acknowledge: to admit to be true
The man acknowledged that the boy was his son.
The government will never acknowledge that the war on drugs isn’t working.

ban: to prohibit, make illegal
The Port of Vancouver has banned any ship with nuclear weapons.
Smoking is banned in all public buildings in the province.

coincide: to happen at the same time
Her parents’ visit this year coincides with the annual fireworks show.
They planned their trip to Italy to coincide with their grandmother’s 100^th birthday.

dazzle:  to amaze, astonish
He was dazzled by her beauty and charm.
She dazzled all her friends by showing them her diamond engagement ring.

deserve:  to justify an outcome
He deserves to win the competition because he’s worked very hard to improve his skills.
The boys deserve to be punished for treating their sister so badly.

evade: to avoid doing, to escape from
For many years, he evaded paying income tax.
The men evaded capture by hiding in the attic.

harass:  to continually disturb
The company harassed him for the money until he finally paid.
Every day gang members would enter his store and harass him.

jeopardize:  to risk, put in danger
You don’t want to lie to him and jeopardize your friendship.
If I steal these things from my workplace, it could jeopardize my job.

negotiate: to reach an agreement
The company negotiated an agreement with the union over salaries.
The President said he would never negotiate with terrorists.

opt:  to make a choice
He opted not to get the operation and to take the medication instead.
The students opted for an open-book test and not a multiple choice test.

promote:  encourage, help achieve
The teacher showed her students a video on hand washing to promote cleanliness.
To promote health among the soldiers, they were supplied with fresh fruit every day.

rehabilitate:  to make healthy or normal again
He needed to rehabilitate his shoulder after the skiing accident.
Prisons were designed to rehabilitate criminals but often don’t do the job.

settle:  to start living and supporting oneself
After traveling across the country, the family finally settled in northern California.
The first people to settle the Yukon were in search of gold.

straighten:  to make straight
She used an iron to straighten her curly hair.
He straightened his tie before he walked into the meeting room.

utter:  to speak, to say
She was too far away to hear the words that he was uttering.
The first word that the baby uttered was “mama.”

applaud:  to clap hands in appreciation
The audience applauded wildly at the end of the concert.
I applaud her courage in leaving her husband.

benefit:  to be good for
A national health program benefits everyone.
A house with more bedrooms would benefit us a lot.

concern:  to be of interest to, be worried
A shortage of water concerns all the farmers in the area.
I’m concerned about my father’s health.

deprive:  to stop from having
As a good mother she deprives her children of candy.
Because he studied all night, he was deprived of sleep.

ensure:  to make sure, guarantee
This new investment will ensure the success of the company.
Please ensure that the door is locked after you leave.

glance:  to look at very quickly
She glanced at the clock and saw it was midnight.
The child glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him.

infuriate:  to make very angry
It infuriates me when my wife takes a long time to get ready to go.
When the president cancelled elections, it infuriated the citizens.

magnify: to make larger
He just needs reading glasses to magnify the words so he can see them.
You don’t want to magnify the problem, so just be quiet.

oppose: to try to stop by doing things against
There are many people who oppose war.
The church opposes the new “right to die” law.

recommend: to say someone should do (something)
My friends recommend that we go eat at the new Mexican restaurant downtown.
What treatment does the doctor recommend for this patient?

regret: to be sorry about
I hurt your feelings, and I regret that very much.
After he bought the motorcycle, he regretted his purchase.

seal: to close up tight to keep the air out
When he was finished, he sealed the letter in the envelope.
You need to seal that container better if you want the food to last.

sponsor:  to be responsible for, support with money
This show is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company.
Senator Cohen helped sponsor a bill to legalize marijuana.

terrify: to greatly scare
The boy terrified his sister with a snake he found in the garden.
When he thinks about losing his family, it terrifies him.

verify: to prove something is true
She verified that the painting was a real Van Gogh.
The bank verified his signature and gave him the money.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.