| wharfinger | n. | person in charge of a wharf | ||
| whatnot | n. | stand with shelves for displaying small items; non-specified thing | ||
| wheal | n. | small, reddened swelling of the skin, usually circular and often accompanied with burning or itching | ||
| wheeze | n. | whistling sound of difficult breathing; comic gag or old joke frequently used or repeated | ||
| whelm | v. | to overturn; to overcome; to submerge, to engulf | ||
| whence | adv. | from what place?; from what source or cause? | ||
| wherry | n. | light rowboat | ||
| whilere | adv. | some time ago, formerly | archaic | |
| whilom | adj. | former; (adv.) at one time | ||
| whinge | v. | to whine, to complain | British | |
| whipster | n. | know-it-all, smart aleck | ||
| whirlicue | n. | merry-go-round | ||
| whither | adv. | to where? to what place?; to what end? | ||
| whitlow | n. | infection of the tip of the finger or toe, usually suppurating | ||
| Whitsunday | n. | Sunday seven weeks after Easter, Holy Day celebrating descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; Pentecost | ||
| whoozit | n. | thing, whatchamacallit; person | ||
| wicket | n. | small door or opening, often placed in or beside a larger door, for use when the larger entrance is closed | ||
| widdershins | adv. | in a direction opposite to the usual, the wrong way; in a direction opposite to the sun’s course through the sky (also withershins) | ||
| wideawake | n. | black or brown felt hat with wide brim and lowish crown, Quaker hat | ||
| widow’s peak | n. | prominent point in center of the hairline, esp. in receding hairline of older men | idiom | |
| williwaw | n. | savage squall off cragged coasts in near-polar waters | ||
| wily beguily | n. | crafty person caught by their own trickery | obsolete | |
| wimple | n. | medieval head covering for women formed from cloth over the head draped around the neck | ||
| windrow | n. | row of hay or other such product laid out for drying | ||
| winkle | v. | prise or dig from confined place | ||
| winklepickers | n. | shoes with long pointed toe | ||
| wit | v. | to know, to be aware of | archaic | |
| withe | n. | pliant twig or stem used for binding | ||
| witter | v. | to talk on and on about pointless things | British | |
| wittol | n. | knowing cuckold | ||
| wizened | adj. | dried up, shriveled, withered | ||
| wodge | n. | lump, wad | colloquial | |
| wrack | n. | destruction due to violence; ruin, catastrophic change for the worse; remnant left behind after destructive force | ||
| wrick | v. | (also rick) to wrench, twist, or sprain | ||
| writing-block | n. | small board or firm tablet upon which to set paper for writing, used in travel | ||
| wrong-foot | v. | to cause an sports opponent to mistake intentions by making an unexpected action; to catch someone off guard, to surprise someone and take them at a disadvantage | slang | |
| xerostomia | n. | dry mouth | ||
| yadder | v. | to talk meaninglessly, to speak of trivialities; to brace with a stake | ||
| yarak | n. | (of a hawk) in prime condition for hunting | ||
| yataghan | n. | Ottoman doubly curved saber | ||
| yeet | v. | to throw something with great force; general affirmative exclamation | slang | |
| yester | adj. | of or relating to yesterday | archaic | |
| yobbo | n. | yob, young lout | British | |
| yoctosecond | n. | 10−24 seconds, one septillion of a second, one trillionth of a trillionth of a second | ||
| yoicks | int. | fox hunting cry used to urge on the hounds; exclamation of exultation or excitement | ||
| yonks | n. | a very long time | British | |
| younker | n. | youngster | ||
| zareba | n. | protective enclosure, as of thorn bushes or stakes | ||
| zendado | n. | sendal, light cloth of silk; veil made of such cloth | ||
| Zepp | n. | sausage | slang |
