/TOEFL-Practice

TOEFL preparation notes, vocabularies and phrases.

TOEFL Practice

Vocabularies with English explanations

tribe

  • a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.

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Despot

  • a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.

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Stretch

noun

  • an act of stretching one's limbs or body. I got up and had a stretch. synonyms: reach out, hold out, extend, outstretch, proffer, outreach
  • a continuous area or expanse of land or water. a 'treacherous' stretch of road synonyms: expanse, area, tract, belt, sweep, extent
  • a stretch limo. a chauffeur-driven stretch

verb

  • (of something soft or elastic) be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking. my sweater stretched in the wash. synonyms: be elastic, be stretchy, be tensile
  • straighten or extend one's body or a part of one's body to its full length, typically so as to tighten one's muscles or in order to reach something. the cat yawned and stretched. synonyms: extend, straighten (out); lie down, recline, lean back, be recumbent, sprawl, lounge, loll
  • extend or spread over an area or period of time. the beach stretches for over four miles. synonyms: extend, spread, continue

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Distinct

adjective

  • recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type. the patterns of spoken language are distinct from those of writing. synonyms: clear, well-defined, unmistakable, easily distinguishable, recognizable, visible, obvious,

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Strict

adjective

  • demanding that rules concerning behavior are obeyed and observed. my father was very strict. synonyms: stern, severe, harsh, uncompromising, authoritarian, governessy, firm, austere

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Adherence

noun

  • bond, adhesiveness, adhesion attachment, adhesion

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Meritocracy

noun

  • government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability. For the first time in the 20th century, Britain's agonisingly slow progress towards meritocracy went into reverse.

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investigate

verb

  • carry out a systematic or formal inquiry to discover and examine the facts of (an incident, allegation, etc.) so as to establish the truth.
  • police are investigating the alleged beating. synonyms: inquire into, look into, go into, probe, explore, scrutinize, conduct an investigation into, m

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drought

noun

  • a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall; a shortage of water resulting from this. Chinese officials say cloud seeding has helped to relieve severe droughts and water shortages in cities. synonyms: dry spell, lack of rain, shortage of water

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colony

noun

  • a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country. Imperial self-assertion required first of all that Italy seize full control of the colonies it already possessed. synonyms: settlement, dependency, protectorate, satellite, territory, outpost, province
  • a group of people of one nationality or ethnic group living in a foreign city or country. the British colony in New York
  • a community of animals or plants of one kind living close together or forming a physically connected structure. a colony of seals

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scum

noun

  • a layer of dirt or froth on the surface of a liquid. green scum found on stagnant pools synonyms: film, layer, covering, froth, filth, dross, dirt

verb

  • (of a liquid) become covered with a layer of dirt or froth. the lagoon scummed over

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acidic

adjective

  • having the properties of an acid, or containing acid; having a pH below 7. When this compound is dissolved in water, an acidic solution of hydrogen cyanide, also known as prussic acid, is produced.
  • sharp-tasting or sour. acidic wine
  • of or relating to acid rock or acid house music. These new acidic ventures sampled from different genres and emerged as a bizarre Teutonic glam.

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Monarchy

noun

  • a form of government with a monarch at the head. You can see that the resulting difference in the constitution may be enormous: anywhere from social democracy to absolute monarchy .

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Figurehead

noun

  • a nominal leader or head without real power. The highest official is the prime minister, and the president is a figurehead with no real power. synonyms: titular head, nominal leader, leader in name only, front man, cipher, token, mouthpiece, puppet, instrument
  • a carving, typically a bust or a full-length figure, set at the prow of an old-fashioned sailing ship. The incomers were principally craftsmen, carving ships' figureheads and occasional portrait busts. synonyms: carving, bust, sculpture, image, statue

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Sovereign

adjective

  • possessing supreme or ultimate power. in modern democracies the people's will is in theory sovereign synonyms: supreme, absolute, unlimited, unrestricted, boundless, ultimate, total, unconditional, full

noun

  • a supreme ruler, especially a monarch. In India, however, she was an empress, a supreme sovereign to whom other sovereigns owed homage. synonyms: ruler, monarch, crowned head, head of state, potentate, suzerain, overlord, dynast, leader, king, queen, emperor, empress, prince, princess, czar, royal duke, regent, mogul, emir, sheikh, sultan, maharaja, raja
  • a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling, now only minted for commemorative purposes. How can I find the latest prices for Krugerrands and gold sovereigns ?

