Words starting with F

339 words from the Lexfall vocabulary, each with a definition and an example sentence.

fabricate To invent false evidence or a false account with intent to deceive.
fabrication Something invented in order to deceive, especially false evidence.
facetious Treating serious matters with inappropriate humour.
facial droop A weakness or sagging on one side of the face, often an early sign of stroke or facial...
facile Achieved with little effort and therefore superficial.
facilitate To make a process easier, or to guide a group towards reaching its own decisions.
facilitation The use of handling, cueing or positioning to encourage a desired movement or response.
facilitative Describing a mediation style that helps parties find their own solution rather than...
facilitator A neutral who guides discussion so parties can reach their own agreement.
facility A formal arrangement under which a bank makes credit available to a borrower up to an...
facility agent The bank that administers a syndicated loan on behalf of the lenders, channelling...
facility agreement The principal contract between a borrower and one or more lenders setting out the terms...
factionalism The splitting of an organisation into rival internal groups.
factitious Deliberately produced or fabricated to resemble a genuine medical condition.
factor endowment The stock of land, labour, and capital a country possesses for production.
factoring The sale of a business's trade receivables to a third party at a discount in exchange for...
factual causation The link showing that the defendant's conduct was, as a matter of fact, a necessary cause...
factual matrix The background of surrounding facts reasonably available to the parties against which the...
facultative Able to live under more than one set of conditions, as with or without oxygen.
fade rate The pace at which a firm's excess returns are assumed to decay toward its cost of capital.
faecal occult blood Small amounts of blood in the stool that are not visible to the eye but detectable on...
failing firm defence An argument that an otherwise problematic merger should be cleared because the target...
failure to thrive Poor weight gain or growth in an infant or young child that falls significantly below...
fair dealing A limited defence permitting certain uses of a copyright work, such as for criticism,...
fairness opinion An independent assessment confirming that a deal's terms are financially fair to...
fait accompli A thing already done and beyond alteration, presented to others so that objection becomes...
faithless servant doctrine An equitable rule forfeiting all compensation an employee earned during a period of...
fall onto an outstretched hand A common injury mechanism in which a person breaks a fall with an extended arm.
fallacious Based on a mistaken belief or faulty reasoning.
fallacy A flaw in reasoning that renders an argument invalid or unsound.
fallen angel A bond downgraded from investment grade to junk status.
fallibilism The epistemological view that no belief is immune from possible error or future revision.
falls risk assessment A structured evaluation of how likely a patient is to fall so that preventive measures...
falsa demonstratio non nocet The maxim that a mistaken description does not vitiate a document if the true subject is...
false discovery rate The expected proportion of significant findings that are actually false positives when...
false negative A result that wrongly indicates no effect or condition when one is actually present.
false positive A result that wrongly indicates an effect or condition is present when it is not.
falsetto A method of male singing in an unusually high register, above the normal range.
falsifiable Capable of being proved false by evidence, and therefore admissible as a genuine...
falsification The fraudulent alteration of a document or record.
falsify To alter a document or record fraudulently so as to deceive.
falter To lose strength or momentum and begin to fail.
family history A record of illnesses that run in the patient's close blood relatives, which may indicate...
fanciful Describing a coined mark with no meaning beyond its branding role, giving it the...
farcical Absurdly comic through improbable and chaotic situations.
fasciculation A fine, involuntary, spontaneous twitching of a group of muscle fibres visible beneath...
fasciitis Inflammation of the fascia, the connective-tissue sheet enveloping muscles and other...
fasciotomy A surgical incision of the fascia to relieve dangerously raised pressure within a muscle...
fast-track To compress a schedule by running normally sequential phases in parallel, accepting the...
fast-tracking Overlapping activities that would normally run in sequence to shorten the timeline, at...
fastidious Very attentive to detail; hard to please.
fasting blood sugar The blood sugar level first thing in the morning before eating, used to guide the...
fasting glucose The blood glucose level measured after at least eight hours without food, used to...
fastness A secure and remote place, especially a stronghold in wild country.
fat stranding Hazy increased attenuation within fat on CT, indicating adjacent inflammation or oedema.
fatigability The tendency of a muscle or person to tire quickly with sustained or repeated effort.
fatuous Silly and pointless, revealing a complacent lack of intelligence.
favouritism The unfair granting of advantages to particular people regardless of merit.
fawn To flatter and behave with servile deference to gain favour.
