Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

SUREFIRE

DEFINITION:
Certain or likely, especially to succeed.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
Kirby taught himself how to count cards, a surefire way to get barred from gambling at a casino, “raking in money on trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas,” the article stated.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, 05/04/2026

Generate your own quiz
Select a grade level
 Elementary
 Middle School
 High School
Select a quiz type
 By words
 By Definitions
Select how many questions
5   10   15   20  

Words in the News Quiz
5 Middle School Words

Click on the correct answer in the quiz below.
Then see if you can find the word in your newspaper -- the print edition, the website or the digital edition and copy the sentence for context. NOTE: High School words are much harder to find!


1. Rainforest

To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.

The locus of points for which the sum of the distances from each point to two fixed points is equal

A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.

A dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches.


2. Silhouette

To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust.

Strikingly unconventional and far-fetched in style or appearance; odd

A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.

A fungus, usually of the class Ascomycetes, that grows symbiotically with algae,


3. Virtuoso

A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.

A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile).

A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.


4. Repose

The act of resting or the state of being at rest.

Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar.

To condescend to give or grant

Having or demonstrating enthusiasm


5. Tumult

A prohibition by a government on certain or all trade with a foreign nation

A disorderly commotion or disturbance.

The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war.

A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.


Get more Quizzes 

 Elementary School    Middle School   High School  

 By Word     By Definition    5  10  15  20 Questions

Common Core State Standard
LS.CCS.4/5/6 Grades 3-12: Students are asked to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words through multiple choice vocabulary quizzes. Quizzes are designed to help students demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in words, acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words, and gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Students are then asked to find the words within the newspaper and copy the sentence for context to its overall meaning or function in a sentence.