Vocabulary: Batch 18

• a playful trick, often meant to surprise someone

  The prank was harmless, but it annoyed the teacher.

• a person who likes playing pranks

  He was known as the office prankster.

Can be literal cosmetic surgery or figurative renovation of a product, room, or website.

1. cosmetic surgery to make the face look younger

   The actor denied having a facelift.

2. a renovation that improves appearance

   The lobby got a much-needed facelift.

Legal and financial term; fiduciary duty means acting in another person's best interest.

• involving a duty to act for another's benefit

  Trustees have a fiduciary duty to beneficiaries.

• someone legally trusted to manage another's interests

  The adviser acts as a fiduciary for her clients.

Usually before nouns: concerted effort, concerted action, concerted campaign.

• jointly planned and carried out with effort

  The team made a concerted effort to fix the bug.

Merino wool is prized for being soft and warm without feeling scratchy.

• a breed of sheep, or the fine wool from it

  He bought a merino sweater for hiking.

US legal term; a felony is more serious than a misdemeanor.

• a person convicted of a serious crime

  Convicted felons may lose certain civil rights.

• a serious crime, usually punishable by prison

  Armed robbery is a felony in most states.

Can describe food, design, writing, or personality.

• lacking strong flavor, interest, or character

  The soup was bland until I added salt.

• unique; unlike anything else

  The necklace is a one-of-a-kind handmade piece.

• a greeting or celebration made by slapping raised hands

  They exchanged a high five after the presentation.

• a greeting made by lightly touching closed fists

  The teammates greeted each other with a fist bump.

Common in news about war, disasters, and automation displacing workers.

• to force someone or something out of its usual place

  The flood displaced thousands of residents.

• someone forced to leave home by war or disaster

  The camp provided shelter for displaced persons.

1. the moving of something from its proper or usual position; the act of being moved

   The earthquake caused massive displacement of soil and rock.

2. the forced removal of people from their homes or country, especially due to war or disaster

   The war led to the displacement of millions of civilians.

3. (physics) the difference in position between an object's starting point and ending point, measured as a vector

   Velocity is displacement divided by time.

4. (psychology) redirecting an emotion (often anger) from its original target to a safer one

   Yelling at your dog after a bad day at work is a form of displacement.

Phrase: go berserk = suddenly become very angry or wild.

• wildly angry, violent, or out of control

  The crowd went berserk after the winning goal.

• a person who commits burglary; a thief who enters a building with intent to steal

  A burglar broke into the house.

American English. British English more often says burgle.

• to enter a building illegally in order to steal

  The store was burglarized during the night.

• the crime of illegally entering a building to steal

  Police are investigating a burglary on Elm Street.

• an alarm system that warns of illegal entry

  The burglar alarm went off at 3 a.m.

Mainly British English; American English usually uses burglarize.

• to enter a building illegally in order to steal

  Their house was burgled while they were away.

Often used in science fiction, philosophy, and animal-rights discussions.

• able to feel, perceive, or experience things

  The story imagines a sentient robot with emotions.

Political absolutism means power is concentrated in one ruler, such as an absolute monarch.

• belief in absolute principles or absolute political power

  The course compares constitutionalism and absolutism.

• most important, famous, or leading

  She is one of the country's foremost historians.

• first or most importantly

  We must think foremost about safety.

• to heat a liquid until it bubbles and turns to vapor

  Boil the pasta for ten minutes.

• a painful swollen spot on the skin filled with pus

  The doctor treated a boil on his neck.

• a vessel or machine for heating water or making steam

  The building's boiler failed in January.

Old-fashioned word for a man very concerned with stylish dress.

• a man who cares greatly about elegant clothes and manners

  He dressed like a nineteenth-century dandy.

• very good or fine, often in a cheerful old-fashioned tone

  That's a dandy idea.

Scientific word for breathing or the cellular process that releases energy.

• the process of breathing or releasing energy in cells

  The monitor tracks the patient's respiration.

• a device that helps someone breathe or filters air

  Workers wore respirators around the chemical fumes.

