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verb

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backfire - To have the opposite effect of what was intended, usually producing a negative result.

At the company meeting, his attempt to lie backfired, and when the truth came out, he was very embarrassed.

adjective

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culpable - Deserving to be blamed or considered responsible and guilty for something bad that happened.

The mother felt that her oldest son was more culpable for the messy bedroom than his younger brother, because he should have known better.

noun

See verb

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stumble - An act of stumbling

Shane took a stumble when he tripped over a large rock on the sidewalk.

verb

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scuttle - To be forced to cancel one's plans

Because he couldn't give up his smoking habit, Barry had to scuttle his plans to be a great runner.

verb

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fizzle - To finish in a way that is disappointing

At the start of his race for mayor it looked like Fred was going to win, but his many verbal mistakes caused his candidacy to just fizzle out.

verb

See noun

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fumble - Use the hands clumsily while doing or handling something

The football player fumbled the ball, so the opposing players tried to grab it.

noun

See verb

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unforgivable - So bad as to be unable to be forgiven or excused

He was fired because the company felt that stealing money was an unforgivable act.

noun

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glitch - A sudden, unexpected, and usually temporary malfunction of equipment such as a computer

The space shuttle take-off was canceled with 2 seconds left in the countdown, due to a glitch discovered in the fuel supply.

noun

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reckoning - A time when someone's actions will be judged to be right or wrong.

He broke and stole many things when he was drunk, and now his day of reckoning would happen in front of a judge.

verb

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flunk - To fail to reach the required standard in an examination, test, or course of study

Ron hid his school test from his mother because he didn't want her to know he had flunked it.

noun

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bystander - a person who is near something that is happening but is involved by accident

When the police where chasing some robbers, they shot and injured some innocent bystanders.

noun

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misconception - A wrong and often widespread assumption based on faulty thinking or lack of information.

There’s a common misconception that bats are blind.