collude, disabuse, militate, recuperate, disbar: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Proficient Plus set 50. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. collude · verb/kəˈlud/

   to cooperate secretly or unlawfully in order to deceive or achieve a goal

   The two managers decided to collude to fix the prices of their products.

   Synonyms: conspire, plot, collusion

   Origin: from Latin 'colludere', meaning 'to play together, to collude'

2. disabuse · verb/ˌdɪs.əˈbjuːz/

   to free someone from a misconception or misunderstanding

   The teacher tried to disabuse the students of the myth that history is boring.

   Synonyms: free, enlighten, correct

   Origin: The word comes from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'to reverse' and 'abuse' meaning 'to use wrongly'; it literally means to free from being misled or used wrongly.

3. militate · verb/ˈmɪlɪˌteɪt/

   to have a significant effect or influence on a decision or outcome

   His strong recommendations may militate against the final decision.

   Synonyms: affect, influence

   Origin: from Latin 'militāre', meaning 'to serve as a soldier'

4. recuperate · verb/rɪˈkuːpəreɪt/

   to recover health or strength after illness or exhaustion

   After her surgery, she needed time to recuperate at home.

   Synonyms: recover, get well, heal

   Origin: The word 'recuperate' originates from the Latin 'recuperare', meaning 'to recover, get back'.

5. disbar · verb/dɪsˈbɑr/

   to exclude a lawyer from practicing law due to misconduct or violation of ethical standards

   The lawyer was disbarred after he stole money from his clients.

   Synonyms: exclude, remove, dismiss

   Origin: The word 'disbar' comes from the prefix 'dis-' meaning 'opposite of' or 'remove' and 'bar', referring to the legal profession or the legal barrier to practice law.