Catching Fire: Chapters 10–14

by Suzanne Collins
In this sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are forced to participate in the Quarter Quell, while unrest in the districts of Panem threatens the Capitol. Learn these words from Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–18, Chapters 19–22, Chapters 23–27

Here are links to our lists for the trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Here is a link to our lists for Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tremulous
    quivering as from weakness or fear
    “It means we’re on your side,” says a tremulous voice behind me.
  2. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    Probably the newcomer is armed, but I’m betting she won’t risk letting me hear the click that would mean my death was imminent, knowing I would instantly kill her companion.
  3. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    The textile factories that service Panem are loud with machinery, and the din also allowed word to pass safely, a pair of lips close to an ear, words unnoticed, unchecked.
  4. proclaim
    state or announce
    The night of my engagement, the night Peeta fell to his knees and proclaimed his undying love for me in front of the cameras in the Capitol, was the night the uprising began.
  5. overthrow
    the termination of a ruler or institution
    There was hope that this had not been an act of madness, that in some way, if they could get the word out to other districts, an actual overthrow of the government in the Capitol might be possible.
  6. tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable
    My mind is spinning with new information about the uprising in District 8 and the unlikely but tantalizing possibility of District 13.
  7. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    All the kisses and endearments in the world couldn’t have derailed the momentum building up in District 8.
  8. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    It was obviously a ploy to distract me and keep me from doing anything else inflammatory in the districts.
  9. resistance
    group action in opposition to those in power
    Has the mockingjay on my pin become a symbol of resistance?
  10. precaution
    a measure taken in advance to ward off impending danger
    Has Thread turned on the fence as an additional security precaution?
  11. apprehend
    take into police custody
    Is he determined to strand me outside District 12 until he can apprehend and arrest me?
  12. trespass
    enter unlawfully on someone's property
    But the list of suspects likely to be trespassing into the woods is probably very short.
  13. barbed
    having or covered with protective points, spines, or thorns
    Any contact with the chain link or the coils of barbed wire that guard the top would mean instant electrocution.
  14. irrefutable
    impossible to deny or disprove
    It’s funny, because he could just arrest me, anyway, based on past crimes, but maybe he has to have something really irrefutable to do it, now that I’m a victor.
  15. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
    Usually we only watch when it’s mandatory, because the mixture of propaganda and displays of the Capitol’s power—including clips from seventy-four years of Hunger Games—is so odious.
  16. disruption
    an act or event that causes a delay or break in an ongoing activity
    They are not used to want, so any little disruption in supply makes an impact on them.
  17. widespread
    distributed over a large area or extent
    The thought of such widespread rebellion has me quivering with fear and excitement.
  18. interference
    the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding
    When I fall into bed, I realize it’s because they think it means I’m safe. That the Capitol has overlooked my interference with the whipping since no one is going to go to such trouble and expense for someone they plan on killing, anyway.
  19. cower
    show submission or fear
    Those other districts, they’re much larger. Even if half the people cower in their homes, the rebels stand a chance. Here in Twelve, it’s got to be all of us or nothing,” he says.
  20. subdue
    put down by force or intimidation
    In the few minutes of privacy we’ve had, with me walking him back to town, I gather that the rumblings of an uprising in 12 have been subdued by Thread’s crackdown.
  21. revolt
    rise up against an authority
    But he must also know that if we don’t revolt in 12, I’m destined to be Peeta’s bride.
  22. version
    something a little different from others of the same type
    It would call for a glorified version of the Games to make fresh the memory of those killed by the districts’ rebellion.
  23. quell
    suppress or crush completely
    President Snow goes on to tell us what happened in the previous Quarter Quells.
  24. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    “On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it.”
  25. ultimately
    as the end result of a succession or process
    I imagine facing a field of forty-seven instead of twenty-three. Worse odds, less hope, and ultimately more dead kids.
  26. devise
    arrange by systematic planning and united effort
    Whoever devised the Quarter Quell system had prepared for centuries of Hunger Games.
  27. overcome
    win a victory over
    “On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors.”
  28. humiliate
    cause to feel shame
    Back in the arena. Back in the place of nightmares. That’s where I am going. I have to admit I didn’t see it coming. I saw a multitude of other things. Being publicly humiliated, tortured, and executed.
  29. illusion
    something many people believe that is false
    Yes, victors are our strongest. They’re the ones who survived the arena and slipped the noose of poverty that strangles the rest of us. They, or should I say we, are the very embodiment of hope where there is no hope. And now twenty-three of us will be killed to show how even that hope was an illusion.
  30. bond
    bring together in a common cause or emotion
    When I bring it up, Haymitch says the last thing President Snow would’ve wanted was to show Peeta and me—especially me—bonding with other victors in potentially rebellious districts.
  31. status
    the relative position or standing of things or persons
    Victors have a special status, and if they appeared to be supporting my defiance of the Capitol, it would’ve been dangerous politically.
  32. copious
    large in number or quantity
    Peeta takes copious notes, Haymitch volunteers information about the victors’ personalities, and slowly we begin to know our competition.
  33. drastic
    forceful and extreme and rigorous
    I'm afraid, anyway, that any kind of emotional scene with Gale might cause him to do something drastic.
  34. mourn
    feel sadness
    And as unlikely as it seems that I can achieve it in the face of the Capitol’s anger, it’s important that I be at the top of my game. This won’t happen if I’m mourning for everyone I love back home.
  35. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    Haymitch watches, his face devoid of emotion, as friends of his step up to take the stage.
  36. confine
    to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
    With the mountain spewing liquid fire, and the meadow offering no means of concealment, the remaining thirteen tributes—including Haymitch and Maysilee—have no choice but to confine themselves to the woods.
  37. salvage
    collect discarded or refused material
    Get more rest, work out a system to salvage more rainwater, fight as a team, and share the food from the dead tributes’ packs.
  38. abyss
    a bottomless gulf or pit
    Haymitch skirts along the edge of the cliff as if trying to figure something out. His foot dislodges a pebble and it falls into the abyss, apparently gone forever. But a minute later, as he sits to rest, the pebble shoots back up beside him.
  39. commit
    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
    “That force field at the bottom of the cliff, it was like the one on the roof of the Training Center. The one that throws you back if you try to jump off and commit suicide. Haymitch found a way to turn it into a weapon.”
  40. confidence
    a state of hopefulness that events will be favorable
    Now a new kind of confidence is lighting up inside of me, because I think I finally know who Haymitch is. And I'm beginning to know who I am. And surely, two people who have caused the Capitol so much trouble can think of a way to get Peeta home alive.
Created on Fri Jul 28 10:46:14 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Oct 01 16:36:28 EDT 2018)

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