word

big, long

My teacher explained the long words in the poem so we could understand the meaning.

borrowed, loan

The English language contains many borrowed words from French and Spanish.

exact, precise, very

My teacher used the precise words "metaphor" and "simile" to explain the difference between them.

everyday

My children ask me the meanings of everyday words that I've never thought about before.

key

When you search online, try using key words that match exactly what you're looking for.

right, wrong

She struggled to find the right word to describe how she felt about leaving.

dirty, four-letter, naughty, obscene, rude, taboo

He apologized after using an obscene word during the meeting.

famous, household, immortal

The phrase "just do it" has become a household word around the world.

code

During their secret meeting, the two agents communicated using code words to avoid detection.

vogue

Artificial intelligence has become a fashionable word in technology discussions lately.

spoken, written

He struggled to find the right words, but his written word finally expressed what he truly felt.

have

My grandmother didn't have a word to describe how she felt when she saw her grandchildren.

say, speak, use, utter

My grandmother always speaks kind words to everyone she meets.

pronounce

The teacher asked us to pronounce the difficult word slowly and carefully.

misspell

I always misspell the word "rhythm" no matter how many times I write it.

mishear, misread

She often misreads difficult words when she's reading too quickly.

look up

When you don't understand a new word, you can look it up online in seconds.

coin

The term "selfie" was coined by teenagers to describe photos taken of themselves.

convey sth, describe sth, express sth

I struggled to find the right words to describe how much the trip meant to me.

denote sth

In this textbook, asterisks denote words that are considered offensive or outdated.

carry sth, have sth

The word "run" carries at least five different meanings in English.

be derived from sth, come/derive from sth

The word "sandwich" comes from the Earl of Sandwich, an English nobleman.

begin (with sth), end (in/with sth)

The letter "s" begins with a soft sound, but some words beginning with s make a hard z sound instead.

fail sb

When I tried to describe how beautiful the sunset was, words failed me completely.

in sb's ~s

My grandmother explained the recipe in her own words so I could understand it easily.

~ for

My teacher asked us to look up the word for different types of clouds in our science textbook.

in all senses of the word

He is a gentleman in all senses of the word, always treating everyone with respect and kindness.

in other words

She didn't want to see me anymore—in other words, she ended our relationship.

in so many words

The teacher said in so many words that my essay needed more evidence and better organization.

in the true sense of the word

She's not really a chef in the true sense of the word, just someone who enjoys cooking at home.

quiet

After the meeting, the director decided to have a quiet word with the team about deadlines.

good, friendly, kind

My teacher always has a kind word for students who are struggling with their homework.

angry, bitter, blunt, choice

She spoke a blunt word to her colleague about his constant lateness at work.

polite

She couldn't find polite words to explain why she had missed the meeting.

empty, fine

She didn't say a fine word to him for weeks after their argument.

meaningless

The politician's promises turned out to be meaningless words that nobody believed anymore.

weasel

He used weasel words to avoid giving a direct answer about why he was late.

bold, brave

The young athlete spoke bold words before the competition, promising to win a medal for her country.

well-chosen

The manager's well-chosen words helped calm the worried team before the important meeting.

cautionary

Before the trip, my father offered some cautionary words about traveling alone overseas.

soft, whispered

The patient spoke soft words to calm the frightened child before the injection.

unspoken

There was an unspoken word between them that neither wanted to mention.

dying, last

The dying words of the old man were a warning to his grandchildren.

final, last

She insisted on having the final word in every argument with her brother.

fateful

She later regretted the fateful words she had spoken in anger that day.

have

My boss had a serious word with me about arriving late to meetings.

put in, say, speak, utter

She spoke a kind word to the nervous new employee on her first day.

give, say

If you need help with anything, just give the word and I'll do my best.

slur

After the argument, she angrily slurred her words and stormed out of the room.

spit (out)

He spat out angry words at the referee after the unfair decision.

bandy, exchange, have

After the argument, they had words about who was responsible for the mistake.

find

She struggled to find the right words when apologizing to her friend.

choose, pick

She picked her words thoughtfully to explain the difficult concept to younger children.

distort, twist

He always distorts my words when he tells the story to other people.

hang on

The children hung on every word as their grandmother told the story about the haunted house.

eat, take back

She proved everyone wrong, and they had to take back their words about her ability.

not mince

She didn't mince her words when telling her friend exactly what she thought about the plan.

not breathe

I promised I wouldn't breathe a word about their surprise party.

conjure sth up, evoke sth

The poet's words evoked powerful memories of childhood for everyone in the audience.

burst from sb, come (out), emerge, fall, pour (out), slip (out), spill (out), tumble out

She was so excited that the words tumbled out before she could stop herself.

stick in your throat

She tried to apologize, but the words stuck in her throat and she walked away silently.

float, hang in the air

After the argument, his angry words hung in the air between them.

echo, ring

His angry words still ring in my mind after all these years.

fade (away), tail away/off, trail away/off

Her voice trailed away as she realized nobody was listening to her anymore.

sink in

When the teacher announced the test results, it took a moment for his words to sink in.

in a ~

When I asked if the party was fun, she smiled and said "yes" in a word.

without a ~

He walked out of the meeting without a word and slammed the door behind him.

~ about

Nobody at school had a bad word about the new teacher.

~ from

Before we start the meeting, I'd like to say a word from the heart about our team.

~ of

Let me give you a word of caution before you sign that contract.

~ with

I need to speak a word with my manager about the schedule change tomorrow.

get a word in (edgeways)

My boss talks so much during meetings that nobody can get a word in edgeways.

sb never spoke a truer word/never was a truer word spoken

When she said the job would be stressful, she never spoke a truer word.

not a (single) word

If you tell anyone about the surprise party, I'm warning you—not a word to your sister.

put words into sb's mouth

During the trial, the lawyer accused the witness of putting words into the defendant's mouth.

take the words out of sb's mouth

My brother was going to suggest pizza for dinner, but Tom took the words right out of his mouth.

a word in sb's ear

I need to have a word in your ear about what happened at the meeting.

(by) word of mouth

She found out about the job opening through word of mouth from her friend.

solemn

The doctor gave me his solemn word that the treatment would remain completely confidential.

be as good as, be true to, keep

She said she would finish the project by Friday, and she kept her word.

break, go back on

The politician broke his word when he failed to implement the reforms he promised.

have sb's word for sth

I only have your word that you finished all your homework yesterday.

a man/woman of his/her word

My grandmother always kept her promises because she was a woman of her word.

take sb at their word

When Maria offered to help with the project, I took her at her word and asked for her assistance immediately.

take sb's word for sth

My sister says the restaurant is excellent, so I'll take her word for it.

your word against sb's

When there's no evidence, it becomes your word against theirs in court.

sb's word is their bond, word of honour

My father always kept his word, so everyone trusted him completely.

bring, get, send

Sarah brought word of the promotion to her team at the morning meeting.

get

They only got word about the meeting cancellation when they arrived at the office.

get out

When word got out that the restaurant was closing, many customers came to say goodbye.

be, have it

The word is that the new restaurant downtown serves the best pizza in the city.

~ about

My friends have been spreading the word about the new coffee shop downtown.

carefully, cautiously

I had to choose my words cautiously when talking to my upset friend.

strongly

The teacher gave strongly worded feedback about the late homework submissions.