Free Fun Vocabulary Word Sense Game to Test Your Brain
2020 IN Words
2020 was an UNPRECEDENTED year, that definitely expanded the average person's vocabulary.
Think back on the year and try to guess some of the words and phrases that were suddenly on everyone's lips in the year 2020.
Hint: Start your guessing with vowels - they're free here!
absentee ballot=you vote by this if you can't cast your ballot in person
aerosol transmission=spreading germs through tiny droplets that are exhaled and can hang around for a while and travel on air currents
along party lines=a vote where everybody in one party votes one way and everybody in the other party votes the other way
antibody test=a way to determine if you've been infected in the past by measuring your body's natural protein defenses
asymptomatic transmission=spread by disease carriers who have no outward signs of the disease
battleground state=a state which could be won by either candidate or party and could be critical to the outcome of an election
Big Blue Wall=bloc of states that had traditionally voted for the Democratic party
Black Lives Matter=a social activist movement advocating against police brutality and racially motivated violence
Brexit=the UK's withdrawal from the EU
bubble=a small group of people that limit their social contacts to within the group
candidate=somebody who's running for some political office
clinical trials=studies where an experimental drug is given to people to find out whether it is safe and effective
cloth mask=wear one on your face to trap droplets that you exhale that might infect others
community transmission=when the source of an infection can't be traced to a specific contact with a confirmed case
confirmed cases=those that are suspected to have the disease who have actually tested positive
contact tracing=tracking down everyone that's spent time with an infected person
contagious=able to be spread from person to person
convalescent plasma=blood from people who've had an illness that is given to new victims in the hope that it will help them recover
coronavirus=it causes the common cold, SARS, MERS and, of course, COVID-19
COVID-19=caused by a new coronavirus, it ravaged the world in 2020
defund the police=slogan heard during the George Floyd protests calling for reduced police budgets and areas of resonsibility
distance learning=what took the place of in-person classes when schools had to shut down
Dr. Anthony Fauci=a top infectious disease expert who became one of the nation's most trusted figures during the COVID pandemic
drive-through testing=when people in their cars line up to find out if they had COVID-19
electable=not unacceptable to most voters and thus likely or able to win
electoral votes=you need a majority of these to be elected President of the United States
epidemiologist=somebody who studies diseases in populations to determine causes and how to stop them
essential worker=somebody who provides services that we can't do without, like first responders or those who provide food and health care
exit poll=asking voters about themselves and how they voted right after they vote
face mask=it covers your mouth and nose and helps block respiratory droplets that you're producing
face shield=a plastic barrier that helps keep respiratory droplets from landing on your fact
flatten the curve=slowing a virus' spread so that fewer people need to seek treatment at any given time
furlough=temporary loss of a job, during which unemployment payments can be collected as a result of the April COVID relief bill
George Floyd=his death at the hands of police sparked world-wide anti-police brutality protests
hand sanitizer=should be at least 60% alcohol and somebody probably gave you a squirt many times during 2020
herd immunity=when most people, in the case of COVID about 70%, are immune to a disease, making disease spread unlikely
hydroxychloroquine=a malaria drug touted by President Trump, but not the CDC, FDA or NIH, as an effective COVID-19 treatment
I can't breathe=dying words uttered by George Floyd, Eric Garner and others that became a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter and other anti-police brutality supporters
indoor dining=what normally happened at a restaurant until the pandemic
Iowa caucus=the first Democratic nominating contest for the 2020 presidential election that took place in this top corn-producing state
lame duck=an outgoing elected official whose successor has already been elected
long COVID=long-term health problems that show up or linger after normal COVID recovery
mitigation=reduction of risk or harm, e.g. measures such as masking or social distancing
moderate=mainstream, not extreme, like say, Joe Biden
Moderna=the second vaccine developer to submit a COVID vaccine to the FDA for approval
N95 respirator=virus-blocking mask that filters at least 95% of airborne particles
nasal swab=that really long, uncomfortable-looking item that gets the sample for a COVID test
outbreak=a sudden rise in the number of cases of a disease
pandemic=a world-wide epidemic
politicized=being seen through an ideological lens rather than objectively
populism=political stance that champions the common person against an oppressive elite establishment
positivity rate=the percent that test positive
presidential debate=there was only 1 in 2020 - the 2nd was canceled when Trump tested positive fand refused a remote format
presidential primary=an election to decide who will be the party's candidate for the top office
personal protective equipment=masks, gowns, gloves, etc. that minimize exposure to harmful substances such as viruses
Pfizer and BioNTech=the first vaccine developers to submit their candidate to the FDA for approval
Proud Boys=President Trump told them to stand back and stay by
provisional ballot=used to record a vote of a person who's eligibility to vote is in question
QAnon conspiracy theory=the belief that America is run by a cabal of pedophiles and Satan-worshippers that only President Trump can defeat
quarantine=keeping an infected person away from others, to prevent spread of a disease
quid pro quo=a trade or exchange
razor-thin margin=the tiny amount of votes that the winning candidate won by in some critical states
recanvass=checking the math or accuracy of ballot number calculations
recount=what you may do with the votes if the results are very close
remote learning=how kids are educated when they can't go to school in person
respiratory droplets=potentially germ-carrying stuff that's exhaled, may be visible and falls to the ground rapidly
self-isolating at home=staying at home and avoiding contact with others to avoid spreading infection
shelter-in-place order=instruction to immediately find the nearest safe location and stay there until further notice
shutdown=what happened in 2020 when businesses and schools closed to slow the spread of COVID
social distancing=keeping 6 feet or 2 m away from others and avoiding gathering in large groups
stay-at-home order=direction to not go out except for essential services
stimulus bill=governmental financial assistance to blunt the economic damage of the pandemic
superspreader event=where an infected person mingles with many other people, leading to large clusters of cases
systemic racism=discrimination that is considered normal, legal behavior within a society or institution
TikTok=a social media platform for sharing short-form videos which was originally developed in China
touchless delivery=how you get stuff dropped off to you during the pandemic
underlying medical condition=if you have one your chances of suffering a severe case of COVID are much higher
unprecedented=the word of the year, describing something never seen before
vaccine=it provides immunity to a disease
ventilator=a machine that pumps oxygen into your body when you can't breathe on your own
voter turnout=the percentage of people that show up and cast their ballots
V-shaped recovery=a complete economic upturn just as quick as the preceding downturn
work-from-home=what you're doing when you're sitting at the dining room table trying to do your job
Wuhan, China=place where COVID19 first appeared
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