• to attack or act back in response to harm

  The army retaliated after the missile strike.

• done as revenge or response to an attack

  The government announced retaliatory sanctions.

British spelling: paedophile. This is a clinical/legal term and a highly stigmatized word.

• an adult sexually attracted to children

  The law requires convicted pedophiles to register.

• sexual attraction by an adult toward children

  The article discussed the treatment of pedophilia.

British spelling of pedophilia.

• sexual attraction by an adult toward children

  The report used the British spelling paedophilia.

• to continue for a period of time

  The meeting lasted two hours.

• coming after all others; most recent

  This is the last train tonight.

• continuing for a long time

  The trip left a lasting impression on her.

• in the last place (used to introduce the last of a series of points or actions)

  Lastly, I would like to thank my parents.

• to last longer than someone or something

  The old bridge outlasted several storms.

British English; American English usually says parking lot.

• an outdoor or indoor area where cars are parked

  The museum car park was already full.

• a waiting period between parts of a journey

  We had a six-hour layover in Seoul.

• brutal or uncivilized behavior

  The massacre was condemned as an act of barbarism.

• extreme cruelty or brutality

  The report documented the barbarity of the regime.

• extremely cruel, brutal, or uncivilized

  The prisoners were kept in barbarous conditions.

• to move a plant into another pot

  Repot the orchid when its roots outgrow the container.

• a black sticky material used for road surfaces

  The summer heat softened the asphalt.

Short for hydroelectric power in many contexts. Hydro- as a prefix means water.

• hydroelectric power; electricity generated by water

  The region gets much of its power from hydro.

Chemical symbol Cl. Used to disinfect pools and drinking water.

• a greenish-yellow chemical element used as a disinfectant

  The pool smelled strongly of chlorine.

• a compound containing chlorine, especially as an ion

  Sodium chloride is ordinary table salt.

• treated with or containing chlorine

  The hotel has a chlorinated swimming pool.

Commercial name for hydrochloric acid; used in cleaning masonry and pools.

• a commercial form of hydrochloric acid

  Wear gloves when handling muriatic acid.

Short for automobile; common in compounds like auto industry and auto insurance.

• a car; an automobile

  Auto sales rose sharply this quarter.

• relating to or concerned with motor vehicles

  The automotive industry.

• crude oil or oil products used as fuel and raw material

  The economy depends heavily on petroleum exports.

British term; American English often says inhalant abuse.

• the dangerous practice of inhaling chemical fumes to get high

  The school warned parents about solvent abuse.

Formal academic word; not used for ordinary class registration.

• to formally enroll as a student at a college or university

  She matriculated at Stanford in 2025.

• the choice or control of when something happens

  The joke was funny, but his timing was perfect.

• not showing personal feeling or warmth

  The email sounded cold and impersonal.

• a temporary barrier used to block a road or entrance

  Police set up a barricade outside the building.

• to block a place with a barrier

  Protesters barricaded the street.

• fine dry powder made of tiny particles

  A layer of dust covered the shelves.

• to remove dust from a surface

  Please dust the table before dinner.

• a police photograph of a person who has been arrested

  The suspect's mug shot appeared on the news.

• to change from a gas into a liquid, usually through cooling

  Steam condenses into water droplets on a cold window.

• to make something shorter, more concise, or more concentrated

  She condensed the report into a single page.

• water droplets formed when vapor cools

  Condensation covered the bathroom mirror.

• made thicker or shorter by removing water or unnecessary parts

  The recipe uses condensed milk.

1. an adult male sheep

   The ram lowered its horns and charged.

2. a heavy device or part used for striking or pushing something with force

   The old fortress gate was broken down by a battering ram.

• to hit or push something with force

  The truck rammed the barrier.

Usually spelled catchphrase today; the hyphenated spelling is also seen.

• a memorable phrase associated with a person, show, or campaign

  The comedian's catch-phrase became famous.

1. a rough shelter or trench dug into the ground for protection

   Soldiers took cover in the dugout.

