vicious A thing or a person that is vicious is very mean or extremely cruel and dangerous. The man was a victim of a vicious attack. A vicious storm killed dozens of people. Melinda felt humiliated by a vicious rumor about her and another coworker. Two boys got into a vicious fight on the playground. The vicious […]
vet The word “vet” is a shortened form for “veteran” or “veterinarian. It’s a good word to know because many people prefer “vet” to the longer versions. A veteran is a person who has served in the U.S. military. You can shorten this word to “vet.” She’s a vet. He’s a vet. They’re both vets.
vein The word “vein” is often used to refer to the vessels that help circulate blood throughout the body. The specific job of a vein is to bring blood back to the heart. The word “vein is also used for plants. Blood is drawn from a vein in your arm. A phlebotomist is a person
vary The word “vary” is used when there are differences among things or people. When they have different qualities and features, they vary. simple past past participle vary varied varied The climate in California varies. It depends on where you are in the state. Results from our experiments varied. (We got several different results.) Opinions on the
vanish To vanish is to disappear or leave suddenly as if by magic. When people or things vanish, it’s usually a surprise. This is an intransitive verb, so don’t place a direct object after the word. No one knows what happened to Roberta’s jacket. It just vanished. The little boy vanished from his home without a trace. (“Without
vandal A vandal is a person who breaks or destroys something for fun or for revenge. Vandalism is the intentional damaging of property. This is usually regarded as a form of criminal activity. Vandals spray painted graffiti on the side of someone’s garage. A vandal smashed a car window in the middle of the night. Homeowners woke up to
valve A valve is a device that controls the flow of liquid, gas, or air. An open valve allows liquid, gas, or air to move through pipes easily. When the valve is closed, nothing flows through. Valves are found on industrial equipment, in factories and plants. The valves on a trumpet are controlled by a musician who
value The word “value” refers to the importance of something, or we use it when describing worth and talking about money. You can use this word as a verb: simple past past participle value valued valued Their house was valued at over $350,000. The tax assessor valued the house at that amount. Jeff values the many friendships
valid Use the adjective “valid” when describing if something is acceptable, good, or okay within a specific period of time. You can replace “valid” with “good” or “good for” and the meaning is about the same: This parking sticker is valid for 24 hours. (It’s good for a 24-hour period.) This coupon for 50% off the
vague If something is vague, it’s not clearly explained. This word is used when someone is unsure of what another person means, says, or does. The teacher said the student’s answer was vague. You’re being too vague. What exactly do you mean? She gave kind of a vague answer when I asked her to tell
