TOEFL wordlist 31

1. ponderous [ˈpɒndərəs]

(1). adj. Ponderous writing or speech is very serious, uses more words than necessary, and is rather dull.

(2). adj. A movement or action that is ponderous is very slow or clumsy.

These ponderous machines reaped the grain, and bagged it.

2. frugal [ˈfruːɡl]

(1). adj. People who are frugal or who live frugal lives do not eat much or spend much money on themselves.

(2). adj. A frugal meal is small and not expensive.

Frugal people save cash in kitchen pots and jars.

3. emerald [ˈemərəld]

(1). n. A emerald is a precious stone which is clear and bright green.

(2). phrase. Something that is emerald is bright green in colour.

She had an emerald ring.

4. vocal [ˈvəʊkl]

(1). adj. You say that people are vocal when they speak forcefully about something that they feel strongly about.

(2). adj. Vocal means involving the use of the human voice, espcially in singing.

He has been very vocal in his criticism of the government's policy.

5. eschew [ɪsˈtʃuː]

v. If you eschew something, you deliberately avoid doing it or becoming involved in it.

The movie star eschewed the personal questions during the interview.

6. hedge [hedʒ]

(1). n. A hedge is a row of bushes or small trees, usually along the edge of a garden, field, or road.

(2). v. If you hedge against something unpleasant or unwanted that might affect you, especially losing money, you do something which will protect you from it.

(3). n. Something that is a hedge against something unpleasant will protect you from its effects.

(4). v. If you hedge, you avoid answering a question or committing yourself to a particular action or decision.

(5). phrase. If you hedge your bets, you reduce the risk of losing a lot by supporting more than one person or thing in a situation where they are opposed to each other.

Tony has invested some money overseas as a hedge against the rising inflation in the country.

7. liable [ˈlaɪəbl]

(1). phrase. When something is liable to happen, it is very likely to happen.

(2). adj. If people or things are liable to something unpleasant, they are likely to experience it or do it.

(3). adj. If you are liable for something such as a debt, you are legally responsible for it.

A wife is liable for her husband's debts, so the wife should and must take care of his money.

8. exhort [ɪɡˈzɔːt]

v. If you exhort someone to do something, you try hard to persuade or encourage them to do it.

No matter how his parents exhort John to study hard, he just doesn't like to go to school.

9. disparate [ˈdɪspərət]

(1). adj. Disparate things are clearly different from each other in quality or type.

(2). adj. A disparate thing is made up of very different elements.

Her three evening dresses gave us quite disparate feelings.

10. vivify ['vɪvɪfaɪ]

Ivy's dubbing for the puppet vivified it.

11. spurn [spɜːn]

v. If you spurn someone or something, you reject them.

Mr. Smith spurned all the offers to travel around the world.

12. expeditious [ˌekspəˈdɪʃəs]

adj. Expeditious means quick and efficient.

Let the chilren think by themselves; don't give them an expeditious response.

13. assail [əˈseɪl]

(1). v. If someone assail you, they criticize you strongly.

(2). v. If someone assails you, they attack you violently.

(3). v. If you are assailed by something unpleasant such as fears or problems, you are greatly troubled by a large number of them.

(4). v. If you say that a loud sound or a strong smell assails someone's ears or nostrils, you are emphasizing that it is very intense and seems shocking or unpleasant.

It was too dark to recognize who assailed me last night.

14. recess [ˈriːses , rɪˈses]

(1). n. A recess is a break between the periods of work of an official body such as a committee, a court of law, or a government.

(2). v. When formal meetings or court cases recess, they stop temporarily.

(3). n. In a room, a recess is part of a wall which is built further back than the rest of the wall. Recesses are often used as a place to put furniture such as shelves.

(4). n. The recesses of something or somewhere are parts of it which are hard to see because light does not reach them or they are hidden from view.

(5). n. If you refer to the recesses of someone's mind or soul, you are referring to thoughts or feelings they have which are hidden or difficult to describe.

One side of the baby's room has a recess designed to hold bookshelves.

15. elevate [ˈelɪveɪt]

(1). v. When someone or something achieves a more important rank or status, you can say that they are elevated to it.

(2). v. If you elevate something to a higher status, you consider it to better or more important than it really is.

(3). v. To elevate something means to increase it in amount of intensity.

(4). v. If you elevate something, you raise it above a horizontal level.

The birds began to elevate their nests in branches perhaps to avoid predators.

16. divert [daɪˈvɜːt] 

(1). v. To divert vehicles or travellers means  to make them follow a different route or go to a different destination than they originally intended. You can also say that someone or something diverts from a particular route or to a particular place.

(2). v. To divert money or resources means to cause them to be used for a different purpose.

(3). v. To divert a phone call means to send it to a different number or place from the one that was dialled by the person making the call.

(4). v. If you say that someone diverts your attention from something important or serious, you disapprove of them behaving or talking in a way that stops you thinking about it.

