Units 1&2 • TOPIC Flashcards
fill (something) up
uk |fɪl| us |fɪl|
verb
1. to become full, or to make something become full
* “The seats in the hall were filling up fast.”
* “[fill something up with something] He filled up the tank with petrol.”
* “[fill up with] Rooms were filling up with people seeking shelter from the hurricane.”
fill someone up
uk |fɪl| us |fɪl|
verb
1. If food fills you up, it makes you feel as if you have eaten enough
* “That sandwich really filled me up.”
to be on the safe side
idiom
1. to avoid risk
* “Maybe it won’t rain, but to be on the safe side, take your umbrella.”
despise
uk |dɪˈspaɪz| us |dɪˈspaɪz|
verb
1. to feel a strong dislike for someone or something because you think that that person or thing is bad or has no value
* “The two groups despise each other.”
* “[despise someone/yourself for something] She despised him for the way he treated her sister.”
* “He despised himself for being such a coward.”
resemble
uk |rɪˈzem.bəl| us |rɪˈzem.bəl|
verb
1. to look like or be like someone or something
* “You resemble your mother very closely.”
* “After the earthquake, the city resembled a battlefield.”
possess
uk |pəˈzes| us |pəˈzes|
verb
1. to have or own something, or to have a particular quality
* “I don’t possess a single DVD (= I don’t have even one DVD).”
* “In the past the root of this plant was thought to possess magical powers.”
2. (of a wish or an idea) to take control over a person’s mind, making that person behave in a very strange way
* ”[+ to infinitive] Whatever possessed him to wear that appalling jacket!”
assess
uk |əˈses| us |əˈses|
verb
1. to judge or decide the amount, value, quality, or importance of something
* “The insurers will need to assess the flood damage.”
* “They assessed the cost of the flood damage at £2,500.”
* “Exams are not the only means of assessing a student’s ability.”
* “It’s too early to assess the long-term consequences of the two countries’ union.”
* ”[+ question word] We need to assess whether the project is worth doing.”
assume
uk |əˈsjuːm| us |əˈsuːm|
verb
1. to accept something to be true without question or proof
* “We mustn’t assume the suspects’ guilt.”
* ”[+ (that)] I assumed (that) you knew each other because you went to the same school.”
* “Let’s assume that they’re coming and make plans on that basis.”
* ”[+ to infinitive] We can’t assume the suspects to be guilty simply because they’ve decided to remain silent.”
2. to pretend to have a different name or be someone you are not, or to express a feeling falsely
* “Moving to a different town, he assumed a false name.”
* “He assumed a look of indifference but I knew how he felt.”
* “[assume an identity] During the investigation, two detectives assumed the identities of antiques dealers.”
3. to take or begin to have responsibility or control, sometimes without the right to do so, or to begin to have a characteristic
* “She is likely to assume the position of team captain next season.”
* “I didn’t want to assume the risk of trying to fix the car myself.”
* “The new president assumes office at midnight tonight.”
* “The issue has assumed considerable political proportions (= has become a big political problem).”
* “[assume control] The terrorists assumed control of the plane and forced it to land in the desert.”
* “If you leave your belongings here, we cannot assume responsibility for what happens to them.”
baffle
uk |ˈbæf.əl| us |ˈbæf.əl|
verb
1. to cause someone to be completely unable to understand or explain something
* “She was completely baffled by his strange behaviour.”
biased
uk |ˈbaɪ.əst| us |ˈbaɪ.əst|
adjective
1. showing an unreasonable like or dislike for someone or something based on personal opinions
* “The newspapers gave a very biased report of the meeting.”
* “I think she’s beautiful but then I’m biased since she’s my daughter.”
concentrate
uk |ˈkɒn.sən.treɪt| us |ˈkɑːn.sən.treɪt|
verb
1. to direct your attention or your efforts towards a particular activity, subject, or problem [I/T]
* “Come on, concentrate! We don’t have all day to do this.”
* “I can’t concentrate on my work with all that noise.”
* “I find running concentrates the mind (= helps me to think).”
* “I’m going to concentrate on my writing for a while.”
* “The company is concentrating (its resources) on developing new products.”
2. to bring or come together in a large number or amount in one particular area [T usually passive/I, usually + adv/prep]
* “Most of the country’s population is concentrated in the north.”
