Essential English Vocabulary: Key Definitions for Everyday Use
Comprehensive English Vocabulary: Definitions & Context
Brother-in-law
Your wife’s or husband’s brother.
Envelope
A paper cover used to enclose a letter.
Ink
A colored fluid used for writing or printing. For example, the words on this page are made with black ink.
Gas
A substance, often used as fuel, that provides light or heat in lamps or cookers.
Cracked
Broken, typically by a thin line or fissure.
Rent
To pay money, usually monthly, in exchange for the use of property, such as a place to live.
Abroad
In or to a foreign country.
Respectable
Considered good, proper, or socially acceptable by most people.
Political
Relating to the government or public affairs of a country, especially concerning the people who decide what should happen.
Weak
Lacking physical strength or power; not strong.
Stutter
To speak with difficulty, often repeating the initial sounds of words or pausing involuntarily.
Firework
A device containing explosive chemicals that, when ignited, produces colored lights, sparks, and often a loud noise.
Embassy
The official residence or offices of an ambassador and their staff in a foreign country, representing their own nation.
Protect
To keep safe from harm or injury; to defend or guard.
Porter
A person employed to carry luggage or to attend a door, especially at a hotel, station, or large building.
Ambassador
An accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.
Assistant
A person who helps or supports someone in a particular job or activity; a helper.
Sigh
To emit a long, deep, audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or similar emotions.
Law
A system of rules established by a government or society to regulate the actions of its members, telling them what they must or must not do.
Overweight
Above a healthy or desirable weight; too heavy or fat.
First Secretary
A senior diplomatic official working at an embassy, typically ranking below an ambassador or minister.
Anarchist
A person who believes in or advocates for anarchy, the absence of government and laws.
Support
To give approval, encouragement, or assistance to someone or something; to agree with and help.
Revolutionary
Advocating or bringing about radical and often sudden or violent change, especially in politics or society.
Science
The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the natural and physical world through observation and experiment.
Astronomy
The scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole, including stars and planets.
Observatory
A building equipped with telescopes and other scientific instruments for observing astronomical phenomena, such as stars and planets.
Terrorist
A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims, often involving guns and bombs.
Plant (a bomb)
To secretly place or conceal something, such as a bomb, in a particular location.
On Bail
The temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money is lodged to guarantee their appearance in court and good behavior.
Pessimistic
Tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; expecting only bad outcomes.
Optimistic
Hopeful and confident about the future; thinking that good things will happen.
Comrade
A companion or associate, especially one with whom a person shares common political aims or activities; often used in a fraternal sense.
Proletariat
The working class, especially in Marxist theory, who do not own the means of production and whose only significant economic value is their labor power.
Carving Knife
A large, sharp knife specifically designed for slicing cooked meat.
Landlady
A woman who rents out land, a building, or rooms to tenants.
Explosive
A substance or device that can be made to explode, typically by impact, heat, or chemical reaction.
Rubber
A tough, elastic substance, either natural or synthetic, often used for its flexibility and waterproof properties.
Activate
To make something active or operative; to start or set in motion.
Detonator
A device used to initiate an explosion, especially in a bomb or other explosive charge.
Jar
A cylindrical glass or earthenware container, typically with a wide mouth and no handle, used for storing food or other items.
Tube
A long, hollow cylinder, typically made of metal, plastic, or rubber, used for conveying fluids or as a structural component; a pipe.
Invent
To create or design something new that has not existed before; to originate.
Destruction
The action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.
Boss
A person who is in charge of an employee or organization; a supervisor.
Blow Up
To explode or cause to explode; to destroy by explosion.
Identify
To establish or indicate who or what someone or something is; to recognize or name.
Department
A division of a large organization, such as a government, university, or business, dealing with a specific area of activity.
Fog
A thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface, obscuring visibility.
Shovel
A tool with a broad, flat, or scooped blade and a long handle, used for digging, lifting, and moving loose material.
Cloth
Woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fiber, used for making clothes or other items.
Velvet
A type of woven fabric with a short, dense pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel and lustrous appearance, often considered luxurious.
Collar
The part of a shirt, coat, or dress that fits around the neck, typically folded or standing up.
Bury
To place a dead body or other object in the ground or a tomb.
Mad
Mentally ill; insane or crazy. Also, extremely angry.
Commissioner
A high-ranking official, especially the head of a police force or a government department.
Remains
The parts left over after other parts have been removed, used, or destroyed; what is left.
Cottage
A small, typically old-fashioned house, especially one in the countryside.
Politician
A person actively involved in politics, especially one holding or seeking an elected office, who helps to make laws in a country.
Forgive
To stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.
Proof
Evidence or argument establishing a fact or the truth of a statement; information that demonstrates something is true.
Trust
Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something; to believe someone is honest and good.
Else
In addition; besides; other or more.
Private
Belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group; not for public knowledge or access.
Label
A small piece of paper, fabric, or other material attached to an object, giving information about it.
Customs
The official department that administers and collects the duties levied on imported goods, and checks people and luggage entering or leaving a country.
Unsigned
Not having a signature; with no name written on it.
Home Secretary
In the UK, a senior government minister responsible for internal affairs, including law enforcement and immigration; the head of the police in England.
Parliament
In many countries, the highest legislature, consisting of the sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons; the group of politicians that make and change the laws of a country.
Detail
An individual fact or item; a small, specific piece of information.
Attack
An aggressive act of violence or hostility; a strong disagreement or criticism directed at someone or something.
Cab
A taxi, especially one pulled by a horse (historical term for a hansom cab or similar vehicle).