Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

INSPECTOR

DEFINITION:
An official employed to ensure that official regulations are obeyed, especially in public services.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are federal employees, and misconduct allegations are typically investigated by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility or by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of inspector General.
►The Key West Citizen, 03/16/2026

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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. Vacillate

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

► Grossly offensive to decency or morality.

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

► To move back or away from a limit, point, or mark

2. Deign

► A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

► The drawing of a conclusion by reasoning; the act of deducing.

► To condescend to give or grant

3. Mutation

► Appropriateness of behavior or conduct

► A Y-shaped protein on the surface of B cells that is secreted into the blood or lymph in response to an antigenic stimulus

► An alteration or change, as in nature, form, or quality.

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

4. Cower

► The supporting and water-conducting tissue of vascular plants, consisting primarily of tracheids and vessels; woody tissue.

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

► To cringe in fear

► Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles

5. Camouflage

► One that takes in everything available, as with the mind.

► The branch of biology that deals with animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals.

► Being without or almost without hope

► The method or result of concealing personnel or equipment from an enemy by making them appear to be part of the natural surroundings

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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.