Grounded: Chapters 9–18

by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, S.K. Ali
Stuck at an airport during a thunderstorm, four tweens (Taufeek Stiles, Hanna Chen, Sami Iqbal, and Nora Najjar) recognize each other from the Muslims of North America conference and bond over the search for a lost sister and cat.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–35, Chapter 36–Epilogue
40 words 16 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. falter
    speak haltingly
    “Hanna’s a pro. She finds...um...” I falter. I can’t tell Mom she finds lost sisters.
  2. soundly
    deeply
    I look at Mom and Hamza, still soundly asleep.
  3. rousing
    capable of stirring enthusiasm or excitement
    But do you know I’m only five minutes into my story—a rousing, powerful bedtime story—and Ruqi starts looking around?
  4. industry
    the people engaged in a kind of commercial enterprise
    Suddenly, I’m back at Doc Hoffa’s house. At a party with almost a hundred guests from the poetry industry and their families, celebrating the premiere of Storm the Stage.
  5. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    I was taking it all in: the guests, the golden floor, the gigantic crystal chandelier, famous poets casually strolling through rooms, and a six-foot-tall supermodel running after kids but never toppling in six-inch heels.
  6. convenient
    suited to your comfort or purpose or needs
    Even though my dad is a small celebrity, it’s sometimes more convenient not to tell people who he is.
  7. anguish
    extreme distress of body or mind
    He says that with so much sadness that my throat gets plugged and hot tears attack the back of my eyes and I want to yell, “NO! I’M NOT OKAY. I’M IN AGONY. IN ANGUISH. YOU WENT TO FIND A NEW MOM FOR ME AT THE CONFERENCE WITHOUT TELLING ME. SO HOW IN THIS UNJUST WORLD CAN I BE OKAY?!?”
  8. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    “Wait, where are you going?” Now Dad stands, his voice bewildered.
  9. withstand
    resist or confront with resistance
    “As scary as it is, the airport is built to withstand a storm like this.”
  10. emphatic
    sudden and strong
    My words are interrupted by a crackle of thunder like a popcorn machine going berserk, followed by an emphatic BOOM.
  11. prospect
    the possibility of future success
    Even the prospect of unlimited Switch time can’t make me feel better.
  12. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    She’s close by—and I’m pretty sure she’s looking intently in my direction.
  13. stranded
    cut off or left behind
    “I was thinking...since we’re stranded here anyway, would you be up for helping me?”
  14. counterpoint
    an element, idea, or argument used to create a contrast
    But luckily, while she was talking, I was coming up with my own counterpoints of why I could not help.
  15. subliminal
    below the threshold of conscious perception
    I stare at her, sending her the clearest subliminal, telepathic message I possibly can that I have my own important mission to figure out.
  16. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    They think I’ve made a buddy. Why am I surprised? She always does this.
    Hanna’s looking earnestly at me. My mother’s still smiling.
  17. futile
    producing no result or effect
    I’m slowly realizing resistance is futile. Hanna is on a mission, and I am apparently now part of that mission, even if I am option C.
  18. override
    prevail or be more important than
    It’s my grandmother’s pet name for me, but even thinking of my sittee is not enough to override the urge to say something sarcastic like, “Why do I even need a party when I just had such a special birthday weekend at the Chocolate Garden?”
  19. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    Sami is quiet, standing behind Hanna while she introduces herself and gushes over how much she admires Mom.
  20. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    Hanna explains about Snickerdoodle, and even though I can tell that Mom is caught off guard by Hanna’s passionate, impromptu speech, she doesn’t show it.
  21. issue
    some situation or event that is thought about
    Instead, she says, “Wow, this sounds like such a worthwhile issue, and I love your enthusiasm, Hanna. But perhaps Nora can join you later. We were in the middle of discussing something important.”
  22. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    Nora, who’s come to a stop behind Sami and Feek, convinces me to keep my speech short and sweet by the way her eyes move from determined to skeptical—again.
  23. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    I pivot to face the store, the others now flanking me.
  24. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    Feek gives me a nod and heads to the back of the store. Which is smart because Sami is lingering around the front, looking at a sporty duffel bag wistfully for some reason. He looks like a bunny that needs a hug, and I feel weirdly sad for a moment, like I should go over and check if he’s okay.
  25. discreet
    not easily noticeable
    I give a discreet thumbs-up to Sami, who’s now looking at a rack of messenger bags.
  26. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    I can’t stop myself from glaring at him. “We have a right to look around the store,” I say, louder this time so Sami hears too.
  27. grate
    a barrier with parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage
    The metal grate clangs shut behind us so hard, we run.
  28. waver
    be unsure or weak
    “What if we’re still wrong?” Hanna’s voice wavers.
  29. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    “What? What is this?” I take the silver trinket from her hand.
    “A cat collar bell. Gucci, my cat, has one just like it,” Nora says.
  30. canopy
    the uppermost layer of branches and foliage in a forest
    The ceiling looks like a forest canopy of thick green leaves with colorful tropical birds that light up in a repeating pattern.
  31. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    When she points and says, “Look, look!” I am exasperated.
    “Shut it, Ruqi!”
  32. domestic
    produced in a particular country
    “Hmm, just because Snickerdoodle was spotted there doesn’t mean we’ll find her there now. That sighting was a few hours ago,” Nora says, doubt clouding her face, “and we saw the domestic Zoomi store closing.”
  33. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    Suddenly, we see a woman in gray clothing and a dark vest with SECURITY emblazoned on it headed in our direction.
  34. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
    Beethoven, Bach, or Mozart—one of those folks—is playing low in the background, and there’s a raised cathedral-type ceiling with gold and silver flowers etched in a geometric pattern.
  35. overlay
    put something on top of something else
    The far wall is designed to look like a floor-to-ceiling window, but it’s not a real window because it’s daylight in there, and there’s a rotating display of shimmering art overlaying it.
  36. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Hanna’s eyebrows furrow together.
  37. concede
    acknowledge defeat
    I feel bad she has to concede defeat, but I’m also relieved.
  38. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    There’s no way we’re prying open the metal grates like Hanna is probably considering right now.
  39. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    I’m feeling smug that my mom might realize shooing me away to hang out with a total stranger wasn’t a great idea, but I am getting antsy about being so far from our gate.
  40. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    She saunters toward the escalators.
Created on Fri Aug 02 09:42:53 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Aug 02 16:10:47 EDT 2024)

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.