The boys who frightened me by calling me names got into trouble.
intimidate
“Don’t try to intimidate me,” the old lady called. “I’m not afraid of you!”
terrorize
Some fanatics try to terrorize others by setting off bombs.
threaten
When the bully threatened me, I used my judo skills to stop him in his tracks.
bump (1) VERB
If you bump into something, you knock into it accidentally.
collide with
My bike collided with a tree at top speed.
knock
Julian knocked his knee against the table leg.
strike
Allegra fell downstairs, striking her head on the banister.
bump (2) NOUN
A bump is a sound like something knocking into something else.
thud
I heard a thud from upstairs – my sister had fallen out of bed.
thump
The apple landed with a thump on the ground beneath the tree.
bump (3) NOUN
A bump is a raised, uneven part of a surface.
bulge
The bulge under the shoplifter’s coat proved to be a clock radio.
lump
I couldn’t sleep last night because of a lump in my mattress.
swelling
When I banged my head I got a swelling over my eye, but it soon went down.
bumpy ADJECTIVE
Something that is bumpy has a rough, uneven surface.
rough
The pirate’s chin was rough, as though he had shaved with a knife and fork.
uneven
Our soccer pitch is uneven, which makes the ball’s bounce unpredictable.
bunch (1) NOUN
A bunch is a group of things together.
bundle
The servant gathered a bundle of twigs.
cluster
Clusters of grapes hung from the vine.
bunch (2) NOUN
A bunch is a group of people.
crowd
The crowd grew restless as the floodlights stayed off.
gang
In the old days, gangs of sailors would use force to persuade men to join the navy.
party
A party of people from each school turned up for the tug-of-war.
burglar NOUN
A burglar is someone who breaks into buildings and steals things.
intruder
Dad woke up and realized that there was an intruder downstairs.
robber
The traveller was set upon by robbers, who stole his money.
thief
Thieves broke into the warehouse and stole 100 televisions.
burn (1) VERB
If something is burning, it is on fire.
be alight
The stove was still alight when we came down in the morning.
blaze
A fire blazed merrily in Mole’s sitting room.
flame
The barbecue flamed up around the burgers.
flicker
The fire flickered and crackled.
burn (2) VERB
To burn something can mean to damage or destroy it with fire.
char
The barbecue was too hot and charred the sausages.
scorch
The baking sun had scorched the dry grass on the prairies.
shrivel
The heat of the desert had shrivelled even the toughest of the plants.
singe
I leaned too close to the bonfire and singed my hair.
burst VERB
When something bursts, or you burst it, it splits open suddenly.
break
The coffin broke open and the zombie’s hands grasped the fractured lid.
explode
Shells were exploding just behind the enemy trenches.
rupture
A water pipe had ruptured.
split
With the force of the player’s shot, the leather ball had split.
bury
