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and having natural qualities; not bred, grown, or produced by humans; not TAME or CULTIVATED: *a wild elephant/rabbit* | *Some wild flowers are growing in a corner of the garden.* | *wild land* (=not lived in or cultivated) | *wild honey* **2** (especially of a person or animal) violent and uncontrollable in behaviour: *a wild dog* | *He had a wild look in his eyes.* **3** (of natural forces) violent; strong: *a wild wind* | *It's a wild night tonight.* (=with very strong wind, rain etc) **4** showing strong uncontrolled feelings: *wild with anger/with grief* | *His speech was greeted with wild applause.* **5** showing lack of thought, order, or direction: *a wild idea* | *I'll make a wild guess.* (=because I don't know the facts) | *a wild throw* **6** *infml* *apprec, old-fash* extremely good, especially in an exciting way: *That was a really wild party last night!* **7** [F+*about*] extremely eager for or excited about, often to an unreasonable degree: *My son's wild about racing cars.* **8** (of cards in card games) having no fixed value but rather one determined by the player or the rules of the game: *Are jokers wild in this game?* **9** **wild horses would/could not drag sb.** *also* **wild horses would/could not make, force etc sb.** used in order to emphasize that you do not want to do something, and will not do it: *Gloria has invited me, but wild horses would not drag me to that wedding.* | *I've never understood why Robinson Crusoe wanted to be rescued; wild horses could not have made me leave an island paradise like his.* **-ness** *n* [U] **-ly** *adv*: *The mob ran wildly through the town.* | *a wildly inaccurate estimate***wild²** *n* **1 in the wild** in the natural state in which an animal usually lives: *Most of these animals are in zoos now - there are very few still living in the wild.* **2 the wilds** a distant natural area with few people: *He lives somewhere out in the wilds of Scotland.***wild³** *adv* *infml* **1 go wild** to be filled with strong feeling, especially eagerness, joy, or anger: *The critics went wild over his new play.* **2 run wild** to behave as one likes, without control: *They let their children run wild.***,wild 'boar** *n* a large fierce hairy European wild pig that is often hunted. The wild boar is no longer found in Britain.
**'wild ,card** *n* **1** (in card games) a card which can represent any other card in points or value: *You can only get five of a kind if you're using wild cards.* $\rightarrow$ see also WILD¹ **2** a person or thing whose behaviour in a future situation cannot be known or guessed at very well, especially an UNSEEDED (=unranked) player in a sports contest **3** *tech* a character which can represent any other in some computer and WORD-PROCESSING commands: *Use the asterisk as a wild card in directory searches.***wild·cat** /'waɪldkæt/ *n* **1** a naturally wild cat, especially one that looks like a pet cat, but is very fierce **2** *infml* a person, especially a woman, who shows sudden violent bad temper**,wildcat 'strike** *n* a sudden unofficial stopping of work
**Wilde, Oscar** /waɪld/ (1854-1900) an Irish writer of poems, stories, and especially humorous plays. He is best known for his play THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and for his novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. He was famous for his WIT, and many of the clever and funny things he said in conversations are still remembered. For example, as he was dying, he said 'Either that wallpaper goes or I do'. He was sent to prison for being HOMOSEXUAL, which was illegal in the UK at that time.**Oscar Wilde**
**wil·de·beest** /'wɪldɪbiːst/ *n pl.* **wildebeest** or **wildebeests** a GNU
**Wil·der, Billy** /'waɪldə/ (1906-2002) a US film DIRECTOR, who was born in Austria, who made both serious and humorous films, including SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) and SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)**Wilder, Lau·ra In·galls** /'lɔːrə 'ɪŋɡəlz/ (1867-1957) a US writer known for her series of novels for children known as the 'Little House' books, that are based on her life as a child in the MIDWEST, when her family were among the first white people to live there. The popular television series LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1974-82) was based on her books.**Wilder, Thornton** (1897-1975) a US writer known especially for his plays *Our Town* and *The Skin of Our Teeth*
**wil·der·ness** /'wɪldənəsl-dər-/ *n* **1** [the+S] *old use or bibl* an area of land with little natural life, especially a desert; in the Bible Christ goes into the wilderness alone to pray and while he is there he is tempted (TEMPT) by the devil **2** an area in its natural state where there are no signs of humans: *We went camping in the beautiful wilderness of West Virginia.* | *The mountain lion rarely leaves the wilderness.* **3** [C(of)] usually *derog* any place where there is no sign of human presence or control: *That garden's a wilderness.* | *The city has become a lawless wilderness.* **4** [the+S] the state of being away from power or from the centre of an activity, especially out of political life: *Churchill spent many years in the political wilderness before being called back to become prime minister.* **5 a voice crying in the wilderness** *phrase from the Bible* a call or warning that nobody takes any notice of: *I'm afraid I'm just a voice crying in the wilderness.***'wilderness ,area** *n AmE* an area of public land, often within a National Forest, on which no development (e.g. roads or buildings) is permitted in order to keep it in its natural state: *The Weimanuche Wilderness Area* | *Does Arkansas have any wilderness areas?***wild·fire** /'waɪldfaɪə/ *n* **like wildfire** quickly and uncontrollably: *The news spread like wildfire.*
**wild·fowl** /'waɪldfaʊl/ *n* [P] birds that are shot for sport, especially ones that live near water, such as ducks
**,wild-'goose chase** *n infml* a useless search or chase after something that does not exist or cannot be found: *We went to look for him at the library, but it was a complete wild-goose chase; he'd been at home all the time.* | *She sent me on a wild-goose chase.***wild·life** /'waɪldlaɪf/ *n* [U] animals and plants which live and grow in natural conditions: *a naturalist studying the wildlife of the area* | *a wildlife park***,wild 'oats n sow one's wild oats** to behave wildly while young, especially having many sexual partners, although expecting to live a quiet life in future. In the past it used to be considered a good or usual thing for a man to have several sexual partners before he got married, but a very bad thing for a woman. Today men and women are still judged differently by society but it is now more acceptable for a woman to have the same amount of sexual experience as a man.**,wild 'rice** *n* [U] the seed of a wild grass which grows in parts of North America and China
**,Wild 'West, the** the western US, where many European SETTLERS moved during the 19th century to establish new farms and new cities**CULTURAL NOTE** In the US, people think of the Wild West as being an exciting but violent place, where not many people obeyed the law. It is also seen as a place where people were able to be very independent. Films, stories, and television programmes about the Wild West usually have GUNFIGHTS between bad COWBOYS and the town's SHERIFF or good cowboys. These stories may not be based on fact, but they are how people imagine cowboys lived in the past.**Wile E. Coy·o·te** /ˌwaɪli kar'əʊti/ *trademark* a character that appears in the Road Runner CARTOONS. He is a hungry COYOTE that is always running after the Road Runner, a bird that cannot fly but which he never succeeds in catching.**wiles** /waɪlz/ *n* [P] *fml or lit* tricks and deceit, used especially as a way of persuading $\rightarrow$ see also WILY
**wil·ful** *BrE* || **willful** *AmE* /'wɪlfəl/ *adj* **1** *derog* showing a strong unreasonable determination to do what one wants, in spite of other people: *a wilful child* | *wilful disregard of our advice* **2** [A] (especially of something bad) done on purpose: *wilful neglect/murder* **-ly** *adv* **-ness** *n* [U]**wi·li·ness** /'waɪlɪnəs/ *n* [U] the quality of being WILY
**Wil·kin·son, Jon·ny** /'wɪlkɪnsən, 'dʒɒni/ (1979-) a British RUGBY UNION player who has played for Newcastle Falcons and for the English national team. His position is
