each [every one by itself] Each of us sang a different song in the show.
early [(1) at or near the beginning, especially the beginning of the day; (2) opposite late] They saw her walking early this morning. (1) A few arrived late, but most were early. (2) earn [to be paid in return for work done] She earns 40,000 dollars a year. earth [(1) the planet we all live on; (2) the ground or soil] Have you seen the picture of earth made from the moon's surface? (1) The sun warmed the black earth of the farmer's field. (2) earthquake [a sudden, violent shaking of the earth's surface] The earthquake caused severe damage to bridges and buildings in Los Angeles. ease [(1) to reduce; (2) to make less difficult] The rate of economic inflation eased last month. (1) The new equipment helped ease his job. (2) east [the direction from which the sun rises] The sun rises in the east and goes down in the west. easy [(1) not difficult; (2) not hard to do] His English is easy to understand. (1) She says that running five kilometers is easy for her. (2) eat [to take food into the body through the mouth] Can you eat now, or do you want to eat later? ecology [the scientific study of the environment and links among living and material things] She is an expert on the ecology of wetlands.
economy [the system by which money, industry and trade are organized] Many people hope the economy will continue to grow.
edge [the line where something ends or begins] Do not write near the edge of the paper.
education [the act of teaching] Congress approved the spending of 450 million dollars for aid to education.
effect [the result or change caused by something] The storm had a serious effect on the economy.
effort [(1) an attempt; (2) the work necessary to do something] The boy made an effort to help his mother. (1) Climbing the mountain required great effort. (2) egg [(1) the rounded object containing unborn young produced by female birds, fish or reptiles; (2) a single cell in a female person or animal that can develop into a baby] Sea turtles bury their eggs in the sand. (1) Human eggs can be transplanted from one woman to another. (2) either [one of two, but not the other] Can either of you tell me how to get to the airport? elect [to choose by voting] The voters elected the state governor as President of the United States.
electricity [a form of energy that flows through wires to provide heat and light, and power to machines] We did not have electricity or clean water after the storm.
embassy [the offices of an ambassador and his or her assistants] All foreign embassies are in Washington.
emergency [an unexpected and dangerous situation demanding quick action] The President declared a wildfire emergency in New Mexico.
emotion [a strong feeling such as love, hate, fear or sadness] The dispute produced strong emotions on both sides.
employ [to give work in return for wages] Jane is employed as a prison guard.
empty [(1) having nothing inside; (2) to remove everything] The house was empty. (1) The old man emptied his glass and asked for more water. (2) end [(1) to stop; (2) to finish; (3) the part which comes last] The chairman ended the meeting. (1) The year ended peacefully. (2) We were happy to reach the end of the project. (3) enemy [(1) a person opposing or hating another; (2) a person or people of the other side in a war] The two men were fierce political enemies. (1) Enemy soldiers attacked allied forces on the island. (2) energy [(1) power used to do work, usually with machines; (2) the ability and willingness to be active] Electricity provides most of the energy in our city. (1) You can increase your energy by eating healthy food and exercising every day. (2) enforce [to make something be done] Police enforce the law. engine [a machine that uses energy to cause movement or to do work] He says his car's engine will not start. engineer [a person who designs engines, machines, roads, bridges or railroads] He worked as an engineer in the space program.
enjoy [to be pleased or satisfied by something] Did you enjoy the movie?
enough [(1) as much as necessary; (2) the amount needed] Does Richard have enough money to buy her a ring? (1) Richard said he had enough. (2) enter [to come or go into] They entered the store together. environment [(1) all surrounding things, conditions and influences that affect life; (2) the natural world of land, sea, air, plants and animals] The group support stronger laws to protect the environment from industrial pollution. (1) Tell us what we can do to prevent further damage to our natural environment. (2) equal [(1) the same in amount, size, weight or value; (2) having the same rights] Each of them provided an equal amount of money to start the new business. (1) The amendment guaranteed that men and women would have equal rights. (2) equipment [things, tools or machines needed for a purpose or activity] Jack has all the equipment we will need for our camping trip. escape [(1) to get free; (2) to get away from; (3) to get out of] The lion escaped from his cage. (1) Three prisoners escaped from their guards. (2) No one could escape from the high security prison. (3) especially [more than others] We liked the food, especially the fish. establish [(1) to bring into existence; (2) to create] Mister Jenkins established his business 23 years ago. (1) Scientists have established a new way to communicate with creatures anywhere in the universe. (2) estimate [to form an opinion about a value, size or amount using less than complete information] The media have failed in their attempts to estimate the winners of national elections. ethnic [of or concerning people belonging to a large group because of their race, religion, language, tribe or where their ancestors lived] Jay and Cindy enjoy eating ethnic food as often as possible.
