C1 English Verbs: Communication, Conflict & Thought

This section of our C1 Verbs list introduces a range of sophisticated action words essential for advanced expression. It includes verbs for nuanced Communication & Expression like articulate and disclose, powerful words for Conflict, Power & Control such as conquer and manipulate, verbs describing complex Thought, Perception & Understanding like contemplate and presume, and vocabulary for Building, Creating & Establishing such as devise and forge.

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Communication & Expression

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to advocate	She has always advocated for equal rights.	/ˈædvəkeɪt/
to alert	Police alerted residents to the danger.	/əˈlɜːt/
to allege	He alleged that the company had broken the law.	/əˈledʒ/
to applaud	Environmental groups applauded the government's decision.	/əˈplɔːd/
to articulate	She articulated her concerns clearly.	/ɑːˈtɪkjuleɪt/
to assert	He asserted his authority over the team. Word Partners: assert authority, assert control	/əˈsɜːt/
to circulate	False rumours about her resignation began to circulate online.	/ˈsɜːkjuleɪt/
to congratulate	I must congratulate you on your excellent exam results.	/kənˈɡrætʃuleɪt/
to correspond	The evidence did not correspond with the witness's statement.	/ˌkɒrɪˈspɒnd/
to denounce	The politician denounced the violence.	/dɪˈnaʊns/
to depict	The painting depicts a rural scene from the 19th century.	/dɪˈpɪkt/
to disclose	The company refused to disclose information about its finances.	/dɪsˈkləʊz/
to dub	The media quickly dubbed her "the voice of her generation".	/dʌb/
to echo	His concerns about artificial intelligence echoed those of leading scientists.	/ˈekəʊ/
to endorse	Several celebrities endorsed the campaign.	/ɪnˈdɔːs/
to evoke	The music evoked memories of her childhood. Word Partners: evoke memories	/ɪˈvəʊk/
to exaggerate	The documentary tended to exaggerate the risks involved.	/ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt/
to hail	The film was hailed as a masterpiece. Word Partners: hailed as	/heɪl/
to inquire	I inquired about the price.	/ɪnˈkwaɪə(r)/
to insult	I didn't mean to insult you.	/ɪnˈsʌlt/
to invoke	The government invoked emergency powers to deal with the crisis. Word Partners: invoke a law/powers/a clause	/ɪnˈvəʊk/
to leak	Details of the secret report were leaked to the press.	/liːk/
to notify	Please notify us of any changes.	/ˈnəʊtɪfaɪ/
to portray	The film portrays the king as a weak leader.	/pɔːˈtreɪ/
to preach	He's always preaching about the importance of exercise.	/priːtʃ/
to proclaim	He proclaimed his innocence. Word Partners: proclaim innocence, proclaim independence	/prəˈkleɪm/
to reassure	The doctor reassured me that everything was fine.	/ˌriːəˈʃɔː(r)/
to recount	She recounted her experiences during the expedition.	/rɪˈkaʊnt/
to testify	He agreed to testify in court.	/ˈtestɪfaɪ/
to vow	She vowed to never give up.	/vaʊ/

Conflict, Power & Control

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to abolish	Parliament voted to abolish the unfair tax.	/əˈbɒlɪʃ/
to arm	The rebels were heavily armed.	/ɑːm/
to assault	The man was charged with assaulting a police officer.	/əˈsɔːlt/
to betray	His hesitant tone betrayed a lack of confidence. Word Partners: betray a lack of, betray a trust	/bɪˈtreɪ/
to bind	The agreement is legally binding on both parties. Word Partners: legally binding	/baɪnd/
to blast	The newspapers blasted the government's new policy.	/blɑːst/
to breach	The company was sued for breaching its contract. Word Partners: breach a contract/agreement/protocol	/briːtʃ/
to combat	The government has introduced new measures to combat inflation.	/ˈkɒmbæt/
to compel	The weight of evidence will compel the jury to convict.	/kəmˈpel/
to concede	He eventually conceded defeat. Word Partners: concede defeat	/kənˈsiːd/
to condemn	The prime minister was quick to condemn the attacks.	/kənˈdem/
to confine	Following the outbreak, residents were confined to their homes.	/kənˈfaɪn/
to confront	She decided to confront the issue head-on.	/kənˈfrʌnt/
to conquer	It took her years to conquer her fear of flying. Word Partners: conquer a fear	/ˈkɒŋkə(r)/
to convict	He was convicted of fraud and sentenced to five years in prison.	/kənˈvɪkt/
to counter	The company launched a new marketing campaign to counter the negative publicity.	/ˈkaʊntə(r)/
to crush	The army's final assault crushed the rebellion. Word Partners: crush hopes/a rebellion	/krʌʃ/
to defy	The protesters gathered in the square, openly defying the ban on public demonstrations. Word Partners: defy authority/orders/a ban	/dɪˈfaɪ/
to deploy	Over 1,000 police officers were deployed to manage the protests.	/dɪˈplɔɪ/
to detain	The suspect was detained by police for questioning.	/dɪˈteɪn/
to dictate	The victorious army was in a position to dictate the terms of surrender. Word Partners: dictate terms	/dɪkˈteɪt/
to disrupt	Climate change threatens to severely disrupt global supply chains.	/dɪsˈrʌpt/
to enforce	It's the job of the police to enforce the law.	/ɪnˈfɔːs/
to imprison	He was imprisoned for his political beliefs.	/ɪmˈprɪzn/
to incarcerate	He was incarcerated for ten years.	/ɪnˈkɑːsəreɪt/
to raid	Police raided the warehouse and seized a large quantity of illegal goods.	/reɪd/
to rape	She was raped and murdered.	/reɪp/
to seize	The military junta seized power in a coup. Word Partners: seize control/power	/siːz/
to slash	The company was forced to slash costs by 50%. Word Partners: slash prices/costs/jobs	/slæʃ/
to smash	Our team smashed the world record.	/smæʃ/
to stab	The betrayal felt like he had been stabbed in the back.	/stæb/
to suppress	The government has been accused of trying to suppress information.	/səˈpres/
to surrender	The rebels were forced to surrender their weapons.	/səˈrendə(r)/
to torture	He was tortured by his captors.	/ˈtɔːtʃə(r)/
to undermine	The crisis has undermined his authority. Word Partners: undermine confidence/authority	/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/
to violate	The regime has been accused of violating human rights.	/ˈvaɪəleɪt/
to whip	The scandal was whipped up by the media. Word Partners: whip up controversy/support	/wɪp/

