anarchy
noun
1. Total absence of government
Government officials fled, leaving the country in a state of anarchy.
2. Lack of order; total confusion.
After the 2003 Iraq war, the country was in a state of anarchy with no established law enforcement in place.
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apprehend
verb
1. To seize, to arrest.
John Brown was apprehended when he tried to confiscate guns at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in 1859.
2. To grasp the meaning of; to understand.
When contact with the space shuttle Columbia was lost on February 1, 2003, those tracking it apprehended at once what had happened.
verb
1. To seize, to arrest.
John Brown was apprehended when he tried to confiscate guns at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in 1859.
2. To grasp the meaning of; to understand.
When contact with the space shuttle Columbia was lost on February 1, 2003, those tracking it apprehended at once what had happened.
arraign
verb
To bring before a court to face charges.
Lee Harvey Oswald had barely been arraigned for the assassination of the president when he too was shot and killed.
assimilate
verb
1. To absorb into a population.
By the second generation, the Cambodian immigrants had been assimilated into Canadian society.
2. To take in a part and absorb into the whole.
The students assimilated the new information, then began to apply it.
bizarre
adjective
Strikingly out of the ordinary; peculiar
The smashed and twisted automobile, resting in a bed of violets near the side of the road, created a bizarre image.
calamity
noun
An event that causes great suffering and harm; a disaster.
The train engineer averted a calamity by slamming on the brakes as soon as he saw the car stalled on the tracks.
calamitous
adjective
Disastrous.
Filling in these wetlands to build a mall has been calamitous for the songbirds that migrated here each year.
conspire
verb
1. To plan together secretly to do something wrong or illegal.
Campaign workers conspired to break into their opponent’s headquarters.
2. To join or act together.
The beautiful weather, good friends, and delicious food conspired to make the weekend at the beach one I will always remember.
conspiracy
noun
A joining with others to plan or carry out unlawful acts
The conspiracy of the German officers to kill Hitler failed on July 20, 1944.
dissension
noun
A difference of opinion; disagreement.
As representatives worked on the Constitution that hot summer of 1787, dissension over power for the states versus power for the federal government grew.
elapse
verb
To pass or slip by (used with time)
Five years elapsed before they saw their cousins again.
imminent
adjective
About to happen; likely to occur in the very near future.
The clouds rolling in made rain seem imminent.
interrogate
verb
To ask questions of, especially in a thorough or formal manner.
The police will interrogate the suspects separately in order to compare their stories.
interrogation
noun
The act of questioning.
Helen’s lawyer was present during the interrogation of the witness to the accident.
lionize
verb
To treat as a celebrity.
After he made the first solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh was lionized.
verb
To treat as a celebrity.
After he made the first solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh was lionized.
meticulous
adjective
Extremely careful; attentive to small details.
All of the parachutists gave their gear a meticulous final check before leaping from the plane.
shackle
noun
1. A ring or band put around the arm or leg to prevent free movement.
In the 1800s, Africans captured for the slave trade were crammed into ships where they sat in shackles for the duration of the voyage to America.
2. Something that prevents free action.
Kevin hoped he could throw off the shackles of parental control when he left for college.
verb.
To prevent freedom of action.
High school dropouts often find that their lack of education shackles them to low-paying jobs.
swelter
verb
To suffer from or to be overcome by great heat.
We sweltered in the hot sun because there was no shade in the fields where we worked.
sweltering
adjective
Very hot and humid; uncomfortable because of extremely hot weather.
Going for a swim is the best way to cool down on a sweltering July day.
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