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foster coherent spout nuance stumble

foster

fos·ter1 /ˈfɒstə $ ˈfɑːstər/ verb

  1. [transitive] to help a skill, feeling, idea etc develop over a period of time SYN encourage,promote
    • The bishop helped foster the sense of a community embracing all classes.
  2. [intransitive and transitive] to take someone else's child into your family for a period of time but without becoming their legal parent
    • The couple wanted to adopt a black child they had been fostering.

coherent

co·her·ent AC /kəʊˈhɪərənt $ koʊˈhɪr-/adjective

  1. if a piece of writing, set of ideas etc is coherent, it is easy to understand because it is clear and reasonable:
    • The three years of the course are planned as a coherent whole
    • a coherent account of the incident
  2. if someone is coherent, they are talking in a way that is clear and easy to understand
    1. He sounded coherent, but he was too ill to have any idea what he was saying.
  3. if a group is coherent, its members are connected or united because they share common aims, qualities, or beliefs
    • They were never a coherent group
  • coherently adverb
    • She could not think coherently.

spout

spout1 /spaʊt/ noun [countable]

  1. a small pipe on the side of a container that you pour liquid out through
  2. spout of water/blood etc a sudden strong stream of liquid which comes out of somewhere very fast.

nuance

nu·ance /ˈnjuːɑːns $ ˈnuː-/ noun [countable]

a very slight, hardly noticeable different in manner, colour, meaning etc -> subtlety

  • He was aware of every nuance in her voice.

  • nuance of

    • the painting's delicate nuances of color, tone, and texture
    • subtle nuances of meaning

  • nuanced adjective

    • a skillful and nuanced performance

stumble

stum·ble /ˈstʌmbəl/ verb [intransitive]

  1. to hit your foot against something or put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running, so that you almost fall SYN trip
    • In her hurry, she stumbled and spilled the milk all over the floor.
    • stumble over/on
      • Vic stumbled over the step as he came in.
  2. to walk in an unsteady way and often almost fall. SYN stagger
    1. stumble in/out/across etc
      1. He stumbled upstairs and into bed.
  3. to stop or make a mistake when you are reading to people or speaking
    1. stumble over/at/through
      1. I hope I don't stumble over any of the long words.
  • stumble noun [countable]

stumble on/across/upon something phrasal verb

  • to find or discover something by change and unexpectedly SYN come across
    • Researchers have stumbled across a drug that may help patients with Parkinson's disease