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 […]
zip The word “zip” is a verb that describes a motion when putting on clothes. As a noun, the word is zipper: This is a zipper. Zip up your jacket. It’s cold outside. Alisha zipped up her sweater. Jim pulled too hard on the zipper and broke it. Now he can’t wear his jeans. I need
zone The word “zone” is used when referring to areas, large or small. She parked in the no-parking zone and her car was towed away. A receiver caught the ball in the end zone. (This area of the field in American football is where points are scored.) Which time zone do you live in? I live
zoom Something or someone that goes fast zooms. You can use “zoom” as a verb. It has a strong onomatopoeic quality. That means the sound of the word is related to its meaning. Zoom. The word itself sounds like something that is moving very fast. A car zoomed past our house. It was going too fast. The
clench To clench something is to hold onto it very tightly with the teeth or with the hands, or the upper and lower teeth are held together tightly. Jeremy clenches his teeth at night, but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. Some people clench their teeth when they are angry. Through clenched teeth, the man said he
chubby If a person is chubby, he or she is a little bit heavy, or there’s a part of the body that looks a little fat. Babies are chubby. Rhonda has a very chubby but healthy baby. Her baby has chubby cheeks. Frank was starting to look kind of chubby, so he went on a
chord In this Word of the Day exercise, you’ll learn a vocabulary word that is related to music. A chord, is a sound produced by putting individual notes together. There are usually three or more notes in a chord. A “C” chord is made up of three notes: A “C,” an “E” and a “G.” It’s important to
choke When something gets stuck in a person’s throat and the person can’t swallow, use the word “choke.” Bill choked while eating a hot dog. A man in our office choked during his lunch. He’s okay. A woman in the restaurant almost choked to death until someone hit her on the back. Don’t take such big
chill The word “chill” is similar to “cold,” but you can also use it as a noun or as a verb: You’ll need a coat when you go outside because there’s a noticeable chill in the air. (This sentence uses “chill” as a noun.) Please keep this dessert in the refrigerator. It needs to chill before it’s
chase You can use “chase” as a verb or as a noun. It almost always means that a person is running after something or someone in an attempt to catch the object of the pursuit. This is what it looks like as a verb: The police are chasing after a thief who stole a car.
