Advanced English (2) • VERBS • 'W'

verb [T ] C2 literary/formal (waylay-waylaid-waylaid) • synonyms: ambush, intercept, detain, accost • waylay someone; be waylaid by something/someone; waylay with questions/demands • freq in AmE: 2/10

to stop or interrupt someone unexpectedly, often to detain, ambush, or delay them; sometimes with hostile or urgent intent

verb [T usually passive ] C1 financial/emotional metaphor • synonyms: destabilize, buffet, shake • be/get/feel whipsawed by something • investors/markets/companies/emotions whipsawed by trends/news/forces • freq in AmE: 5/10

to subject someone or something to rapid, opposing, and often unpredictable changes — especially in financial, emotional, or strategic contexts; implies instability, pressure, and conflicting forces

verb [T ] C2 formal (wreak-wreaked-wreaked or wreak-wrought-wrought) • synonyms: inflict, unleash, cause • wreak something (on something/someone); wreak havoc/destruction/vengeance/damage (on something); wreak chaos/revenge • freq in AmE: 6/10

to cause something harmful, damaging, or violent to happen; to inflict or unleash force, punishment, or destruction

collocation with wreak verb [T ] C2 • synonyms: cause chaos, devastate, disrupt • wreak havoc on/with something (economy/system/region); storms/policies/viruses wreak havoc • freq in AmE: 7/10

to cause widespread chaos, destruction, or serious disruption; to inflict damage on a large scale, often suddenly or violently

collocation with wane verb [I ] C1 • synonyms: fading popularity, declining fanbase, shrinking support • waning following of a brand/show/celebrity; suffer/face/have a waning following • freq in AmE: 4/10

a decline in the number or enthusiasm of supporters, fans, or followers; often used to describe fading popularity, reduced engagement, or diminishing public interest in a person, brand, trend, or movement

verb [T ] C2 • synonyms: handle, use, exercise, exert, command, apply • wield a sword/weapon/tool; wield power/influence/authority/control • freq in AmE: 7/10

to hold and use a weapon, tool, or piece of equipment; (figurative) to have and use power, influence, or authority

collocation with wield verb [T ] C2 • synonyms: exert disproportionate power, dominate, shape • wield outsize influence/power/control; outsize influence over policy/opinion/markets; quietly/disproportionately wield • freq in AmE: 4/10

to have and exercise disproportionately large power or impact — especially in relation to one's size, role, or expected authority

verb [I or T ] C1 • synonyms: bend, distort, twist • wood/metal/plastic warps; heat/moisture warps something • warped floorboards/door/records; become warped • freq in AmE: 5/10

to become bent or twisted out of shape, especially because of heat or moisture, or to cause something to bend or twist in this way

verb [T ] C2 formal • synonyms: distort, twist, corrupt • warp someone's mind/judgment/perception/thinking • experience/trauma/ideology warps someone; become warped • freq in AmE: 4/10

to cause someone's thinking, judgment, or character to become strange, unpleasant, or morally wrong

phrase with warp verb [T ] C2 formal psychological/metaphorical • synonyms: distort, destabilize, fracture perception • warp someone's grasp of reality; trauma/addiction/ideology warps reality; regain clarity • freq in AmE: 5/10

to distort or destabilize someone’s understanding of what is real, true, or accurate — often through manipulation, trauma, ideology, or prolonged isolation