world
/wɜːld/ IELTSAcademic
noun
The world is the Earth, or all the people and places on it. It can also mean a large area of human activity, like business or sport.
- Travel can change how you see the world.
- She works in the world of finance.
Adinary Nuance
World is broader than Earth. Use world when you mean the planet, human society, or a whole field of activity. It is more general than globe, which usually means the planet or a round model. It is also wider than universe, which includes space, stars, and everything that exists.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thế giới
- Spanish
- mundo
- Chinese
- 世界
- Japanese
- 世界
- Korean
- 세계
Etymology
World comes from Old English weorold, meaning 'human life' or 'age of man'. It is related to words for 'man' and 'age' in old Germanic languages.
Common phrases
the whole worldaround the worldthe real worldthe world of work
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is world the same as Earth?
- Often, yes. Earth is the scientific name, while world is more general.
- What is the difference between world and universe?
- World usually means Earth or human society. Universe means all space and everything in it.
- Can I say 'the world of business'?
- Yes. It means the area or industry of business.