vocabs with simple examples

some words with explanations (in Eng.) and simple examples

all the contents are from Combridge Dictionary, I just did some picking up

relate

to be able to understand a situation or someone’s feelings because you have experienced something similar yourself:

• I often wake very early - I’m sure most readers over 50 can relate

to tell a story or describe a series of events:

• She related the events of the previous week to the police.

persist

If an unpleasant feeling or situation persists, it continues to exist:

• If the pain persists, consult a doctor.

• The cold weather is set to persist throughout the week.

to try to do or continue doing something in a determined but often unreasonable way:

• If he persists in asking awkward questions, then send him to the boss

holistically

in a way that deals with or treats the whole of something or someone and not just a part:

• The problem needs to be addressed holistically.

• Nutrition is being viewed more holistically as a health issue.

entice

to persuade someone to do something by offering them something pleasant:

• The adverts entice the customer into buying things they don’t really want.

• People are being enticed away from the profession by higher salaries elsewhere.

• A smell of coffee in the doorway enticed people to enter the shop.

embrace

to accept something enthusiastically:

• This was an opportunity that he would embrace.

to hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking, or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone:

• She saw them embrace on the station platform.

to include something, often as one of a number of things:

• Linguistics embraces a diverse range of subjects such as phonetics and stylistics.

bolster

to support or improve something or make it stronger:

• More money is needed to bolster the industry.

surveillance

the careful watching of a person or place, especially by the police or army, because of a crime that has happened or is expected:

• The police have kept the nightclub under surveillance because of suspected illegal drug activity.

antibiotic

a medicine that can destroy harmful bacteria or limit their growth

• I’m taking antibiotics for a throat infection.

radiate

to produce heat and light

• The planet Jupiter radiates twice as much heat from inside as it receives from the Sun.

to show an emotion or quality, or (of an emotion or quality) to be shown or felt:

• He was radiating joy and happiness.

voyage

a long journey, especially by ship

• He was a young sailor on his first sea voyage.

to travel

• In their little boat they planned to voyage to distant lands.

invert

to turn sth. upside down or change the order of two things

• In some languages, the word order in questions is inverted

constitution

the set of political principles

the general state of someone’s health:

• He has a very strong constitution.

how something is made up of different parts:

• the constitution of a chemical compound

stuffy

A stuffy room or building is unpleasant because it has no fresh air:

• It’s really hot and stuffy in here - let’s open the window.

old-fashioned, formal, and boring:

• She is trying to promote a less stuffy image of librarians.

stuffy nose

propagate

produce a new plant using a parent plant (or animal)

to spread opinions, lies, or beliefs among a lot of people:

• The government have tried to propagate the belief that this is a just war.

to send out or spread light or sound waves, movement, etc., or to be sent out or spread:

• How are sound waves propagated?

penalize

to cause someone a disadvantage:

• The present tax system penalizes poor people.

to punish someone, esp. for breaking the law or a rule:

• The new law penalizes the taxpayers who can least afford to pay.

graze

to break the surface of the skin by rubbing against something rough:

• He fell down and grazed his knee.

If an object grazes something, it touches its surface lightly when it passes it:

• The aircraft’s landing gear grazed the treetops as it landed.

eat grass

injury

sustain

to cause or allow something to continue for a period of time:

• The economy looks set to sustain its growth into next year.

to keep alive

• The soil in this part of the world is not rich enough to sustain a large population.

to suffer or experience, especially damage or loss:

• She sustained multiple injuries in the accident.

to support emotionally:

• She was sustained by the strength of her religious faith.

steer

to control the direction of a vehicle

• This car is very easy to steer.

If a vehicle steers, it follows a particular route or direction:

• The ship passed Land’s End, in Cornwall, then steered towards southern Ireland.

to take or make sb./sth. go in the direction you want them

• She steered her guests into the dining room.

comprise

to have things or people as parts or members; to consist of:

• The course comprises a class book, a practice book, and a CD.

to be the parts or members of something; to make up something:

• Italian students comprise 60 percent of the class.

• The class is comprised mainly of Italian and French students.

prosper

to be or become successful, especially financially:

• Lots of microchip manufacturing companies prospered at that time.

compromise

an agreement in an argument in which the people involved reduce their demands or change their opinion in order to agree:

• It is hoped that a compromise will be reached in today’s talks.

• In a compromise between management and unions, a four percent pay rise was agreed in return for an increase in productivity.

to allow your principles to be less strong or your standards or morals to be lower:

• Don’t compromise your beliefs/principles for the sake of being accepted.

• If we back down on this issue, our reputation will be compromised.

to risk having a harmful effect on something:

• We would never compromise the safety of our passengers.

manufacture

to produce goods in large numbers, usually in a factory using machines:

• He works for a company that manufactures car parts.

