quorate
/kwˈoːɹeɪt/
adjective(of a meeting) having enough members present to conduct business or to make official decisions by voting
Examples
quorum
/ˈkwɔɹəm/
nounthe minimum number of people that must be present for a meeting to officially begin or for decisions to be made
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Examples
1. So now, you may have a quorum, and you may have leaders who will not interfere.
2. we did not have quorum.
3. So bacteria always control pathogenicity with quorum sensing.
4. Karl's clients include Jonah Hill, the Russo brothers, and an unreasonable quorum of the cast of Game of Thrones.
5. As a result, there was no quorum, and the Supreme Court could not hear the matter.
to railroad
/ˈɹeɪɫˌɹoʊd/
verbto unfairly compel someone or a group of people to to accept something such as a decision, rule, etc. quickly
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Examples
1. Railroads needed to create an official time system to link the rail system together.
2. Railroads were also the first modern corporations.
3. So the telegram and telephone wires follow the railroad.
4. So again, railroads were important.
5. I love railroads.
to reconsider
/ˌɹikənˈsɪdɝ/
verbto think again about an opinion or decision, particularly to see if it needs changing or not
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Examples
1. And people are really reconsidering their options.
2. Will scientists have to reconsider their picture of the Universe?
3. I'm reconsidering my decision.
4. It can also reconsider the whole Brexit strategy.
5. Yeah, they'll reconsider their life choices. -
reconsideration
/ɹikənˌsɪdɝˈeɪʃən/
nounthe act of thinking about an opinion or decision again, especially with an intention to change it
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Examples
1. And everything is up for reconsideration always.
2. Every day, the boomer generation wakes up one day closer to a radical reconsideration of youth and adulthood.
3. So that was the beginning of my reconsideration of Chuckie.
4. Sometimes in the Court of Appeals, there can be an en banc reconsideration.
5. And human rights bodies should be open to reconsideration of their interpretations over time.
to remit to
/ɹˈiːmɪt tuː/
verb(usually passive) to send a matter to someone of an authority so that it can be dealt with
Examples
resolution
/ˌɹɛzəˈɫuʃən/
nouna serious decision to behave or not to behave in a certain way or to do or not to do something particular
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Examples
1. You have any New Year resolutions?
2. I mean, the display resolution is terrible.
3. Another option would be to just get a laptop with a higher resolution display.
4. Some people love resolution.
5. Some people make resolutions WITH someone else.
to resolve
/ɹiˈzɑɫv/
verbto make a decision with determination
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Examples
1. Resolve the attack in the following way.
2. Resolve locations and guilds.
3. Then, also, the league has to resolve disputes between clubs.
4. Matured differentiation resolves the relational tension between agency and communion.
5. Resolve the resultant wound.
to retreat
/ɹiˈtɹit/
verbto allow people's negative comments and criticisms change one's mind about something
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Examples
1. The man retreats inside.
2. UN forces retreated back to the Ch'ongch'on River.
3. General Sherman and General McClernand’s troops retreated behind Shiloh Church.
4. The Crusader right retreated in disarray.
5. The ex-umbrella man retreated.
retreat
/ɹiˈtɹit/
nounan act of changing one's mind about something because of people's negative comments and criticisms
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Examples
1. The man retreats inside.
2. UN forces retreated back to the Ch'ongch'on River.
3. General Sherman and General McClernand’s troops retreated behind Shiloh Church.
4. The Crusader right retreated in disarray.
5. The ex-umbrella man retreated.
to return a verdict
/ɹɪtˈɜːn ɐ vˈɜːdɪkt/
phraseto declare someone guilty or innocent in a court of law
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Examples
1. I now direct you to return a verdict of guilty.
2. Petit juries listened to the evidence presented by both parties during a trial, and then return a verdict.
to reverse
/ɹiˈvɝs/, /ɹɪˈvɝs/
verb(law) to alter a previous decision, judgment, etc. to the contrary one
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Examples
1. But the Chinese interference reversed the fortunes completely.
2. Reverse psychology?
3. I put reverse thrust
4. Reverse stall parking.
5. Rolls reversed.
rowback
/ɹˈoʊbæk/
nounthe act of changing an earlier promise, decision, or statement so that it becomes entirely different
Examples
to rubberstamp
/ɹˈʌbɚstˌæmp/
verbto officially approve something such as a decision, resolution, etc. without proper consideration
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Examples
1. After a year of turmoil, a populist laughingstock dismissed by elites rose up to win a supposedly rubberstamp election and become president.
