Key Vocabulary for Global News and Current Affairs

Essential Vocabulary for Global News and Current Affairs

Environmental and Disaster Terminology

Crop

A plant, such as a grain, fruit, or vegetable, that is grown in large amounts by farmers.

Soil

The top layer of earth that plants grow in.

To harvest

To pick and collect crops, or to collect plants, animals, or fish to eat.

Drought

A long period when there is little or no rain (Spanish: sequía).

Outbreak

A time when something suddenly begins, especially a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant.

Salvo

A sudden attack.

Famine

A situation in which there is not enough food for a great number of people.

Meltdown

A situation when fuel in a nuclear power station becomes very hot and melts through its container, escaping into the air.

Reactor

A machine which produces nuclear energy.

Swathe

A large area of land.

Biofuels

Fuel made from living things.

Abundance

A large quantity.

Unforgiving

Implacable (Spanish: implacable).

To guard

To protect someone or something from being attacked or stolen.

Business, Wellness, and Social Trends

Upside

A positive aspect of something.

Retailer

A person, shop, or business that sells goods to the public.

Maker

Manufacturer (Spanish: fabricante).

Trend

A general development or change in a situation or in the way people are behaving.

Boom

A major increase.

Legacy

Something that is a part of your history or that remains from an earlier time.

To catch your breath

Struggling to breathe normally after physical activity.

Health screenings

Tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms.

Stress management

Any technique developed to help someone cope with or lessen the physical and emotional effects of everyday life pressure.

Workshop

A seminar or training session (Spanish: taller).

Legal, Action, and Conservation Terms

Hilltop

The top part of a hill, rather than its sloping sides.

Dexterity

Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.

To march

To go forward; advance; proceed.

To crash

To enter a place or event without invitation (Spanish: colarse).

Raid

A sudden short attack or search (Spanish: redada).

To be upstaged

Eclipsed; having attention drawn away from oneself by someone else.

Heavyweight

A weight in boxing, typically the heaviest category.

Pallbearers

People who help to carry the coffin at a funeral.

Poacher

Someone who catches and kills animals illegally (Spanish: cazador furtivo).

Trafficker

A person who trades in something, often illegally.

Wildlife

Wild fauna or animals (Spanish: fauna silvestre).

Awaiting trial

Waiting for the judicial process (Spanish: a la espera del juicio).

Prosecution

The process of being officially charged with a crime in court (Spanish: proceso judicial, procesamiento).

Social Dynamics, Recognition, and Events

Vigils

Acts of staying awake at night in order to pray, protest, or give support to something.

Besieged

Surrounded and attacked (Spanish: asediado, sitiado).

Heart-warming

Something positive and good and therefore causing feelings of pleasure and happiness.

Astonishing

Very surprising; amazing.

Turnaround

Any change from one thing to its opposite (Spanish: cambio, giro).

Amusement

Entertainment; the state of being entertained.

To nominate

The act of choosing someone as a candidate to receive an award or position.

To honour

To give praise or respect to someone in public.

Senior

High or higher in rank, or older and more experienced than the other members of a team.

Imam

A leader in the Islamic religion.

Gathering

A party or a meeting when many people come together as a group (Spanish: reunión).

Stand against

To publicly oppose something or someone.

Hatred

An extremely strong feeling of dislike.

Doom

Fate, especially a terrible one.

Tributes

Public acts which show respect to someone.