Business — Set 11

Set 11 of Business covers 5 words: boost, deduct, diminish, raise, refund. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. boost · verb/bust/

   to increase something in order to make it more successful

   Building brand new hotels and recreation parks in the area has definitely boosted tourism.

   Synonyms: promote, increase, advance

   Origin: early 19th century (originally US, in boost): of unknown origin

2. deduct · verb/dəˈdək(t)/

   take off or away from a total amount

   I made major purchases in December of 2019 but did not deduct the tax from my 2019 taxes.

   Synonyms: subtract

   Origin: late Middle English: from Latin deduct- ‘taken or led away’, from the verb deducere. Deduct and deduce were not distinguished in sense until the mid 17th century

3. diminish · verb/dəˈmɪnɪʃ/

   to decrease or become less

   As government funding for research has greatly diminished in the 2010s, private funding has become increasingly important.

   Synonyms: reduce, lessen

   Origin: late Middle English: blend of archaic minish ‘diminish’ (based on Latin minutia ‘smallness’) and obsolete diminue ‘speak disparagingly’ (based on Latin deminuere ‘lessen’ (in late Latin diminuere), from minuere ‘make small’)

4. raise · verb/reɪz/

   to increase something

   The factories need to raise their safety standards.

   Synonyms: boost, lift up, improve

   Origin: Middle English: from Old Norse reisa; related to the verb rear

5. refund · verb/rəˈfənd/

   to return money

   They said that they could refund my money if I was unhappy with their services.

   Synonyms: repay, return, reimburse

   Origin: late Middle English (in the senses ‘pour back’ and ‘restore’): from Old French refonder or Latin refundere, from re- ‘back’ + fundere ‘pour’, later associated with the verb fund. The noun dates from the mid 19th century