🔤 Vocabulary Bank
Build your English vocabulary — one word at a time.
429 words found — page 9 of 9
to go / takeout
Beginner
/tə ˈɡoʊ/ or /ˈteɪkaʊt/
Food that you buy but eat elsewhere, not in the restaurant
"I'll have a sandwich to go. I'm eating at my desk."
to have an axe to grind
Advanced
/hæv ən æks tə ɡraɪnd/
To have a hidden, selfish reason or grudge motivating your actions
"I suspect he supports that policy because he has an axe to grind with the opposition."
tolerate
Intermediate
/ˈtɑːləreɪt/
To accept or allow something unpleasant without complaint
"I cannot tolerate loud noises while I'm trying to work."
to omit
Upper Intermediate
/əˈmɪt/
To leave something out or not include it
"In passive sentences, we can omit the agent when it's obvious or unimportant."
to order
Beginner
/ˈɔːrdər/
To ask for food or drink in a restaurant or café
"Can I order a sandwich and a glass of water?"
to run
Elementary
/tuː rʌn/
To move quickly using your legs
"I ran to catch the bus yesterday and made it just in time!"
to sit on the fence
Advanced
/sɪt ɒn ðə fens/
To remain neutral or undecided; to refuse to take a clear position
"The manager has been sitting on the fence about the restructuring proposal for months."
total
Beginner
/ˈtoʊtəl/
The complete amount when you add everything together.
"The total for your shopping is forty-five dollars."
to throw in the towel
Advanced
/θroʊ ɪn ðə ˈtaʊəl/
To give up or surrender; to admit defeat or stop trying
"After three failed attempts, she finally threw in the towel and accepted the job offer."
tourist
Elementary
/ˈtʊərɪst/
A person who travels to a place for enjoyment or vacation
"Many tourists visit Paris to see the Eiffel Tower every year."
to wake up
Elementary
/tuː weɪk ʌp/
To stop sleeping and get out of bed
"I woke up at 6 AM this morning and felt tired."
transcript
Intermediate
/ˈtræn.skrɪpt/
A written version of what was said in a speech or podcast
"The podcast provides a transcript so you can read along while listening."
transition
Upper Intermediate
/trænˈzɪʃən/
A word, phrase, or sentence that connects ideas and shows the relationship between different parts of writing
"The transition 'Furthermore' helped her add additional evidence to support her argument."
Triangle
Beginner
/ˈtraɪæŋɡəl/
A shape with three straight sides and three angles
"A slice of pizza is usually a triangle."
turn
Beginner
/tɜːrn/
To change direction by rotating your body or vehicle left or right.
"At the red light, turn right and you'll see the restaurant."
uncountable
Intermediate
/ʌnˈkaʊntəbl/
Not able to be counted; nouns that cannot be separated into individual units
"Water is an uncountable noun; we don't say two waters but two bottles of water."
underground
Elementary
/ˈʌndəɡraʊnd/
a train system that runs below the city streets
"I took the underground to get to the museum quickly."
understand
Beginner
/ˌʌndərˈstænd/
To know the meaning of words or ideas
"Do you understand what I said?"
Understand
Beginner
/ˌʌndərˈstænd/
To know the meaning of something.
""Do you understand the question?""
unlikely
Intermediate
/ʌnˈlaɪkli/
Not probable; probably will not happen.
"If pigs could fly is unlikely, so we use Second Conditional."
unsustainable
Upper Intermediate
/ˌʌnsəˈsteɪnəbl/
Not able to continue without damaging the environment or resources
"Our current consumption patterns are completely unsustainable."
upskilling
Intermediate
/ˈʌpˌskɪlɪŋ/
Learning new skills to improve your job abilities
"Upskilling programs help workers prepare for future jobs."
vaccination
Intermediate
/ˌvæksɪˈneɪʃən/
A medical treatment where medicine is given to protect against specific diseases
"Children receive vaccinations against measles before starting school."
validity
Upper Intermediate
/vəˈlɪdəti/
The quality of being logically sound, well-supported, and based on solid reasoning or evidence
"The validity of his argument depends on whether his sources are reliable and peer-reviewed."
vegetarian
Beginner
/ˌvedʒɪˈteriən/
A person who doesn't eat meat, only plants and dairy products
"Do you have vegetarian options? I don't eat chicken."
verb
Beginner
/vɜːb/
A word that describes an action or state of being
"The word 'run' is a verb because it describes an action."
video call
Beginner
/ˈvɪd.i.oʊ kɔːl/
A phone call where you can see the other person's face on a screen
"We had a video call with my grandmother last week."
vowel
Beginner
/ˈvaʊ.əl/
A speech sound made with air flowing freely (a, e, i, o, u)
"The word 'apple' starts with the vowel sound 'a'."
warning
Beginner
/ˈwɔːnɪŋ/
Information telling you about danger or a problem you should know about.
"The warning sign says 'Wet floor - be careful!'"
Warning
Beginner
/ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/
Important safety information telling you about dangers or who shouldn't use it.
"The warning on the label says 'Do not use if you are allergic to peanuts.'"
weekday
Beginner
/ˈwiːk.deɪ/
Any day from Monday to Friday (working days for most people).
"I'm busy on weekdays, but free on Saturday."
weekdays
Beginner
/ˈwiːkˌdeɪz/
Monday to Friday (the working days, not Saturday or Sunday).
"The shop has different hours on weekdays and weekends."
weekend
Beginner
/ˈwiːk.end/
Saturday and Sunday, the two days most people don't work.
"Do you want to go hiking this weekend?"
Weekend
Beginner
/ˈwiːkend/
Saturday and Sunday; the days when most people don't work.
"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"
What
Beginner
/wɒt/
Question word used to ask about things or information
"What is your favorite color?"
What's up?
Beginner
/wɑːts ʌp/
A very casual greeting that means 'hello' or 'how are you?'
"My colleague texted me 'What's up?' this morning to start our chat."
When
Beginner
/wen/
Question word used to ask about time
"When is your birthday?"
Where
Beginner
/weər/
Question word used to ask about location or place
"Where do you live?"
Who
Beginner
/huː/
Question word used to ask about people
"Who is your best friend?"
Why
Beginner
/waɪ/
Question word used to ask about the reason
"Why do you want to learn English?"
Wide
Beginner
/waɪd/
Measuring a large distance from side to side; broad
"This door is too wide to fit through our narrow hallway."
Winter
Beginner
/ˈwɪntər/
The coldest season of the year, usually December, January, and February in the Northern Hemisphere.
"I don't like winter because it's cold and dark."
word
Beginner
/wɜːrd/
A single unit of language with meaning
"That is a difficult word."
workforce
Intermediate
/ˈwɜːrkfɔːrs/
All the people who work in a company or country
"The global workforce is becoming more diverse and flexible."
yesterday
Elementary
/ˈjestərdeɪ/
The day before today
"I finished my homework yesterday."