualización).
- Upkeep: The cost or process of keeping something, such as a building, in good condition (mantenimiento).
- Uptake: The rate or act of taking something in (aceptación).
- Backup: (Someone or something that provides) support or help, or something that you have arranged in case your main plans, equipment, etc. go wrong (asistencia, ayuda).
- Breakdown: A failure to work or be successful (ruptura).
- Breakthrough: An important discovery or event that helps to improve a situation or provide an answer to a problem (avance).
- Break-up: The coming to an end of a business or personal relationship, caused by the separation of those involved (ruptura).
- Climbdown: An occasion when you change your opinion or admit that you were wrong (marcha atrás).
- Comeback: An attempt to become famous, powerful, or important again after a period of being much less famous, etc. (vuelta/retorno).
- Giveaway: Something revealing the truth (revelación/señal reveladora).
- Go-ahead: An occasion when permission is given for someone to start doing something or for an event or activity to happen (luz verde).
- Hold-up: A delay (retraso).
- Let-down: Disappointment by not doing what someone promised (decepción).
- Makeover: A set of changes that are intended to make a person or place more attractive (cambio de imagen).
- Meltdown: An occasion when a person becomes extremely upset and is not able to deal with a problem or situation (crisis).
- Mix-up: A mistake that causes confusion (confusión).
- Rip-off: Something that is not worth what you pay for it (timo).
- Setback: Something that happens that delays or prevents a process from developing (revés).
- Set-up: The way in which things are organized or arranged (sistema/organización).
- Standby: When a person or a thing is on standby, they are ready to be used if necessary (en espera).
- Turn-off: Something unappealing (algo poco atractivo).
- Turnout: The number of people who are present at an event, especially the number who go to vote at an election (asistencia).
- Write-off: A vehicle that is too damaged to be worth repairing (siniestro total).
- Write-up: A report or article that makes a judgment about something, such as a play or film (crítica).