UNITS 7&8 • TOPIC Flashcards
accelerate
uk |əkˈsel.ə.reɪt| us |ekˈsel.ɚ.eɪt|
verb
1. When a vehicle or its driver accelerates, the speed of the vehicle increases [I]
* “I accelerated to overtake the bus.”
2. If a person or object accelerates, he, she, or it goes faster. [I]
3. to happen or make something happen sooner or faster [I/T]
* “Inflation is likely to accelerate this year, adding further upward pressure on interest rates.”
* “They use special chemicals to accelerate the growth of crops.”
approach
uk |əˈprəʊtʃ| us |əˈproʊtʃ|
verb
1. to come near or nearer to something or someone in space, time, quality, or amount [I/T]
* “We could just see the train approaching in the distance.”
* “If you look out of the window on the left, you’ll see that we’re now approaching the Eiffel Tower.”
* “I see it’s approaching lunchtime, so let’s take a break.”
* “In my opinion, no other composers even begin to approach (= come near in quality to) Mozart.”
* “The total amount raised so far is approaching (= almost) $1,000.”
* “He’s very active for a man approaching 80 (= who is almost 80 years old).”
2. to deal with something [T]
* “I’m not sure how to approach the problem.”
3. to speak to, write to, or visit someone in order to do something such as make a request or business agreement [T]
* “We’ve just approached the bank for/about a loan.”
* “She’s been approached by a modelling agency.”
approach
uk |əˈprəʊtʃ| us |əˈproʊtʃ|
noun
1. a way of considering or doing something [C]
* “Since our research so far has not produced any answers to this problem, we need to adopt a different approach to it.”
* “I’ve just read an interesting book which has a new approach to Shakespeare.”
* “Michael is always very logical in his approach.”
2. the fact of getting nearer in distance or time [C/U]
* “The siren signalled the approach of an ambulance.”
* “Many kinds of birds fly south at the approach of winter.”
* “Please fasten your seat belts, the plane is now making its final approach (in)to (= is coming near to and preparing to land at) Heathrow.”
3. a route that leads to a place
* “There is a very steep approach to the house.”
* “[UK] We got stuck in a traffic jam on the approach road.”
ascend
uk |əˈsend| us |əˈsend|
verb
1. to move up or climb something [I/T]
* “They slowly ascended the steep path up the mountain.”
* “There’s a long flight of steps ascending (= leading up) to the cathedral doors.”
2. to rise to a position of higher rank [I]
* “He eventually ascended to the position of chief executive.”
bounce
uk |baʊns| us |baʊns|
verb
1. to (cause to) move up or away after hitting a surface [I/T]
* “[bounce off] The ball bounced off the goalpost and into the net.”
* “[figurative] Television pictures from all over the world are bounced off satellites (= are sent to and returned from them).”
* “She bounced the ball quickly.”
* “Her bag bounced (= moved up and down) against her side as she walked.”
* “[bounce someone/something on something] He bounced the baby on his knee.”
* “The children had broken the bed by bouncing (= jumping up and down) on it.”
2. to move in an energetic and enthusiastic manner [I usually + adv/prep]
* “[bounce in] Tom bounced in, smiling broadly.”
3. to (cause a cheque to) not be paid or accepted by a bank because there is no money in the account [I/T informal]
* “I had to pay a penalty fee when my cheque bounced.”
* “To my horror the bank bounced the cheque.”
4. If an email that you send bounces or is bounced, it comes back to you because the address is wrong or there is a computer problem. [I/T]
bounce
uk |baʊns| us |baʊns|
noun
1. the act of bouncing, or the quality that makes something able to bounce [C/U]
* “In tennis you have to hit the ball before its second bounce.”
* “[figurative] This shampoo will give your hair bounce (= make it look attractively thick) and shine.”
2. an improvement or change to a higher level, for example in how popular a politician or party is [C usually singular]
* “His speech to the convention may have given him a bounce.”
* “The city has seen a bounce in homicide.”
clamber
uk |ˈklæm.bər| us |ˈklæm.bɚ|
verb
1. to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet
* “They clambered over/up the rocks.”
* “I clambered into/onto the bus.”
* “She clambered into bed.”
clamber
uk |ˈklæm.bər| us |ˈklæm.bɚ|
noun
1. a climb up, across, or into somewhere that is difficult, so that you have to use your hands to help you
* “I was worn out after my clamber up the hillside.”
* “Drop into old-fashioned tearooms for a cream tea, then work it off with a clamber over the rocks.”
clench
uk |klentʃ| us |klentʃ|
verb
1. to close or hold something very tightly, often in a determined or angry way
* “The old man clenched his fist and waved it angrily at us.”
