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. Lichen

Relating to a system of writing, such as that of ancient Egypt, in which pictorial symbols are used to represent meaning or sounds or a combination of meaning and sound.

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

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

Grossly offensive to decency or morality.


2. Kilometer

The distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year.

Having a backbone or spinal column.

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

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


3. Commemorate

To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective.

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

To honor the memory of with a ceremony


4. Divulge

To proclaim publicly

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

A rebirth or revival.

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


5. Participle

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 teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.

A form of a verb that in some languages, such as English, can function independently as an adjective.

A weather phenomenon in the Eastern Pacific that is precisely equivalent to a hurricane.


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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.