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Severely

adverb

  • to an undesirably great or intense degree. our business has been severely affected by the slowdown
  • strictly or harshly. the culprits will be severely punished
  • in a very plain style. her hair was severely pulled back into a bun

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Consaderable

adjective

  • notably large in size, amount, or extent. a position of considerable influence synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant, goodly, fair, hefty, handsome, decent, wor

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Exact

adjective

  • not approximated in any way; precise. the exact details were still being worked out

verb

  • demand and obtain (something, especially a payment) from someone. tributes exacted from the Slavic peoples synonyms: demand, require, insist on, request, impose, expect, extract, compel, force, squeeze

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craftsman

noun

  • a person who is skilled in a particular craft. This is often due to the scarcity of skilled builders, craftsmen and gardeners. synonyms: artisan, artist, skilled worker, expert, master, artificer

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arose

verb

  • (of a problem, opportunity, or situation) emerge; become apparent. new difficulties had arisen synonyms: come to light, become apparent, appear, emerge, crop up, turn up, surface, spring up, occur, befall, come to pass
  • get or stand up. he arose at 9:30 and went out for a walk synonyms: stand up, rise, get to one's feet, get up

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ennoble

verb

  • give (someone) a noble rank or title. When he was ennobled in 1964, someone remarked he should take the title Lord Corridor of Power.

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emphasize

verb

  • give special importance or prominence to (something) in speaking or writing. he jabbed a finger into the tabletop to emphasize his point

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prominence

noun

  • the state of being important or famous. she came to prominence as an artist in the 1960s synonyms: fame, celebrity, eminence, preeminence, importance, distinction, greatness, note, notability, prestige, stature, standing, position, rank; good coverage, importance, precedence, weight, a high profile, top billing
  • the fact or condition of standing out from something by physically projecting or being particularly noticeable. radiographs showed enlargement of the right heart with prominence of the pulmonary outflow tract

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trait

noun

  • a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person. he was a letter-of-the-law man, a common trait among coaches synonyms: characteristic, attribute, feature, quality, property, habit, custom, mannerism, idiosyncras

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elegant

adjective

  • pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. she will look elegant in black synonyms: stylish, graceful, tasteful, sophisticated, classic, chic, smart, fashionable, modish.

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opulence

noun

  • great wealth or luxuriousness. rooms of spectacular opulence synonyms: luxuriousness, sumptuousness, lavishness, richness, luxury, luxuriance, splendor, magn

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sturdy

adjective

  • adjective (of a person or their body) strongly and solidly built. he had a sturdy, muscular physique synonyms: strapping, well-built, muscular, athletic, strong, hefty, brawny, powerful, solid, bulky, burly

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nook

noun

  • a corner or recess, especially one offering seclusion or security. the nook beside the fire synonyms: recess, corner, alcove, niche, cranny, bay, inglenook, cavity, cubbyhole, pigeonhole, op

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seclusion

noun

  • the state of being private and away from other people. they enjoyed ten days of peace and seclusion synonyms: isolation, solitude, retreat, privacy, retirement, withdrawal, concealment, hiding

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recess

noun

  • a small space created by building part of a wall further back from the rest. a table set into a recess
  • a period of time when the proceedings of a parliament, committee, court of law, or other official body are temporarily suspended. talks resumed after a month's recess

verb

  • attach (a fixture) by setting it back into the wall or surface to which it is fixed. recessed ceiling lights (of formal proceedings) be temporarily suspended. the talks recessed at 2:15

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royalty

noun

  • people of royal blood or status. diplomats, heads of state, and royalty shared tables at the banquet
  • a sum of money paid to a patentee for the use of a patent or to an author or composer for each copy of a book sold or for each public performance of a work. Under the 1909 copyright law and its progeny, a song's composers collect royalties for a ‘public performance’ like the radio broadcast of a CD.
  • a royal right (now especially over minerals) granted by a sovereign to an individual or corporation. The unstable government has been reliant on Australian troops, police and economic aid, a situation ruthlessly exploited by Canberra in the dispute over royalties and sovereignty.

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ordinary

adjective

  • with no special or distinctive features; normal. he sets out to depict ordinary people synonyms: usual, normal, standard, typical, common, customary, habitual, everyday, regular, routine, day-to-day
  • (especially of a judge or bishop) exercising authority by virtue of office and not by delegation. Should this be the case, an ordinary judge is not allowed to disregard the national legislation but is bound to refer it to the Constitutional Court.

noun

  • what is commonplace or standard. their clichés were vested with enough emotion to elevate them above the ordinary

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Prosper

verb

  • succeed in material terms; be financially successful. his business prospered

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Thrive

verb

  • (of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously. the new baby thrived

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avenues

noun

  • a broad road in a town or city, typically having trees at regular intervals along its sides. tree-lined avenues surround the hotel
  • a way of approaching a problem or making progress toward something. three possible avenues of research suggested themselves synonyms: line, path, method, approachoral