evaporate [to change from a liquid into a gas] Water evaporates more quickly during dry weather.
even [in a way not thought possible] They survived, even though the building was destroyed.
event [that which happens, especially something of importance] Swearing in a new President is a big event in Washington.
ever [at any time] Did you ever meet Joseph's wife? every [(1) each one; (2) all] Every winner gets a different prize. (1) She has read every book in the library. (2) evidence [(1) material or facts that prove something; (2) a reason for believing] The evidence proves the suspect is guilty. (1) Children do not need evidence to believe in Santa Claus. (2) evil [(1) not good; (2) extremely bad] He had an evil plan. (1) Only a truly evil person would treat a child so badly. (2) exact [(1) having no mistakes; (2) correct in every detail] That is the exact number of students present. (1) His reports were exact in every way. (2) examine [to study closely] The judge examined the evidence carefully. example [a part that shows what the rest of a thing or group is like] Her success is an example of the results of a good education.
excellent [extremely good] George is excellent at cooking French food.
except [but for] Except for Joe, everyone wanted to help.
exchange [(1) to trade; (2) to give or receive one thing for another] He exchanged his shares of stock for a cash payment. (1) The two sides exchanged ideas on a peace agreement. (2) excuse [(1) to take away blame; (2) to pardon; (3) to forgive; (4) a reason (sometimes false) for an action] He excused himself for lying to her. (1) A governor's pardon excuses the prisoner's criminal act. (2) Please excuse me for speaking your language so poorly. (3) Missus Warner refused to accept her husband's excuse for what he did. (4) execute [to kill] What is the state's argument for executing murderers? exercise [an activity or effort for the purpose of improving the body or to stay in good health] Doctors say a half hour of exercise several times a week can prevent heart attacks.
exile [(1) to force a person to leave his or her country; (2) to expel; (3) a person who is forced to leave his or her country] The writer was exiled because his book criticized the government. (1) The new government exiled the former dictator. (2) After the fall of the communist government, exiles were able to return home. (3) exist [(1) to be; (2) to live] Many of the documents needed by the court no longer exist. (1) How long has life existed on Earth? (2) expand [(1) to make larger; (2) to grow larger] The mayor expanded the police force to stop an increase in crimes. (1) This economy is expanding at a rate of four percent a year. (2) expect [(1) to think or believe that something will happen; (2) to wait for an event] Do you expect an increase in pay this year? (1) Tom and Mary Ann are expecting a new baby in August. (2) expel [(1) to force out; (2) to remove from; (3) to send away] The dishonest officers were expelled from the military forces. (1) The students were expelled for bringing alcohol to school. (2) Some of the exiles were expelled for religious reasons. (3) experience [(1) to live through an event, situation or condition ; (2) something that one has done or lived through] She experienced great pain. (1) The experience caused her great pain. (2) experiment [(1) to test; (2) a test or trial carried out to prove if an idea is true or false, or to discover something] The candidate said he experimented with marijuana when he was a student. (1) The medical experiments showed that the new medicine was not effective against cancer. (2) expert [a person with special knowledge or training] She is an expert on nuclear disarmament. explain [(1) to give reasons for; (2) to make clear; (3) to tell about; (4) to tell the meaning] Linda explained to her father why she wanted a big wedding. (1) The president explained in detail his plan to send American soldiers to the troubled area. (2) Wyatt explained the steps he used to solve the budget problem. (3) Justin was asked to explain the effects of his solution on all sides in the dispute. (4) explode [to break apart violently with a loud noise, like a bomb] The criticism made him explode in anger. explore [(1) to travel in a place that is not well known to learn more about it; (2) to make a careful search; (3) to examine closely] A team led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the land west of the Mississippi River almost two hundred years ago. (1) The spacecraft explored the solar system to search for signs of life. (2) The committee explored every possibility before deciding what to do. (3) export [(1) to send to another country; (2) something sent to another country, usually for sale] The United States has been importing much more from Asia than it exports. (1) But it expects exports will increase following the approval of full trade relations with China. (2) express [to say clearly] He expressed his love for her. extend [(1) to stretch out in area or length; (2) to continue for a longer time] The rebels have extended their control over more of the country. (1) Officials have extended the time that students must be in school each day, from seven hours to eight. (2) extra [more than normal, expected or necessary] Newspapers printed extra copies to report election results. extreme [more than the usual or accepted] My broken leg was extremely painful.
extremist [a person with strong religious or political beliefs who acts in an extreme or violent way] Animal rights extremists broke into the building and released all the laboratory animals.
