| affirmative action |
a policy to make sure certain groups of people are given a fair chance for jobs and education. In particular, this policy is for minority groups and women who were not given these opportunities in the past. Regulations made by the U.S. government support affirmative action. |
| apostrophe1 |
An apostrophe (') is a mark we often use along with a letter "s" to show that something belongs to a person or to a thing. When we talk about our FRIEND'S bike, we are talking about the bike that belongs to our friend. When we talk about the CITY'S streets, we mean the streets that belong to the city. [1/3 definitions] |
| Atlanta |
the capital city of the U.S. state of Georgia. |
| barrio |
a section of a U.S. city where Spanish is chiefly spoken. [1/2 definitions] |
| B.S.1 |
a college degree earned in a science, such as biology or chemistry, after four years of study. "B.S." is an abbreviation of "Bachelor of Science." |
| buck5 |
(informal) a dollar in the U.S. |
| Cal.2 |
an abbreviation of "California," a U.S. state on the west coast. |
| capitol |
(capitalized) the building in which the U.S. Congress meets. [1/2 definitions] |
| captain |
an officer of the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marines, holding the rank just below major. [2/7 definitions] |
| cedilla |
a mark ( � ). It is placed under certain letters to change that letter's pronunciation in French, where "�" has the sound of "s." |
| Cheyenne |
the capital city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. [1/2 definitions] |
| Chicago |
a city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. |
| civil war |
(cap.)The U.S. war (1861-1865) between the Northern states (Union) and the Southern states (Confederacy), which was caused by a conflict over the governing rights of individual states and the practice of slavery. [1/2 definitions] |
| coast guard |
(capitalized) a U.S. military service that patrols and protects the nation's coasts. |
| colonel |
an officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marines who ranks above lieutenant colonel and below general. |
| commander |
the rank directly below captain in the U.S. Navy. [1/3 definitions] |
| commonwealth |
the official title of certain U.S. states and Puerto Rico. [1/2 definitions] |
| confederate |
(capitalized) a person or state allied with the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. [1/4 definitions] |
| congress |
(capitalized) the branch of the U.S. government that is elected to make laws. Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. [1/2 definitions] |
| congressman |
(often capitalized) a male member of the U.S. House of Representatives. |
| congresswoman |
(often capitalized) a female member of the U.S. House of Representatives. |