Zeugma from Top AP English Exam Novels

Zeugma is an expression in which a single word stands in the same grammatical relation to two other words, but does not have the same figurative meaning with respect to both.
Here are links to our lists for AP English literary terms: Chiasmus, Litotes, Metaphor, Simile, Zeugma
10 words 661 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. burden
    weight to be carried or borne
    “But Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried 34 rounds when he was shot and killed outside Than Khe, and he went down under an exceptional burden, more than 20 pounds of ammunition, plus the flak jacket and helmet and rations and water and toilet paper and tranquilizers and all the rest, plus an unweighed fear.”
    --The Things They Carried, Tim O' Brien
  2. responsibility
    the social force that binds you to a course of action
    "He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men."
    --The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
  3. flood
    a large flow
    “Miss Bolo ... went straight home, in a flood of tears and a sedan-chair.”
    --The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
  4. suspicion
    an impression that something might be the case
    "She looked at the objects with suspicion and a magnifying glass."
    --The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
  5. inordinate
    beyond normal limits
    He got dressed by feel, listening in the dark to his brother's calm breathing, the dry cough of his father in the next room, the asthma of the hens in the courtyard, the buzz of the mosquitoes, the beating of his heart, and the inordinate bustle of a world that he had not noticed until then, and he went out in the sleeping street"
    --One Hundred Years of Solitude, Garbriel Garcia Marquez
  6. vanity
    feelings of excessive pride
    “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”
    --Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
  7. forefinger
    the finger next to the thumb
    "Mrs. Radley was beautiful until she married Mr. Radley and lost all his money. He also lost most of his teeth, hair and the right forefinger."
    --To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
  8. glory
    a state of high honor
    ...covered themselves with dust and glory.
    --The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
  9. suited
    outfitted or supplied with clothing
    "How oddly he is suited! I think he bought his doublet in Italy, his round hose in France, his bonnet in Germany, and his behavior everywhere."
    --The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare
  10. passion
    a strong feeling or emotion
    "Passion lends them power, time means, to meet."
    --Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
Created on Mon Sep 30 21:34:34 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Oct 09 15:12:02 EDT 2013)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.