To sooth; to calm; to appease（軟化させる、静める）

→“The nice music assuaged my anger.”

→“The United Nations resorted to extraordinary measures to assuage global media.”

A dilemma; a no-win situation; a trouble（窮地、難しい立場）

→“She was in a bind when she lost her job and boyfriend on the same day.”

→“The widespread unrest in the neighboring country leaves the government in a diplomatic bind.”

To catch or hit unexpectedly（奇襲する）

→“The entire financial world was blindsided by the Lehman Shock.”

→“The teacher blindsided me with a question.”

A mixture of uncoordinated sounds（不協和音）

→“In New York, I was exposed to a cacophony of horns from passing taxis.”

→“In a cacophony of shouts, the rioters cried out for reform.”

To make a continuous monotonous sound; to speak or act monotonously（単調な音を出す、相手の退屈を誘うようなゆっくりした行動をする）

→“The air conditioner is droning in the adjoining room.”

→“An airplane droned by overhead.”

→“The lecture droned on for 2 hours.”

The most prominent product or achievement（代表的製品や業績）

→“Chocolate is the flagship of Fujiya.”

→“Health care reform is the flagship of Obama’s presidency.”

To prevent; to frustrate（防ぐ、邪魔する）

→“The mother foiled the child’s attempt to snatch a cookie from the jar.”

→“The police successfully foiled a terrorist plot.”

To cause trouble; to bring about unrest（問題を引き起こす）

→“He is always spreading wicked rumors and fomenting discord in office.”

→“The US accused Iran of fomenting conflict in the region.”

To tackle; to cope; to struggle（取り組む、挑む）

→“I spent the whole morning grappling with the math problem.”

→“The nation is grappling with its wartime history.”

Lacking in thoroughness or enthusiasm; half-baked（生半可な、中途半端な、生ぬるい）

→“If you study in a halfhearted manner, you won’t pass the exam.”

→“The government’s halfhearted reform is drawing a lot of criticisms.”

To fend off; to deflect; to avert（かわす、避ける）

→“After my speech, some in the audience asked me tough questions, but I managed to parry them.”

→“Rocky skillfully parried Apollo’s punches.”

To shock into motion; to make nervous（ざわめかせる、動揺させる）

→“I told many jokes at the dinner table and rattled the crowd.”

→“The political debate is rattling the entire nation.”

To ignore; to disqualify; to prevent from participationr（無視する、無資格とする、参加させない）

→“The landlord repeatedly sidelined Jane’s complaints.”

→“The injury sidelined him from the Olympic games.”

→“The king’s son was sidelined in the succession process.”

A large quantity（多数の）

→“Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin offers a slew of courses.”

→“There were a slew of new bestsellers on display at Kinokuniya.”

To batter and tear into shreds（よれよれにする、擦り減らす）

→“I need a new pair of jogging sneakers. My present ones are quite tattered.”

→“He likes to go out in tattered jeans.”

(As noun) A torn and disintegrated state; rags（よれよれの状態）

→“The prime minister’s trade policy is in tatters due to unexpected events.”