The first publisher to produce books aimed primarily at diverting a child audience.

17. melanin [ˈmelənɪn]

n. Melanin is a dark substance in the skin, eyes, and hair of people and animals, which gives them colour and can protect them against strong sunlight.

The skin of the grass mouse contains lots of melanin, or dark pigments.

18. zealous [ˈzeləs]

adj. Someone who is zealous spends a lot of time or energy in supporting something that they believe in very strongly, especially a political or religious ideal.

Wilton also made a lead equestrian image of King George III that was created in New York in 1770 and torn down by zealous patriots six years later.

19. pierce [pɪəs]

(1). v. If a sharp object pierces something, or if you pierce something with a sharp object, the object goes into it and makes a hole in it.

(2). v. If you have you ears or some other part of body pierced, you have a small hole made through them so that you can wear a piece of jewllery in them.

(3). v. If a light or sound pierces something or pierces through it, it is suddenly seen or heard very clearly.

(4). v. If a thought, feeling, or sound pierces someone's heart, it makes them experience a feeling, especially sadness, very strongly.

(5). v. If someone pierces something that acts as a barrier, they manage to get through it.

The bullet pierced the police officer's vest.

20. recoil [rɪˈkɔɪl , ˈriːkɔɪl]

(1). v. If something makes you recoil, you move your body quickly away from it because it frightens, offends, or hurts you.

(2). v. If you recoil from doing something or recoil at the idea of something, you refuse to do it or accept it because you dislike it so much.

(3). n. The recoil of a gun is the quick backward movement that it makes when it is fired.

The girl recoiled in horror at the sight of the snake.

21. meteorological [ˌmiːtiərəˈlɒdʒɪkl]

adj. Meteorological means relating to meteorology.

Scientists spent nearly ten years in studying the meteorological records.

22. lace [leɪs]

(1). n. Lace is a very delicate cloth which is made with a lot of holes in it. It is made by twisting together very fine threads of cotton to form patterns.

(2). n. Laces are thin pieces of material that are put through special holes in some types of clothing, especially shoes. The laces are tied together in order to tighten the clothing.

(3). v. If you lace something such as a pair of shoes, you tighten the shoes by pulling the laces through the holes, and usually tying them together.

(4). v. To lace food or drink with a substance such as alcohol or a drug means to put a small amount of the substance into the food or dirnk.

(5). v. If you lace your speech or writing with words of a particular kind, you include a lot of those words in what you say or write.

(6). v. If you lace your fingers together, you put the plams of your hands together and fold your fingers over, fitting the fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other.

Fine handmade lace is traditionally made of linen thread.

23. kinetic [kɪˈnetɪk]

adj. In physics, kinetic is used to describe something that is concerned with movement.

Each fragment's immense kinetic energy was transformed into heat.

24. flock [flɒk]

(1). n. A flock of birds, sheep, or goats is a group of them.

(2). n. You can refer to a group of people or things as a flock of them to emphasize that there are a lot of them.

(3). v. If people flock to a particular place or event, a very large number of them go there, usually because it is pleasant or interesting.

(4). n. A clergyman's flock is the group of Christians who come to his church or live in the area that he has responsibility for.

Many spectators flocked to the farm to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Stowe.

25. nectar  [ˈnektə(r)]

(1). n. Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by flowers, which bees and other insects collect.

(2). n. If you refer to a drink, especially an alcoholic drink, as nectar, you think it tastes very nice.

Honeybees communicate the sources of nectar to one another by doing a dance in a figure-eight pattern.

26. sluggish [ˈslʌɡɪʃ]

adj. You can describe something as sluggish if it moves, works, or reacts much slower than you would like or is normal.

I have taken some tablets that can make people feel rather sluggish.

27. prestige [preˈstiːʒ]

(1). n. If a person, a country, or an organization has prestige, they are admired and respected because of the position they hold or the things they have achieved.

(2). adj. Prestige is used to describe products, places, or activities which people admire because they are associated with bing rich or having a high social position.

No other colonial artisans rivaled the silversmith's prestige.

28. delectable [dɪˈlektəbl]

(1). adj. If you describe something, especially food or drink, as delectable, you mean that it is very pleasant.

(2). adj. If you describe someone as delectable, you think that they are very attractive.

It is extremely delectable for us to have accepted your application for the membership of Student Union.

29. abrasion [əˈbreɪʒn]

n. An abrasion is an area on a person's body where the skin has been scraped.

Abrasion due to daily wear alters the surface features of beads.

30. burrow [ˈbʌrəʊ]

(1). n. A burrow is a tunnel or hole in the ground that is dug by an animal such as a rabbit.

(2). v. If an animal burrows into the ground or into a surface, it moves through it by making a tunnel or hole.

(3). v. If you burrow in a container or pile of things, you search there for something using your hands.

(4). v. If you burrow into something, you move underneath it or press against it, usually in order to feel warmer or safer.

The aardvark is a mammal that burrows into the ground to catch ants and termites.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。