Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

PLOY

DEFINITION:
A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” said the 44th president, conceding that it does serve as an effective distraction and ploy for attention.
►The Boston Herald, 02/16/2026

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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. Renegade

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

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

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

► Enforced isolation or restriction of free movement imposed to prevent the spread of contagious disease.

2. Parasite

► One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return.

► To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

► Any of various nonplacental mammals, including kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots, and wombats, found principally in Australia and the Americas.

► To take in by elaborate methods of deceit

3. Polygon

► A closed plane figure bounded by three or more line segments.

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

► Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective.

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

4. Renaissance

► A rebirth or revival.

► Harmful, malevolent, injurious. Harmfully cancerous.

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

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

5. Maneuver

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

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

► A movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity.

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

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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.