Because of Mr. Terupt By Rob Buyea VOCABULARY September - November syndrome Definition: a number of symptoms occurring together and characterizing a specific disease or condition Sample Sentence: The receptionist was troubled with carpal tunnel syndrome from typing on the computer for long periods of time. gazebo Definition: a small, open building with a roof, typically located in a garden park designed for gazing at the surrounding scenery Sample Sentence: Since I didn’t want to get sunburned, I read my book in the gazebo at the park. reassure Definition: to restore to confidence Sample Sentence: When Billy lost his favorite video game in his basement, his dad reassured him that it will turn up eventually. hesitation Definition: a pausing or delaying because of uncertainty; indecision Sample Sentence: My hesitation to spend money caused me to miss out on getting the new PS3 game; it’s sold out now. shun Definition: To avoid deliberately; keep away from Sample Sentence: The new student was shunned by his peers because he dressed differently than they did. stampeded Definition: a confused, headlong rush or flight of a large group of people Sample Sentence: When the doors to Walmart opened on Black Friday, the customers stampeded into the store looking for great deals. betray Definition: to break faith with; fail to meet the hopes of Sample Sentence: Tim betrayed his mother’s trust when he stayed out past curfew. relatively Definition: In comparison or close to something else; not absolutely Sample Sentence: The cost of living in rural areas are relatively inexpensive when compared to living in the city. rookie Definition: An inexperienced person Sample Sentence: The rookie replaced the injured player at center ice. corresponding Definition: having the same or nearly the same relationship; accompanying another Sample Sentence: Color is used to indicate wave intensity, red corresponding to strong waves, blue corresponding to weak waves. strutted Definition: to walk with a vain or pompous way Sample Sentence: The boy strutted down the boulevard with his friends hoping to impress the ladies. billowing Definition: To swell out or bulge Sample Sentence: On the warm spring day, the sheets were billowing in the gentle breeze. ostracized Definition: To exclude from a group Sample Sentence: The girl was ostracized from her friends when she admitted she didn’t like One Direction. gauntlet Definition: 1. A protective glove worn with medieval armor, 2. a challenge Sample Sentence: The small dog scurries across the beach through a gauntlet of mature seagulls, dodging frantically whenever one snaps at it, which happens a lot. December - February collaborated Definition: to work, one with another; cooperate Sample Sentence: The classmates collaborated on the poster to make sure it would be done on time. antics Definition: a playful trick or prank Sample Sentence: After receiving an in school suspension, Billy has since managed to avoid teenage antics in school. shenanigans Definition: a mischievous or deceitful trick, practice Sample Sentence: The recession is uncovering many of the shenanigans brought on by the government politicians. infamous Definition: having an extremely bad reputation Sample Sentence: There has been talks of the infamous Justin Bieber being deported back to Canada because of his poor antics. bluntness Definition: abrupt in address or manner; to the point Sample Sentence: Excuse my bluntness, but this situation is getting out of control. genuine Definition: authentic; real Sample Sentence: After Billy’s grandma died, Sam expressed genuine sympathy by bringing the family flowers and a home cooked meal. adjourned Definition: to suspend the meeting to a future time, another place, or indefinitely Sample Sentence: Due to a lack of attendance, the meeting was adjourned to the following Wednesday. prejudge Definition: to judge beforehand Sample Sentence: Don't prejudge a book or story, but judge it based on your experience with it. inoculate Definition: to implant (a disease agent or antigen) in a person, animal, or plant to produce a disease for study or to stimulate disease resistance Sample Sentence: After a bad outbreak of the flu, the doctor said, “The idea is to inoculate them, and stockpile vaccine to protect the rest of the population.” retaliate Definition: to return like for like, especially evil for evil Sample Sentence: After Brendan changed the channel on Emily unexpectedly, Emily retaliated by grabbing the remote and shutting the TV off. seized Definition: to take hold of suddenly or forcibly; grasp Sample Sentence: Once the police noticed the man’s weapon on his waist, they were quick to seize it and take the man into custody. tolerate Definition: to endure without repugnance; put up with Sample Sentence: I can tolerate 80 degrees with the windows open, but once it hits 85, I need to turn on the air conditioner. contorted Definition: twisted in a violent manner; distorted Sample Sentence: After the serious car accident, the car was contorted and unrecognizable. clamored Definition: a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people Sample Sentence: In Among the Hidden, Jen and the other “Shadow Children” clamored outside the president’s house. March - June coma Definition: a state of prolonged unconsciousness Sample Sentence: After the serious accident, George was put in a medically induced coma in hopes his body will be able to recover and heal. dominated Definition: to rule over; govern; control Sample Sentence: The Caldwell Chiefs basketball team dominated Cedar Grove on the court, winning the game 54-16. predicament Definition: an unpleasantly difficult or dangerous situation Sample Sentence: Madison found it was hard to make her friend understand her predicament, skip school so she can study for her test, or go and take the test she didn’t study for. antidote Definition: a medicine or other remedy for counteracting the effects of poison, disease, etc. Sample Sentence: After my little brother swallowed a cleaning product, the Poison Control hotline told my mom to give him milk as an antidote, which would help him bring up the poison. intervene Definition: to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; to mediate Sample Sentence: When Chris and Dave got in a fight in the hallway, the teacher intervened and sent both boys to the principal’s office. looming Definition: a mirage in which objects below the horizon seem to be raised above their true positions Sample Sentence: While we drove to the large city, we could see the enormous buildings looming in the distance. palindrome Definition: words, lines, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward Ex: A nut for a jar of tuna racecar Sample Sentence: My teacher had us think of as many palindromes as possible in 10 minutes, and my favorite was “racecar”. amid Definition: in the middle of; surrounded by; among Sample Sentence: My sister snapped pictures of me amid the chaos of my bedroom during spring cleaning. nemesis Definition: something that a person cannot conquer, achieve, etc Sample Sentence: The biology midterm proved to be my nemesis, despite all my studying, I still got a 73%. anticlimactic Definition: a disappointing or ineffective conclusion to a series of events Sample Sentence: The boy did not recommend the book to his friend because the story line was anticlimactic. transpire Definition: to occur; happen; take place Sample Sentence: The trips that transpired after having won the lottery were amazing! encompass Definition: to form a circle about; encircle; surround Sample Sentence: The king built a moat to encompass the castle. clinches Definition: to settle (a matter) decisively Sample Sentence: After the New York Yankees clinched the title as World Series Champions, the crowd went bananas. redundant Definition: repetitive and unneeded Sample Sentence: The meeting could have been over in 10 minutes, but it took two hours since the presenter was quite redundant.
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