Words 3 Flashcards
to fight or struggle with someone, holding them tightly SYN wrestle
_______ ____ something phrasal verb
to try hard to deal with or understand something difficult
grap‧ple / ɡræp ə l / verb [ intransitive ]
grapple with
Two men grappled with a guard at the door.
grapple with something phrasal verb
The Government has to grapple with the problem of unemployment.
Molly’s upstairs grappling with her maths homework.
a deep feeling of hatred towards something
ab‧hor‧rence / əbhɒrəns $ -hɔr- / noun [ uncountable ] formal
1 attach [ intransitive and transitive ]
to attach something to something else using a substance, or to become attached to a surface
2 push in [ intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition ] if a pointed object _______s into something, or if you _______ it there, it is pushed into it
3 put [ transitive always + adverb/preposition ] informal to put something somewhere quickly and without much care SYN bung
4 move part of body [ transitive always + adverb/preposition ]
if you _____ a part of your body somewhere, you put it in a position where other people can see it SYN put
5 difficult to move [ intransitive ]
if something _______s, it becomes fixed in one position and is difficult to move
6 _____ in sb’s mind
if something _____s in your mind, you remember it well because it is unusual or interesting
7 make something _____ informal
a) to prove that something is true
b) to make a change become permanent
8 name [ intransitive ]
if a name that someone has invented _______s, people continue using it
9 somebody can _______ something spoken
used to say angrily that you do not want what someone is offering you
10 stay in bad situation [ transitive ] British English spoken to continue to accept a situation or person, even though you do not like them SYN stand
11 _____ in sb’s throat/gullet British English , _____ in sb’s craw American English
if a situation or someone’s behaviour _____s in your throat, it is so annoying that you cannot accept it
12 _____ in sb’s throat if words _____ in your throat, you are unable to say them because you are afraid or upset
13 _____ to sb’s ribs informal food that _____s to your ribs is very satisfying, so you are not hungry after you have eaten
stick 1 S1 W3 / stɪk / verb ( past tense and past participle stuck / stʌk / )
1 stick something on/to/in etc something
Someone had stuck posters all over the walls.
stick to/together
I could feel my shirt sticking to my back.
The oil keeps the pasta from sticking together.
This stamp won’t stick properly.
2 stick (something) in/into/through something
pins stuck in a notice board
The boy stuck his finger up his nose.
3 Just stick it in the microwave for a few minutes.
The cards had been stuck through the letterbox.
4 Clara stuck her head around the door to see who was there.
The baby stuck his legs in the air.
Don’t stick your tongue out . It’s rude!
5 This door keeps sticking.
The wheels stuck fast (= stuck completely ) in the mud.
6 stick in sb’s mind
It’s the kind of name that sticks in your mind.
7 make something stick informal
a) Is there enough evidence to make the charges stick ?
b) The government has succeeded in making this policy stick.
8 One newspaper dubbed him ‘Eddie the Eagle’, and the name stuck.
9 somebody can stick something spoken
I told them they could stick their job.
10 I can’t stick mum’s new boyfriend.
can’t stick doing something
Gerry can’t stick working for Featherstone’s any longer.
I don’t know how you stick it .
11 stick in sb’s throat/gullet British English , stick in sb’s craw American English
Her criticism really stuck in my craw.
12 stick in sb’s throat
13 stick to sb’s ribs informal
direct and honest – used in order to show approval SYN straightforward
forth‧right / fɔθraɪt $ fɔrθ- / adjective
She answered in her usual forthright manner .
______ _____/___ something phrasal verb
to feel strongly that you want something
han‧ker / hæŋkə $ -ər / verb
hanker after/for something phrasal verb
She hankered for a new life in a different country.
holidaymakers who hanker after the sun
1 admit something is true [ intransitive and transitive ]
to admit that something is true or correct, although you wish it were not true → concession
2 admit defeat [ intransitive and transitive ]
to admit that you are not going to win a game, argument, battle etc → concession
3 _______ a goal/point/penalty
to not be able to stop your opponent from getting a goal etc during a game
4 give something as a right [ transitive ]
to give something to someone as a right or privilege , often unwillingly → concession
con‧cede / kənsid / verb
1 ‘That’s the only possible solution.’ ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Charles conceded.
concede (that)
I conceded that I had made a number of errors.
