TOEFL wordlist 14

1. myriad [ˈmɪriəd]

(1). phrase. A myriad or myriads of people or things is a very large number or great variety of them.

(2). adj. Myriad means having a large number or great variety.

A snowfall consists of myriads of minute ice crystals.

In all its myriad forms, glass represents a major achievement in the history of technological developments.

2. stiffen [ˈstɪfn]

(1). v. If you stiffen, you stop moving and stand or sit with muscles that are suddenly tense, for example because you feel afraid or angry.

(2). phrase. If you muscles or joints stiffen, or if something stiffens them, they become difficult to bend or move.

(3). phrase. If attitudes or bahaviour stiffen, or if something stiffens them, they become stronger or more severe, and less likely to be changed.

(4). v. If something such as cloth is stiffened, it is made firm so that it does not bend easily.

The threat of punishment has only stiffened their resolve.

3. protrude [prəˈtruːd]

v. If something protrudes from somewhere, it sticks out.

He hung his coat on a nail protruding from the wall.

4. sexism [ˈseksɪzəm]

n. Sexism is the belief that the members of one sex, usually women, are less intelligent or less capable than those of the other sex and need not be treated equally. It is also the behaviour which is the result of this belief.

Her works focus on the subjects of sexism and racism.

5. graze [ɡreɪz]

(1). phrase. When animals graze or are grazed, they eat the grass or other plants that are growing in a particular place. You can also say that a field is grazed by animals.

(2). v. If you graze a part of your body, you injure your skin by scraping against something.

(3). n. A graze is a small wound caused by scraping against something.

(4). v. If somethiing grazes another thing, it touches that thing lightly as it passes by.

There is a vast land suitable for livestock to wander and graze on.

6. transient [ˈtrænziənt]

(1). adj. Transient is used to describe a situation that lasts only a short time or is constantly changing.

(2). n. Transients are people who stay in a place for only a short time and then move somewhere else.

Motels  mainly cater to tourists and other transient guests.

7. emancipate [ɪˈmænsɪpeɪt]

v. If people are emancipated, they are freed from unpleasant or unfair social, political, or legal restrictions.

This new machine will emancipate workers from doing all the work by hand they uesd to do.

8. squander [ˈskwɒndə(r)]

v. If you squander money, resources, or opportunities, you waste them.

Don't squander your time and money in reading those science fictions.

9. implore  [ɪmˈplɔː(r)]

v. If you implore someone to do something, you ask them to do it in a forceful, emotional way.

We implore the international community to interfere in this incident.

10. sage [seɪdʒ]

(1). n. A sage is a person who is regarded as being very wise.

(2). adj. Sage means wise and knowledgeable, especially as the result of a lot of experience.

(3). n. Sage is a herb used in cooking.

(4). n. Sage is a plant with grey-green leaves and purple, blue, or white flowers.

I am extremely grateful for your sage advice.

11. quell [kwel]

(1). v. To quell opposition or violent behaviour means to stop it.

(2). v. If you quell an unpleasant feeling such as fear or anger, you stop yourself or other people from having that feeling.

It doesn't quell my remorse; I shouldn't have told her about that.

12. vocalize [ˈvəʊkəlaɪz]

(1). v. If you describe a feeling or an idea, you express it in words.

(2). v. When you vocalize a sound, you use your voice to make it, especially by singing it.

Showing kids pictures can help them to vocalize their ideas.

13. vulgar [ˈvʌlɡə(r)]

(1). adj. If you describe something as vulgar, you think it is in bad state or of poor artistic quality.

(2). adj. If you describe pictures, gestures, or remarks as vulgar, you dislike them because they refer to sex or parts of the body in a rude way that you find unpleasant.

(3). adj. If you describe a person or their behaviour as vulgar, you mean that they lack taste or behave rudely.

The speaker attracted audiences by telling vulgar jokes.

14. swirl [swɜːl]

phrase. If you swirl something liquid or flowing, or if it swirls, it moves round and round quickly.

The movie shows that the hurricane begins to swirl in a clockwise motion.

15. erosion  [ɪˈrəʊʒn] 

(1). n. Erosion is the gradual destuction  and removal or rock or soil in a particular area by rivers, the sea, or the weather.

(2). n. The erosion of a person's authority, rights, or confidence is the gradual destruction or removal of them.

(3). n. The erosion of support, values, or money is a gradual decrease in its level or standard.

Your professor has asked me to talk to you today about the topic that should be of real concern to civil engineers: the erosion of the US beaches.

16. scuba [ˈskuːbə]

Scuba-diving has become one of the greatest recreational sports all around the world.

