Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

PETITIONER

DEFINITION:
A person who pleads with a governmental institution for a legal remedy or a redress of grievances, through the use of a petition.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
While presenting the citizens’ petition for debate at the April 11 Spring Town Meeting, petitioners argued that ICE operations in Plymouth have “created fear” and “disrupted lives” among the immigrant community, leading to what they call a distrust of local police.
►The Boston Herald, 04/20/2026

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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. Boisterous

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

► Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar.

► Of, relating to, or occurring in the night

► Loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or discipline

2. Sect

► A cult or religious movement, a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs.

► Any of several rod-shaped bacteria, of the genus Salmonella, that cause food poisoning and other diseases.

► Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

► Harmful, malevolent, injurious. Harmfully cancerous.

3. Formidable

► Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

► Harmful, malevolent, injurious. Harmfully cancerous.

► Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk.

► Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder

4. Unanimous

► Sharing the same opinions or views; being in complete harmony or accord.

► To have a great ambition or ultimate goal

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

► A state of uncertainty or perplexity.

5. Deduction

► A state of uncertainty or perplexity.

► A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.

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

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

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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.