Intermediate+ Word of the Day

Intermediate+ Word of the Day: toot

As a verb, to toot means ‘to make a horn or whistle make a short sound’ or ‘to make any sound that resembles that of a horn.’ As a noun, a toot is the act of tooting. In US English, as a slang term, toot means ‘cocaine’ and as a verb it means ‘to take a drug by snorting,’ but these meanings are now…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: slay

To slay means ‘to kill violently.’ These days, it is quite a literary term, but it is also used, especially in US English, as a synonym for murder, particularly in newspaper reports. Figuratively, it means ‘to destroy or extinguish.’ Informally, slay is used to mean ‘to impress strongly or to overwhelm, especially with something funny…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: hassle

Hassle is an informal word with multiple meanings. As a noun, a hassle can be something that’s difficult to do or that takes time and effort to do or is simply a nuisance, or, mainly in US English it can be an argument or a disorderly dispute. As a verb, to hassle means ‘to annoy or harass’ or…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: pursue

To pursue someone means ‘to follow in order to overtake, capture, or kill.’ To pursue something means ‘to continue in order to achieve a goal.’ If you pursue a career, it means that you practice that activity. Pursue also means ‘to continue discussing a question.’ More broadly, pursue means…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: swear

To swear means ‘to make a solemn declaration, statement, or promise.’ If you swear by something or someone, you are naming a sacred object or being a witness or you are saying you have great faith in something. To swear is also ‘to bind or make someone promise something by oath.’ As a legal term, it means…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: stunt

The verb to stunt means ‘to prevent or slow the growth of something.’ Unrelatedly, the noun stunt is a performance that displays someone’s skill or daring, or a feat to attract people’s attention. In movies, a stunt is the performance of something dangerous…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: thrust

To thrust means ‘to push forcefully or to shove.’ Sometimes followed by on or upon, it also means ‘to impose acceptance of something or someone’ and ‘to extend or present something.’ As a noun, a thrust is not only the act of thrusting, but also the main point of something, for example, an argument or discussion. In mechanics, thrust is the force produced by a…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: blunder

A blunder is a careless and often stupid mistake. As a verb, to blunder means, obviously, ‘to make a stupid mistake,’ but also ‘to move or act in a clumsy or stupid manner.’ If you say something suddenly and without really thinking about it, that’s also to blunder, and if you spoil something by doing poor or clumsy work that’s…

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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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