Intermediate — Set 84

Set 84 of Intermediate covers 5 words: force, explore, damage, convince, bother. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. force · verb/fɔrs/

   to urge a person do something that he or she does not want to do

   Although it is illegal to force an employee to find a replacement for his shift when he is sick, it has become a common practice in many well-known companies.

   Synonyms: persuade, require, urge, make

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French force (noun), forcer (verb), based on Latin fortis ‘strong’

2. explore · verb/ɪkˈsplɔr/

   to analyze an issue carefully

   The researchers asked for volunteers help to explore how the human brain will function under stressful situations.

   Synonyms: examine, investigate, analyze

   Origin: mid 16th century (in the sense ‘investigate (why)’): from French explorer, from Latin explorare ‘search out’, from ex- ‘out’ + plorare ‘utter a cry’

3. damage · verb/ˈdæmɪdʒ/

   to cause destruction to something or somebody

   It was found out that the politician gained a lot of money from the charity fundraiser and this scandal was thought to damage his career.

   Synonyms: harm, hurt, ruin, destroy

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French, from dam, damne ‘loss or damage’, from Latin damnum ‘loss or hurt’; compare with damn

4. convince · verb/kənˈvɪns/

   persuade someone to agree with your ideas

   Some scientists are eager to convince people that genetically modified foods are not as harmful as people currently think.

   Synonyms: persuade, assure

   Origin: mid 16th century (in the sense ‘overcome, defeat in argument’): from Latin convincere, from con- ‘with’ + vincere ‘conquer’. Compare with convict

5. bother · verb/ˈbɑðər/

   to cause a person to be worried about something

   Being in an elevator can really bother people who are claustrophobic.

   Synonyms: worry, concern, trouble

   Origin: early 18th century (originally in the sense ‘confuse with noise’): of Anglo-Irish origin; perhaps a variant of pother, or perhaps borrowed from Irish bodhar ‘deaf, confused’