-ate

Usage

• emulate

  If you emulate someone, you try to behave the same way they do because you admire them a great deal.

• interpolate

  If you interpolate words into a piece of writing, you insert those words into it; such altering of the text could falsify it.

• expropriate

  If you expropriate something, you take it away for your own use although it does not belong to you; governments frequently expropriate private land to use for public purposes.

• rejuvenate

  To rejuvenate someone is to make that person feel young and strong again; to rejuvenate something is to make it like new once more.

• precipitate

  To precipitate something is to bring it about before its time or very quickly.

• desiccate

  Something that is desiccated has had all the water taken out of it; this is a common process used for food in order to preserve it.

• commiserate

  If you commiserate with someone, you show them pity or sympathy because something bad or unpleasant has happened to them.

• amalgamate

  When two or more things, such as organizations, amalgamate, they combine to become one large thing.

• disseminate

  To disseminate something, such as knowledge or information, is to distribute it so that it reaches a lot of people.

• fulminate

  If you fulminate against someone, you speak or write angrily and with heavy criticism about them.

• exonerate

  When someone is exonerated from guilt, a task, or a responsibility, they are set free or excused from it.

• adjudicate

  If you adjudicate a competition or dispute, you officially decide who is right or what should be done concerning any difficulties that may arise.

• oscillate

  If an object oscillates, it moves repeatedly from one point to another and then back again; if you oscillate between two moods or attitudes, you keep changing from one to the other.

• prognosticate

  To prognosticate is to predict or forecast something.

• recapitulate

  When someone recapitulates, they summarize material or content of some kind by repeating the most important points.

• extirpate

  If you extirpate something, you completely destroy it because it is unpleasant or unwanted.

• cogitate

  Cogitating about something is thinking deeply about it for a long time.

• subjugate

  If someone subjugates a group of people or country, they conquer and bring it under control by force.

• extenuate

  If circumstances extenuate someone’s actions in a questionable situation, you feel that it was reasonable for someone to break the usual rules; therefore, you partly excuse and sympathize with their wrongdoing.

• vacillate

  When someone vacillates, they go back and forth about a choice or opinion, unable to make a firm decision.

• delineate

  If you delineate something, such as an idea or situation or border, you describe it in great detail.

• corroborate

  When you corroborate something that has been said or reported, you give information or evidence that further supports it.

• bifurcate

  When something is bifurcated, such as a path, it is divided into two separate parts that fork off from each other.

• obfuscate

  To obfuscate something is to make it deliberately unclear, confusing, and difficult to understand.

• exculpate

  If you exculpate someone, you prove that they are not guilty of a crime.

• elucidate

  If you elucidate something, you make it easier to understand by giving more relevant information.

• proliferate

  If something proliferates, it grows and spreads quickly so that there is a great abundance of it.

• vitiate

  If someone vitiates something, they make it less effective, weaker, or reduced in quality.

• liquidate

  To liquidate a business or company is to close it down and sell the things that belong to it in order to pay off its debts.

• denigrate

  If you denigrate something, you criticize or speak ill of it in a way that shows you think it has little to no value at all.

• arrogate

  When you arrogate something, such as a position or privilege, you take it even though you don't have the legal right to it.

• assimilate

  When you assimilate an idea, you completely understand it; likewise, when someone is assimilated into a new place, they become part of it by understanding what it is all about and by being accepted by others who live there.

• ruminate

  If you ruminate on something, you think carefully and deeply about it over a long period of time.

• appropriate

  If you appropriate something that does not belong to you, you take it for yourself without the right to do so.

• inundate

  If you are inundated with something, you have so much of it that you cannot easily deal with it; likewise, if too much rain inundates an area, it causes flooding.

• indoctrinate

  If you indoctrinate someone, you teach them a set of beliefs so thoroughly that they reject any other beliefs or ideas without any critical thought.

• decimate

  If you decimate something, you destroy a large part of it, reducing its size and effectiveness greatly.

