4 signs a democracy could be slipping into an authoritarian regime | USA TODAY
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
come
US / kʌm /
•UK / kʌm /
- verb
- To arrive at a place
- (Of mail) to be delivered
- To move toward someone; go with someone
- To reach a certain point or state
call
US / kɔ:l /
•UK / kɔl /
- noun
- A order or request for action
- The sound an animal makes, often when in danger
- A correct prediction, e.g. a decision in a game
- A short visit to a place or person
- A decision by a referee or umpire in a game
- verb
- To make a request or order for action
- (Animal) to make sounds to warn of danger
- To announce the date of an election
- To make a judgment about something
- To give someone or something a name
- To guess in advance the result or outcome
- To visit a place or person for a short time
- To phone someone
- To speak, announce or shout in a loud voice
sometimes
US / ˈsʌmtaɪmz /
•UK / ˈsʌmˌtaɪmz /
- adverb
- Only at certain times; occasionally
real
US / rɪəl /
•UK / ˈriəl, ril /
- adjecitve
- Actually existing or happening, not imagined
- Being important or special
think
US / θɪŋk /
•UK / θɪŋk /
- verb
- To have an idea about something without certainty
- To have an idea, opinion or belief about something
culture
US / 'kʌltʃə(r) /
•UK / ˈkʌltʃɚ /
- noun
- Beliefs and customs of a particular group
and
US / ənd /
•UK / ənd, ən,ænd /
- conjunction
- Used to refer to two or more things
- Plus; in addition; on top of that
- Used to introduce an action that follows another
secret
US / 'si:krət /
•UK / 'si:krət /
- adjecitve
- That you don't want others to know; private
- noun
- Information you do not want others to know
anything
US / ˈeniθɪŋ /
•UK / ˈɛniˌθɪŋ /
- pronoun
- A thing of any kind
exclude
US / ɪk'sklu:d /
•UK / ɪk'sklu:d /
- verb
- To prevent someone from taking part in something
major
US / 'meɪdʒə(r) /
•UK / ˈmedʒɚ /
- adjecitve
- Main league; esp. referring to American baseball
- Important, serious, or large in scope, size
- noun
- High-ranking officer in the army
- Main subject you study at university
- verb
- To study a particular subject at university
from
US / frəm /
•UK / frʌm, frɑm,frəm /
- preposition
- Starting at a particular place, time or level
dehumanize
US / ˌdi:ˈhju:mənaɪz /
•UK / diˈhjuməˌnaɪz /
- verb
- To make people less human by exposing them to evil
- To treat people badly, so they don't seem human
participate
US / pɑ:ˈtɪsɪpeɪt /
•UK / pɑ:rˈtɪsɪpeɪt /
- verb
- To take part with others in doing something
always
US / 'ɔ:lweɪz /
•UK / ˈɔlwez,-wɪz,-wiz /
- adverb
- For a very long time
- At all times; in every situation
- For ever
once
US / wʌns /
•UK / wʌns /
- adverb
- One time; one instance
- At a time in the past
- conjunction
- When; as soon as
sort
US / sɔ:t /
•UK / sɔrt /
- noun
- Group or class of similar things or people
- verb
- To organize things by putting them into groups
- To deal with things in an organized way
censorship
US / ˈsensəʃɪp /
•UK / ˈsensərʃɪp /
- noun
- Removing inappropriate material from books, films
compliant
US / kəmˈplaɪənt /
•UK / kəmˈplaɪənt /
- adjecitve
- Willing to obey, follow the wishes of others
tax
US / tæks /
•UK / tæks /
- noun
- Money taken by a government from its people
- verb
- To require a lot of physical or mental effort
- (Government) to take money from a country's people
healthy
US / ˈhelθi /
•UK / ˈhɛlθi /
- adjecitve
- In good condition physically, or financially; well
deploy
US / dɪˈplɔɪ /
•UK / dɪˈplɔɪ /
- verb
- To put into position (often a military operation)
reason
US / 'ri:zn /
•UK / ˈrizən /
- noun
- Ability to think about facts and form a judgment
- Explanation for why something occurred or was done
- verb
- To think and make conclusions in a logical manner
population
US / ˌpɒpjuˈleɪʃn /
•UK / ˌpɑpjəˈleʃən /
- noun
- Number of people who live in a country, area etc.
use
US / ju:s /
•UK / ju:s /
- noun
- Ability to employ something
- Need to enable it to work
- Permission to do something with something
- Act of spending money
- Operation of a machine for its function
- verb
- To have; to eat, drink, consume etc.