* “[be clenched in] With a knife clenched in his teeth, he climbed up the tree to cut some coconuts.”
* “[be clenched between] He was still able to paint, learning to use a brush clenched between his toes.”
* "”Get out of here,” she said through clenched teeth.”
clutch
uk |klʌtʃ| us |klʌtʃ|
verb
1. to take or try to take hold of something or someone tightly, usually in fear, worry, or pain
* “[clutch onto] Silent and pale, she clutched onto her mother’s hand.”
* “[clutch something to something] Clutching the money to his chest, he hurried to the bank.”
* “He collapsed, clutching his stomach.”
clutch
uk |klʌtʃ| us |klʌtʃ|
noun
1. a device that allows turning movement to be sent from one part of a machine to another [C usually singular]
* “[clutch slips] I’ve booked the car into the garage because the clutch is slipping.”
2. the pedal or handle in a vehicle that is used to operate the engine’s clutch [C usually singular]
* “[push the clutch in] Push the clutch in, put the car into gear, rev the engine, and then gently let the clutch out.”
* “[let the clutch out] Push the clutch in, put the car into gear, rev the engine, and then gently let the clutch out.”
* “[pop the clutch] Try pushing the vehicle and popping the clutch (= releasing it suddenly and completely) if it will not start.”
3. a small group of eggs produced by the same bird, especially in a nest [C]
4. a small group of people or things [S]
* “[clutch of] a fresh clutch of students”
clutch
uk |klʌtʃ| us |klʌtʃ|
adjective
1. able to do something when it is especially difficult or especially needed [before noun]
* “Moose, always reliable under pressure, was an amazing clutch hitter.”
* “[clutch performer] He developed the reputation for being the big winner, the clutch performer.”
2. done successfully when this is especially difficult or especially important [before noun]
* “It was his leadership and clutch play that made him special.”
* “The team managed only three hits after falling behind, but came up with the clutch hit when it needed it the most.”
crawl
uk |krɔːl| us |krɑːl|
verb
1. to move along on hands and knees or with your body stretched out along a surface [I]
* “[crawl across] The child crawled across the floor.”
* “Megan has just learned to crawl.”
* “The injured soldier crawled to safety.”
* “He had to crawl along a ledge and get in through a window.”
2. to move or progress slowly or with difficulty [I]
* “The lorry crawled noisily up the hill.”
* “[crawl along] There’s a lot of work to be done and we’re crawling along at a snail’s pace.”
3. to try hard to please in order to get an advantage [I UK informal disapproving]
* “I don’t like people who crawl.”
* “[crawl to] He crawled to the group leader because he wanted a promotion.”
crawl
uk |krɔːl| us |krɑːl|
noun
1. a fast style of swimming in which the body faces down and you move your arms over and past your head one after the other in a circular movement, and kick with straight legs [S/U (also front crawl)]
* “[do the crawl] She can do the crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke, which is amazing for someone so young.”
* “I tend to swim breaststroke — I can barely swim one width of the crawl.”
* “When you swim front crawl you put your face in the water.”
* “Their backstroke is superb but their front crawl still needs a lot of work.”
* “He ploughed up and down the length of the pool in a faultless front crawl.”
2. a very slow speed [S]
* “[at a crawl] Traffic moved forward at a crawl.”
creep
uk |kriːp| us |kriːp|
verb
1. to move slowly, quietly, and carefully, usually in order to avoid being noticed
* “[creep through] She turned off the light and crept through the door.”
* “[creep around] Someone was creeping around outside my window.”
* “The spider crept up the wall.”
* “[creep along] The traffic was creeping along at a snail’s pace.”
creep
uk |kriːp| us |kriːp|
noun
1. someone who tries to make someone more important like them by being very polite and helpful in a way that is not sincere [C UK]
* “Making coffee for the boss again? You creep!”
2. an unpleasant person, especially a man [C]
* “He was such a creep - he was always staring at me in the canteen.”
* “[as form of address] Leave me alone, creep!”
3. the gradual growth or increase of something in a way that was not expected or wanted [U]
* “There is growing evidence that labour cost creep is becoming a problem.”
dash
uk |dæʃ| us |dæʃ|
verb
1. to go somewhere quickly [I]
* “The dog ran off, and she dashed after him.”
* “I’ve been dashing around all day.”
* “[UK] I must dash - I’ve got to be home by seven.”
2. to hit something with great force, especially causing damage [I/T, usually + prep]
* “[dash someone/something against something] The tsunami dashed the ship against the rocks.”
