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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: bleak

If something is bleak, it means that it is bare or desolate or that it is cold or raw. When referring to people, feelings, or situations, bleak means without hope or depressing. Something offering little or no excitement can also be bleak. Unrelatedly, a bleak is a kind of fish, found mostly in Europe, and its scales have a silvery pigment that is used…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: lure

Lure is anything that attracts or tempts someone and also the power of attracting. With a more negative connotation, lure is anything that tempts people or animals into a trap. In hunting or fishing, a lure is a live, plastic, or metal object used as bait. As a verb, to lure means ‘to attract, to…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: bare

If something is bare, it means that it has nothing covering it. When we are talking about parts of the human body, it means they are not covered by clothes. If a room in a house is bare, it means that it doesn’t have the usual furnishings. Figuratively, we use it to talk about…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: drape

In US English, drapes, most commonly in the plural form, are a type of curtain (in the UK, we only use “curtains” for this). It is also the way in which a piece of fabric or clothing hangs. As a verb, to drape means ‘to cover or adorn with cloth,’ ‘to adjust a piece of fabric into graceful folds,’ or…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: shallow

If something is shallow, it is not deep. It can also be used figuratively to mean that some issue lacks depth or seriousness or to talk about someone who is superficial. When we breathe, shallow breathing means we take just a small amount of air with each inhalation. In baseball,…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: dent

A dent is a hollow or depression in a surface and, figuratively, an effect that is highly noticeable, especially one related to reduction. As a verb, to dent means ‘to make a dent in a surface’ or ‘to become dented,’ as well as ‘to have a reducing or harmful effect’…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: hurl

To hurl is a verb that means ‘to throw with great force’ and also ‘to throw something down.’ If what you hurl are words and not objects, then hurl means ‘to say with vehemence and often shouting.’ In sports, such as baseball, it means ‘to pitch.’ As a noun, a hurl is a violent throw…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: appeal

An appeal is a request for help or a plea or the power to stimulate the mind or emotions of others. As a legal term, it is a formal request for a higher authority decision or a request for review by a higher court. As a verb, to appeal means ‘to make a plea,’ ‘to cause a feeling of attraction,’ ‘to apply for a review’, or ‘to call upon for…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: dwell

To dwell is a formal term meaning ‘to live somewhere as a permanent residence’ and also ‘to live or continue in a particular state.’ Figuratively, it means ‘to endure or remain.’ In more everyday language, always followed by on or upon, it means…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: lash

A lash is the flexible end part of a whip or a stroke with a whip or something similar. An eyelash can also be called a lash. As a verb, to lash means ‘to strike with a whip or something similar,’ ‘to beat sharply against,’ or ‘to attack with cruel words.’ It can also mean ‘to move suddenly and swiftly.’ Unrelatedly, to lash can also mean…

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