- To need to operate or work
- To operate a machine, e.g. a computer
- To treat a person badly
- To do something with, for a task or purpose
authoritarian
US / ɔ:ˌθɒrɪˈteəriən /
•UK / əˌθɔ:rəˈteriən /
- adjecitve
- Expecting complete obedience to your rules
- noun
- Person expecting complete obedience
change
US / tʃeɪndʒ /
•UK / tʃendʒ /
- noun
- Exchange of one set of clothes for another
- Money in the form of coins instead of paper
- Money returned after giving too much
- Act of making or becoming something else
- verb
- To exchange one set of clothes for another
- To exchange one kind of money for another
- To replace something with another thing
- To make or become something else
- To go from one train, bus, etc. and go to another
elite
US / iˈliːt /
•UK / iˈliːt /
- adjecitve
- Belonging to the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society
- noun
- The richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society
feature
US / 'fi:tʃə(r) /
•UK / ˈfitʃɚ /
- adjecitve
- Main; important
- noun
- Special report in a magazine or paper
- Distinctive or important point of something
- verb
- To highlight or give special importance to
who
US / hu: /
•UK / hu /
- pronoun
- Which person
- Used to introduce information about people
police
US / pəˈli:s /
•UK / pəˈlis /
- adjecitve
- Concerning the police and its business
- noun
- People, often in uniforms, who solve crimes
- verb
- To control an area, or group with a police force
their
US / ðɛː /
•UK / ðer /
- determiner
- Belonging to them
technique
US / tekˈni:k /
•UK / tɛkˈnik /
- noun
- Way of doing by using special knowledge or skill
civic
US / ˈsɪvɪk /
•UK / ˈsɪvɪk /
- adjecitve
- Of a town or city; of rights or duties of citizens
they
US / ðeɪ /
•UK / ðe /
- pronoun
- Two or more people, animals, or things
election
US / ɪ'lekʃn /
•UK / ɪˈlɛkʃən /
- noun
- Process of choosing someone by voting
all
US / ɔ:l /
•UK / ɔl /
- adverb
- Completely; totally
- determiner
- Being every one of something
- pronoun
- 100% of something; the complete amount
way
US / weɪ /
•UK / we /
- adverb
- Used to emphasize the amount of something
- noun
- Particular aspect of something being thought about
- One of various choices that could be made
- Particular existing condition or state
- (Often long) distance or length of time
- How something is done
- Route to go to a place
- Small street
- Usual behavior, emotions or habits of someone
example
US / ɪgˈzɑ:mpl /
•UK / ɪɡˈzæmpəl /
- noun
- Thing, person which represents a category
people
US / 'pi:pl /
•UK / ˈpipəl /
- noun
- Persons sharing culture, country, background, etc.
- Men, Women, Children
patriotism
US / ˈpeɪtriətɪzəm /
•UK / ˈpetriəˌtɪzəm /
- noun
- Love of your country and willingness to defend it
political
US / pəˈlɪtɪkl /
•UK / pəˈlɪtɪkəl /
- adjecitve
- Being active or interested in government matters
- Diplomatic
- Of the system of elections and government
- Concerning government or public affairs
- Involved in getting of power/influence in a group
like
US / laɪk /
•UK / laɪk /
- adjecitve
- Being equal in status or kind to something else
- Similar; the same
- adverb
- For example
- preposition
- Used as a filler; used to ad emphasis
- In a way similar to the way something is done
- Such as; for example
- verb
- To want to
- To find something pleasing; to prefer something
opponent
US / əˈpəʊnənt /
•UK / əˈponənt /
- noun
- Person who opposes an idea or plan; enemy
- Person that you are competing against in a game
different
US / ˈdɪfrənt /
•UK / ˈdɪfrənt /
- adjecitve
- Not of the same kind; unlike other things
down
US / daʊn /
•UK / daʊn /
- adjecitve
- Being sad, sick, or unhappy
- Not operating, working, or functioning as expected
- adverb
- In a sitting or lying position
- Towards or on the ground, floor, or bottom
- Written or copied onto a piece of paper or book
- noun
- A period of play in American Football
- The soft, smooth hairs that cover a bird's body
- preposition
- Along something's path, course, or direction
- Going from a higher position to a lower position
- verb
- To eat or drink very quickly and without stopping
propaganda
US / ˌprɒpə'ɡændə /
•UK / ˌprɑ:pə'ɡændə /
- noun
- (Use of) message that you want people to accept
patriotic
US / ˌpeɪtriˈɒtɪk /
•UK / ˌpeɪtriˈɑ:tɪk /
- adjecitve
- Having a great love for your country
what
US / wɒt /
•UK / hwɑt, hwʌt, wɔt, wʌt,hwət, wət /
