Society: English Vocabulary List

to join with someone to achieve a common goal

"We should make common cause against the enemy."

"The environmental groups made common cause with the local community to protect the ancient forest from logging."

in one group together

"The staff resigned in a body."

"The angry workers acted in a body and went on strike together to demand better pay."

used for saying that being with other people makes a situation or activity less dangerous

"Go with a group — there is safety in numbers."

"The small businesses formed an alliance, knowing there is safety in numbers when dealing with larger competitors."

to act or think in the same way as the majority of people in a society

"He likes to go with tide."

"Instead of challenging the prevailing opinion, he chose to swim with the tide and avoid controversy."

someone who earns money by having sex with people

"She was laced mutton."

"The Victorian novel referred to the woman as laced mutton, a derogatory term used to describe prostitutes in that era."

an area in a city or town that is filled with strip clubs, brothels, and other sex oriented businesses

"The red-light district is dangerous."

"The red light district is dangerous at night and tourists are warned to avoid the area."

a situation in which highly intelligent or skilled people of a country move to another country so that they can live a better life

"Brain drain hurts poor countries."

"Brain drain refers to the emigration of highly educated professionals from a developing nation"

an invisible barrier or limitation that prevents certain groups, particularly women or minority individuals, from advancing to higher positions or achieving higher levels of success in a professional or organizational context

"She broke the glass ceiling."

"She broke through the glass ceiling and became the first female CEO of the company."

to no longer keep one's sexual preference or gender identity a secret

"He came out of the closet."

"My best friend finally came out of the closet and told his family he was gay."

to attempt to become popular or successful by doing something that is becoming fashionable

"They jumped on bandwagon."

"Many companies are trying to jump on the bandwagon of sustainable energy production."

to give a vote in an election

"It is time to go."

"Millions of citizens went to the polls to vote in the historic presidential election."

voting power held by older adults or senior citizens in elections

"The candidate targets gray vote."

"The candidate targets the gray vote and promises to protect pensions and healthcare for seniors."

something that shows how the society is like now, particularly how bad it is

"High prices are a sign."

"The decline of traditional bookstores is a sign of the times with the rise of ebooks."

with everyone expressing the same opinion

"They said no with one voice."

"The committee rejected the proposal with one voice because everyone agreed it was a bad idea."

to no longer keep one's sexual preference or gender identity a secret

"She will come out of the closet."

"After years of hiding her true identity, she bravely decided to come out of the closet and live authentically."

the ordinary people with a common interest who form the foundation of a movement, organization, or political party

"This is a grass roots movement."

"The campaign began as a genuine grass roots effort supported by local communities."