VocabularyUnit 3B
Marauder
• (n.) a raider, plunderer
Sentence
• In cowboy films marauders are often shown as men with bandanas over their faces.
Obesity
• (n.) excessive fatness
Sentence
• Obesity is considered the biggest cause of heart disease in the United States.
Pauper
• (n.) an extremely poor person
Sentence
• In the Prince and the Pauper a poor young man from the streets looked amazingly like the Prince.
Pilfer
• (v.) to steal in small quantities
Sentence
• Mr. Smith did not think that his company would notice his pilfering, but over time the small amounts of money added to a noticeable figure.
Rift
• (n.) a split, break, breach
• Usually refers to a relationship
Sentence
• My friend was afraid that if the rift between her parents wasn’t healed, her parents would get a divorce.
Semblance
• (n.) a likeness, an outward appearance
• A semblance of _____________
Sentence
• Despite his grief during his wife’s funeral, he maintained a semblance of calm throughout the service.
Surmount
• (v.) to overcome, rise above
• Usually to rise above a difficulty
Sentence
• Sometimes the heroes we value the most are those that had to surmount many obstacles in their past to get where they are today.
Terminate
• (v.) to bring to an end
• Hint: remember the Terminator who brought the bad guy to an end
Sentence
• In this economy many jobs have been terminated.
Trite
• (adj.) commonplace, overused, stale
Sentence
• The other day my daughter had to explain the meaning of several trite expressions. Her explanation of “don’t cry over spilt milk” was very funny.
Usurp
• (v.) to seize and hold a position by force or without right
• To take power that doesn’t belong to you
Sentence
• In some countries power is transferred by usurping the position rather than in a democratic election.