2. And his choices will have been rubberstamped by a Senate republican majority representing 15 million fewer people than the democratic minority.
3. Duncan, CONGRATULATIONS about being the rubberstamp.
4. No one accused the U.S. Senate of being a rubberstamp for the Washington Administration or ANYONE else.
5. This was not a rubberstamp.
rubber stamp
/ɹˈʌbɚ stˈæmp/
nouna person or organization that automatically approves or authorizes a plan, decision, etc. without considering it properly
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Examples
1. There were no political parties, no pledge to delegates, no rubber stamp.
2. Take a rubber stamp and push down gently into the cover to make an indent.
3. Create a proper address with a wooden house number sign and rubber stamps.
4. Often called the rubber stamp parliament, the NPC welcomes delegates from across China to come to Beijing and debate policy.
5. He started making rubber stamps.
to cross the Rubicon
/kɹˈɔs ðə ɹˈuːbɪkən/
phraseto irrevocably make a decision or to take an action with consequences
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Examples
1. You cross the Rubicon.
2. It had now been approximately a year and a half since Caesar made the fateful decision to cross the Rubicon.
to rule
/ˈɹuɫ/
verbto make an official decision about something
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Examples
1. So does a site like this have rules?
2. DIY beauty regimes are ruling the beauty world right now.
3. Dogs need rules.
4. -Because women rule the house.
5. Daddy ruled.
ruling
/ˈɹuɫɪŋ/
nouna decision made by someone with official power, particularly a judge
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Examples
1. And Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling does have some pretty strong language about the Justice Department.
2. The U.S. Justice Department immediately appealed the ruling.
3. Their ruling is almost irrelevant here.
4. The judges based their ruling on a principle of French law.
5. - Hold on, official ruling.
say
/ˈseɪ/
nounthe right or chance to give an opinion about something
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Examples
1. They said it was impossible to know a person's personality by analyzing head bumps.
2. On the way, the driver said to Harry politely, 'Could you please tell me why we are doing all these things?
3. One day one of the girls in her class said to her, "Miss Smith, why does a man's hair become gray before his mustache and beard do?"
4. "This is my first trip abroad without my parents," says Paul.
5. Its critics say the group is a pyramid scheme masking as a cult.
to settle on
/sˈɛɾəl ˈɑːn/
verbto decide or choose something after considering all possible alternatives
Examples
to sleep on
/slˈiːp ˈɑːn/
verbto refrain from making a decision by postponing it until the next day
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Examples
1. I want to TALK to you today about Sleep On.
2. Are there some things you need to tell Sleep On?
3. If you have a HOUSE, and somebody goes to Sleep On your LAWN
spoilt for choice
/spˈɔɪlt fɔːɹ tʃˈɔɪs/
phraseunable to choose because there are a lot of choices
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Examples
1. Now it's time of dinner and you're spoiled for choice.
2. But in London, we're spoiled for choice.
3. People looking for a mate are spoiled for choice these days.
4. While some have a clear idea of the last thing they'll ever eat, others are totally spoiled for choice.
5. From greeting crowds to strolling with corgis, the history books are spoiled for choice when picking photos of her life.
straight
/ˈstɹeɪt/
adjective(of a choice or competition) obvious and only involving two things or people
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Examples
1. Keep your back straight
2. So keeping the arms straight.
3. Standing leg straight.
4. Keep my back straight.
5. Stretch the arm straight.
to take a chance
/tˈeɪk ɐ tʃˈæns/
phraseto undertake an action even though one might fail
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Examples
1. I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me five pounds, because you said that you were willing to take a chance so as to give a man a start on the road to success.'
2. 'Well,' answered the stranger, 'are you still willing to take a chance?'
3. And so the way that they did the Kaepernick, kind of as a spokesperson and really taking chances.
4. This diverse group of people that are basically taking a chance on a topic that they don't know is how big it's really growing.
5. That seems like quite a lot, but the question remains as to how many Wrangler buyers are likely to drop a trusted brand they are devoted to and take a chance on something new.
to take sth into account
/tˈeɪk ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ ˌɪntʊ ɐkˈaʊnt/
phraseto consider something when trying to make a judgment or decision
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Examples
1. What's great about the X1 Fold, it takes into account so many aspects of our day-to-day life.
2. Why are they being deployed very quickly and easily without taking into account the impact on people, on the rights of people, particularly the right to protest?