• vituperative

  Vituperative remarks are full of hate, anger, and cruel criticism.

• obviate

  To obviate a problem is to eliminate it or do something that makes solving the problem unnecessary.

• extricate

  When you extricate yourself from a difficult or unpleasant situation, you manage to escape it.

• coagulate

  If liquid coagulates, it becomes thick and solid.

• aspirate

  When you aspirate something, you draw out fluids by means of suction, or you draw in air by inhaling it.

• abdicate

  If someone abdicates, they give up their responsibility for something, such as a king's transfer of power when he gives up his throne.

• gesticulate

  When someone gesticulates, they make movements with their hands and arms when talking, usually because they want to emphasize something or are having difficulty in expressing an idea using words alone.

• punctuate

  If an activity is punctuated by something, it is interrupted or emphasized by it at intervals.

• reciprocate

  If you reciprocate, you give something to someone because they have given something similar to you.

• undulate

  Something that undulates moves or is shaped like waves with gentle curves that smoothly rise and fall.

• excoriate

  If you excoriate someone, you express very strong disapproval of something they did.

• concatenate

  If you concatenate two or more things, you join them together by linking them one after the other.

• mitigate

  If you mitigate something that causes harm, you reduce the harmful or painful effects of it.

• attenuate

  When something attenuates, it lessens in size or intensity; it becomes thin or weakened.

• enervate

  If something enervates you, it makes you very tired and weak—almost to the point of collapse.

• truncate

  If you truncate something, you make it shorter or quicker by removing or cutting off part of it.

• ingratiate

  If people try to ingratiate themselves with you, they try to get your approval by doing or saying things that they think will please you.

• alleviate

  If you alleviate pain or suffering, you make it less intense or severe.

• incarcerate

  If you incarcerate someone, you put them in prison or jail.

• inculcate

  To inculcate is to fix an idea or belief in someone's mind by repeatedly teaching it.

• permeate

  When a substance permeates something, it enters into all parts of it.

• pontificate

  When someone pontificates, they give their opinions in a heavy-handed way that shows they think they are always right.

• exacerbate

  If something exacerbates a problem or bad situation, it makes it even worse.

• accentuate

  To accentuate something is to emphasize it or make it more noticeable.

• desecrate

  If you desecrate something that is considered holy or very special, you deliberately spoil or damage it.

• vindicate

  If a person is vindicated, their ideas, decisions, or actions—once considered wrong—are proved correct or not to be blamed.

• abominate

  If you abominate something, you hate it because you think it is extremely wrong and unacceptable.

• satiate

  If something, such as food or drink, satiates you, it satisfies your need or desire so completely that you often feel that you have had too much.

• acclimate

  When you acclimate yourself to a new situation or environment, you adapt and get used to it.

• prevaricate

  If you prevaricate, you avoid giving a direct or honest answer, usually because you want to hide the truth or want to delay or avoid making a hard decision.

• repudiate

  If you repudiate something, you state that you do not accept or agree with it and no longer want to be connected with it in any way.

• advocate

  When you advocate a plan or action, you publicly push for implementing it.

• propitiate

  To propitiate another is to calm or soothe them; it is often giving someone what they want so that everyone is happy.

• adumbrate

  To _adumbrate_ is to describe something incompletely or to suggest future events based on limited current knowledge.

• ameliorate

  When you ameliorate a bad condition or situation, you make it better in some way.

• castigate

  When you castigate someone, you criticize or punish them severely.

• capitulate

  When you capitulate, you accept or agree to do something after having resisted doing so for a long time.

• superannuated

  Something that is superannuated is so old and worn out that it is no longer working or useful.

• accommodate

  When you accommodate the needs of another, you adapt or adjust to those needs to make things more convenient for that person.

• alienate

  When someone is alienated from a group, they are either separated by others from it or willfully do it themselves.

• annihilate

  When something is annihilated, it is completely destroyed or wiped out.

• captivate

  When you are captivated by someone or something, you are enchanted, fascinated, or delighted by them or it.