* “In the dry season, the animals tend to concentrate in the areas where there is water.”
3. to make a liquid or substance stronger and reduce its size by removing water from it [T]
consider
uk |kənˈsɪd.ər| us |kənˈsɪd.ɚ|
verb
1. to spend time thinking about a possibility or making a decision [I/T]
* “Don’t make any decisions before you’ve considered the situation.”
* ”[+ question word] Have you considered what you’ll do if you don’t get the job?”
* ”[+ -ing verb] We’re considering selling the house.”
* “[be considered for] She’s being considered for the job.”
* “I’d like some time to consider before I make a decision.”
2. to give attention to a particular subject or fact when judging something else [T]
* “You’ve got to consider the time element when planning the whole project.”
* ”[+ question word] If you consider how long he’s been learning the piano, he’s not very good.”
3. to care about or respect other people or their feelings and wishes [T]
* “Did you consider your mother and how she’s going to feel about you leaving?”
* “She never considers anyone but herself - she’s totally selfish!”
4. to believe someone or something to be, or think of him, her, or it as something [T often + obj + (to be) + noun/adj]
* “He is currently considered (to be) the best British athlete.”
* “We don’t consider her to be right for the job.”
* “[passive + obj + to infinitive] It is considered bad manners in some cultures to speak with your mouth full of food.”
* “[consider yourself lucky that] I consider myself lucky that I only hurt my arm in the accident.”
* “Do you consider him a friend of yours?”
* ”[+ (that)] She considers (that) she has done enough to help already.”
contemplate
uk |ˈkɒn.təm.pleɪt| us |ˈkɑːn.t̬əm.pleɪt|
verb
1. to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way
* ”[+ -ing verb] I’m contemplating going abroad for a year.”
* “They were contemplating a move to California.”
* “It’s too awful/horrific/dangerous to contemplate.”
cynical
uk |ˈsɪn.ɪ.kəl| us |ˈsɪn.ɪ.kəl|
adjective
1. believing that people are only interested in themselves and are not sincere
* “[cynical view] She has a pretty cynical view of men.”
* “[cynical about] I’ve always been deeply cynical about politicians.”
2. used to say that someone’s feelings or emotions are used to your own advantage
* “She works in that most cynical of industries - advertising.”
* “He praises my cooking but it’s just a cynical ploy to get me to make him dinner.”
3. not showing fairness or respect to an opposing player [sports UK specialized]
* “Most of my injuries have come from bad cynical tackles.”
* “Cynical fouls by defenders with no intention of playing the ball were the reason referees were asked to get tough in the first place.”
deduce
uk |dɪˈdʒuːs| us |dɪˈduːs|
verb
1. to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts
* “[deduce something from something] We cannot deduce very much from these figures.”
* ”[+ that] The police have deduced that he must have left his apartment yesterday evening.”
deliberate
uk |dɪˈlɪb.ə.reɪt| us |dɪˈlɪb.ə.reɪt|
verb
1. to think or talk seriously and carefully about something
* “[deliberate on] The jury took five days to deliberate on the case.”
* “The committee has deliberated the question at great length.”
* ”[+ question word] He’s deliberating whether or not to accept the new job that he’s been offered.”
dilemma
uk |daɪˈlem.ə| |dɪˈlem.ə| us |daɪˈlem.ə| |dɪˈlem.ə|
noun
1. a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two different things you could do
* “[face a dilemma] She faces the dilemma of disobeying her father or losing the man she loves.”
* “[in a dilemma] She’s in a dilemma because she feels she would lose out if she tried to transfer her pension fund elsewhere.”
* “[dilemma over] The president is clearly in a dilemma over how to tackle the crisis.”
* “[dilemma about] There’s a real dilemma about how to respond.”
* “Secrets often present a moral dilemma for adolescents.”
* “True ethical dilemmas are complex and have no easy answers.”
discriminate
uk |dɪˈskrɪm.ɪ.neɪt| us |dɪˈskrɪm.ə.neɪt|
verb
1. to treat a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their race, gender, sexuality, etc. [I]
* “[be discriminated against] She felt she had been discriminated against because of her age.”
* “[discriminate in favour of] In order to increase the number of female representatives, the selection committee decided to discriminate in favour of women for three years.”
