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

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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. Labyrinth

An intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.

An embankment built to prevent flooding

Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.


2. Suffrage

Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

An ammunition belt, worn over the shoulder, having loops or pockets for cartridges.

The right or privilege of voting; franchise.

A member of an irregular, usually indigenous military or paramilitary unit operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy


3. Tsunami

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

A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.

One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter.

Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.


4. Protagonist

Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

Harmful, malevolent, injurious. Harmfully cancerous.

The main character in a drama or other literary work.

The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.


5. Embargo

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

Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder

A diffuse mass of interstellar dust or gas or both, visible as luminous patches or areas of darkness

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


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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.