400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 30 – Crimes at Sea Vocabulary Test

Word List

abduction [æbˈdʌkʃən] n.

Kidnapping

→ Pirates got many crew members by abduction, snatching unlucky citizens from seaport towns.

Parts of speech     abduct v.

coerce [koʊˈərs] v.

To force; to put pressure on someone to do something

→ A criminal’s confession is not usable in court if the police coerce him or her into giving it.

Parts of speech     coercion n., coercive adj.

detain [dɪˈteɪn] v.

To prevent someone, for a relatively short time, from going on their way

→ The police detained at least 20 men for questioning,but charged none of them with a crime.

Parts of speech     detention n., detainee n.

deviant [ˈdiːvɪənt] adj.

In a style that is not normal and is offensive to many

→ The artist based his reputation on creating deviant works of art that disgusted most of the public.

Usage tips     Deviant always implies a bad opinion of someone or something.

Parts of speech     deviant n., deviation n., deviate v.

distort [dɪsˈtɔːt] v.

To twist or misrepresent; to make something seem different from what it really is

→ If you hold a pencil in a glass of water, the water distorts the appearance of the pencil.

Parts of speech     distortion n.

intentionally [ɪnˈtenʃnəlɪ] adv.

On purpose, not by accident

→ Danny intentionally lost his last golf ball because he was tired of playing.

Parts of speech     intent n., intention n., intend v., intentional adj.

piracy [ˈpaɪərəsɪ] n.

Stealing a ship or taking the ship’s cargo; the unlawful copying of books, CDs, etc.

→ Modern-day piracy occurs mostly near groups of small,uninhabited islands where pirates can hide.

Parts of speech     pirate n., pirate v.

predicament [prɪˈdɪkəmənt] n.

A difficult situation, one that is hard to get out of

→ College basketball stars face the predicament of wanting to graduate but being tempted by high professional salaries.

smuggle [ˈsmʌgl] v.

To illegally bring things into a country

→ The pirate Ben Dewar smuggled guns to British and Indian fighters in North America.

Parts of speech     smuggler n., smuggling n.

villainy [ˈvɪlənɪ] n.

Exceptional badness, as demonstrated by many serious evil deeds

→ Fred was not a natural criminal, but he learned all kinds of villainy while being jailed for a minor crime.

Parts of speech     villain n., villainous adj.