2. to be able to see the difference between two things or people [I + adv/prep formal]
* “[discriminate between] Police dogs can discriminate between the different smells.”
dubious
uk |ˈdʒuː.bi.əs| us |ˈduː.bi.əs|
adjective
1. thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted
* “These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven.”
* “He has been associated with some dubious characters.”
* “Ruth Ellis has the dubious (= bad) distinction of being the last woman to be hanged in Britain.”
2. feeling doubt or not feeling certain
* “[dubious about] I’m dubious about his promises to change his ways.”
estimate
uk |ˈes.tɪ.meɪt| us |ˈes.tə.meɪt|
verb
1. to guess or calculate the cost, size, value, etc. of something
* “Government sources estimate a long-term 50 percent increase in rail fares.”
* “They estimate (that) the journey will take at least two weeks.”
* ”[+ question word] It was difficult to estimate how many trees had been destroyed.”
estimate
uk |ˈes.tɪ.mət| us |ˈes.tə.mət|
noun
1. a guess of what the size, value, amount, cost, etc. of something might be
* “[estimate of] The number of people who applied for the course was 120 compared with an initial estimate of between 50 and 100.”
* “We’ll accept the lowest of three estimates for the building work.”
* “Conservative (= low) estimates put his salary at about $4 million a year.”
* “You’ll need to make a rough (= not exact) estimate of how much all this is going to cost.”
faith
uk |feɪθ| us |feɪθ|
noun
1. great trust or confidence in something or someone [U]
* “[have faith in] She has no faith in modern medicine.”
* “[great faith in] You’ll cope - I have great faith in you.”
* “[lose faith in] After the trial, his family said they had lost all faith in the judicial system.”
* “[restore someone’s faith in] Politicians must start keeping their promises if they want to restore the people’s faith in government.”
* “Things will change, I just have to have faith.”
2. a particular religion [C]
* “the Muslim/Christian/Jewish/Buddhist faith”
* “They were persecuted for their faith.”
* “[practise your faith] He was forced to practise his faith in secret.”
* “[multi-faith society] The government must recognize that we now live in a multi-faith society.”
* “[the true faith] They were brought up in the true faith (= the religion which the speaker believes is the only true one).”
3. strong belief in God or a particular religion [U]
* “Even in the bad times she never lost her faith.”
* “[faith in someone/something] Her faith in God was shattered when her baby died.”
* “It’s my faith that keeps me going.”
gather
uk |ˈɡæð.ər| us |ˈɡæð.ɚ|
verb
1. to collect several things, often from different places or people [T]
* “I went to several libraries to gather information about the plans.”
* “We gathered blueberries from the bushes.”
* “[gather up] She gathered up the newspapers that were scattered around the floor.”
* “[gather something together] We gathered our things together and left quickly.”
2. to put your arms around someone and hold or carry them in a careful or loving way [T + adv/prep]
* “[gather someone in something] He gathered her in his arms and kissed her.”
* “She gathered the children up and hurried into the house.”
genius
uk |ˈdʒiː.ni.əs| us |ˈdʒiː.ni.əs|
noun
1. very great and rare natural ability or skill, especially in a particular area such as science or art, or a person who has this
* “(an) artistic/creative/musical genius”
* “Einstein was a (mathematical) genius.”
* “From the age of three, she showed signs of genius.”
* “[stroke of genius] It was such a brilliant idea - a real stroke of genius.”
grasp
uk |ɡrɑːsp| us |ɡræsp|
verb
1. to quickly take something in your hand(s) and hold it firmly
* “Rosie suddenly grasped my hand.”
2. If you grasp an opportunity, you take it eagerly
* “We must grasp every opportunity to strengthen economic ties with other countries.”
3. to understand something, especially something difficult
* “I think I managed to grasp the main points of the lecture.”
* “The government has acknowledged that homelessness is a problem but it has failed to grasp the scale of the problem.”
guesswork
uk |ˈɡes.wɜːk| us |ˈɡes.wɝːk|
noun
1. the process of making a guess when you do not know all the facts
* “[pure guesswork] The projected sales figures are pure guesswork on our part.”
hunch
uk |hʌntʃ| us |hʌntʃ|
noun
1. an idea that is based on feeling and for which there is no proof
* ”[+ that] I had a hunch that you’d be here.”