• collaborate

  When people collaborate, they work together, usually to solve some problem or issue.

• commemorate

  When you commemorate a person, you honor them or cause them to be remembered in some way.

• contemplate

  When you contemplate something, you either think about it deeply or gaze at it intently.

• deviate

  When someone's behavior is deviating, they do things differently by departing or straying from their usual way of acting.

• discombobulated

  When you are discombobulated, you are confused and upset because you have been thrown into a situation that you temporarily cannot handle.

• emigrate

  When a person emigrates, they move away from one country—often their native country—to settle in another.

• enunciate

  When you enunciate, you speak or state something clearly so that you can be easily understood.

• exasperate

  When you exasperate another person, you annoy or anger them a great deal because you keep on doing something that is highly irritating.

• excruciating

  An injury that is excruciating is extremely painful.

• execrate

  When you execrate someone, you curse them to show your intense dislike or hatred of them.

• expatriate

  An expatriate has been driven or exiled from their native land, so they are forced to live in another country; a person can also willingly become an expatriate.

• fluctuate

  Things that fluctuate vary or change often, rising or falling seemingly at random.

• formulate

  When you formulate a plan of action, you carefully work it out or design it in great detail ahead of time.

• infiltrate

  When a spy infiltrates enemy lines, they creep in or penetrate them so as to gather information.

• initiate

  To initiate something is to begin or start it.

• instigate

  When you instigate something, you start it or stir it up, usually for the purpose of causing trouble of some kind.

• litigate

  When you litigate, you go before a court in order to bring forth a lawsuit or voice another serious concern you have.

• obliterate

  When you obliterate something, you destroy it to such an extent that there is nothing or very little of it left.

• perpetrate

  If you perpetrate something, you commit a crime or do some other bad thing for which you are responsible.

• perpetuate

  When you perpetuate something, you keep it going or continue it indefinitely.

• procrastinate

  When you procrastinate, you put off or delay doing something—usually because it is something unpleasant that you'd rather not do.

• promulgate

  To promulgate something is to officially announce it in order to make it widely known or more specifically to let the public know that a new law has been put into effect.

• propagate

  When things propagate, such as plants, animals, or ideas, they reproduce or generate greater numbers, causing them to spread.

• regurgitate

  When you regurgitate, you throw up or vomit; this word also refers to simply repeating what someone else has already said so you don't have to put in any thought.

• rehabilitate

  When someone is rehabilitated, they are restored to a more normal way of life, such as returning to good health or a crime-free life.

• reiterate

  When you reiterate what you've just said, you repeat it or say it again.

• renovate

  When you renovate something, such as a home or other building, you modernize or make it like new again.

• retaliate

  When you retaliate, you get back at or get even with someone for something that they did to you.

• reverberate

  When a sound reverberates, it echoes or rebounds continuously from one place to another.

• stipulate

  When you stipulate terms, you demand or specify certain things that need to be met before you, in turn, will do something.

• validate

  When you validate something, you confirm that it is sound, true, legal, or worthwhile.

• eradicate

  When you eradicate something, you tear it up by the roots or remove it completely.

• facilitate

  When you facilitate something, such as an event or project, you make it easier for everyone to get it done by giving assistance.

• culminate

  When something culminates, it reaches its highest point or climax.

• discriminate

  The ability to discriminate between things allows you to notice or be aware of differences.

• incorporate

  When you incorporate one thing into another, you add it so that it becomes a part of it.

• eliminate

  When you eliminate something, you get rid of or do away with it.

• expatiate

  To expatiate upon a subject is to speak or write in detail and at length about it.

• accumulate

  When items accumulate, they gather together or are collected; this process usually happens gradually.

• predatory

  A predatory animal hunts other animals in order to eat them.

• cumulative

  A cumulative process builds, increases, or grows slowly over time.

• appreciate

  When you appreciate something, you recognize its value or understand it fully.

