My English Words List - August - 2024

graffiti

graffiti

noun

Graffiti made by school children in Rijeka, Croatia

The walls of the old building are covered with graffiti.

verb

graffitied walls

curling

curling

noun

Men curling in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1909

Curling

acorn

acorn

noun

Illustration of acorn

sumac

sumac

noun

Drupes of a staghorn sumac in Coudersport, Pennsylvania

Sumac

promenade

promenade

noun

a beautifully landscaped park with a wide promenade along the riverside

credit

credit

verb

Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably a mistake to credit dolphins with any motive of lifesaving. - Lesson 18 Porpoises, Book 4: Fluency in English, New Concept English, Window in the Sea, by RALPH NADING HILL

eraser

eraser

noun

Pink erasers

Eraser

involuntary

involuntary

adjective

Breathing and circulation are involuntary processes.

intimidate

intimidate

verb

tried to intimidate a witness

He tries to intimidate his opponents.

gecko

gecko

noun

Illustration of gecko

Gecko

time-consuming

adjective

a time-consuming process/task/job

stipulation

stipulation

noun

We agreed to the deal with the stipulation that she pay the expenses herself.

omnipresent

omnipresent

adjective

The problem is omnipresent and unavoidable.

bulky

bulky

adjective

bulky packages might cost more to mail

marshal

marshal

verb

She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question.

quadrant

quadrant

noun

Draw two intersecting lines that divide the page into four quadrants.

roadblock

roadblock

noun

That’s the one roadblock to the plan.

meridian

meridian

noun

Prime meridian at Greenwich

flap

flap

verb

The flag flapped in the breeze.

The bird’s wings were flapping.

flip

flip

verb

flip a coin

flip a pancake

flip me the ball

flip a switch

ripple

ripple

verb

the canoe rippled through the water

A cool breeze rippled the water.

aloft

aloft

adverb

The balloon stayed aloft for days.

rant

rant

verb

“You can rant and rave all you want,” she said, “but it’s not going to change things.”

noun

after complaining about the hotel’s lousy service, the woman went off on another rant about the condition of her room

coy

coy

adjective

He gave a coy answer.

cornstarch

cornstarch

noun

Corn starch powder

Corn starch

tinfoil

tinfoil

noun

Wrap the leftover food in tinfoil.

Tin foil

deceive

deceive

verb

Remember that appearances can deceive—just because something looks good doesn’t mean it is good.

conjugate

conjugate

adjective

conjugate complex number

complex roots occurring in conjugate pairs

climax

climax

noun

the climax of her career

cohort

cohort

noun

the cohort of people born in the 1980s

Depression was a common problem for people in that age cohort.

bravo

bravo

noun

  • a shout of approval

hurdle

hurdle

noun

Illustration of hurdle

underdog

underdog

noun

I always root for the underdog instead of the favorite.

orangutan

orangutan

noun

Illustration of orangutan

Mother orangutan with young

Orangutan

chimpanzee

chimpanzee

noun

Illustration of chimpanzee

gorilla

gorilla

noun

Western gorilla

Gorilla

tentative

tentative

adjective

the baby’s first tentative steps

tentative plans

speck

speck

noun

There was not a speck of dust anywhere.

verb

dirt that had specked the windows of the factory for ages

interim

interim

noun

there was a brief interim in the proceedings while everyone got organized

adjective

putting up some students in local motels is obviously just an interim solution to the college’s housing shortage

skateboard

skateboard

noun

Skateboard

Skateboarder doing a hard-flip

verb

He skateboards to school every day.

fraud

fraud

noun

He was found guilty of bank fraud.

automobile insurance frauds

ecotourism

ecotourism

noun

Ecotourism in Svalbard.

Ecotourism

tease

tease

verb

He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music.

He was always teased by his brother about being short.

metamorphosis

metamorphosis

noun

the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies

the metamorphosis of tadpoles into frogs

The class learned about how caterpillars undergo metamorphosis to become butterflies.

We have watched her metamorphosis from a shy schoolgirl into a self-confident businesswoman.

The Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915.