avalanche: a great mass of ice, earth, or snow mixed with rocks sliding down a

mountain

When Jose was skiing, the rocks began to slide down and an avalanche occurred.

avalanche: a great amount of something

Andrea had an avalanche of food to eat, including pizza and ice cream.

blizzard: a heavy snowstorm with strong winds

The airport had to close due to the heavy rain and wind that the blizzard caused.

challenge: to invite others to take part in a contest

Tom invited Jerry to challenge him in an arm wrestling match.

challenge: to question or to argue against, especially when something is unfair or unjust.

Danny wanted to challenge his mother’s decision to let his brother have dessert and not let him.

conquer: to get the better of, to defeat

I will conquer my fear of spiders by letting one crawl on my arm.

crevice: a deep, narrow opening caused by a split or crack

The earthquake caused several crevices in the ground.

foolhardy: unwisely bold or daring

It would be foolhardy to play soccer during a thunderstorm because you could slip and get hurt.

lure: to tempt or attract with the promise of something good

Maria lured the puppies to go into the house by letting them sniff dog treats.

lure: artificial bait used for fishing

Michael attached the lure so he could trick the fish and catch it.

makeshift: a temporary and usually less strong replacement

Monica used a sleeping bag as a makeshift while her grandmother slept in her bed for the weekend.

optimist: one who looks at things in the most positive way

Bobby was an optimist because he always had a cheerful personality.

previous: happening before

Previous to going to sleep, Brittany brushed her teeth .

route: the path that must be followed to get to a place

When Ricardo had a family emergency, he took the shortest route to get home.

summit: the highest part, the top

Susan wanted to reach the summit of the mountain so she could win the first place prize.

summit: a conference or meeting of the top leaders of government

The summit that was held on Monday had several important people there.

terse: short and to the point

The story that Mary wrote was terse because she didn’t have a lot of time to do her writing.

thwart: to block or defeat the plans or efforts of

The heavy rain thwarted the swimming at the birthday party.

vertical: running straight up and down, upright

The vertical lines on the painting were red, white, and blue stripes.