2. (baseball) the sheltered area where players sit when not on the field

   The players watched from the dugout.

• to decorate a surface with raised letters or patterns

  The invitation was embossed with gold letters.

• decorated with a raised design

  He handed me an embossed business card.

1. a bandage or strap that supports an injured arm

   His arm was in a sling after the fall.

2. a strap or loop used to carry, hang, or hoist something

   The camera hung from a sling around his neck.

• to throw or hang something loosely

  She slung her bag over her shoulder.

• a long narrow raised part of a surface or landscape

  They hiked along the mountain ridge.

Usually positive; odor can be neutral or negative.

• a pleasant or noticeable smell

  The aroma of coffee filled the kitchen.

• having a strong pleasant smell

  The soup was full of aromatic herbs.

A medical and religious word; use neutrally and carefully.

• to remove the foreskin of a boy or man

  The family discussed whether to circumcise the baby.

• a very rich and powerful businessperson

  The media tycoon bought another newspaper.

• a British bat-and-ball game similar to baseball

  The children played rounders after school.

• an instrument that shows how far a vehicle has traveled

  The odometer read 80,000 miles.

• a person who comes to another country to live

  Her parents were immigrants from Vietnam.

Distinct from "emigrate". Immigrate INTO a country; emigrate FROM one. Same act, different perspective.

• to come to a country to live there permanently

  Her parents immigrated from Vietnam.

• the act or process of coming to a country to live

  Immigration policy became a campaign issue.

• a person who leaves their country to live elsewhere

  The museum preserves emigrant letters.

• to leave one's country to live in another

  His grandparents emigrated in the 1950s.

Formal and literary.

• to indicate or suggest something

  His careful wording bespoke long experience.

• custom-made for a particular customer

  He wore a bespoke suit.

• a brain chemical involved in movement, reward, and motivation

  Social media apps are designed to trigger dopamine.

Famous biblical phrase: the prodigal son.

• wastefully spending money or resources

  The prodigal son returned home broke.

• very great in size, amount, or degree

  She has a prodigious memory.

1. (informal) a person's buttocks

   He slipped and landed on his backside.

2. the back part of something

   The serial number is stamped on the backside of the device.

Insurance and finance term.

• the amount paid when an insurance policy is ended early

  The policy's surrender value was lower than expected.

• a situation in which neither side can make progress

  Negotiations ended in a stalemate.

• the number of cases handled by a doctor, lawyer, or worker

  The social worker's caseload doubled.

• a line of police, soldiers, or barriers around an area

  Police formed a cordon around the building.

• to surround or block an area

  The street was cordoned off after the fire.

• the care, breeding, and management of animals or crops

  Good animal husbandry reduces disease.

• moving backward or becoming worse

  The court called the policy a retrograde step.

• a return to an earlier and worse state

  Critics saw the law as social retrogression.

• becoming worse or less advanced

  The reforms were attacked as retrogressive.

• decaying and smelling very bad

  A putrid smell came from the dumpster.

• to give up a throne, office, or responsibility

  The king abdicated after months of protest.

• forward in time, place, or progress

  From that day onward, everything changed.

• moving forward

  They prepared for the onward journey.

• arranged in a line or progressing step by step

  The story is not told in linear order.

• honest and accurate

  Please give a truthful answer.

• in accordance with fact or reality

  A true story.

• the quality or state of being true; that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality

  He had to accept the truth.

• impossible to defeat or better

  Their prices are unbeatable.

• not defeated

  The team remains unbeaten this season.

• a small accident or unlucky problem

  The trip went smoothly except for one mishap.

• to calculate wrongly or judge a situation badly

  The company miscalculated demand.

• legally or morally correct; belonging to the proper person

  The painting was returned to its rightful owner.

• under great pressure or short of money, time, or resources

  The charity is hard-pressed to meet demand.

• bitter long-lasting anger

  The debate was filled with rancor.

• British spelling of rancor

  There was no rancour after the match.

• full of bitter anger

  The meeting became rancorous.