Verb

verb

13 of 708

Bad / Unfriendly

Url audio

irritate - To make someone angry, or annoyed; or to make apart of your body sore or painful.

After the mother spent hours peparing the Friday night meal, she was irritated when the whole family ate quickly and left without thanking her or even saying anything in appreciation.

verb

14 of 708

Good / Smart

Url audio

decipher - To figure out the meaning of something difficult to understand.

The archaeologists worked hard to decipher the ancient symbols on the wall.

verb

15 of 708

Other / Entice

audio

beckon - To literally or figuratively gesture with the hand or head to encourage someone to come nearer or to follow

Desire can take many forms – such as for food or physical entanglement – but when attractions beckon, it is important to move carefully and cautiously, using your head.

verb

16 of 708

Bad / Aggressive

audio

frisk - The way a police officer or other official passes their hands over someone in search of hidden weapons, drugs, etc.

For many people, the most uncomfortable part of air travel is when the TSA agents frisk their bodies for dangerous materials.

verb

17 of 708

Bad / Disorganized

audio

garble - To distort a message so that it is unclear or confusing

When the astronauts landed on Mars, static garbled their voices so none of the billions of people on earth watching on TV could understand what they were saying.

verb

18 of 708

Bad / Dishonest

Url audio

infiltrate - To secretly enter a place, organization, or group, often for spying or sabotage.

The undercover agent was able to infiltrate the criminal organization without being detected.

verb

19 of 708

Good / Busy

audio

splurge - To spend money freely or extravagantly

To celebrate her promotion, Charlotte maxed out her credit card and splurged on a year's worth of clothing at the mall.

verb

20 of 708

Bad / Weak

Url audio

derail - To obstruct or divert from an expected or intended course.

The train was derailed by a fallen tree during the storm.

verb

21 of 708

Bad / Nervous

Url audio

gnaw - To cause continual distress or discomfort, often in a mental or emotional sense.

Doubts about her decision started to gnaw at her, making it hard to focus.

verb

22 of 708

Bad / Mistake

audio

bungle - To carry out a task clumsily or incompetently, leading to failure or an unsatisfactory outcome

The painter bungled his job when he misspelled the word on the road sign.

verb

23 of 708

Other / Inward

audio

primp - To spend time making minor adjustments to one's hair, makeup, or clothes.

The groomsmen primped so much in the mirror that it seemed they were actually getting married.

verb

24 of 708

Bad / Delay

audio

dawdle - To delay by taking more time than necessary

"Johnny!" his mother shouted, "we have to catch the train in 30 minutes, so would you please finish getting dressed and stop dawdling."