oxford word skills advanced 9 Flashcards
creep
=tiptoe
move slowly and quietly
stroll
walk casually for pleasure
limp
to walk slowly and with difficulty because one leg is hurt or injured
staggered
/ˈstæɡə $ -ər/ ●●○ verb
1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to walk or move unsteadily, almost falling over SYN stumble
He managed to stagger home.
She staggered back a step.
The old man staggered drunkenly to his feet.
► see thesaurus at walk
2 [transitive] to make someone feel very surprised or shocked SYN amaze
hike
walk long distances in the country
march
/mɑːtʃ $ mɑːrtʃ/ ●●○ verb
1 [intransitive] if soldiers or other people march somewhere, they walk there quickly with firm regular steps
march across/along/past etc
On 29 August the royal army marched into Inverness.
We marched 50 km across the foothills.
march on
He gathered his troops and prepared to march on the capital (=march to the capital in order to attack it).
Quick march! (=an order to tell people to start marching)
hike something ↔ up
1 to lift up a piece of your clothing
She hiked her skirt up to climb the stairs.
2 to increase a price, tax etc by a large amount
chase sb/sth
/tʃeɪs/ ●●● S3 verb
1 FOLLOW [intransitive, transitive] to quickly follow someone or something in order to catch them
The dogs saw him running and chased him.
kids chasing around the house
chase somebody along/down/up something etc
The police chased the suspect along Severn Avenue.
chase after
A gang of boys chased after her, calling her names.
dash
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to go or run somewhere very quickly
Olive dashed into the room, grabbed her bag, and ran out again.
► see thesaurus at hurry, run
gallop
ˈɡæləp/ ●●○ verb
1 [intransitive] if a horse gallops, it moves very fast with all its feet leaving the ground together → canter, trot
A neighbour’s horse came galloping down the road, riderless.
a galloping horse
► see thesaurus at run
2 [intransitive, transitive] if you gallop, you ride very fast on a horse or you make it go very fast
gallop along/off/towards etc
I watched as Jan galloped away.
3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move very quickly SYN run
Ian came galloping down the stairs.
charged toward
RUN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to deliberately run or walk somewhere quickly
charge around/through/out etc
The boys charged noisily into the water.
► see thesaurus at run
5 ATTACK [intransitive, transitive] to deliberately rush quickly towards someone or something in order to attack them
Then, with a final effort, our men charged the enemy for the last time.
charge at/towards/into
The bear charged towards her at full speed.
chase somebody/something ↔ down
phrasal verb
to find something or someone that you have been looking for
We had to chase down everyone we’d sold a bike to.
go for a stroll
went for a hike
made a dash for the door
broke into a gallop
led the charge
car chase
pronounced limp
/prəˈnaʊnst/ adjective
very great or noticeable
a pronounced Polish accent
This disability is more pronounced in men.
workout
/ˈwɜːkaʊt $ ˈwɜːrk-/ noun [countable]
a period of physical exercise, especially as training for a sport
a daily workout in the gym
supple
ˈsʌpəl/ adjective
1 someone who is supple bends and moves easily and gracefully
OPP stiff
She exercises every day to keep herself supple.
2 leather, skin, wood etc that is supple is soft and bends easily
—suppleness noun [uncountable]
agile
able to move quickly and easily
Dogs are surprisingly agile.
2 someone who has an agile mind is able to think very quickly and intelligently
He was physically strong and mentally agile.
—agility /əˈdʒɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
With surprising agility, Karl darted across the road.
stiff
opp supple
stiffness N
if someone or a part of their body is stiff, their muscles hurt and it is difficult for them to move
stiff from doing something
Her legs were stiff from kneeling.
stiff with
Her fingers were stiff with cold.
stiff neck/back/joint etc
Alastair woke with a stiff neck.
I never felt stiff after training until I was in my thirties.
The next morning I was as stiff as a board (=very stiff).
sluggish
sluggishness N
/ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ adjective
moving or reacting more slowly than normal
Alex woke late, feeling tired and sluggish.
Economic recovery has so far been sluggish.
► see thesaurus at slow
—sluggishly adverb
devise sth
=think sth up
dɪˈvaɪz/ ●●○ verb [transitive]
to plan or invent a new way of doing something
She devised a method for quicker communications between offices.
loosen up
= warm up
to stop worrying and become more relaxed, or to make someone do this
She loosened up after she’d had a drink.
loosen somebody ↔ up
His welcoming smile helped loosen her up.
2 if your muscles loosen up, or if something loosens them up, they stop feeling stiff
loosen something ↔ up
A massage will loosen up your joints.
→ loosen→ See Verb table
bend
bend your knees / elbow
strenuous
=arduous /ˈɑːdjuəs $ ˈɑːrdʒuəs/
/ˈstrenjuəs/ adjective
1 needing a lot of effort or strength
a strenuous climb
The doctor advised Ken to avoid strenuous exercise.
2 active and determined
Sherry’s been making a strenuous effort to lose weight.
—strenuously adverb
Barrett strenuously denied rumors that he would resign.
relentless
something bad that is relentless continues without ever stopping or getting less severe SYN endless
the relentless crying of a small baby
a family facing relentless financial problems
recurrent
recur V /rɪˈkɜː $ -ɜːr/
rɪˈkʌrənt $ -ˈkɜːr-/ adjective
happening or appearing several times
recurrent minor illnesses
Political revolution is a recurrent theme in Riley’s books.
alternate between A and B
do A then B then do A again and so on
alternate between jogging and sprinting
sprint
/sprɪnt/ verb [intransitive]
1 to run very fast for a short distance → jog
sprint along/across/up etc
Bill sprinted up the steps.
constant
constant interruptions
constant use
constant attention
constant fear
