< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (71)

Bleak (adjective) 

cold and forbidding; dark and depressing 

One bleak wintery day, a major snowstorm dumped 34 inches on Buffalo, New York.

Blemish (noun) 

something that mars the appearance

In addition to internal inclusions in a diamond, surface irregularities are referred to as

blemishes.

Blend (verb) 

to mingle in a way that is not readily noticeable

But other poisonous animals blend into their environments, perhaps because they use

their poisons to attack and disable prey. 

Blight (noun) 

a deteriorated condition 

Think of the inner city and you envision images of physical blight, high crime and moral

decay. But up against that bad news image, there's a good news reality-- and it's

emerging in the heart of the inner city.

Blob (noun) 

a small drop or lump of something viscid or thick ; a daub or spot of color

A pink blob indicating above normal fire danger colors the map across eastern Oregon

and southwestern Idaho, and then reaches down the Sierra Nevada through Southern

California and into western Arizona.  

Bloodstream (noun) 

the flowing blood in a circulatory system

When responding to sudden fright, the human brain releases adrenaline, the fight-or-

flight hormone, into the bloodstream. 

Bog down (verb) 

to sink or submerge in mud or mire; idiom: to become overly concerned with something at 

the point of distraction

Then read the essay over once, quickly, looking for the main idea, for what the essay is

about in general, and for what the author seems to be saying. Don't get bogged down

in details. 

Bogus (adjective) 

fraudulently or deceptively imitative

Although several successful mining ventures were launched, much of the hype was

bogus.

Bombard (verb) 

to direct a concentrated outpouring at something such as missiles, words, or blows

The lunar surface is bombarded with water rich objects such as comets, and scientists

have suspected that some of the water in these objects could migrate to permanently dark

areas at the lunar poles, perhaps accumulating to useable quantities.

Bone (noun) 

any piece of hard tissue making up the skeleton

Another benefit of exercising is that it increases bone mass.

Boon (noun) 

something beneficial

The tax reduction package passed by congress last year was a boon to middle class

households with annual earnings less than $75,000.