chasten, swill, terrorize, outstrip, apprise: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from SAT Vocabulary Level 3 set 307. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. chasten · verb/ˈtʃeɪsən/

   to discipline or correct by punishment or suffering

   The teacher hoped that the strict consequences would chasten the students and lead them to rethink their behavior.

   Synonyms: discipline, correct, punish

   Origin: Middle English, from Old French 'chastier', from Latin 'castigare', meaning 'to correct, chastise'

2. swill · verb/swɪl/

   to slurp or drink greedily or noisily

   After the long hike, he sat down by the river and began to swill the cold water from his bottle, gulping it down noisily.

   Synonyms: guzzle, slurp, lap

   Origin: From Old English 'swilian' meaning 'to wash' or 'to wash down'.

3. terrorize · verb/ˈtɛrəˌraɪz/

   to create a state of extreme fear in someone

   The masked intruders would often terrorize the neighborhood at night, leaving residents too afraid to sleep.

   Synonyms: frighten, intimidate, scare

   Origin: derived from the Latin word 'terror', meaning 'great fear', combined with the suffix '-ize' to indicate the act of instilling fear

4. outstrip · verb/aʊtˈstrɪp/

   to surpass or exceed in achievement or performance

   The recent advancements in technology have outstripped previous innovations, making them seem outdated.

   Synonyms: outpace, surpass, exceed

   Origin: Early 16th century, from the prefix 'out-' meaning 'beyond, surpassing' and the verb 'strip' meaning 'to deprive or remove'.

5. apprise · verb/əˈpraɪz/

   to inform or notify someone about something

   Please apprise me of any changes to the schedule before the meeting.

   Synonyms: inform, notify, advise

   Origin: Derived from the Latin word 'adprisal' meaning 'to inform, to notify', which comes from 'ad-' (to) and 'praesal' (to make known).