* “[act on/follow a hunch] Sometimes you have to be prepared to act on/follow a hunch.”
ideology
uk |ˌaɪ.diˈɒl.ə.dʒi| us |ˌaɪ.diˈɑː.lə.dʒi|
noun
1. a set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party, or organization is based
* “socialist/capitalist ideology”
* “The people are caught between two opposing ideologies.”
ingenious
uk |ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs| us |ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs|
adjective
1. (of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods
* “an ingenious idea/method/solution”
* “Johnny is so ingenious - he can make the most remarkable sculptures from the most ordinary materials.”
inspiration
uk |ˌɪn.spɪˈreɪ.ʃən| us |ˌɪn.spəˈreɪ.ʃən|
noun
1. someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something [C/U]
* “[inspiration for] The golden autumn light provided the inspiration for the painting.”
* “[divine inspiration] He went to church, perhaps seeking divine inspiration.”
2. a sudden good idea [C]
* “[have an inspiration] He had an inspiration - why not apply for some government money?”
3. someone that people admire and want to be like [S]
* “[an inspiration to] She has been an inspiration to us all.”
4. the act of breathing in, or a single breath in [U/C medical, biology specialized]
* “Bronchi normally expand and lengthen during inspiration and shorten during expiration.”
* “The seal can be heard snorting and gurgling with each inspiration.”
intuition
uk |ˌɪn.tʃuːˈɪʃ.ən| us |ˌɪn.tuːˈɪʃ.ən|
noun
1. (knowledge from) an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts
* “Often there’s no clear evidence one way or the other and you just have to base your judgment on intuition.”
* ”[+ (that)] I can’t explain how I knew - I just had an intuition that you’d been involved in an accident.”
justify
uk |ˈdʒʌs.tɪ.faɪ| us |ˈdʒʌs.tə.faɪ|
verb
1. to give or to be a good reason for
* ”[+ -ing verb] I can’t really justify taking another day off work.”
* “Are you sure that these measures are justified?”
naive
uk |naɪˈiːv| us |naɪˈiːv|
adjective
1. too willing to believe that someone is telling the truth, that people’s intentions in general are good, or that life is simple and fair. People are often naive because they are young and/or have not had much experience of life
* “She was very naive to believe that he’d stay with her.”
* “They make the naive assumption that because it’s popular it must be good.”
* “It was a little naive of you to think that they would listen to your suggestions.”
notion
uk |ˈnəʊ.ʃən| us |ˈnoʊ.ʃən|
noun
1. a belief or idea
* ”[+ that] The show’s director rejects the notion that seeing violence on television has a harmful effect on children.”
* “I have only a vague notion of what she does for a living.”
optimistic
uk |ˌɒp.tɪˈmɪs.tɪk| us |ˌɑːp.təˈmɪs.t̬ɪk|
adjective
1. hoping or believing that good things will happen in the future
* “[optimistic about] She is optimistic about her chances of winning a gold medal.”
paradox
uk |ˈpær.ə.dɒks| us |ˈper.ə.dɑːks|
noun
1. a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics
* ”[+ that] It’s a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.”
pessimistic
uk |ˌpes.ɪˈmɪs.tɪk| us |ˌpes.əˈmɪs.t̬ɪk|
adjective
1. thinking that bad things are more likely to happen or emphasizing the bad part of a situation
* “The tone of the meeting was very pessimistic.”
* “[pessimistic about] The doctors are pessimistic (= not hopeful) about his chances of recovery.”
plausible
uk |ˈplɔː.zə.bəl| us |ˈplɑː.zə.bəl|
adjective
1. seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed
* “a plausible explanation/excuse”
2. A plausible person appears to be honest and telling the truth, even if they are not [disapproving]
* “a plausible salesman”
ponder
uk |ˈpɒn.dər| us |ˈpɑːn.dɚ|
verb
1. to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time
* “She sat back for a minute to ponder her next move in the game.”
prejudiced
uk |ˈpredʒ.ə.dɪst| us |ˈpredʒ.ə.dɪst|
adjective
1. showing an unreasonable dislike for something or someone
* “The campaign is designed to make people less prejudiced about AIDS.”
* “The media has been accused of presenting a prejudiced view of people with disabilities.”
* “Some companies are prejudiced against taking on employees who are over the age of 40.”
