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Athletes in Action: unit vocabulary

This is a list of some useful and interesting words you'll find in this unit. You probably know some of them already, while others might be new to you.
Take some time to get to know them all before you get started!
Word: illegal
(adjective)
  • Definition: not legal; against the law
  • Sentence: Although greyhound racing used to be a big sport in the USA, it’s now illegal in most states.
Word: disqualify
(verb)
  • Definition: to block someone from taking part in a race or activity because they broke a rule.
  • Sentence: Officials can disqualify you if you don’t follow the rules.
Word: assume
(verb)
  • Definition: to think something is true, or probably true, without any evidence
  • Sentence: Most people assume that because my coach knows so much about swimming that he was once a star swimmer, but he was actually just an average athlete.
Word: capable
(adjective)
  • Definition: able to do something well; skillful
  • Sentence: Kaliska is a very capable athlete—she’s a star at both tennis and rugby.
Word: approach
(verb)
  • Definition: to get closer to something or someone
  • Sentence: When the race was over, the news reporter approached the winner to ask her some questions.
Word: standard
(noun)
  • Definition: a level of achievement or quality
  • Sentence: Trayvon’s ping pong game has reached an even higher standard than last semester.
Word: account
(noun)
  • Definition: a report about something
  • Sentence: My uncle Takuya gave me a play-by-play account of the Olympic soccer final.
Word: prevail
(verb)
  • Definition: to win, or achieve a goal
  • Sentence: Naomi Osaka prevailed in the 2018 U.S. Open final, defeating Serena Williams by two sets to zero.
Word: heritage
(noun)
  • Definition: the traditions and history of a group of people
  • Sentence: I learned a lot about the heritage of hockey after listening to my grandmother and her buddies tell stories of hockey’s past.
Word: ideal
(adjective)
  • Definition: exactly right; perfect
  • Sentence: The ideal softball field is made from a mix of 40% clay and 60% sand.
Word: invest
(verb)
  • Definition: to put time, money, or effort into something.
  • Sentence: The government has invested a lot of money into youth quidditch over the last 10 years, and that’s why we’re winning all these international quidditch events now.
Word: resist
(verb)
  • Definition: to fight against
  • Sentence: Although Ysenia wanted to yell at the umpire for the bad call, she resisted opening her mouth.
Word: permanent
(adjective)
  • Definition: lasting forever, or a very long time
  • Sentence: The basketball club wanted a permanent reminder of their founder, so they built a statue of her at the club’s entrance.
Word: contribute
(verb)
  • Definition: to give something (like time, money, or effort) to help something or somebody
  • Sentence: Every year, Mr. Singh contributes $1,000 to his city’s youth cricket association, to help them buy new equipment for kids who can’t afford it.

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