wonder
( wonders plural & 3rd person present) ( wondering present participle) ( wondered past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you wonderabout something, you think about it, either because it interests you and you want to know more about it, or because you are worried or suspicious about it.
I wondered what that noise was... V wh
`He claims to be her father,' said Max. `We've been wondering about him.'... V about n
But there was something else, too. Not hard evidence, but it made me wonder. V
2 verb If you wonderat something, you are very surprised about it or think about it in a very surprised way.
Walk down Castle Street, admire our little jewel of a cathedral, then wonder at the castle... V at n
We all wonder you're still alive. V that
3 n-sing If you say that it is a wonderthat something happened, you mean that it is very surprising and unexpected.
It's a wonder that it took almost ten years..., The wonder is that Olivier was not seriously hurt.
4 n-uncount Wonder is a feeling of great surprise and pleasure that you have, for example when you see something that is very beautiful, or when something happens that you thought was impossible.
`That's right!' Bobby exclaimed in wonder. `How did you remember that?'...
5 n-count A wonder is something that causes people to feel great surprise or admiration.
usu the N of n/-ing
...a lecture on the wonders of space and space exploration., ...the wonder of seeing his name in print...
6 adj If you refer, for example, to a young man as a wonder boy, or to a new product as a wonder drug, you mean that they are believed by many people to be very good or very effective.
ADJ n
Mickelson was hailed as the wonder boy of American golf...
7 You can say `I wonder' if you want to be very polite when you are asking someone to do something, or when you are asking them for their opinion or for information.
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I wonder phrase V inflects, usu PHR wh (politeness)
I was just wondering if you could help me...
8 If you say `no wonder', `little wonder', or `small wonder', you mean that something is not surprising.
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no/little/small wonder phrase PHR that
No wonder my brother wasn't feeling well..., Under such circumstances, it is little wonder that they experience difficulties...
9 You can say `No wonder' when you find out the reason for something that has been puzzling you for some time.
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no wonder phrase PHR that
Brad was Jane's brother! No wonder he reminded me so much of her!
10 If you say that a person or thing works wonders or does wonders, you mean that they have a very good effect on something.
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work/do wonders phrase V inflects, oft PHR for n/-ing, PHR with/on n
A few moments of relaxation can work wonders...