hesitate A person who hesitates takes extra time before making a decision or taking an action. Harpeet never hesitates when someone offers her chocolate. Oscar hesitated before entering the office because it looked like the wrong room. At a stop light, Amy hesitated when the light turned green and saved herself from getting into an accident. I […]
hectic The word “hectic” describes situations in which people are very, very busy, or there’s a condition that produces problems. Ahmed has a hectic work schedule. Things around the office have been very hectic lately. The morning commute is usually hectic, especially when there’s snow on the roads. Today is going to be hectic. We
haste The word “haste” refers to speed or excessive speed that leads to mistakes. In her haste, she forgot to bring her laptop to work this morning. Realizing they were in danger, they left the country in great haste. The sloppiness of the work was attributed to carelessness and haste. Haste makes waste. (This is a
handy Use the word “handy” to describe a person who is good at fixing things. You can also use this word to describe a useful object, such as a tool or a cooking utensil. Ted is very handy. He knows how to fix just about anything. A pocketknife can be very handy. It has knives
halt The word “halt” is very similar to the word “stop,” but “halt” is often used in settings involving business or government. Activity comes to a halt or is brought to a halt. Production of the new product came to a halt when the company ran out of money. News of the travel ban brought visits from certain
haggle To haggle is to negotiate on the price or the conditions for a purchase. It’s similar to the words “bargain” or “negotiate.” After spending 20 minutes haggling on the price of the car, Tony was able to get it for $1000 less. Many people like to haggle when it comes to a large purchase. (The word “haggle”
youth The word “youth” is a noun that refers to a period of time when a person is young, or the word “youth” describes a personal quality: Maria’s youth disappeared once she had children. The managers of that company are going for youth in the people they hire. In his youth, Jose was a good
zigzag The word “zigzag” is used to describe a pattern that uses diagonal lines, or when forward movement changes direction, often in the form of a pattern. This pillow has a zigzag pattern: This unusual word can be used as a verb, as an adjective, and sometimes it’s a noun. The sailboat zigzagged across the lake. A driver was zigzagging on the highway, so
zilch The word “zilch” is a slang word that means zero. Last quarter our company’s profit was zilch. There’s no interest in what the man has to say. Zilch. Zilch. Zero. That’s how much money I have in my pocket. A: How many students made it to class yesterday? B: Zilch. Class was cancelled due to
zillion A zillion is a very, very large number. How large is it? When you want to exaggerate a number, use a zillion. It’s not a real number, but it’s used to express things that are nearly impossible to count. It’ll cost zillions of dollars to send human beings to Mars. Shopping the day after Thanksgiving is
