8 T2 S2
Accustom Verb Synonym: Adapt
[Phrasal Verbs]accustom somebody to something
· He is gradually accustomed company rules to his will.
Dazzle verb Synonym: Blind
Transitive, intransitive] dazzle (somebody) if a strong light dazzles you, it is so bright that you cannot see for a short time
· He was momentarily dazzled by the strong sunlight.
[transitive] dazzle somebody to impress somebody a lot with your beauty, skill, etc.
· He was dazzled by the warmth of her smile.
· She knows a lot of famous people and tried to dazzle me with their names.
Draught Noun Synonym: Flood
[countable] a flow of cool air in a room or other confined space
· There's a draught in here.
· A cold draught of air blew in from the open window.
· I was sitting in a draught.
· She shivered in the icy draught.
[countable] (formal) one continuous action of swallowing liquid; the amount swallowed
· He took a deep draught of his beer.
[countable] (old use or literary) medicine in a liquid form
· A sleeping draught (= one that makes you sleep)
Draughts (British English) (North American English checkers) [uncountable] a game for two players using 24 round pieces on a board marked with black and white squares
[countable] (British English) (North American English checker) one of the round pieces used in a game of draughts
Embark Verb Synonym: Commence
To get onto a ship; to put something onto a ship
· We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked.
Embark somebody/something
· They embarked the troops by night.
Fossil Noun Synonym: Skeleton
The remains of an animal or a plant which have become hard and turned into rock
· Fossils over two million years old
(informal, disapproving) an old person, especially one who is unable to accept new ideas or adapt to changes
Hemisphere Noun Synonym: Half
One half of the earth, especially the half above or below the equator
· The northern/southern hemisphere
· In the northern hemisphere, December is a winter month.
Offshore Adverb Synonym: Seaward
In the sea, not far from the land
· A ship anchored offshore
If the wind is blowing offshore, it is blowing from the land towards the sea
(business) in a country that has more generous tax laws than other places
· Profits earned offshore
Opportunism noun Synonym: Expediencey
The practice of using situations unfairly to gain advantage for yourself without thinking about how your actions will affect other people
· Political opportunism
Perish Verb Synonym: Decay
[intransitive] (formal or literary) (of people or animals) to die, especially in a sudden violent way
A family of four perished in the fire.
Thousands perished at the hands of the invading forces.
[intransitive] (formal) to be lost or destroyed
· Early buildings were made of wood and have perished.
[intransitive, transitive] perish (something) (British English) if a material such as rubber perishes or is perished, it becomes damaged, weaker or full of holes
Precedent Noun Synonym: Criterion
[countable, uncountable] an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule to be followed in a similar situation later
· The ruling set a precedent for future libel cases.
[countable, uncountable] a similar action or event that happened earlier
· Historical precedents
· There is no precedent for a disaster of this scale.
· Such protests are without precedent in recent history.
[uncountable] the way that things have always been done
Proliferate Verb Synonym: Multiply
To increase rapidly in number or amount
· Books and articles on the subject have proliferated over the last year.
· Time passed and animal life proliferated.
See-saw Noun Synonym: Teeter
(North American English also teeter-totter) [countable] a piece of equipment for children to play on consisting of a long flat piece of wood that is supported in the middle. A child sits at each end and makes the see-saw move up and down.
· Can we go on the see-saw?
[singular] a situation in which things keep changing from one state to another and back again
· The match was a see-saw battle between the two teams.
Soar Verb Synonym: Rocket
[intransitive] if the value, amount or level of something soars, it rises very quickly
· Soaring costs/prices/temperatures
· Air pollution will soon soar above safety levels.
· Unemployment has soared to 18%.
[intransitive] soar (up) (into something) to rise quickly and smoothly up into the air
· The rocket soared (up) into the air.
· (figurative) Her spirits soared (= she became very happy and excited).
[intransitive] to fly very high in the air or remain high in the air
· An eagle soaring high above the cliffs
[intransitive] to be very high or tall
· Soaring mountains
· The building soared above us.
[intransitive] when music soars, it becomes higher or louder
· Soaring strings
Staple Adjective Synonym: Necessary
[only before noun] forming a basic, large or important part of something
· The staple crop is rice.
· Jeans are a staple part of everyone's wardrobe.