400 Must-Have Words for TOEFL: Essential Vocabulary for Exam Success

400 Must Have Words for the
TOEFL
abandon (v.) -->to leave; to give up
Ex: To save their lives, the sailors had to ~ the sinking ship.


adversely (adj.) -->in a harmful way; negatively
Ex: Excessive rainfall early in the spring can ~ affect the planting of crops.
Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by affect.


aggregate (adj.) -->gathered into or amounting to a whole i i i i i i i i




Ex: It is impossible to judge last year's performance without knowing the ~ sales
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numbers.
Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by a term like sum, total, or numbers.
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cultivation (n.) -->preparing the land to grow crops; improvement for agricultural
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purposes
Ex: With the development of land ~, hunters and gatherers were able to settle in one
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place.


fertilize (v.) -->to supply with nourishment for plants by adding helpful substances to
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the soil i




Ex: This farm ~+ tomatoes more than any other crop.
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intensify (v.) -->to increase in power; to act with increased strength
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Ex: Jacob's long absence ~+ his certainty that he should marry Rose.
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irrigation (n.) -->the supplying of water to dry land i i i i i i i i




Ex: In dry areas of the country, you can see ditches all over the farm-land for ~.
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(v.) -->to gain possession of; to get
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,Ex: After a series of difficult interviews, he finally was able to ~ the job.
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photosynthesis (n.) -->the process by which green plants make their own food by i i i i i i i i i i i i i




combining water, salts, and carbon dioxide in the presence of light i i i i i i i i i i




Ex: Oxygen is a by-product of the process of ~.
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precipitation (n.) -->water that falls to the Earth's surface i i i i i i i i




Ex: In the Pacific Northwest, the high level of ~ ensures rich, green plant life.
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anticipate (v.) -->to expect; to sense something before it happens
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Ex: By placing sensors in earthquake-prone areas, scientists can ~ some tremors in
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time to warn the public.
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catastrophic (adj.) -->extremely harmful; causing financial or physical ruin i i i i i i i i i




Ex: The architect died in a ~ elevator accident.
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collide (v.) -->to come together with great or violent force
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Ex: As usual, their holiday was ruined when their in-laws' views on politics ~+ with their
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own.


eruption (n.) -->a sudden, often violent, outburst
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Ex: The ~ of Mount St. Helens in 1980 caused 57 deaths and immeasurable change to the
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face of the mountain.
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Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by an of phrase.
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famine (n.) -->severe hunger; a drastic food shortage
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Ex: The potato ~ in Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century caused large numbers of Irish
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people to emigrate to America. i i i i




flood (n.) -->an overflowing of water; an excessive amount
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Ex: The constant rain and poor drainage system caused a ~ in town.
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Ex: The political party sent out a ~ of letters criticizing their opponents.
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,impact (n.) -->a strong influence i i i i




Ex: The speech about the importance of education made an ~ on me. Usage
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Tips: ~ is usually followed by on or of.
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persevere (v.) -->to keep going, despite obstacles or discouragement; to maintain a
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purpose
Ex: The hikers ~+ despite the bad weather and the icy trail.
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plunge (v.) -->to go down suddenly; to decrease by a great amount in a short time
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He jumped off the diving board and ~+ into the pool.
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Ex: The value of the company's stock ~+ after its chief executive was arrested.
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Tips: ~ is often followed by an into phrase.
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unleash (v.) -->to release a thing or an emotion i i i i i i i i




Ex: When they saw the strange man on their property, they ~+ their dogs.
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Ex: He is from such an unemotional family, he will never learn to ~ his feelings.
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adapt (v.) -->to adjust to the circumstances; to make suitable Ex:
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i Dinosaurs could not ~ to the warmer temperatures. i i i i i i i




Ex: The teacher ~+ the exercises for his more advanced students.
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Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by to.
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diverse (n.) -->various; showing a lot of differences within a group Ex:
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India is one of the most linguistically ~ countries in the world. Usage
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Tips: An -ly adverb (e.g., linguistically) often comes before ~.
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evolve (v.) -->to develop; to come forth
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Ex: Modern-day sharks ~+ from their ancestor Eryops, which lived more than 200
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million years ago. i i




Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by into or from.
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, feature (n.) -->part, characteristic i i i




Ex: The best ~ of this car is its heated seats. Usage
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Tips: ~ is often followed by of.
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generation (n.) -->a group of people born at about the same time i i i i i i i i i i i




Ex: As older managers retired, a new ~ of leaders took control of the company.
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Tips: Before ~, an adjective like new, next, earlier, or older is common. ~ is often
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followed by of. i i




inherent (adj.) -->naturally characteristic; always found within something, because
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it's a basic part of that thing
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Ex: No job can be interesting all the time. Boredom is ~ in any kind of work. Usage
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Tips: ~ is often followed by in.
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migration (n.) -->movement from one place to another by a group of people or animals
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Ex: The ~ of farm workers from one state to the next depends primarily on the harvest.
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Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by to or from.
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physical (adj.) -->related to the body; related to materials that can be seen or felt
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Ex: Because of the shape of its throat, an ape does not have the ~ ability to speak. Ex:
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The mountains form a ~ barrier between the west and the east.
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Usage Tips: ~ usually comes before the noun it describes.
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process (n.) -->a series of steps leading to a result
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Ex: To get a good job, most people go through a long ~ of letter-writing and
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Usage Tips: ~ is often followed by of plus the -ing form of a verb.
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survive (v.) -->to continue living (despite some danger or illness)
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