SAT English- Common Second Meanings

Afford

Grant (ex: an opportunity)

appreciate

to take into account, recognize the merits of, or to increase in value

arrest

to stop

assume

to take responsibility for, acquire

austerity

financial policy to reduce excess spending on luxury or non-essentials items

badger

to pester or annoy (ex: reporters repeatedly badgered the candidate after the scandal broke)

Bent

liking for

-synonym for penchant, predilection, proclivity

capacity

ability

chance

to attempt

channel

to direct something toward a specific purpose

check

to restrain, control, or reduce (ex: the vaccine checked the spread of the disease)

coin

to invent (e.g. coin a phrase)

compromise

to endanger or make vulnerable (e.g. to compromise one’s beliefs)

constitution

build (ex: a football player has a solid constitution)

conviction

certainty, determination

-noun form of convinced

couch

to hide

discriminating

able to make fine distinctions (ex: a discriminating palate)

doctor

to tamper with

economy

thrift (ex: a writer who has an economical style is one who uses few words)

embroider

to falsify, make up stories about

execute

to carry out

exploit

make use of (does not carry a negative connotation)

facility

ability to do something easily (ex: a facility for learning)

foil

verb: to put a stop to (ex: to foil a robbery)

grave/gravity

serious(ness)

grill

to question intensely and repeatedly (ex: the police officers grilled the suspect thoroughly)

hamper

to get in the way of, hinder

harbor

to possess, hold (ex: to harbor a belief)

hobble

prevent, impede

plastic

able to be change, malleable (e.g., brain plasticity)

provoke

elicit (ex: a reaction),

realize

to achieve (a goal)

reconcile

to bring together opposing or contradictory ideas

relay

to pass on to someone else (e.g. to relay information)

relate

to tell, give an account of (a story)

reservations

misgivings

reserve

to hold off on (ex: reserve judgement)

ruffled

flustered, nonplussed

sap

to drain (ex: of energy)

scrap

to eliminate

shelve/table

to reject or discard (eg: an idea or proposal)

solvent

able to pay all debts (usually used in a business context)

sound

firm, stable, reliable, valid (e.g. a sound argument)

spare, severe

unadorned, very plain

static

unchanging (ex: in a state of stasis)

sustain

to withstand

uniform

constant, unvarying

unqualified

absolute

upset

to interfere with an expected outcome