• The report notes a rapid decline in manufactured goods.

to invent something, such as an excuse or story, in order to deceive someone:

• She insisted that every scandalous detail of the story had been manufactured.

the process of producing goods:

• Oil is used in the manufacture of a number of fabrics.

revelation

the act of making something known that was secret, or a fact that is made known:

• a moment of revelation

• His wife divorced him after the revelation that he was having an affair.

impart

to communicate information to someone:

• to impart the bad news

• I was rather quiet as I didn’t feel I had much wisdom to impart on the subject.

to give something a particular feeling, quality, or taste:

• Preservatives can impart colour and flavour to a product.

concession

something that is allowed or given up, often in order to end a disagreement, or the act of allowing or giving this:

• Both sides involved in the conflict made some concessions in yesterday’s talks.

• He stated firmly that no concessions will be made to the terrorists.

the act of admitting defeat:

• The former president’s concession came even before all the votes had been counted.

• a concession speech

a reduction in the usual price of something, made available to students, old people, etc.:

• You can get travel concessions if you are under 26.

trigger

a part of a gun that causes the gun to fire when pressed:

• It’s not clear who actually pulled the trigger.

an event or situation, etc. that causes something to start:

• There are fears that the incident may be a trigger for more violence in the capital.

something that causes someone to feel upset and frightened because they are made to remember something bad that has happened in the past:

• A trigger is something that sets off a flashback, transporting the person back to the traumatic event.

to cause something to start:

• Some people find that certain foods trigger their headaches.

• Ultraviolet-B radiation triggers the skin to produce vitamin D.

• The racial killings at the weekend have triggered off a wave of protests.

to cause a strong emotional reaction of fear, shock, anger, or worry in someone, especially because they are made to remember something bad that has happened in the past:

• Seeing him come towards me just triggered me and I screamed.

• He could be triggered by a loud noise.

conform

to behave according to the usual standards of behaviour that are expected by a group or society:

• At our school, you were required to conform, and there was no place for originality.

deduce

to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts:

• We cannot deduce very much from these figures.

• The police have deduced that he must have left his apartment yesterday evening.

antiseptic

a chemical used for preventing infection in an injury, especially by killing bacteria:

• Antiseptic is used to sterilize the skin before giving an injection.

• Many of the ingredients for antiseptics come from the rainforests.

completely free from infection:

• In the 1870s and 1880s, doctors began to follow the principles of antiseptic surgery.

too clean and showing no imagination and character:

• There’s an antiseptic feeling to the new town centre, with its covered shopping mall.

patronage

the support given to an organization by someone:

• The charity enjoys the patronage of many prominent local business people.

the power of a person to give someone an important job or position:

• Patronage is a potent force if used politically.

whip

to bring or take something quickly:

• She whipped a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped his face.

• He whipped the covers off the bed.

• I was going to pay but before I knew it he’d whipped out his credit card.

• They whipped my plate away before I’d even finished.

to (cause something to) move quickly and forcefully:

• The wind whipped across the half-frozen lake.

• A fierce, freezing wind whipped torrential rain into their faces.

to beat food, especially cream, with a special piece of equipment in order to make it thick and firm:

• Could you whip the cream for me?

• Try whipping a little brandy or other liqueur into the cream.

• Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of sugar.

to hit a person or animal with a whip:

• I don’t like the way the drivers whip their horses.

to defeat a person or a team in a competition, especially in a sport:

• They beat us last time, but we whipped them in a rematch.

• He whipped him in their fight two years ago.

perquisite

an advantage or something extra, such as money or goods, that you are given because of your job:

• The perquisites of this job include health insurance and a performance bonus.

elaborate

containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts:

• You want a plain blouse to go with that skirt - nothing too elaborate.

• They’re making the most elaborate preparations for the wedding.

• He came out with such an elaborate excuse that I didn’t quite believe him.

to add more information to or explain something that you have said:

• The congresswoman said she was resigning, but refused to elaborate on her reasons for doing so.

merchandise

goods that are bought and sold:

• Shoppers complained about poor quality merchandise and high prices.

• Japan exported $117 billion in merchandise to the US in 1999.

to encourage the sale of goods by advertising them or by making certain that they are noticed:

• She had to merchandise the new product line.

dividend

(a part of) the profit of a company that is paid to the people who own shares in it:

• Dividends will be sent to shareholders.

• In addition to their salary, employees receive a profit-related dividend.

scatter

to (cause to) move far apart in different directions:

• The protesters scattered at the sound of gunshots.

• The soldiers came in and scattered the crowd.

to cover a surface with things that are far apart and in no particular arrangement:

• Scatter the powder around the plants.

• I scattered grass seed all over the lawn.

• I scattered the whole lawn with grass seed.