3. So when you're picking these assignments for astronauts, you have to take into account, do you want the astronaut to be able to walk, bend over, pick up things, or will he or she be carrying something?
4. The four weeks is $50 billion, and it scales more or less linearly with the duration of the school closure, so the benefit of school closure is clear, but it's also important to take account of the potential costs.
5. And it's talking to you, the consumer, about these new values of conservation, of thinking small and taking into account broader kind of social issues in even in your decision of what to purchase as a car.
to take sth into consideration
/tˈeɪk ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ ˌɪntʊ kənsˌɪdɚɹˈeɪʃən/
phraseto give thought to a certain fact before making a decision
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Examples
1. If you have anything else you'd like me to react to, I'll take it into consideration.
2. So taking this data into consideration, President elect Biden, among others, expect our recovery to look something like the letter K where the richest Americans rebound quickly, perhaps do even better than they did pre covid and lower income Americans keep on suffering.
3. We have to make sure we take the sign into consideration.
4. But just to understand kind of a simplified scenario, let's take liquidation into consideration.
5. I will sincerely take it into consideration.
to take sth under advisement
/tˈeɪk ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ ˌʌndɚɹ ɐdvˈaɪzmənt/
phraseto give something adequate amount of thought and consideration before making a decision or forming an opinion about it
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Examples
1. - You know what, just take it under advisement.
2. I'm going to take prejudice under advisement.
3. He would take it under advisement.
taste
/ˈteɪst/
nounthe ability to recognize something with good quality or high standard, especially in art, style, beauty, etc.
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Examples
1. The ads will certainly emphasize things like good taste, easy preparation, and high nutrition.
2. - Taste the butter in there?
3. Tastes legit.
4. Wow this person has taste.
5. Your lips taste
that's that
/ðæts ðˈæt/
phraseused to express that one's decision is definite and cannot be changed
Examples
the lesser of two evils
/ðə lˈɛsɚɹ ʌv tˈuː ˈiːvəlz/
phrasea choice or option that seems less harmful or unpleasant out of two that one is confronted with
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Examples
1. They understand that the lesser evil is also the only party they have.
2. But this he who remains version is kind of like the immortus version of Kang the final version final boss form most powerful wisest version he's one of the lesser evil versions which he kind of explains during the episode.
3. So if it's the lesser of two evils, ibuprofen certainly is the lesser.
4. Furthermore, the local Siberians that had been fighting against the Bolsheviks soon turned to what they saw was the lesser evil, thus bolstering the Soviet numbers.
5. The third option, deliberately choosing the consequence that is the lesser of two evils in any scenario, will tell you the most about yourself.
to think over
/θˈɪŋk ˈoʊvɚ/
verbto consider a matter carefully before reaching a decision
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Examples
1. Each one was, like, close to, I think over 25 pounds.
2. To think over, to think over.
3. And I think over time that expands.
4. - I think over 21.
5. Okay - I think over 21.
to think twice
/θˈɪŋk twˈaɪs/
phraseto think about something very carefully before doing it
Examples
toss-up
/tˈɑːsˈʌp/
nounan unclear situation that either of two possibilities have an equal chance of happening
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Examples
1. Some games are more of a toss-up though.
2. It's a toss-up between Don Cheadle and Sam Jackson.
3. - It's a toss-up.
4. This is really a toss-up on this one, guys.
5. So, this round is a real toss-up.
toughie
/ˈtəfi/
nouna severely difficult situation, problem, or question
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Examples
1. This first bucket was a toughie.
2. That's a toughie.
3. This is a toughie.
4. This is a toughie.
5. Hashtag really toughie.
unanimous
/juˈnænəməs/
adjective(of a group) fully in agreement on something
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Examples
1. [Narrator] After a nine-month trial, the jury reached a unanimous verdict.
2. We produce unanimous reports.
3. Now, the articles had required unanimous consent by all 13 state legislatures.
4. The decision is not unanimous.
5. And medical experts are unanimous.
undecided
/ˌəndɪˈsaɪdɪd/
adjectivenot yet made a decision or come to a judgment
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Examples
1. The timing of President Trump's Senate impeachment trial remains undecided.
2. Welcome to Undecided.
3. Welcome to Undecided.
4. Welcome to Undecided.
5. Welcome to Undecided.
to uphold
/əpˈhoʊɫd/
verb(particularly of a law court) to state that a previous decision is correct
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Examples
1. Yet other scientists uphold the original findings.
2. United Nations judges in The Hague upheld a genocide conviction against former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic.