- pronoun
- Thing or things that; the same kind as
- Used to emphasize something you are about to say
- adjecitve
- Used to refer to a particular amount, or number
- Used to place emphasis on a particular quality
- adverb
- To a certain degree
- determiner
- Question words used for asking for information
- exclamation
- Used to express excitement, shock, or surprise
- Used to ask people to repeat something they said
that
US / ðæt /
•UK / ðæt, ðət /
- adjecitve
- The person or thing being talked about
- Used to identify something both the speakers know
- adverb
- Used to reinforce adjectives and adverbs
- To such a degree
- conjunction
- Used to connect a noun clause
- Used to introduce an adverbial clause
- Used to introduce a noun clause
- determiner
- Used as a noun to refer to something
- pronoun
- Referring an object far away
- Used to refer to the relative pronoun ‘which’
find
US / faɪnd /
•UK / faɪnd /
- noun
- Object discovered by chance
- Things that have been discovered from searching
- verb
- To become aware of something that is happening
- To discover or meet by chance
- To decide if someone is guilty of a crime, or not
- To learn through study, research, or effort
- To discover something by looking for it
force
US / fɔ:s /
•UK / fɔrs, fors /
- noun
- Group of persons trained for military action; army
- Pressure; attraction
- The use of physical strength/violence to persuade
- verb
- To use physical strength or violence to persuade
mean
US / mi:n /
•UK / min /
- adjecitve
- Being good at
- Nasty; unkind
- Not liking to spend money; cheap; stingy
- noun
- Average of a set of numbers
- verb
- To express a particular idea or thought
- To intend to do something in particular
- To have a particular meaning or value
persuasive
US / pəˈsweɪsɪv /
•UK / pɚˈswesɪv, -zɪv /
- adjecitve
- Able to convince others to do or believe something
disinformation
US / ˌdɪsˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn /
•UK / ˌdɪsˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃn /
- noun
- Information intended to confuse others
security
US / sɪ'kjʊərətɪ /
•UK / sɪˈkjʊrɪtisə'kjurətɪ /
- noun
- Department in a company in charge of protection
- Financial document, like stocks, bonds and notes
- Person paid to protect property and people
- Things done to protect people, buildings etc.
- Condition of being safe from danger or harm
not
US / nɒt /
•UK / nɑt /
- adverb
- Word indicating the negative
- (Used to form the negative of verbs)
equal
US / 'i:kwəl /
•UK / ˈikwəl /
- adjecitve
- Same in shape, size, or number
- verb
- To add up or be the same as
leader
US / ˈli:də(r) /
•UK / ˈlidɚ /
- noun
- Person who is in charge of a group or task
- Person or group who is currently winning
really
US / ˈri:əli /
•UK / ˈriəˌli, ˈrili /
- adverb
- Used to stress something that is said; definitely
- In a true or accurate manner
- Very
regime
US / reɪˈʒi:m /
•UK / reˈʒim, rɪ- /
- noun
- A system of management; a form of government
whether
US / ˈweðə(r) /
•UK / ˈhwɛðɚ, ˈwɛð- /
- conjunction
- If something will happen or not
coercive
US / kəʊˈɜ:sɪv /
•UK / koʊˈɜ:rsɪv /
- adjecitve
- Serving, intended to force others to do your will
structure
US / ˈstrʌk.tʃə /
•UK / ˈstrʌk.tʃɚ /
- noun
- The way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized, or a system arranged in
- verb
- To plan, organize, or arrange the parts of something
have
US / həv /
•UK / hæv /
- verb
- To drink, smoke, eat or use something
- To experience the effects of something
- To organize an event, or join in an activity
- To own, possess, or hold something
- To cause to happen or produce a particular effect
know
US / nəʊ /
•UK / noʊ /
- verb
- To be familiar with a person or place, thing
- To feel sure or be convinced about something
- To discover or be aware of something
- To be able to distinguish
- To have knowledge of things
foot
US / fʊt /
•UK / fʊt /
- noun
- Base of something such as a mountain or vase
- Length of 12 inches or about 25 cm
- Lowest part of the leg we use to stand on
ruler
US / ˈru:lə(r) /
•UK / ˈrulɚ /
- noun
- Someone who has control over a country or area
- Straight instrument used for measuring things
see
US / si: /
•UK / si /
- verb
- To go on a date with someone
- To predict whether something is, or will be true
- To understand what someone says
- To use your eyes to look at something