• integrate

  When you integrate things, you bring them together so that they fit as a whole.

• incommensurate

  One thing that is incommensurate with another is different in its level, size, or quality from the second; this may lead to an unfair situation.

• cultivate

  When a farmer cultivates a field or garden, they prepare its soil, plow its land, plant seeds, and carefully tend to growing crops.

• disintegrate

  When something disintegrates, it crumbles, falls apart, or breaks down into separate pieces.

• fabricate

  You fabricate something by creating it, such as by building a house or making up a story.

• adulterate

  If you adulterate something, you lessen its quality by adding inferior ingredients or elements to it.

• consolidate

  When two businesses consolidate, they combine to form a stronger, more solid company.

• coordinate

  When you coordinate a large event, you organize or bring all the many parts of it together so that the event can occur.

• indicative

  One thing that is indicative of another suggests or shows it in some way.

• allocate

  When you allocate funds, you spread out or give different amounts of money towards the things you have to pay for.

• mediate

  Someone who mediates an argument helps people solve their issues.

• deracinate

  When someone or something is deracinated, the former is uprooted or removed from their natural environment whereas the latter is eradicated, uprooted, or destroyed.

• dissimulate

  When people dissimulate, they hide, conceal, or disguise their true intentions or feelings.

• immolate

  To immolate is to sacrifice a victim, often by burning; this verb can also refer to killing something, again by fire.

• masticate

  To masticate is to chew or grind food thoroughly.

• hesitate

  When you hesitate, you stop for a moment or two because you are unsure about doing something.

• circulate

  When something circulates, it moves around from place to place, such as news or blood cells in the body.

• complicated

  If something is complicated, such as a math problem, it is difficult to understand because there are so many parts to it.

• concentrate

  When you concentrate on something, such as a difficult math problem, you think hard about it for a while.

• negative

  Something negative, such as a result or an answer, is not good in some way or marks a *no* about something.

• imitate

  When you imitate someone, you try to act just as they do.

• cooperate

  When you cooperate with another person, you work together with them to accomplish something.

• congratulate

  When you congratulate someone, you praise them or are happy about some success they've had.

• dedicate

  When you dedicate yourself to something, you spend a lot of time and effort doing it.

• isolated

  Something isolated is off by itself, alone, or far apart from other things.

• locate

  When you locate something, you find it or discover where it is.

• evaluate

  To evaluate something is to judge its value, worth, or importance.

• estimate

  When you estimate the amount of something, you guess how much there is.

• calculate

  When you calculate something, you find an answer to it by using math.

• duplicate

  To duplicate something is to copy it so that you have two of it; it is also to make something happen again.

• immediately

  Something that happens immediately happens right away or at once.

• navigate

  When you navigate, you find your way from one place to another.

• communicate

  When you communicate with someone, you talk with or write to them to give them information.

• evacuate

  When people evacuate an area, they have to leave it, usually due to an emergency of some kind.

• motivation

  Motivation is a reason for wanting to do something; it is also a way of getting someone to act.

• negotiate

  When you negotiate with another person, you are trying to reach an agreement of some kind; you are usually doing business or trying to solve a problem.

• alternative

  An alternative is another choice offered to you in addition to something that you already have.

• illustrate

  When you illustrate something, such as a book, you draw pictures in it to more fully explain the story, or you use words to more fully explain an idea.

• situation

  A situation is all the things that are happening in a place at one time.

• publication

  A publication is a piece of writing for all people to read, such as a book or magazine.

• pronunciation

  Pronunciation is how someone says a word; it also refers to how to say that word correctly.

• participate

  When you participate in something, such as a game, you take part in it or join in.

• tolerate

  When you tolerate another person, you accept their behavior and views even though you may not like them.

• operate

  To operate something is to run it or make it work, such as a machine or a business.

• activate

  put in motion or move to act

• demarcate

  separate clearly, as if by boundaries

• fascinate

  cause to be interested or curious

• liberate

  give equal rights to

• regulate

  fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of