3. The law upholds justice.
4. Lower federal courts have also upheld the IEEPA against First Amendment free speech and Fifth Amendment due process challenges.
5. Uphold the law.
verdict
/ˈvɝdɪkt/
nounan official decision made by the jury in a court after the legal proceedings
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Examples
1. Verdict, what do you think?
2. - All right folks, the verdict is in.
3. Magistrate judges can accept felony jury verdicts.
4. - Has the jury reached a verdict?
5. Here's Dan Stapleton's verdict.
versus
/ˈvɝsəs/, /ˈvɝsəz/
prepositionused to compare or to show contrast between two choices, decisions, etc.
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Examples
1. It's a stark difference when you are just one of everybody else versus being the black guy.
2. Versus the 20 minutes I'm usually spending on my brows.
3. Versus the insoluble kinda pushes things through the trap?
4. Versus what might be the safe alternative.
5. versus one that was well worth your time.
veto
/ˈviˌtoʊ/
nounrefusal of or disagreement with something
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Examples
1. If the President vetoes a law, Congress, with a two thirds vote in both houses, can override the veto.
2. If the President vetoes a law, Congress, with a two thirds vote in both houses, can override the veto.
3. Jackson thought that the Bank would use its money to oppose his reelection in 1836, so he vetoed that bill.
4. He used the veto power more than any prior president, turning it into a powerful tool of policy.
5. --to veto the judgments of the Congress and the President together.
volition
/voʊˈɫɪʃən/
nounthe faculty to use free will and make decisions
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Examples
1. Our behaviors aren't of our own volition.
2. And a lot of times it may not even be of our own volition.
3. A subjective principle of volition, that is, a description under which the act is done.
4. they shifted of their own volition.
5. So, no, it is not of their own volition.
vote
/ˈvoʊt/
nounan official choice made by an individual or a group of people in a meeting or election
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Examples
1. If the President vetoes a law, Congress, with a two thirds vote in both houses, can override the veto.
2. So the issue is voting registration.
3. So, go vote.
4. Or vote, vote you guys.
5. You guys vote.
to vote
/ˈvoʊt/
verbto formally express one's preference to choose someone for a particular position
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Examples
1. If the President vetoes a law, Congress, with a two thirds vote in both houses, can override the veto.
2. So the issue is voting registration.
3. So, go vote.
4. Or vote, vote you guys.
5. You guys vote.
to waver
/ˈweɪvɝ/
verbto hold back and hesitate due to uncertainty
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Examples
1. The president never wavered.
2. My confidence never wavered.
3. Never wavering.
4. Yet, the resolve of the defenders did not waver.
5. Never waver.
waverer
/wˈeɪvɹə/
nounone who is incapable of making any decisions due to fear or uncertainty, particularly in an election
Examples
to weigh
/ˈweɪ/
verbto consider all the possible outcomes and different aspects of something before making a definite decision
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Examples
1. All flavors weigh the same amount in the UK.
2. So, five plain tenders in the UK weighs 230 grams.
3. Weighed my options.
4. The rod itself weighed thirteen pounds.
5. A single cubic centimeter of a neutron star weighs 400 million tons.
when push come to shove
/wɛn ɪf pˈʊʃ kˈʌmz tə ʃˈʌv/
phraseused when a situation reaches a critical point and one must take action in order to deal with it
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Examples
1. Because I think all brands want to take a stand, but when push comes to shove it's easy to kind of fall back into the middle.
2. It’s got sharp, six-centimeter-long bone spurs on its feet, so when push comes to shove, they know how to battle things out.
3. (barking) - When push comes to shove I wouldn't trust my dogs plastic surgery with anybody but Doctor Armon.
4. When push comes to shove, America can shove.
5. Many companies, if push comes to shove, are going to try to stay in the China market, and will probably risk a Western blowback over a blowback in China.
whether
/ˈhwɛðɝ/, /ˈwɛðɝ/
conjunctionused to talk about a doubt or choice when facing two options
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Examples
1. There is some debate about whether this is a good thing.
2. Whether dogs have arms or four legs.
3. Whether that person has power of attorney over you.
4. And third, whether that condition abridges anybody's constitutional rights.
5. Whether its at the library, your school, or at a friend's house just have that access to a computer.