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

Generate your own quiz
Select a grade level
 Elementary
 Middle School
 High School
Select a quiz type
 By words
 By Definitions
Select how many questions
5   10   15   20  

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

► The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths.

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

► A rebirth or revival.

► Any of various relatively small sailing or motor-driven vessels used for pleasure cruises or racing.

2. Silhouette

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

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

► To have a great ambition or ultimate goal

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

3. Plateau

► An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.

► To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

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

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

4. Ozone

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

► An unstable, poisonous allotrope of oxygen.

► A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.

► A schedule of prices or fees.

5. Quota

► A proportional part or share.

► A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

► A treeless area between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, having a permanently frozen subsoil and supporting low-growing vegetation

► Of, relating to, or occurring in the night

Get more Quizzes 

 Elementary School    Middle School   High School  

 By Word     By Definition    5  10  15  20 Questions

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.