- To visit a place often for sightseeing or pleasure
- To visit or meet with someone
- To find out by waiting or looking
- To watch (a game, movie or TV show)
history
US / 'hɪstrɪ /
•UK / ˈhɪstəri /
- noun
- Established pattern or record
- Study of past events as an academic subject
with
US / wɪð /
•UK / wɪð, wɪθ /
- preposition
- As an employee of a certain company
- Against something or someone
- By using something as a means
- Due to; because of
- Including
- Possessing as a feature
- Related to
- (Of the manner/attitude by which you do something)
- Used to express that people or things are together
arrest
US / əˈrest /
•UK / əˈrɛst /
- noun
- Act of catching people who committed crimes
- verb
- To attract someone's attention and hold interest
- (Police) to catch and keep criminals
- To stop or slow something that is happening
erode
US / ɪ'rəʊd /
•UK / ɪˈrod /
- verb
- To destroy something gradually; be destroyed thus
- To wear away gradually by water, ice or wind
traitor
US / ˈtreɪtə(r) /
•UK / ˈtretɚ /
- noun
- Person who betrays your country or someone's trust
those
US / ðəʊz /
•UK / ðoz /
- determiner
- The people or things we are talking about
- pronoun
- The objects far from the speaker
just
US / dʒʌst /
•UK / dʒʌst /
- adjecitve
- Proper or appropriate; as is deserved
- Doing or being what is right or fair
- Legally correct; having enough evidence
- adverb
- Almost; nearly
- Exactly at the time of
- Exactly (the same as, like)
opposition
US / ˌɒpəˈzɪʃn /
•UK / ˌɑ:pəˈzɪʃn /
- noun
- Act of disagreeing or trying to stop something
- Group that you are fighting or competing against
question
US / 'kwestʃən /
•UK / ˈkwɛstʃən /
- noun
- Issue or problems you are dealing with
- What you ask about; issue
- verb
- To ask for or try to get information
- To have or express concerns or uncertainty
control
US / kən'trəʊl /
•UK / kənˈtrol /
- noun
- A device designed to operate a machine
- Participant in experiment that is left untouched
- Act to dominate or command; make manageable
- A law limiting the growth or spread of something
- A place which overseas or manages e.g. a factory
- verb
- To direct or influence the behavior of something
for
US / fə(r) /
•UK / fɔr,fə /
- preposition
- Used to show the purpose, or need of something
depend
US / dɪˈpend /
•UK / dɪˈpend /
- verb
- Be controlled or determined by (someone/something)
evasion
US / ɪˈveɪʒn /
•UK / ɪˈveʒən /
- noun
- Act of evading; trying to escape from something
make
US / meɪk /
•UK / mek /
- noun
- Product made by a particular company; brand
- verb
- To arrange or prepare something e.g. dinner
- To get to (a place) on time
- To gain the status of (teacher, lawyer, etc.)
- To create something by putting things together
- To earn a certain amount of money at a job
- To cause or force a person to do something
- To cause something to happen or be formed
the
US / ðə /
•UK / ðə /
- article
- Used to refer to something already mentioned
- Used to show there is only one of something
- determiner
- Used to describe all of a family
diminish
US / dɪˈmɪnɪʃ /
•UK / dɪˈmɪnɪʃ /
- verb
- To make something smaller or less important
- To imply someone's reputation is less good
- To become or cause to become less in size, value
kind
US / kaɪnd /
•UK / kaɪnd /
- adjecitve
- In a caring and helpful manner
- friendly and considerate
- noun
- One type of thing
other
US / 'ʌðə(r) /
•UK / ˈʌðər /
- adjecitve
- A thing different from that mentioned
- determiner
- (Something) else; not the first (one)
- pronoun
- Being the one and only thing of that category
run
US / rʌn /
•UK / rʌn /
- noun
- Journey between two places made by ship or car
- Series of similar things or successes and failures
- Act of running; exercise of running
- verb
- To depart or travel according to a schedule
- To cause an animal to move in a certain direction
- (Of an engine) to be operating
- To start or use a computer program
- To flow in a certain direction, like a liquid
- To manage or operate a business
- To operate or drive something
- (Of a road) to go from one place to another
- To move your legs faster than walking
also
US / 'ɔ:lsəʊ /
•UK / ˈɔlso /
- adverb
- In addition; too; in a similar way
misinformation
US / ˌmɪsɪnfə'meɪʃn /
•UK / ˌmɪsɪnfə'meɪʃn /
- noun
- Information that is incorrect
bad
US / bæd /
•UK / bæd /
- adjecitve
- Not good; wrong
- Lacking in good morals; evil
- No longer fresh; spoiled