precaution, disruption, endurance, refusal, allocation: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 98. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. precaution · noun/priˈkɔʃən/

   an action taken in advance to reduce the risk of harm

   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/

   an interruption that prevents an activity or process from continuing normally

   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 continue doing something difficult for a long time

   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/

   the act of saying that you will not do, give, or 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)