Set 71 · Study 1 / 5

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improve

verb/ɪmˈpruv/

to become better

There are many things that you can do to improve your English communication skills, especially if you are living in an English speaking country.

progressenhanceboost
word origin — early 16th century (as emprowe or improwe): from Anglo-Norman French emprower (based on Old French prou ‘profit’, ultimately from Latin prodest ‘is of advantage’); -owe was changed to -ove under the influence of prove. The original sense was ‘make a profit, increase the value of’; subsequently ‘make greater in amount or degree’

Intermediate — Set 71

Set 71 of Intermediate covers 5 words: improve, apply, approve, disappear, attempt. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. improve · verb/ɪmˈpruv/

    to become better

    There are many things that you can do to improve your English communication skills, especially if you are living in an English speaking country.

    Synonyms: progress, enhance, boost

    Origin: early 16th century (as emprowe or improwe): from Anglo-Norman French emprower (based on Old French prou ‘profit’, ultimately from Latin prodest ‘is of advantage’); -owe was changed to -ove under the influence of prove. The original sense was ‘make a profit, increase the value of’; subsequently ‘make greater in amount or degree’

  2. apply · verb/əˈplaɪ/

    to make a formal request for a job, school to a country

    Senior students may apply for internship positions at companies so that they can gain work experience.

    Synonyms: request, ask

    Origin: late Middle English: from Old French aplier, from Latin applicare ‘fold, fasten to’, from ad- ‘to’ + plicare ‘to fold’

  3. approve · verb/əˈpruv/

    to accept something officially

    The reason why some parents do not approve of a marriage could be because they believe the future bride or groom is below their standards.

    Synonyms: accept, authorize, allow

    Origin: Middle English: from Old French aprover, from Latin approbare (see approbate). The original sense was ‘prove, demonstrate’, later ‘corroborate, confirm’, hence ‘pronounce to be satisfactory’ (late Middle English)

  4. disappear · verb/ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/

    to become invisible

    Despite the hot weather, it was cloudy and the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

    Synonyms: vanish, fade, go away

    Origin: late Middle English: from dis- (expressing reversal) + appear, on the pattern of French disparaître

  5. attempt · verb/əˈtɛm(p)t/

    to put effort in doing something

    Governments may attempt to avoid unemployment levels by simply hiding the figures from the media.

    Synonyms: try, endeavour, struggle

    Origin: late Middle English: from Old French attempter, from Latin attemptare, from ad- ‘to’ + temptare ‘to tempt’