oligarchies [N-COUNT] An oligarchy is a small group of people who control and run a particular country or organization. You can also refer to a country which is governed in this way as an oligarchy. govern [VERB: V n, V n] To govern a plac…

hoist 1 [VERB: V n prep/adv, V pron-refl prep/adv] If you hoist something heavy somewhere, you lift it or pull it up there. reconnaissance [N-UNCOUNT: oft N n] Reconnaissance is the activity of obtaining military information about aplace b…

influx [N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n] An influx of people or things into a place is their arrival there in large numbers. militia [N-COUNT] A militia is an organization that operates like an army but whose members are not professional sol…

radical 1 [ADJ: usu ADJ n] Radical changes and differences are very important and great in degree.

swept Swept is the past tense and past participle of sweep. sweep 1 [VERB]If you sweep an area of floor or ground, you push dirt or rubbish off it using a brush with a long handle. suffer If you suffer from an illness or from some other ba…

contraband [N-UNCOUNT: oft N n] Contraband refers to goods that are taken into or out of a country illegally. portion 1 [N-COUNT: N of n] A portion of something is a part of it.

informant [N-COUNT] An informant is someone who gives another person a piece of information. (FORMAL)

collateral [N-UNCOUNT: oft as N] Collateral is money or property which is used as a guarantee that someone will repay a loan. (FORMAL)

prior 1 [ADJ: ADJ n] You use prior to indicate that something has already happened, or must happen, before another event takes place. mandate 1 [N-COUNT: oft N for n, N to-inf] If a government or other elected body has a mandate to carry o…

burden 1 [N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of/on n] If you describe a problem or a responsibility as a burden, you mean that it causes someone a lot of difficulty, worry, or hard work. adhere 1 [VERB: V to n] If you adhere to a rule or agreem…

intention 1 [N-VAR: oft N of -ing, N to-inf] An intention is an idea or plan of what you are going to do. inherently [ADJ: usu ADJ n] The inherent qualities of something are the necessary and natural parts of it. conceal 1 [VERB: V n, V-ed…

despite 1 [PREP: PREP n/-ing] You use despite to introduce a fact which makes the other part of the sentence surprising. defiant [ADJ] If you say that someone is defiant, you mean they show aggression or independence by refusing to obey so…

occurrence 1 [N-COUNT] An occurrence is something that happens. (FORMAL)

imho IMHO is the written abbreviation for ‘in my humble opinion', mainly used in text messages and e-mails. (COMPUTING) occasional [ADJ: usu ADJ n] Occasional means happening sometimes, but not regularly or often.

subverted [VERB: V n] To subvert something means to destroy its power and influence. (FORMAL)

decline 1 [VERB: V from/to/by amount, V amount, V, V-ing] If something declines, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or strength. 2 [VERB: V n, V to-inf, V] If you decline something or decline to do something, you politely refuse to a…

epidemic 1 [N-COUNT: oft n N, N of n] If there is an epidemic of a particular disease somewhere, it affects a very large number of people there and spreads quickly to other areas. convergence [N-VAR] The convergence of different ideas, gro…

curious If you are curious about something, you are interested in it and want to know more about it. scam A scam is an illegal trick, usually with the purpose of getting money from people or avoiding paying tax. (INFORMAL)

decent Decent is used to describe something which is considered to be of an acceptable standard or quality. faction A faction is an organized group of people within a larger group, which opposes some of the ideas of the larger group and fi…

nibble If you nibble food, you eat it by biting very small pieces of it, for example because you are not very hungry.