Thought, Perception & Understanding

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to aspire	She aspires to a leadership role within the organisation.	/əˈspaɪə(r)/
to await	The patient awaits the results of further tests.	/əˈweɪt/
to conceal	She tried to conceal her disappointment.	/kənˈsiːl/
to conceive	It's difficult to conceive of a plan without more data.	/kənˈsiːv/
to contemplate	She's contemplating a move to a different field of research.	/ˈkɒntəmpleɪt/
to contend	He contends that the current system is fundamentally unfair.	/kənˈtend/
to deem	The evidence was deemed insufficient to proceed. Word Partners: deem necessary, deem appropriate, deem insufficient	/diːm/
to diagnose	The report diagnosed the company's core problem as a failure to innovate.	/ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz/
to differentiate	It's hard to differentiate between the two species.	/ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪt/
to dispute	Historians dispute the accuracy of these accounts.	/dɪˈspjuːt/
to disregard	You cannot simply disregard the evidence presented.	/ˌdɪsrɪˈɡɑːd/
to embody	The sculpture embodies the artist's vision of human resilience.	/ɪmˈbɒdi/
to foresee	No one could have foreseen the consequences of their decision. Word Partners: foresee the consequences	/fɔːˈsiː/
to grasp	It took me a while to grasp the concept. Word Partners: grasp a concept, grasp an idea	/ɡrɑːsp/
to haunt	The ethical dilemmas continue to haunt medical professionals.	/hɔːnt/
to inspect	Health and safety officers inspected the laboratory facilities.	/ɪnˈspekt/
to obsess	He obsesses about every detail.	/əbˈses/
to overlook	It's easy to overlook small details.	/ˌəʊvəˈlʊk/
to presume	One cannot presume that correlation indicates causation.	/prɪˈzjuːm/
to probe	Investigators are probing the cause of the crash.	/prəʊb/

Building, Creating & Establishing

Word	Example Sentence	IPA (UK)
to breed	Poor communication often breeds resentment within a team. Word Partners: breed resentment/confidence	/briːd/
to carve	He carved out a successful career in finance. Word Partners: carve out a niche/career	/kɑːv/
to compile	The report compiles data from over a dozen international studies.	/kəmˈpaɪl/
to constitute	Women constitute 60% of the workforce.	/ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/
to craft	They crafted a careful response.	/krɑːft/
to cultivate	She has cultivated a reputation for fairness.	/ˈkʌltɪveɪt/
to devise	We need to devise a plan to improve efficiency.	/dɪˈvaɪz/
to embed	The values are embedded in the culture.	/ɪmˈbed/
to enact	The government is expected to enact legislation to tackle the issue.	/ɪˈnækt/
to encompass	The study encompasses several different areas.	/ɪnˈkʌmpəs/
to erect	The council erected safety barriers around the construction site.	/ɪˈrekt/
to forge	They forged a close relationship based on mutual trust. Word Partners: forge a relationship/alliance	/fɔːdʒ/
to formulate	Scientists are formulating a new theory to explain the phenomenon.	/ˈfɔːmjuleɪt/
to foster	The school aims to foster a sense of community.	/ˈfɒstə(r)/
to harvest	Farmers harvest the crops in autumn.	/ˈhɑːvɪst/
to initiate	Who initiated the project?	/ɪˈnɪʃieɪt/
to mobilise	The government has begun to mobilise its reserve troops.	/ˈməʊbəlaɪz/
to originate	The idea originated from a conversation.	/əˈrɪdʒɪneɪt/
to reproduce	Scientists were unable to reproduce the experimental results.	/ˌriːprəˈdjuːs/
to simulate	The program is used to simulate flight conditions.	/ˈsɪmjuleɪt/

C1 English Verbs: Communication, Conflict & Thought

Communication & Expression

Conflict, Power & Control

Thought, Perception & Understanding

Building, Creating & Establishing

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