Business English Vocabulary Online

Unit 8 Dealing with problems

You can print out this wordlist for Unit 8 of New International Business English - or you can click on any of the highlighted words for further explanations and sample sentences on the Cambridge Dictionaries Online website.

damage verb
to harm or spoil (something)

repair verb
to put (something damaged, broken or not working correctly) back into good condition or make it work again; mend

cable noun
a wire, covered by plastic, that carries electricity, telephone signals, etc

misunderstand verb
to think you have understood someone or something when you have not

mix up noun
a mistake that causes confusion

reel noun
a round wheel-shaped object on which sewing thread, fishing wire, cinema film, etc. can be rolled, or the amount of thread, film, etc. stored on one of these

attorney US =  lawyer noun
someone whose job is to give advice to people about the law and speak for them in court, esp. Br a solicitor

clumsy adjective
awkward in movement or manner

inefficient adjective
not organized, skilled or able to work satisfactorily; not efficient

pressure noun
Pressure is the things that happen to a person which can make them feel anxious and unhappy.

shortage noun
If there is a shortage in a supply of something, there is not enough of it.

slip-up noun
A slip-up is a mistake or something which goes wrong.

slip someone's mind
If something slips your memory/mind you forget it.

solicitor UK noun
a type of lawyer in Britain and Australia who is trained to give advice about the law and sometimes to represent people in court

threat noun
a suggestion that something unpleasant will happen, esp. if a particular action or order is not followed

anticipate verb
to imagine or expect that something will happen, sometimes taking action in preparation for it happening

inconvenience noun
a state or an example of difficulties, problems or trouble, which often causes a delay or loss of comfort

database noun
a large amount of information stored in a computer system in such a way that it can be easily looked at or changed

format noun
a pattern, plan or arrangement

fuss noun
a show of annoyance, anxiety, dissatisfaction or excitement, usually one which is greater than the situation deserves

graphics noun
The pictures and symbols that you can produce with a computer are called (computer) graphics.

one-stop adjective
One-stop activities involve stopping at a single place

utility noun
the usefulness of something, esp. in a practical way

asap abbreviation for
as soon as possible

fault noun
a mistake, esp. something for which you are to blame, or (esp. in a person's character or a machine) a weakness or broken part

inadequate adjective
too low in quality or too small in amount; not good enough

package noun
an object or group of objects that have been wrapped up together in paper or cardboard; a small parcel

withhold verb
to refuse to give (something) or to keep back (something)

A4 noun
(paper) of a standard size used in Europe, measuring 21 centimetres x 29.7 centimetres

negative noun
a piece of film from which a photograph can be produced, and in which light and dark areas appear the opposite way round to the way in which they appear in the photograph

refund noun
an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with a product or service that you have bought

alloy noun
a metal that is made by mixing two or more metals, or a metal and another substance

cost-effective adjective
If an activity is cost-effective it is good value for the amount of money paid.

defect noun
a fault, problem or lack in something or someone that spoils them or causes them not to work correctly

eliminate verb
remove or take away

line manager noun
one of the managers who are responsible for the most important activities of a large company, such as production

mass-produce verb
If you mass-produce something, you make a lot of it in a factory where production consists of many simple stages each of which is performed repeatedly by a person or machine.

reject verb
to refuse to accept, use or believe (something or someone)