2 The Georgian forces defended the capital but were finally obliged to concede.
In May 1949, Stalin conceded defeat and reopened land access to Berlin.
3 concede a goal/point/penalty
The team has conceded only 19 goals in 28 games.
4 concede something to somebody
The King finally agreed to concede further powers to Parliament.
Finally the company conceded wage increases to their workers.
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] formal to imagine a particular situation or to think about something in a particular way
2 [ transitive ] to think of a new idea, plan etc and develop it in your mind → conception
3 [ intransitive and transitive ] to become pregnant → conception
con‧ceive AC / kənsiv / verb
1 (cannot) conceive of (doing) something
Many people can’t conceive of a dinner without meat or fish.
conceive that
He could not conceive that anything really serious could be worrying his friend.
conceive what/why/how etc
I can hardly conceive what it must be like here in winter.
conceive of something/somebody as something
Language may be conceived of as a process which arises from social interaction.
2 Scientists first conceived the idea of the atomic bomb in the 1930s.
3 fertility treatment for women who have difficulty conceiving
a member of a small unofficial military group that fights in small groups
guer‧ril‧la / ɡərɪlə / noun [ countable ]
guerrilla war/warfare
American troops found themselves fighting a guerrilla war.
left-wing guerrillas
a person or vehicle that is __________ is unable to move from the place where they are SYN stuck
strand‧ed / strændəd, strændɪd / adjective
Air travellers were left stranded because of icy conditions.
stranded in/on/at
There I was, stranded in Rome with no money.
very involved in an unpleasant or complicated situation
en‧meshed / ɪnmeʃt / adjective [ not before noun ]
enmeshed in/with
Congress worried about becoming enmeshed in a foreign war.
strange, unexpected, or unsuitable in a particular situation
in‧con‧gru‧ous / ɪnkɒŋɡruəs $ -kɑŋ- / adjective
The new theatre looks utterly incongruous in its setting.
— incongruously adverb
1 unfriendly and deliberately not talking to other people
2 deliberately not becoming involved in something
a‧loof / əluf / adjective , adverb
1 remain/stay aloof (from somebody)
They worked hard, but tended to stay aloof from the local inhabitants.
keep/hold yourself aloof (from somebody)
She had always kept herself aloof from the boys in class.
Beneath that aloof exterior, Gayle is a warm, sympathetic person.
2 remain/stand aloof (from something)
Initially, the President remained aloof from the campaign.
hold/keep (yourself) aloof from something
The doctor held himself somewhat aloof from the rest of the ship’s crew.
— aloofness noun [ uncountable ]
________ behaviour shows that you are very determined to continue doing something
dog‧ged / dɒɡəd, dɒɡɪd $ dɒ- / adjective
a dogged determination to succeed
— doggedly adverb
— doggedness noun [ uncountable ]
1 [ uncountable ] when someone tries to get, achieve, or find something in a determined way
2 [ uncountable ] when someone chases or follows someone else
3 [ countable usually plural ] formal an activity such as a sport or hobby , which you spend a lot of time doing
pur‧suit AC / pəsjut $ pərsut / noun
1 → pursue
pursuit of
the pursuit of liberty and happiness
the pursuit of war criminals
in (the) pursuit of something
People are having to move to other areas in pursuit of work.
2 → pursue
in pursuit
There were four police cars in pursuit.
The quarterback sprinted toward the end zone with Jansen in hot pursuit (= following closely behind ) .
3 pursuits such as swimming and tennis
a woman who tried to gain the right to vote for women, especially as a member of a group in Britain or the US in the early 20th century
suf‧fra‧gette / sʌfrədʒet / noun [ countable ]
in a way that is deliberately meant to show that you are annoyed, bored, or disapprove of something
point‧ed‧ly / pɔɪntədli, pɔɪntɪdli / adverb
She looked pointedly at the clock on the kitchen wall.
say/add/ask etc pointedly
‘I thought you were leaving,’ she said pointedly.
