machine [a device with moving parts used to do work] Our copy machine always seems to stop working when I have a lot of documents to copy.
magazine [a publication of news, stories, pictures or other information] He likes to read computer magazines.
mail [letters, papers and other things sent through an official system, such as a post office] E-mail is so much faster than sending mail through the post office.
main [the most important or largest] Her main interest now is raising her children.
major [great in size, importance or amount] Corn and wheat are major crops in the United States.
majority [(1) the greater number; (2) more than half] The President's party won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. (1) A bill passes only if a majority of the members approve. (2) make [(1) to produce; (2) to create; (3) to build; (4) to do something or to carry out an action; (5) to cause to be or to become] Many products sold in America are made in China. (1) She makes beautiful hats. (2) The same company makes many of the houses here. (3) They make each other happy. (4) The movie producer made her a star. (5) male [(1) a man or boy; (2) the sex that is the father of children; (3) of or about men] Police described him as a male in his early twenties. (1) Males are in the minority in the United States. (2) That store sells only male clothes. (3) man [an adult male human] That man is my father. manufacture [to make goods in large amounts] His company manufactures sewing machines.
many [a large number or amount of] I have eaten here many times.
map [a picture of the earth's surface or a part of it] Do you have a map of the city? march [(1) to walk in a group like soldiers; (2) to walk together in a large group to protest about something] The Marines spent many hours learning to march. (1) The protesters marched to the White House. (2) mark [to make a sign or cut on something] The price is marked on the box. market [(1) a place or area where goods are sold, bought or traded; (2) an economic system in which the prices of things are decided by how many there are and how much money people are willing to pay for them] She sells her vegetables at the farmers' market. (1) The President spoke about the successful growth of market economies around the world. (2) marry [(1) to join a man and woman together as husband and wife; (2) to become husband and wife (usually in a religious or civil ceremony)] The priest married the man and woman. (1) Jim married Sue last Sunday. (2) mass [an amount of matter having no special form and usually of a large size] The gravity force of a space object depends on its mass. mate [to bring together a male and a female to create another creature] Their dogs mated last week so they should have puppies soon.
material [(1) the substance, substances or matter of which something is made or from which something can be made, such as wood, cloth or stone; (2) anything that can be made into something else] Which materials are used to build houses in your country? (1) Scientists are using genetic material to create plants and animals different from those in nature. (2) mathematics [the science dealing with amounts, sizes and shapes, as explained by numbers and signs] Their mathematics test had questions on algebra and geometry. matter [(1) anything that can be seen or felt; (2) what things are made of] Scientists are trying to measure all the matter in the universe. (1) Anything you can see or feel is made of matter. (2) may [a word used with an action word to mean permit (1) or possible (2) ] May I go? (1) They may leave tomorrow. (2) mayor [the chief official of a city or town government] Her father was elected mayor of Springfield. meal [food eaten to satisfy hunger, such as dinner] Take this medicine after every meal.
mean [(1) to want to; (2) to give the idea of; (3) to have the idea of] She meant to call you on the telephone, but she forgot. (1) Tell me what you mean to do about the damage to my car. (2) I know what you mean. (3) measure [(1) to learn the amount, size or distance of something; (2) an action taken; (3) a legislative proposal] I will measure the size of the windows. (1) What measures did you take to prevent more damage? (2) The Senate approved the measure. (3) meat [the part of a dead animal used for food] She no longer eats meat; only vegetables, grains and fruits. media [all public information organizations, including newspapers, television and radio] The big story in the media is the vote counting problem.
medicine [(1) a substance or drug used to treat disease or pain; (2) the science or study of treating and curing disease or improving health] She started feeling better after she began using the medicine. (1) His wife is studying medicine at the Harvard Medical School. (2) meet [to come together with someone or something at the same time and place] We will meet here tomorrow with other members of the committee. melt [to make a solid into a liquid by heating it] Ice melts into water at temperatures above zero degrees Celsius.
member [one of a group] He is a member of a rock band.
memorial [something done or made to honor the memory of a person or event] Have you visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington?
memory [(1) a picture in the mind of past events; (2) the ability to remember; (3) a thing remembered] I can still see in my memory the place we used to swim. (1) He has a good memory. (2) Do you have any memory of your father before he went to war? (3) mental [about or having to do with the mind] She had some unusual mental powers. mercy [(1) kindness toward those who should be punished; (2) the power to be kind or to pardon] She showed mercy by forgiving him for leaving her. (1) He admitted guilt and asked the judge for mercy. (2) message [(1) written or spoken news or information; (2) a note from one person to another person or group] The candidate delivered his message to the crowd. (1) He sent her an E-mail message with his computer. (2) metal [a hard substance such as iron, steel or gold] Many products formerly made of metal now are made of plastic. method [the way something is done] She developed a new method for losing weight.
microscope [a device used to make very small things look larger so they can be studied] Tell me what you see through the microscope.
