Upper-Intermediate — Set 54

Set 54 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: achieve, impress, embrace, endure, dedicate. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. achieve · verb/əˈtʃiv/

   to successfully reach or accomplish a goal or desired result

   Through hard work and determination, she was able to achieve her goal of becoming a doctor.

   Synonyms: accomplish, attain, reach, realize

   Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘complete successfully’): from Old French achever ‘come or bring to a head’, from a chief ‘to a head’

2. impress · verb/ɪmˈprɛs/

   to have an emotional impact upon people

   While she was successfully answering all of the interviewer's questions, she impressed him with her professionalism.

   Synonyms: affect, inspire

   Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘apply with pressure’): from Old French empresser, from em- ‘in’ + presser ‘to press’, influenced by Latin imprimere (see imprint). impress dates from the mid 18th century

3. embrace · verb/əmˈbreɪs/

   to accept an ideology, practice, method, religion of someone and use it as one's own

   Augmented reality (AR) is being enthusiastically embraced by many sectors such as advertising, marketing, communication and media all across the globe.

   Synonyms: accept, adopt

   Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘encircle, surround, enclose’; formerly also as imbrace): from Old French embracer, based on Latin in- ‘in’ + bracchium ‘arm’

4. endure · verb/ɪnˈdʊr/

   to put up with something or somebody unpleasant

   We have great respect for great martial artists who trained hard and endured many hardships to represent our country in Olympics.

   Synonyms: tolerate, persist

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French endurer, from Latin indurare ‘harden’, from in- ‘in’ + durus ‘hard’

5. dedicate · verb/ˈdɛdəˌkeɪt/

   to give your time and energy to a specific person, activity, or cause

   The outstanding scientist, Bicker, is someone who knows how to dedicate himself to his work, while still maintaining a commitment to his family.

   Synonyms: commit, devote

   Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘devote to sacred use by solemn rites’): from Latin dedicat- ‘devoted, consecrated’, from the verb dedicare