dense

Everyday

1. Thick, with things packed closely together: "a dense forest", "dense fog". tree →
2. In science, having a lot of mass packed into a small space; dense things feel heavy for their size. tree →
3. Informal and unkind: slow to understand. tree →

In the lessons

In science, density explains floating and sinking: objects denser than water sink, and objects less dense than water float. Iron is denser than wood. In geography, a dense population means many people living close together. In safety, dense fog makes it hard to see on roads. Phrases: dense fog, dense forest, dense crowd, denser than water.

Examples

• We got lost in the dense forest. tree →
• Drive slowly in dense fog. tree →
• A stone sinks because it is denser than water. tree →
• Oil floats on water because it is less dense. tree →
• The crowd was so dense we couldn't move. tree →
• Cities are densely populated. tree →
• Well, they walked and walked till they reached a dark, dense forest. tree →

Note

Comparatives: denser, densest. The noun is "density". Trap: big does not mean dense; a big beach ball floats, but a small stone sinks. Calling someone "dense" is unkind.