IELTS VOCABULARY

Patricide: Killing one’s own father

Sentence: The girl was accused of parricide when the police found her standing over her deceased mother

Mugging: Attack and rob a person in a public place

Sentence: Police are concerned that mugging is on the increase.

Vandalism: intentional damage or destruction to a building

Sentence: Beset by violence and vandalism, this is one of the most unpleasant areas in the city.

Manslaughter: the unintentional murder of someone

Sentence: She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for manslaughter

Arsonist: sets fire to other people’s property illegally

Sentence: Police are blaming arsonists for the spate of fires in the Greenfields housing estate.

Stowaway: hides on a plane or ship to travel secretly and free

Sentence: He had stowed away on a ferry to Dover and was granted refugee status

Vandal: deliberately destroys or damages public property

Sentence: The vandals throw stones at the building

Stalker: a person who illegally follows and watches someone over a period of time:

Sentence: Several well-known women have been troubled by stalkers recently.

Delinquent: illegal or not acceptable, or behaving in a way that is illegal or not acceptable:

Sentence: They are carrying out research on the causes of delinquent behaviour among young people.

Embezzlement: stealing large amounts of money that you are responsible for, often over a period of time embezzler

Sentence: They were arrested for embezzlement of company funds.

Espionage: spying, to obtain political or military information

Sentence: Three people were also accused of engaging in espionage against a rival firm.