17. pertain [daɪˈæɡənl]

v. If one thing pertains to another, it relates, belongs, or applies to it.

Almanacs provided the perfect steady seller because their information pertains to the locale in which they would be used.

18. bandanna  [bæn'dænə]

n. A bandanna is a brightly-coloured piece of cloth which is worn around a person's neck or head.

She uses her bandanna to keep the hair out of her eyes.

19. chant [tʃɑːnt]

(1). n. A chant is a word or group of words that is repeated over and over again.

(2). n. A chant is a religious song or prayer that is sung on only a few notes.

(3). v. If you chant something or if you chant, you repeat the same words over and over again.

(4). v. If you chant or if you chant something, you sing a religious song or prayer.

We've been studying Zulu chants of South Africa.

20. gland [ɡlænd]

n. A gland is an organ in the body which produces chemical substances for the body to use or get rid of.

Examples of exocrine glands are the tear glands and the sweat glands.

21. arboreal [ɑːˈbɔːriəl]

(1). adj. Arboreal animals live in trees.

(2). adj. Arboreal means relating to trees.

Plant-ants, like most other arboreal ants, protect their host plants from defoliators.

22. genial [ˈdʒiːniəl]

adj. Someone who is genial is kind and friendly.

His genial character and good-natured way of explaining things made him a favourite in the school.

23. aquatic [əˈkwætɪk]

(1). adj. An aquatic animal or plant lives or grows on or in water.

(2). adj. Aquatic means relating to water.

Most aquatic animals breathe by means of gills.

24. notch [nɒtʃ]

(1). n. You can refer to a level on a scale of measurement or achievement as a notch.

(2). v. If you notch a success, especially in a sporting contest, you achieve it.

(3). n. A notch is a small V-shaped or circular cut in the surface or edge of something.

The quality of the food in this restaurant has dropped a notch recently.

25. eviscerate [ɪˈvɪsəreɪt]

(1). v. To eviscerate a person or animal means to remove their internal organs, such as their hreat, lungs, and stomach.

(2). v. If you say that something will eviscerate an organization or system, you are emphasizing that it will make the organization or system much weaker or much less powerful.

The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the leaders of the party.

26. plunge [plʌndʒ]

(1). v. If something or someone plunges in a particular direction, especially into water, they fall, rush, or throw themselves in that direction.

(2). v. If you plunge an object into something, you push it quickly or violently into it.

(3). phrase. If a person or thing plunged into a particular state or situation, or if they plunge into it, they are suddenly in that state or situation.

(4). phrase. If you plunge into an activity or are plunged into it, you suddenly get very involved in it.

(5). v. If an amount or rate plunges, it decreases quickly and suddenly.

(6). phrase. If you take the plunge, you decide to do something that you consider difficult or risky.

With the continued rise in sea level, more ice would plunge into the ocean.

27. roost [ruːst]

(1). n. A roost is a place where birds or bats rest or sleep.

(2). v. When birds or bats roost somewhere, they rest or sleep there.

(3). phrase. If bad or wrong things that someone has done in the past have come home to roost, or if their chickens have come home to roost, they are now experiencing the unpleasant effects of these actions.

(4). phrase. If you say that someone rules the roost in a particular place, you mean that they have control and authority over the people there.

Curses come home to roost.

28. wane [weɪn]

(1). v. If something wanes, it becomes gradually weaker or less, often so that it eventually disappears.

(2). phrase. If something is one the wane, it is becoming weaker or less.

(3). v. When the moon is warning, it is showing a smaller area of brightness each day as it changes from a full moon to a new moon.

Not only had household production waned, but technological improvements were rapidly changing the rest of domestic work.

29. ribbon [ˈrɪbən]

(1). n. A ribbon is a long, narrow piece of cloth that you use for tying things together or as a decoration.

(2). n. A typewriter or printer ribbon is a long, narrow piece of cloth containing ink and is used in a typewriter or printer.

(3). n. A ribbon is a small decorative strip of cloth which is given to someone to wear on their clothes as an award or to show that they are linked with a particular organization.

I went through a whole box of paper and a printer ribbon just trying to get my resume right.

30. hygiene [ˈhaɪdʒiːn]

n. Hygiene is the practice of keeping yourself and your surroundings clean, especially in order to prevent illness or the spread of diseases.

In the interests of hygiene, please wash your hands.

31. furnish [ˈfɜːnɪʃ]

(1). v. If you furnish a room or building, you put furniture and furnishings into it.

(2). v. If you furnish someone with something, you provide or supply it.

Perhaps the dean's office can furnish the report.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。