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] to say something in order to try to prove that what someone said was not true or as a reply to something
2 [ transitive ] to do something in order to prevent something bad from happening or to reduce its bad effects
counter 2 verb
1 ‘I could ask the same thing of you,’ she countered.
counter an argument/an allegation/a criticism etc
He was determined to counter the bribery allegations.
2 Exercise helps to counter the effects of stress.
a structure used for killing criminals by hanging them from a rope
gal‧lows / ɡæləʊz $ -loʊz / noun ( plural gallows ) [ countable ]
humour which makes very unpleasant or dangerous things seem funny
gallows humour British English , gallows humor American English noun [ uncountable ]
1 [ transitive ] ( also _____ up something ) to get enough courage, confidence, support etc to do something, especially with difficulty SYN summon (up)
2 [ intransitive and transitive ] if soldiers _____ , or if someone _______s them, they come together in a group SYN gather
mus‧ter 1 / mʌstə $ -ər / verb
1 muster (up) the courage/confidence/energy etc to do something
Finally I mustered up the courage to ask her out.
Senator Newbolt has been trying to muster support for his proposals.
‘It’s going to be fine,’ replied David, with as much confidence as he could muster .
2 In April 1185, he began to muster an army .
1 formal to give someone or something a less important position than before
2 British English if a sports team is ________ed, it is moved into a lower division OPP promote
rel‧e‧gate / reləɡeɪt, relɪɡeɪt / verb [ transitive ]
1 relegate somebody/something to something
Women tended to be relegated to typing and filing jobs.
2 relegate something/somebody to something
We were relegated to the Fourth Division last year.
— relegation / reləɡeɪʃ ə n, relɪɡeɪʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable ]
1 ____ something ↔ __
to give someone a piece of information that someone else has given to you
2 ____ something ↔ __
a) to give something, especially a disease, to your children through your gene s
b) to give a slight illness to someone else
3 ____ something ↔ __ to make someone else pay the cost of something
4 to die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’
pass on phrasal verb
1 pass something ↔ on to
She said she’d pass the message on to the other students.
2 pass something ↔ on
b) pass something ↔ on to
One catches the virus and they pass it on to the rest.
3 pass something ↔ on to
Any increase in our costs will have to be passed on to the consumer.
1 to keep bad thoughts, fears, or hopes in your mind for a long time
2 to contain something, especially something hidden and dangerous
3 to protect and hide criminals that the police are searching for
harbour 2 British English , harbor American English verb [ transitive ]
1 I think he’s harbouring some sort of grudge against me.
She began to harbour doubts over the wisdom of their journey.
2 Sinks and draining boards can harbour germs.
1 to hide something carefully
2 to hide your real feelings or the truth
con‧ceal / kənsil / verb [ transitive ] formal
1 The shadows concealed her as she crept up to the house.
The path was concealed by long grass.
a concealed weapon
2 She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.
conceal something from somebody
She was taking drugs and trying to conceal it from me.
— concealment noun [ uncountable ] :
deliberate concealment of his activities
if something ____es for another thing, it is so similar to that thing that people think that is what it is
pass for somebody/something phrasal verb
With my hair cut short, I could have passed for a boy.
in a way that shows you do not know or realize something SYN unknowingly
un‧wit‧ting‧ly / ʌnwɪtɪŋli / adverb
Friedmann had unwittingly broken the law.
— unwitting adjective [ only before noun ] :
an unwitting accomplice
to make someone tell you something by asking them many times, threatening them etc
force something ↔ out of somebody phrasal verb
I wasn’t going to tell Matt but he forced it out of me.
to be friendly with someone, especially if you have been ordered not to be friendly with them
frat‧er‧nize ( also fraternise British English ) / frætənaɪz $ -ər- / verb [ intransitive ]
fraternize with
The troops were forbidden to fraternize with the enemy.
