I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: Chapters 9–16

by Lauren Tarshis
In this first book of the historical fiction I Survived series, ten-year-old George Calder does not want his first-class journey on the greatest ship in the world to end, but in the middle of the night, he is told to put on a life jacket.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16
30 words 86 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. barge
    push one's way
    “So sorry to barge in like this, ma’am,” Henry said.
  2. incident
    a public disturbance
    “But there’s been an... incident.”
  3. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    Aunt Daisy glared at George.
  4. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    “I’m so sorry, Henry,” she said in an exasperated voice. “My nephew here just can’t seem to stay out of trouble!”
  5. boast
    talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard
    I guess we’ll have another adventure to boast about when we get back.
  6. promenade
    a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk
    George thought that Phoebe had gone to the promenade deck—that she’d been woken up by the commotion with the ice and figured that George had gone out to see what was happening.
  7. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    George thought that Phoebe had gone to the promenade deck—that she’d been woken up by the commotion with the ice and figured that George had gone out to see what was happening.
  8. glint
    a momentary flash of light
    But when they got to the main staircase, he saw that the yellow glints were headed downstairs, not up to the deck.
  9. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    What if the scar-faced man was lurking in the baggage hold when Phoebe got there?
  10. surge
    rise or move forward
    The crowd surged forward.
  11. apologetic
    offering or expressing regret
    “Very sorry,” Marco said, smiling apologetically at Aunt Daisy, who looked more confused than ever.
  12. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    Except now all George could see was water, green water swirling halfway up the stairs, foaming and churning like a stormy river.
  13. intent
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    Marco’s amber eyes became very intent.
  14. hoist
    raise
    Then Marco hoisted the little boy up onto his shoulders.
  15. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    She staggered forward and threw her arms around George, burying her face in his chest.
  16. catapult
    shoot forth or launch
    The entire ship catapulted forward.
  17. topple
    fall down, as if collapsing
    People fell, toppling like dominoes.
  18. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    And water. It was seeping into the hallway from under the doors of some of the cabins.
  19. somberly
    in a serious and solemn manner
    “Women and children only, sir,” he said somberly.
  20. sputter
    spit up in an explosive manner
    And just when he was sure his lungs would pop, the ocean seemed to spit him back up. George sputtered.
  21. flicker
    shine unsteadily
    Black smoke poured from its funnels, and the lights flickered.
  22. sear
    cause a burning or stinging pain
    The water seared his hands and arms. It was so cold it felt boiling hot, like lava.
  23. canvas
    a heavy, closely woven fabric
    It wasn’t a regular wooden lifeboat. It was much smaller, and made of canvas cloth.
  24. daze
    overcome as with astonishment or disbelief
    They all seemed dazed and frozen.
  25. brace
    support by steadying
    He got up on his knees and leaned over, bracing his legs against the side of the boat as he grabbed Marco under the arms.
  26. gape
    look with amazement
    As the sky brightened, George gaped at the scene around him. It was as if they’d fallen through a hole in the ocean and come out on the other side of the earth.
  27. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    George could see the little boy, waving frantically from Aunt Daisy’s arms.
  28. harbor
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
    But the next evening, as the Carpathia was closing in on New York Harbor, George and Phoebe overheard a skinny man with a beard speaking to an officer.
  29. pier
    a platform built out from the shore into the water
    There were thousands of people waiting on the pier.
  30. slight
    small in quantity or degree
    Papa looked at him with a very slight smile.
Created on Mon Oct 09 10:46:33 EDT 2023 (updated Mon Oct 09 14:24:20 EDT 2023)

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.