* “[dash against] Waves dashed against the cliffs.”
dash
uk |dæʃ| us |dæʃ|
noun
1. the act of running somewhere very quickly [S]
* “[make a dash for] I made a dash for the bathroom.”
* “[mad dash] There was a mad dash for the exit.”
* “[make a dash for it] As soon as the rain dies down I’m going to make a dash for it (= run somewhere very fast).”
2. a race over a short distance [C usually singular mainly US]
* “Who won the 100-yard dash?”
3. the symbol – used to separate parts of a sentence [C]
descend
uk |dɪˈsend| us |dɪˈsend|
verb
1. to go or come down [I/T formal]
* “The path descended steeply into the valley.”
* “Jane descended the stairs.”
2. If darkness or night descends, it becomes dark and day changes to night. [I literary]
3. If a negative or bad feeling descends, it is felt everywhere in a place or by everyone at the same time [I literary]
* “[descend on] A feeling of despair descended on us as we realized that we were lost.”
* “Gloom descended yesterday as the news was announced.”
4. If a condition, usually a negative condition, descends, it quickly develops in every part of a place [I literary]
* “Silence descended on the room.”
* “[descend over] An eerie calm descended over the city.”
* “The babble of voices ceased, and a hush descended.”
drift
uk |drɪft| us |drɪft|
verb
1. to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction [I usually + adv/prep]
* “[drift out to sea] No one noticed that the boat had begun to drift out to sea.”
* “[drift out] Many vehicle fatalities are caused by drunken, distracted, or tired drivers drifting out of their lanes.”
* “[drift in] A mist drifted in from the marshes.”
* “[drift away] After the band stopped playing, people drifted away in twos and threes.”
* “[figurative] The talk drifted aimlessly from one subject to another.”
2. in car racing, to use a driving technique (= a method needing skill) that means the car’s tyres lose their traction (= their firm hold on the ground) but the driver still has control of the car’s direction, used for example when going around a corner fast [I/T sports specialized]
* “She has always been interested in cars and at the age of 21 she learned how to drift.”
* “The image shows him drifting his car around a race track bend.”
drift
uk |drɪft| us |drɪft|
noun
1. the general meaning without the details [S]
* “[general drift of] The general drift of the article was that society doesn’t value older people.”
emigrate
uk |ˈem.ɪ.ɡreɪt| us |ˈem.ə.ɡreɪt|
verb
1. to leave a country permanently and go to live in another one
* “[emigrate from/to] Millions of Germans emigrated from Europe to America in the 19th century.”
* “Thousands of Britons emigrate every year.”
float
uk |fləʊt| us |floʊt|
verb
1. to stay on the surface of a liquid and not sink [I]
* “An empty bottle will float.”
* “[float in] You can float very easily in the Dead Sea because it’s so salty.”
* “[float on] Lily pads float on the surface of the pond.”
2. to (cause to) move easily through, or along the surface of a liquid, or to (cause to) move easily through air [I/T, usually + adv/prep]
* “[float down] We spent a lazy afternoon floating down the river.”
* “[float along] It feeds by simply floating along the water and scooping up fish.”
* “[float out to] He tossed the bottle into the waves and watched it float out to sea.”
* “[float something on something] The children enjoy floating their boats on the pond in the park.”
* “Fluffy white clouds were floating across the sky.”
* “[figurative] The sound of piano-playing floated out through the open window.”
3. to move smoothly and attractively [I usually + adv/prep literary]
* “She sort of floats around, like a ballet dancer.”
4. to move or act without purpose [I usually + adv/prep]
* “[float around/about] Since he lost his job, he’s just floated around/about doing nothing.”
5. to suggest a plan or an idea to be considered [T]
* “[float an idea] Laura has floated the idea that we should think about expanding into Europe next year.”
6. to allow the value of a country’s money to change according to the value of other countries’ money [I/T finance & economics specialized]
* “Argentina decided to let its currency float freely against the dollar.”
7. to start selling shares in a business or company for the first time [T]
float
uk |fləʊt| us |floʊt|
noun
1. a small amount of money kept by someone who works in a bar, etc., used for giving customers their change [S UK]
2. a large vehicle with a flat surface that is decorated and used in festivals [C]
* “carnival floats”
3. a light object that floats on the surface of the water and is used to keep a fishing net, or the bait on a fishing line, in a particular position [C]
* “Fishing nets are often held in position by floats.”
4. a light object that floats on water and that you hold onto when learning to swim [C UK (US kickboard)]
* “Hold the float in front of you and kick your legs.”
5. a toy animal or other object that is filled with air and played with or sat on in swimming pools [C]
* “A pool float has now become a holiday essential.”
6. a drink with ice cream on the top [C]
* “I’ll have a root beer float, please.”
