Verb

verb

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Good / Flexible

Url audio

grapple - To seize something and hold it firmly; to wrestle with; to ponder and intensely evaluate a problem; to struggle to deal with

When Bill got lost on his trip to Paris, he had to grapple with the task of finding a place to sleep and not knowing the language.

verb

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Bad / Unhappy

audio

grumble - To complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way

Susie grumbled silently when her mother told her to do her homework.

verb

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Bad / Confused

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digress - To temporarily leave the main subject of a conversation or discussion

Please don’t digress—we need to focus on the main issue during these important negotiations.

verb

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Good / Smart

Url audio

navigate - To lead a company, activity, etc. in a particular direction, or to deal effectively with a difficult situation.

From the time he started Microsoft, Bill Gates was able to successfully navigate its rapid growth in terms of products and customers.

verb

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Bad / Mistake

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backfire - To have the opposite effect of what was intended, usually producing a negative result.

At the company meeting, his attempt to lie backfired, and when the truth came out, he was very embarrassed.

verb

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Other / Move

audio

pluck - To take hold of something and quickly remove it from its place

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's beautiful poem Forbearance, he suggests that it is good to appreciate a beautiful flower without plucking it from the ground.

verb

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Bad / Hostile

Url audio

ostracize - To banish someone socially, making them feel isolated or unwanted.

He felt ostracized at work after speaking out against the company’s policies, and many people refused to speak to him.

verb

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Other / Move

audio

flutter - To move up and down or from side to side with short, quick, light movements

Sam was amazed at the beauty of thousands of butterflies fluttering their wings in what was called Butterfly Valley.

verb

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Bad / Weak

audio

teeter - To balance unsteadily, rocking back and forth, almost ready to fall

While on a hike, George saw that the boulder was teetering at the edge of the cliff, and that even slight push could make it crash into the valley below.

verb

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Other / Sound

audio

murmur - To say something in a low, soft, or indistinct voice

Katy murmured to her best friend Ella so that others couldn't hear her.

verb

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Other / Move

audio

glide - To move easily and smoothly

When Michael Jordan went up to shoot a basket, it seemed that he glided through the air.

verb

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Good / Flexible

Url audio

orchestrate - To organize a complicated plan or event very carefully

The general did an excellent job of orchestrating his various battalions during the intense battle.