deceive(di SEEV) vt.to cause (a person) to believe what is not true; delude;
mislead —vi.to use deceit; lie
- Flattery is a time-tested device to deceiveone into thinking he or she is
hotter than is actually the case. - The Flyby Knight Furniture Company tried to deceivepeople into believing
that their $298 sofa was real leather. - False advertising is intended to deceive.
[-d, deceiving, deceivable adj., deceivingly adv.,-r n.]
decibel (DE si bil) n.1. (acoustics) a numerical expression of the relative loud-
ness of a sound; 2. (electronics, radio) a numerical expression of relative power lev-
els of electronic signals (In both cases the decibel level [dB] is related to common
logarithms, so small differences in decibels denote large differences in levels.) - A 115-decibelsound level at a rock concert is enough to cause permanent
hearing damage, while a 130-decibelsound can cause actual physical pain. - Loss of electromagnetic energy as it passes through transmission lines is
measured in decibels,with a loss of 3 dBs equal to half the strength.
decline(di KLYN) vt.,vi.1. to slope downward or aside; 2. to sink; wane; near
the end; 3. to lessen in force, health, value, etc.; 4. to sink to behavior that is base
or immoral; 5. to refuse to accept - The graph of violent crimes per capita in New York during the 1990s
declinesas it moves from left to right. - As it approaches the loading platform, the speed of the roller coaster declines.
- The value of the dollar against the Euro declinedin 2003.
- In dealing with a monkey, you need not declineto its level.
- Karen declinedpayment from Barney for having baby-sat.
[-d, declining] [Syn. refuse]
decorous(di KAW ris) adj.characterized by or showing propriety in behavior,
dress, etc.; demonstrating good taste - Tom behaved in a very decorousmanner at the graduation, never raising his
voice or wiping his mouth on his sleeve. - The ettiquette consultant was hired by Maxine’s mother to supervise the
decorousbehavior of all the servers at the wedding reception.
[-ly adv.]
defend(dif END) vt.1. to protect from attack; keep from harm or danger; 2. to
support, maintain, or justify; 3. (law) to oppose (an action); to plead (one’s case) - Though the door is unlocked, a German shepherd in the living room is
usually adequate to defenda home from theft. - I don’t need to defendmy conduct in this case.
- The corporation had more than one attorney to defendit against liability
actions.
[-ed, -ing, defense n., adj.]
deferment (di FOER mint) n.a postponement; a putting off to a later time - In the bad old days of the draft, college students were able to get deferments
until after graduation. - Defermentof jury duty is often obtainable by mothers of preschool children.
[(to) defer vt.]
74 Essential Vocabulary