middle [(1) the center; (2) a place or time of equal distance from both sides or ends; (3) in the center] He stopped in the middle of the field. (1) They rested in the middle of the day. (2) I would guess her age to be in the middle twenties. (3) militant [someone active in trying to cause political change, often by the use of force or violence] Police are prepared for violence by militant demonstrators. military [(1) the armed forces of a nation or group; (2) of or about the armed forces] She has been in the military for seven years. (1) Many military bases were closed in the United States. (2) milk [the white liquid produced by female animals to feed their young] Please bring me a glass of cold milk. mind [the thinking, feeling part of a person] He has a good mind, but sometimes he does not use it.
mine [(1) to dig useful or valuable substances out of the earth; (2) a place in the earth where such substances are found; (3) a bomb placed under the ground or under water so it cannot be seen] Mining for gold can create serious environmental problems. (1) Many old mines can be found in the mountains of the western United States. (2) An international treaty seeks a ban on the use of explosive military mines. (3) mineral [a substance found in nature that is not an animal or a plant, such as coal or salt] Name two important minerals found under the ground. minister [(1) a member of a cabinet; (2) a high government official ] The Cabinet Ministers meet every Tuesday. (1) The Prime Minister and his new Foreign Minister will arrive in Washington tomorrow. (2) minor [(1) small in size; (2) of little importance] Only a minor amount of money is missing. (1) He wrote a report on a minor English poet. (2) minority [(1) the smaller number; (2) opposite majority] Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are minorities in America. (1) The Democrats are the minority party in the Congress. (2) minute [(1) a measure of time; (2) one of the sixty equal parts of an hour; (3) sixty seconds] I saw him only minutes ago. (1) We met for 30 minutes. (2) She gave him exactly one minute to explain. (3) miss [to fail to hit, see, reach or meet] He missed meeting her by only about two minutes. missile [any weapon that can be thrown or fired through the air and explodes when it reaches its target] Some Senators support building a new rocket system to defend against long distance missiles.
missing [(1) lost; (2) not found] My watch is missing. (1) His brother was reported missing in Vietnam. (2) mistake [(1) a wrong action or decision; (2) an action done without the knowledge that it was wrong] He made a mistake by not waiting for the telephone call. (1) Her mistake was not understanding his feelings for her. (2) mix [to put different things together to make one thing] She mixed peanut butter and fruit jelly in a sandwich. mob [a large group of wild or angry people] The peaceful demonstration suddenly became an angry mob.
model [(1) an example; (2) something, usually small, made to show how something will look or work] Her daughter was the model of a perfect child. (1) This model shows how his new home will look when completed. (2) moderate [not extreme] The moderate proposal was approved by both sides. modern [(1) of the present or very recent time; (2) the most improved] We enjoyed the Museum of Modern Art. (1) The old ships are being replaced by modern ones. (2) money [pieces of metal or paper used to pay for things] Do you need some money? month [one of the twelve periods of time into which a year is divided] This is the first month of the new year.
moon [the bright object often seen in the night sky that orbits the earth about every twenty-nine days] The full moon is bright enough to read a book by.
moral [concerning what is right or wrong in someone's actions] He made a moral decision not to fight in the war. more [greater in size or amount] She has more talent than anyone I know.
morning [the early part of the day, from sunrise until noon] He writes in the morning and works in the office later in the day.
most [greatest in size or amount] Which country has the most people?
mother [(1) the female parent; (2) a woman who has a child or children] My wife is a good mother. (1 That woman with the loud voice is the mother of seven children. (2) motion [(1) a movement; (2) a continuing change of position or place] The motion of the car sometimes makes her sick. (1) The motion of the waves did not stop. (2) mountain [a part of the earth's surface that rises high above the area around it] They plan to climb Rainier, the great mountain southeast of Seattle. mourn [to express or feel sadness] They mourned the death of their daughter.
move [(1) to change position; (2) to put or keep in motion; (3) to go] Move the chair over here. (1) The dog's tail moved from side to side. (2) She moved to California last year. (3) movement [(1) the act of moving or a way of moving; (2) a series of acts or efforts to reach a goal] The movement of the boat made her sick. (1) The gun control movement wants to keep guns away from criminals. (2) movie [(1) a motion picture; (2) a film] Which movie would you like to watch? (1) Making the movie cost 75 million dollars. (2) much [great in amount] They read much of the time. murder [(1) to kill another person illegally; (2) the crime of killing another person] The angry man murdered three people in his office. (1) The jury found him guilty of murder. (2) music [the making of sounds by singing or using a musical instrument] She has loved music since she was a small child. must [a word used with an action word to mean necessary] You must go to school.
mystery [(1) something that is not or cannot be explained or understood; (2) a secret] No one can explain the mystery of the crying woman in the window of the old house. (1) What happened that night is still a mystery. (2)
