n. rare and unpredictable event; person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
E.g. We talked to a spokesman for the balloon company, expressed his regrets of course, and says they're trying to determine what caused the freak fire.
n. major divided highway designed for high-speed travel, having few or no intersections
E.g. I lived just across the freeway from the convention center.
n. margin; periphery; decorative border of hanging threads, cords, or strips, often attached to a separate band
E.g. A flag with a fringe is an ensign, a military flag.
a. lasting only a short time; fleeting; elusive
E.g. The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon her.
n. state of cowardly fright; state of severe depression; cowardly, fearful person
E.g. At the end of the day, the only way out of this funk is to force myself into the habit of concentrating on the jobs at hand.
n. angry disturbance; excited state of agitation; needlessly nervous or useless activity; protest; quarrel
E.g. It also made me want to read a Jane Austen novel just to see what the fuss is all about.
n. large, isolated system of stars, as the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities
E.g. Give me a sky and I'll show you what a galaxy is all about.
n. very strong wind; gust of wind; emotional outburst as laughter or tears
E.g. The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour.
n. bitterness of feeling; vexation
E.g. Sometimes, gall is so shameless it's turned into an art form.
a. courtly; lively and spirited; having or displaying great dignity or nobility
E.g. Distinguishable above all, though not loud, was the sonorous voice of the master of Thornfield Hall, welcoming his fair and gallant guests under its roof.
n. crown of king; wreath of chaplet made of branches, flowers, or feathers, to be worn on head like a crown
E.g. The little girl presented the champion with a victory garland.
n. measuring instrument; measure; judge
E.g. We are a leading Auto gauge and Auto meter manufacturer.
n. precious stone; jewel; pearl or mineral that has been cut and polished for use as an ornament
E.g. The other two suspects were picked up at a New York gem dealership.
n. one that generates, especially converts mechanical energy into electrical energy; apparatus that generates vapor
E.g. The main generator is still down but the backup and batteries are holding out.
n. noble birth; quality of being noble; noble-mindedness; liberality in giving
E.g. Her kindness and generosity cancel out her occasional flashes of temper.
a. of or relating to the science of gene; relating to, or influenced by origin of something
E.g. This increases the vulnerability of crops to a major outbreak of pests or diseases; so the old breeds are needed for their valuable genetic material.
n. plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and West Indies
E.g. Spicy-sweet candied ginger is a nice match for the tart, and sometimes bitter, grapefruit juice.
a. attractive; charming
E.g. It promises to be one of India's most glamorous events of the year.
n. air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring; magic spell
E.g. It’s heartening to know that if adults don’t recognize all the dangers in glamour sports, this book may help young athletes spot them on their own.
n. glance; a quick look ; see briefly; a brief or incomplete view
E.g. For those lucky enough to glimpse the motorcade of the royals as they drive the distance from the capital's airport, this is a day of celebration.
v. feel or express great, often malicious, pleasure or self-satisfaction
E.g. The only time you can sit back, relax and gloat is when you win it all.
v. provide extensive explanation for words or phrases
E.g. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.
a. dazzlingly beautiful; magnificent
E.g. Just one word of warning: a Swiss team has actually qualified for the World Cup - so those Swiss men, gorgeous or otherwise, might all be watching the match.
n. doctrine that is believed to be of great importance
E.g. There can be no compromise, no watering down of the Christian gospel, he insisted.
n. person with discriminating taste in food and wine
E.g. The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted.
a. thankful; appreciative of benefits received
E.g. He said he was feeling well and was very grateful to be there.
n. seriousness; solemn and dignified feeling; natural force between two massive bodies
E.g. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression.
v. question severely; torture or afflict
E.g. In violation of the Miranda law, the policemen grill the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights.
a. unrelenting; rigid; dismal and gloomy; cold and forbidding
E.g. Robert held her gaze for a long time, his expression grim and slightly troubled.
v. crush; scrape; reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading
E.g. He planned to grind the spices in a mortar.
n. boy or young man; waiter; servant; man recently married, or about to be married; bridegroom
E.g. In the United States, on average a groom is 2.3 years older than his bride.
n. long narrow furrow or channel; settled routine; very pleasurable experience
E.g. If a groove is chipped across one of the concrete columns or through one of the bond beams within the walls, it will weaken the structure.
a. of huge size; excessively large; coarse; rough; not fine or delicate
E.g. You can tell from his gross language that the man was uneducated.
n. group of trees smaller than a forest; orchard
E.g. And in the grove is the best place to learn that redwood trees.
v. utter a deep guttural sound, as angry dog; give forth an angry, grumbling sound; emit low guttural sound
E.g. Meanwhile Armstrong continues to grunt, to growl, to bite into his gums but all to no avail: he's over five minutes behind now.
v. be unwilling or reluctant to give or admit; be envious; show discontent
E.g. The students have to stop protesting and grudge the higher tuition money.
a. unhappy or irritable, particularly applied to babies and children or adults who are acting childishly
E.g. A lack of sleep can make kids grumpy is hardly news.
a. protected; defended; watched over; supervised
E.g. We view these changes with guarded optimism.
n. state of one who has broken a moral or political law; crime; criminality; offense against right
E.g. We have given officers a method to punish before guilt is decided.
a. easily deceived or cheated; easily tricked because of being too trusting
E.g. This time, unlike gullible investors during the 1920s, the big losers would be taxpayers, who never had the choice of not playing.