Environment — English Vocabulary
50 essential words about environment in the live bank, with meanings and examples. Open any word for its full page.
garbage /ˈɡɑːrbɪdʒ/ noun B1
Waste material — food scraps, paper, and things thrown away (American English).
Example: Take the garbage out tonight.
trash /træʃ/ noun B1
Things that are thrown away because they are useless or unwanted; waste (American English).
Example: Put the trash in the bin.
litter /ˈlɪtər/ noun / verb B1
Small pieces of waste (paper, cans, bottles) left on the ground in public places; to drop such waste.
Example: Litter covered the beach after the party.
reusable /riːˈjuːzəbəl/ adjective B1
Able to be used again, more than once.
Example: Bring a reusable bag to the store.
seed /siːd/ noun B1
The small hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows; also the start of an idea.
Example: Plant the seeds in spring.
soil /sɔɪl/ noun B1
The top layer of earth in which plants grow; dirt in its farming sense.
Example: Rich soil grows strong vegetables.
plant /plɑːnt/ noun / verb B1
A living thing that grows in soil and has leaves and roots; to put seeds or young plants in the ground. Also a factory or power station.
Example: Water the plants twice a week.
organic /ɔːrˈɡænɪk/ adjective B1
Produced without chemical fertilizers or pesticides; (in science) relating to living matter and carbon compounds.
Example: Organic vegetables cost more.
pond /pɒnd/ noun B1
A small area of still water, smaller than a lake, natural or made by people for gardens and parks.
Example: Ducks swam on the pond.
dump /dʌmp/ verb / noun B1
To throw away waste in a place (often illegally or carelessly); a place where waste is left.
Example: Factories must not dump chemicals in rivers.
coal /kəʊl/ noun B2
A black rock from underground that is burned for heat and electricity; historically the fuel of factories and trains.
Example: The old plant burned coal.
nuclear /ˈnjuːkliər/ adjective B2
Relating to the energy released by splitting atoms; using or producing this energy (nuclear power, nuclear weapons).
Example: Nuclear power provides clean-air electricity.
solar /ˈsəʊlər/ adjective B2
Relating to the sun; using the sun's energy (solar power, solar panels).
Example: Solar panels cover the roof.
turbine /ˈtɜːrbaɪn/ noun B2
A machine with blades that spin when water, steam, wind, or gas passes through, producing power.
Example: Wind turbines line the hill.
atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪər/ noun B2
The layer of gases around the Earth (or another planet); also the feeling or mood of a place.
Example: The atmosphere protects us from the sun's rays.
dam /dæm/ noun B2
A strong wall built across a river to hold back water, creating a lake for water supply or electricity.
Example: The dam holds back a huge lake.
grid /ɡrɪd/ noun B2
The network of wires and stations delivering electricity to homes and cities; also a pattern of crossing lines, and a system of squares on maps.
Example: The storm knocked out the grid.
geothermal /ˌdʒiːəʊˈθɜːrməl/ adjective B2
Relating to heat from inside the Earth, used to make electricity and heat buildings.
Example: Iceland heats homes with geothermal energy.
fuel /ˈfjuːəl/ noun B2
A substance burned to produce heat or power — gas, coal, wood, oil; also anything that increases a feeling or argument.
Example: The car needs fuel.
hydroelectric /ˌhaɪdrəʊɪˈlektrɪk/ adjective B2
Producing electricity using the force of flowing or falling water.
Example: The hydroelectric plant supplies the valley.
waste /weɪst/ noun / verb B2
Material that is not needed and is thrown away; to use something badly or more than necessary.
Example: Factories must reduce their plastic waste.
protect /prəˈtekt/ verb B2
To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger.
Example: Laws protect forests from illegal cutting.
damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ noun / verb B2
Harm or injury that makes something less good or less valuable; to cause such harm.
Example: The storm caused serious damage to houses.
reduce /rɪˈdjuːs/ verb B2
To make something smaller in size, amount, or price.
Example: We must reduce plastic use at home.
resource /rɪˈsɔːrs/ noun B2
Something useful that a country, company, or person has and can use, such as water, money, or time.
