verb

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Other / Move

yank - To quickly pull something

Edmund yanked the cord on the lawnmower to get it started.

adjective

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Bad / Disgusting

yucky - Messy or disgusting

To the average child, vegetables are considered extremely yucky.

verb

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Bad / Aggressive

wrangle - To have a long and complicated dispute

Even after a year, the senators wrangled over the health-care legislation.

noun

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Bad / Small

zilch - Having nothing

Seth wanted to buy a newspaper, but he had zilch in his wallet.

verb

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Bad / Pain

writhe - To make continual twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body

The soccer player writhed in pain on the ground after spraining his ankle.

noun

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Bad / Strange

yokel - A naive or gullible inhabitant of a rural area or small town

Jed Clampett knew he and his family were considered yokels from the countryside, so he was unsure of how they would be treated in Beverly Hills.

verb

See noun

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Bad / Unhappy

yelp - Utter a short sharp cry of pain or alarm

The football player yelped in pain after spraining his ankle.

verb

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Other / Sound

yap - To give off a sharp, shrill bark; or to talk and chatter in a repetitive way.

Jack Russell terriers make up for their small size by yapping loudly when danger approaches.

verb

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Other / Move

zigzag - To move in abrupt alternate right and left turns.

Skiers zigzag constantly in order to generate speed down the mountain.

noun

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Other / Desire

zest - Great enthusiasm and energy

Alex had so much zest for his job that he would work as much overtime as possible.

noun

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Other / Desire

zeal - Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

Few athletes have as much zeal as Michael Phelps, who ended up with the most medals in Olympics history.

verb

See noun

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Bad / Unhappy

yowl - Make a loud wailing cry

John yowled in pain after he fell off of the ladder and onto the ground.