Set 98 · Study 1 / 5

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precaution

noun/priˈkɔʃən/

definition

an action that is taken to protect somebody or something

example

After the severe earthquake, the government put a lot of effort in taking every precaution to prevent more deaths from aftershocks.

synonyms
cautionmeasureprotection
word origin — late 16th century (in the sense ‘prudent foresight’): from French précaution, from late Latin praecautio(n-), from Latin praecavere, from prae ‘before’ + cavere ‘take heed, beware of’

Upper-Intermediate — Set 98

Set 98 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: precaution, disruption, endurance, refusal, allocation. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. precaution · noun/priˈkɔʃən/

    an action that is taken to protect somebody or something

    After the severe earthquake, the government put a lot of effort in taking every precaution to prevent more deaths from aftershocks.

    Synonyms: caution, measure, protection

    Origin: late 16th century (in the sense ‘prudent foresight’): from French précaution, from late Latin praecautio(n-), from Latin praecavere, from prae ‘before’ + cavere ‘take heed, beware of’

  2. disruption · noun/dɪsˈrəpʃən/

    a kind of situation where there is no progress due to a problem

    The strike that the transportation workers are in has caused a widespread disruption to all services like trains, buses and subways.

    Synonyms: disturbance, interruption

  3. endurance · noun/ɪnˈdʊrəns/

    the ability to keep a difficult thing doing

    Despite various painful treatments, he showed great endurance in the face of pain and always believed in getting better soon.

    Synonyms: perseverance, strength, lastingness

    Origin: late 15th century (in the sense ‘continued existence, ability to last’; formerly also as indurance): from Old French, from endurer ‘make hard’ (see endure)

  4. refusal · noun/rəˈfjuz(ə)l/

    saying that you do not accept something

    The worker union's refusal of the government's new salary offer has been a brave decision as they may have gotten no rise as a result.

    Synonyms: rejection, ban, disapproval

  5. allocation · noun/ˌæləˈkeɪʃən/

    an amount of something that is given for a particular purpose

    Work allocation at a company is such an important task that it should be done carefully by a group of human resource managers.

    Synonyms: distribution, allotment, share

    Origin: late Middle English: from medieval Latin allocatio(n-), from the verb allocare (see allocate)