Example: Water is the desert's scarcest resource.
global /ˈɡləʊbəl/ adjective B2
Relating to the whole world.
Example: Climate change is a global problem.
temperature /ˈtemprətʃər/ noun B2
How hot or cold something is, measured in degrees.
Example: The temperature reached 100 degrees in Phoenix.
drought /draʊt/ noun B2
A long period with very little or no rain, causing water shortages.
Example: The drought dried up the farms' wells.
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ noun B2
A group of animals or plants that are the same type and can breed together.
Example: This forest has 300 species of birds.
habitat /ˈhæbɪtæt/ noun B2
The natural place where an animal or plant usually lives.
Example: Wetlands are a habitat for many birds.
glacier /ˈɡlæsiər/ noun C1
A large, slow-moving mass of ice formed from snow over many years, found in mountains and polar regions.
Example: The glacier is melting faster every year.
wildfire /ˈwaɪldfaɪər/ noun C1
A large fire that burns out of control through forests, grass, or bush land.
Example: The wildfire destroyed forty homes.
hurricane /ˈhɜːrɪkən/ noun C1
A violent tropical storm with very strong winds and heavy rain, forming over warm ocean water (in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific).
Example: The hurricane hit Florida on Friday.
tornado /tɔːrˈneɪdəʊ/ noun C1
A violent, spinning column of air in a funnel shape that touches the ground and destroys things in its path.
Example: The tornado tore roofs off houses.
coastline /ˈkəʊstlaɪn/ noun C1
The shape and edge of land where it meets the sea; the coast considered as a line on maps and in nature.
Example: The coastline stretches for 300 miles.
melt /melt/ verb C1
To become liquid because of heat; to make something do this (ice, snow, metal, chocolate).
Example: The snow melted in the spring sun.
thaw /θɔː/ noun / verb C1
A period when snow and ice melt because the weather becomes warmer; to melt or unfreeze.
Example: The spring thaw flooded the roads.
flood /flʌd/ noun / verb C1
A large amount of water covering land that is usually dry, caused by heavy rain or overflowing rivers; to cover an area with water.
Example: The flood covered the streets.
monsoon /mɒnˈsuːn/ noun C1
A seasonal wind system bringing heavy rains to South and Southeast Asia in summer; also the rains themselves. In Arizona, the summer storm season takes the same name.
Example: The monsoon rains arrive in June.
blizzard /ˈblɪzərd/ noun C1
A severe snowstorm with very strong winds and such heavy snow that you can hardly see.
Example: The blizzard closed every road in the state.
sustainable /səˈsteɪnəbəl/ adjective C1
Able to continue for a long time without using up resources or harming the environment.
Example: The farm uses sustainable methods to grow food.
emission /ɪˈmɪʃən/ noun C1
An amount of gas or other substance released into the air, especially harmful gases from cars and factories.
Example: The law limits factory emissions.
conservation /ˌkɒnsərˈveɪʃən/ noun C1
The protection of nature — animals, plants, forests, and water — and using resources carefully.
Example: Conservation groups protect the wetlands.
extinction /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ noun C1
The situation when a species dies out completely and no longer exists anywhere.
Example: Habitat loss leads to extinction.
renewable /rɪˈnjuːəbəl/ adjective C1
Able to be replaced naturally and used forever without running out — like wind, sun, and water power.
Example: Solar is a renewable energy source.
biodiversity /ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːrsəti/ noun C1
The variety of plant and animal life in a place or in the world, and the systems that hold them together.
Example: Rainforests hold enormous biodiversity.
ecosystem /ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ noun C1
All the living things in an area together with their environment, working as one connected system.
Example: Coral reefs are rich ecosystems.
carbon /ˈkɑːrbən/ noun C1
A chemical element found in all living things and in coal and diamonds; in climate talk, short for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Example: Burning coal releases carbon into the air.
preserve /prɪˈzɜːrv/ verb C1
To keep something in its present good condition, safe from harm or change.
Example: The law preserves the old forest.
erosion /ɪˈrəʊʒən/ noun C1
The slow wearing away of soil, rock, or land by water, wind, or weather; also the gradual weakening of something.
Example: River erosion shapes the canyon walls.