Vocabulary Definitions

Accumulate

• Meaning: Gather together or acquire an increasing number or quantity.
• Example: Investigators have yet to accumulate enough evidence.

Articulate

• Meaning: To express or explain your thoughts or feelings clearly in words.
• Example: She struggled to articulate her thoughts.

Compile

• Meaning: Produce a list or book by assembling information collected from other sources.
• Example: The local authority must compile a list of the names and addresses of taxpayers.

Confound

• Meaning: To confuse and surprise somebody.
• Example: The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists.

Contemplate

• Meaning: To think about whether you should do something.
• Example: You are too young to be contemplating retirement.

Crinkle

• Meaning: To become covered with or form a lot of small folds or lines, especially in skin, cloth, or paper.
• Example: Her face crinkled up in a smile.

Designate

• Meaning: To describe somebody or something in a particular way.
• Example: The school has been designated a specialist Science Academy.

Detain

• Meaning: To keep somebody in an official place such as a police station, prison, or hospital, and prevent them from leaving.
• Example: One man has been detained for questioning.

Deviate

• Meaning: To be different from something.
• Example: The bus had to deviate from its usual route because of a road closure.

Dissolve

• Meaning: To disappear or make something disappear.
• Example: The lights in the windows faded and the house dissolved into darkness.

Elaborate

• Meaning: Very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized.
• Example: She had prepared a very elaborate meal.

Evoke

• Meaning: Bring or recall a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind.
• Example: The sight evoked pleasant memories of his childhood.

Exacerbate

• Meaning: Make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse.
• Example: His aggressive reaction only exacerbated the situation.

Extract

• Meaning: Remove or take out, especially by effort or force.
• Example: The fossils are extracted from the core.

Forge

• Meaning: To put a lot of effort into making something successful or strong so that it will last.
• Example: She forged a new career in the music business.

Frown

• Meaning: To make a serious, angry, or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead.
• Example: She frowned with concentration.

Furnish

• Meaning: To put furniture in a house, room, etc.
• Example: The room was furnished with antiques.

Gleam

• Meaning: To shine with a pale, clear light.
• Example: The house was gleaming with fresh white paint.

Groan

• Meaning: To make a long, deep sound because you are annoyed, upset, or in pain or with pleasure.
• Examples: Groan with something; groan at something. We all groaned at his terrible jokes.

Haggle

• Meaning: To argue with somebody in order to reach an agreement, especially about the price of something.
• Example: You can sometimes haggle a good discount.

Lure

• Meaning: To persuade or trick somebody to go somewhere or to do something by promising them a reward.
• Example: Young people are lured to the city by the prospect of a job and money.

Necessitate

• Meaning: To make something necessary.
• Example: His new job necessitated him getting up at 6.

Preach

• Meaning: To give a religious talk in a public place, especially in a church during a service.
• Example: She preached to the congregation about forgiveness.

Pound

• Meaning: To hit or beat repeatedly with a lot of force.
• Example: Nearly 50 people are still missing after the storm pounded the coast.

Reside

• Meaning: To live in a particular place.
• Example: People who work in the city actually reside in neighboring towns.

Scold

• Meaning: To speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong.
• Example: Rose scolded the child gently for her bad behavior.

Speculate

• Meaning: Form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence.
• Example: My colleagues speculate about my private life.

Sputter

• Meaning: To speak quickly and with difficulty.
• Example: Her father sputtered with indignation.

Strive

• Meaning: To try very hard to achieve something.
• Example: We encourage all members to strive for the highest standards.

Subtract

• Meaning: To take away something from something else so as to decrease the size, number, or amount.
• Example: Programs were added and subtracted as called for.