30 ADVANCED ENGLISH VERBS

Question 1

to accomplish

Answer 1

to succeed in doing or completing something

I think that we have accomplished a lot this morning!

Question 2

to accumulate

Answer 2

to gradually get more of something over a period of ti

I seem to have accumulated a lot of expensive, hardly-used, university textbooks.

Question 3

to beware

Answer 3

if you tell somebody to beware, you are warning them somebody/thing is dangerous and they should be careful

All in all, the response to the new campaign was very positive

Question 4

to brainstorm

Answer 4

to all think about something at the same time, often in order to solve a problem or to create good ideas

You’re bound to hear back from them soon

Question 5

to characterise

Answer 5

to be typical of a person, place or thing

The village is characterised by honey-coloured stone houses

Question 6

to devise

Answer 6

to invent something new or a new way of doing something

The IT team has devised a new email organisation system

Question 7

to dispute

Answer 7

to question whether something is true or legally or officially acceptable

We disputed the figures and they corrected them

Question 8

to downsize

Answer 8

to reduce the number of people who work in a company, business, etc. in order to reduce costs

We unfortunately had to downsize from 40 employees to 23

Question 9

to embrace

Answer 9

to accept an idea, a proposal, a set of beliefs, etc., especially when it is done with enthusiasm

The CEO fully embraced the equal pay proposal

Question 10

to endorse

Answer 10

to say publicly that you support someone/something

I fully endorse his research paper

Question 11

to fiddle

Answer 11

to change the details or figures of something in order to try to get money dishonestly or gain an advantage

We aren’t actually in profit as someone has fiddled the accounts

Question 12

to idolise

Answer 12

to admire or love somebody very much, possibly too much

When I was younger I idolised my science teacher

Question 13

to implement

Answer 13

to make something that has been officially decided start to happen or be used

A new apprenticeship scheme has been implemented to encourage youth employment

Question 14

to instigate

Answer 14

to cause something (usually bad) to happen

She was accused of instigating violence at the protest

Question 15

to melt

Answer 15

to become or make something become liquid as a result of heating

Eat your ice cream before it melts!

Question 16

to moan

Answer 16

to complain about something in a way that other people find annoying

I cannot stand listening to him moan any longer!

Question 17

to negotiate

Answer 17

to try to reach an agreement by formal discussion

We are attempting to negotiate a pay rise

Question 18

to outweigh

Answer 18

to be greater or more important than something

The advantages massively outweigh the disadvantages

Question 19

to overtake

Answer 19

to become greater in number, amount or importance than something else

We hope that renewable sources will overtake oil as the main energy source

Question 20

to perceive

Answer 20

to think of somebody/thing in a particular way

I don’t perceive her to be a very argumentative person

Question 21

to plummet

Answer 21

to fall suddenly and quickly from a high level or position

Share prices plummeted after Reddit’s campaign

Question 22

to praise

Answer 22

to say that you approve of and admire somebody/thing

His boss praised his enthusiasm, but didn’t offer him a promotion

Question 23

to prosper

Answer 23

to develop in a successful way

She has been prospering since leaving university

Question 24

to rectify

Answer 24

to put right something that is wrong

Please take the right steps to rectify the problem!

Question 25

to redeem

Answer 25

to exchange vouchers etc. for money or goods

You can’t redeem this voucher because it has expired

Question 26

to retain

Answer 26

to keep something; to continue to have

She retained her title of ‘employee of the month’ for the third month running

Question 27

to sacrifice

Answer 27

the fact of giving up something important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important

We sacrificed our social lives to pay for our child’s education

Question 28

to season

Answer 28

to add salt, pepper, etc. to food in order to make it taste better

Season the sauce before stirring in the cream

Question 29

to sip

Answer 29

to drink something, taking a very small amount each time

You’ve been sipping that cocktail for ages!

Question 30

to withdraw

Answer 30

to stop taking part in an activity or being a member of an organization

Due to the recent negative press I have decided to withdraw from the company