— fraternization / frætənaɪzeɪʃ ə n $ -tərnə- / noun [ uncountable ]
1 if water _________s, it flows along gently with a pleasant low sound SYN burble
2 if a baby ________s, it makes a happy low sound in its throat
gur‧gle 1 / ɡɜɡ ə l $ ɡɜr- / verb [ intransitive ]
1 We could hear the stream gurgling down in the valley.
1 if you __________ behaviour that is wrong, you invent an explanation for it so that it does not seem as bad
2 British English to make a business more effective by removing unnecessary workers, equipment etc
ra‧tion‧al‧ize AC ( also rationalise British English ) / ræʃ ə nəlaɪz / verb [ intransitive and transitive ]
1 When he fouls up, Glen always finds a way to rationalize what he’s done.
2 Our systems will be rationalized over the coming months.
— rationalization / ræʃ ə nəlaɪzeɪʃ ə n $ -lə- / noun [ uncountable and countable ] :
a major rationalization of the aircraft industry
1 a group of players from which a team will be chosen for a particular sports event
2 the police department responsible for dealing with a particular kind of crime
3 a small group of soldiers working together as a unit
4 American English a group of cheerleaders
squad W3 / skwɒd $ skwɑd / noun [ countable ]
1 the Italian World Cup squad
2drugs/fraud/vice etc squad
A controlled explosion was carried out by bomb squad officers.
3 a drill squad
1 very plain in appearance, with little or no colour or decoration
2 unpleasantly clear and impossible to avoid SYN harsh
stark 1 / stɑk $ stɑrk / adjective
1 In the cold dawn light, the castle looked stark and forbidding.
the stark beauty of New Mexico
2 The movie shows the stark realities of life in the ghetto.
The extreme poverty of the local people is in stark contrast to the wealth of the tourists.
We are faced with a stark choice .
a stark reminder of life under Communist rule
— starkly adverb
— starkness noun [ uncountable ]
telling the truth, even when the truth may be unpleasant or embarrassing SYN frank
can‧did / kændəd, kændɪd / adjective
candid about
She was quite candid about the difficulties the government is having.
candid with
He was remarkably candid with me.
It struck me as an unusually candid confession for a politician.
— candidly adverb → candour
THESAURUS
frank speaking honestly and directly about something, especially something that people find difficult to discuss : In his book, he’s brutally frank about his experience with his illness. | a frank discussion about sex
forthright formal saying exactly what what you think, without being afraid of what other people will think : The opposition have not come up with a clear forthright statement of their policies. | At times, Helena was a little too forthright.
candid formal honest about the facts, or about your opinions and feelings, even if other people disapprove of them : He’d always been completely candid about his past. | It was an unusually candid admission for a politician.
involving a lot of strength and effort
ar‧du‧ous / ɑdjuəs $ ɑrdʒuəs / adjective
arduous task/work
the arduous task of loading all the boxes into the van
arduous journey/voyage
an arduous journey through the mountains
— arduously adverb
1 formal to find something and bring it back → recove
2 technical to get back information that has been stored in the memory of a computer
3 ________ a situation British English to make a situation satisfactory again after there has been a serious mistake or problem
re‧trieve / rɪtriv / verb [ transitive ]
1 formal
She bent down to retrieve her earring.
retrieve something from something
It took four days to retrieve all the bodies from the crash.
2 technical
The new version of the software automatically retrieves digital information.
3 retrieve a situation British English
The general made one last desperate effort to retrieve the situation.
— retrievable adjective
to wound or injure someone very seriously and often permanently
maim / meɪm / verb [ transitive ]
Landmines still kill or maim about 300 people every month.
maim / meɪm / [ usually passive ] to hurt someone very severely, especially so that they lose an arm, leg etc, often as the result of an explosion : In countries where there are landmines, people are killed and maimed daily.
treatment for sth
treatment for sth
1 [ countable ] British English informal something that you say or do in order to make someone angry or worried, as a joke
2 [ singular ] a series of actions that are intended to complete a process, meeting etc
wind-up 1 British English , wind‧up American English / waɪnd ʌp / noun
2 The President made a statement at the windup of the summit in Helsinki.
1 if an animal or bird ____s on another animal or bird, it hunts and eats it → predator
2 to try to deceive or harm weaker people
3 ____ __ sb’s mind to make someone worry continuously
prey 2 verb
prey on somebody/something phrasal verb
1 Cats prey on birds and mice.
2 religious cults that specialize in preying on young people
3 The accident has been preying on my mind all week.
someone who never drinks alcohol
tee‧to‧tal‧ler British English , teetotaler American English / titəʊt ə lə $ -toʊtələr / noun [ countable ]
someone who does something morally wrong or illegal → culprit
per‧pe‧tra‧tor / pɜpətreɪtə, pɜpɪtreɪtə $ pɜrpətreɪtər / noun [ countable ] formal
The perpetrators were never caught.
perpetrator of
The perpetrators of racially motivated violence must be punished.
