| Word | Definition & Example |
|---|---|
| argue v. |
To present reasons for or against something. "The author argues that early intervention improves long-term outcomes." Collocations: argue persuasively, argue against |
| claim v. / n. |
To state something as true. "The professor claims that the dataset has been misinterpreted." Collocations: make a claim, refute a claim |
| assert v. |
To state firmly and forcefully. "The senator asserted that the policy had no impact on inflation." Collocations: assert that, assert a position |
| maintain v. |
To continue to state despite opposition. "Despite criticism, the researcher maintains her original interpretation." Collocations: maintain a position |
| concede v. |
To admit something, often reluctantly. "I concede that the alternative approach has some merit." Collocations: concede a point, concede that |
| acknowledge v. |
To admit the existence of something. "The author acknowledges the limitations of the sample size." Collocations: acknowledge the issue, acknowledge that |
| contend v. |
To argue forcefully. "Critics contend that the policy disproportionately affects low-income families." Collocations: contend that, strongly contend |
| dispute v. |
To question the accuracy of a claim. "Several scholars dispute the conventional dating of the manuscript." Collocations: dispute the findings, openly dispute |
| refute v. |
To prove a claim wrong. "Recent evidence appears to refute the long-standing theory." Collocations: refute an argument, attempt to refute |
| support v. |
To provide evidence in favour of. "The new data supports the original hypothesis." Collocations: support a claim, support evidence |
| challenge v. |
To question the validity of. "The findings challenge widely held assumptions about adolescent learning." Collocations: challenge a theory, directly challenge |
| question v. |
To express doubt about. "Many economists question whether the policy will achieve its stated aims." Collocations: question the assumption, openly question |
| counter v. |
To respond to an argument with a contrary one. "Critics counter that the model fails to account for regional variation." Collocations: counter an argument, counter with |
| reject v. |
To refuse to accept. "The committee rejected the proposal on procedural grounds." Collocations: reject the claim, reject outright |
| endorse v. |
To publicly approve or support. "The journal explicitly endorses the methodological approach." Collocations: publicly endorse, fully endorse |
| propose v. |
To put forward for consideration. "The author proposes a three-stage solution to the problem." Collocations: propose a theory, propose a solution |
| suggest v. |
To imply or recommend. "The data suggest that screen time correlates with reduced sleep." Collocations: the findings suggest, gently suggest |
| imply v. |
To indicate without stating directly. "The wording implies that the author has reservations." Collocations: strongly imply, the result implies |
| infer v. |
To draw a conclusion from evidence. "From these patterns, we can infer that early settlers traded across long distances." Collocations: infer from evidence |
| conclude v. |
To reach a final judgement. "The study concludes that the intervention had a small but reliable effect." Collocations: conclude that, the authors conclude |
| clarify v. |
To make clearer. "Let me clarify what I mean by 'sustainable'." Collocations: clarify a point, ask to clarify |
| distinguish v. |
To recognise the difference between. "It is important to distinguish correlation from causation." Collocations: clearly distinguish, distinguish between |
| compare v. |
To examine for similarities. "If we compare the two regions, the contrast becomes obvious." Collocations: compare with, fair comparison |
| contrast v. |
To examine for differences. "The new study contrasts sharply with earlier findings." Collocations: stand in contrast, contrast sharply |
| evaluate v. |
To judge the value of something. "Reviewers evaluate the proposal against three criteria." Collocations: carefully evaluate, evaluate the evidence |
How this vocabulary appears on the TOEFL
Discussion & Argument Verbs terms appear directly in passages and audio across Writing · Speaking. The questions you'll see most frequently target this vocabulary are paraphrase identification (the test rewords a sentence using a synonym from this list), inference questions (you need the term's meaning to follow the argument), and reference questions (the term is the antecedent of a pronoun in another sentence). Knowing the term plus one or two natural collocations lets you decode passages faster and recognise paraphrases on the answer choices without re-reading.
How to study this list effectively
Don't try to memorise the whole list in one sitting. Effective vocabulary study works in three passes: (1) recognise — read each entry once until the word feels familiar; (2) retrieve — cover the definitions and try to recall each one from the word alone; (3) produce — write a sentence of your own that uses the word in a TOEFL context. Spaced repetition over 5–7 days will make the words stick far better than a single intensive review session. Pair this list with a practice test in the same section so you encounter the words in real test contexts.
Practise this vocabulary on real TOEFL tests
- Reading practice tests — passages on academic topics
- Listening practice tests — campus conversations and academic talks
- Full-length practice tests — vocabulary in context across all four sections
- More TOEFL vocabulary by topic