1 remove something
___ something ↔ ___ to remove something by cutting round it:
2cut a shape
___ something ↔ ___ to cut a shape from a piece of paper, cloth etc
3stop something happening
___ something ↔ ___ to stop something from happening or existing
4 stop doing/eating something
___ something ↔ ___ to stop doing or eating something, especially because it might be bad for your health
5 from writing
___ something ↔ ___ to remove something from a piece of writing, especially because it might offend people
6 ___ it/that ___ spoken used to tell someone to stop doing something because it is annoying you
7not involve somebody
___ somebody ↔ ___ to stop someone from doing something or being involved in something
8 be ___ ___ ___ something also be ___ ___ __ __ something [usually in questions and negatives]
to have the qualities that you need for a particular job or activity
9 engine
if an engine or machine ___s ___, it suddenly stops working
10 light/view
___ something ↔ ___ to prevent light, sound etc from reaching somewhere
11 ___ somebody ___
to prevent someone from getting something, especially your money after your death
to cut out phrasal verb
1 The cancerous cells had to be cut out.
cut something ↔ out of
Billy showed me the article he’d cut out of the magazine
2 The children were cutting out squares from the scraps of material.
3 The idea behind these forms is to cut out fraud.
A catalytic converter will cut out 90% of carbon monoxide emissions.
4 The current advice to pregnant women is to cut out alcohol.
5 Cut out the bit about racial prejudice.
6 cut it/that out spoken
Hey, you guys, cut it out - Mom’s trying to get some sleep.
7 The new rules will cut out 25% of people who were previously eligible to vote.
8 be cut out for something also be cut out to be something [usually in questions and negatives]
In the end, I decided I wasn’t cut out for the army.
Are you sure you’re really cut out to be a teacher?
9 The engine cut out halfway across the lake.
10 You’ll need sunglasses that will cut out harmful UV rays from the sun.
11 Em’s father decided to cut her out of his will.
1 to give support to an opinion, idea, or feeling, and make it stronger
2 to make part of a building, structure, piece of clothing etc stronger
3 to make a group of people, especially an army, stronger by adding people, equipment etc
re‧in‧force [transitive]
1 The film reinforces the idea that women should be pretty and dumb.
1 to make someone make a mistake, especially deliberately and in order to prove that they are lying
2 if something unexpected _______es you out, it puts you in a difficult situation because you were not expecting it or not fully prepared for it
catch somebody out phrasal verb
1 The interviewer may try to catch you out.
2 Even the best whitewater rafters get caught out by the fierce rapids here.
1 [countable] someone who is hurt or killed in an accident or war
2 [singular] someone or something that suffers as a result of a particular event or situation
3 [uncountable] also ________
British English the part of a hospital that people are taken to when they are hurt in an accident or suddenly become ill [= Emergency Room American English]
cas‧u‧al‧ty plural casualties
1 Our aim is to reduce road casualties.
civilian casualties (=people who are not soldiers who are injured or killed)
cause/inflict casualties
The rebels have inflicted heavy casualties.
2 casualty of
The Safer City Project is the latest casualty of financial cutbacks.
3 in casualty
Jean ended up in casualty last night.
1 __ _____ something
to start to do something
2 __ _____ something
to do something in the way that you usually do
3 British English if a ship __es _____, it turns to go in the opposite direction
go about phrasal verb
1 I want to learn German but I don’t know the best way to go about it.
go about doing something
The leaflet tells you how to go about making a will.
2 The villagers were going about their business as usual.
She went about her preparations in a quiet businesslike way.
a difference between two amounts, details, reports etc that should be the same
di‧screp‧an‧cy plural discrepancies [uncountable and countable]
discrepancy in
[British English] Police found discrepancies in the two men’s reports.
discrepancy between
[British English] There is a large discrepancy between the ideal image of motherhood and the reality.