FDG-avid Showing increased uptake of the radiotracer fluorodeoxyglucose on PET, reflecting high...
fealty Formal loyalty and allegiance sworn by a subordinate to a lord or superior.
featherbedding A union practice of compelling an employer to pay for work not performed or for workers...
febrile Feverish; relating to fever.
febrile convulsion A seizure triggered by a rapid rise in body temperature in a young child, usually between...
febrile neutropenia A fever occurring in a patient with a dangerously low neutrophil count, treated as a...
fecund Producing or capable of producing abundantly; highly fertile or inventive.
federalism A constitutional arrangement dividing sovereignty between a central authority and...
fee farm A tenure of land in perpetuity in return for a fixed annual rent rather than services.
feedforward Forward-looking guidance focused on future improvement rather than reviewing past...
feign To pretend to have a particular feeling, state, or symptom.
feint A deceptive move designed to distract attention from one's real objective.
felicitous Well chosen or well suited to the circumstances; apt.
felonious Of, involving, or constituting a serious crime.
feloniously In a manner constituting a felony; with criminal intent.
felony A serious crime, more grave than a misdemeanour.
felony murder A killing committed during a dangerous felony, charged as murder regardless of intent to...
fentanyl A potent synthetic opioid roughly a hundred times stronger than morphine, used for...
feoffee A person to whom a freehold estate in land is conveyed.
feoffment The historical conveyance of a freehold estate by the physical delivery of possession.
feoffor A person who conveys a freehold estate in land to another.
ferine Wild, untamed, or characteristic of a wild beast.
ferritin The principal intracellular iron-storage protein, whose serum level reflects total body...
ferruginous Of the rust-red colour of iron oxide; containing iron.
fervour Intense and passionate feeling or enthusiasm.
festination An involuntary tendency to take short, accelerating steps while walking, seen in...
fetal movements The kicks and rolls of the baby felt by the mother, whose reduction can signal fetal...
fetching Attractive and pleasing to look at, especially of clothes or appearance.
feticide The unlawful destruction of a foetus.
fetid Having a strong, foul, and offensive smell.
fetter one's discretion To restrict a statutory discretion unlawfully by adopting a rigid policy and refusing to...
fettering of discretion The unlawful practice of a public body rigidly applying a policy so as to close its mind...
fiat An authoritative decree or order issued by a person having the power to enforce it.
fibrillation Rapid, disorganised, and ineffective contraction of cardiac muscle fibres.
fibrinogen The soluble plasma precursor that thrombin converts into insoluble fibrin during clot...
fibrinolysis The enzymatic breakdown of fibrin that dissolves clots and remodels the vasculature after...
fibrinolytic Promoting the breakdown of fibrin and hence the dissolution of blood clots.
fibrosis The formation of excess fibrous connective tissue, which in the lung stiffens the...
fictitious Invented and recorded as if genuine, with no underlying reality.
fideicommissum A civil-law disposition directing one beneficiary to preserve inherited property and pass...
fidelity Faithfulness and loyalty to a person, cause or commitment.
fidelity rebate A loyalty-inducing discount conditioned on a customer sourcing all or most of its...
fiduciary Owing a duty of loyalty and good faith to act in another's interest above your own.
fiduciary duty The obligation of a director to act in good faith and in the best interests of the...
fiduciary out A clause freeing directors to abandon a signed deal for a superior proposal without...
fiefdom A domain over which a manager exercises jealously guarded, quasi-autonomous control.
fieri facias A writ directing an enforcement officer to seize and sell a debtor's goods to satisfy a...
fighter brand A deliberately cheaper sub-brand launched to shield the flagship from low-cost attackers.
figurehead A leader in name only, without real power.
file a defence To lodge at court a document responding to a claim and stating which allegations are...
file a patent application To formally submit a request to a patent office seeking protection for an invention.
file at the registry To deliver statutory documents, such as accounts and returns, to the companies registry...
file for divorce To formally begin divorce proceedings by submitting an application to the court.
filial Relating to or befitting the duty and affection of a son or daughter towards a parent.
filibuster A prolonged speech used to obstruct a legislative vote.
filling defect An area within a contrast-filled lumen or structure that fails to opacify, often...
final award The award that disposes of all remaining issues and terminates the tribunal's mandate.
financial covenant An undertaking requiring the borrower to keep specified financial ratios within agreed...
financial disclosure The obligation on each party to provide full and honest information about their assets,...
financial remedy The court proceedings and orders through which financial matters are resolved on divorce.
financial settlement The agreement or court order dividing a couple's assets, income and liabilities on...
financial year The twelve-month period a company uses for accounting and reporting, which need not match...
financialisation The growing dominance of financial markets, motives and institutions within the wider...
finesse Refined skill, subtlety and delicacy in handling a task or situation.
finger-prick test A capillary blood test that measures glucose using a small drop of blood from the...
finite reinsurance Reinsurance blending genuine risk transfer with financing over time while capping the...
fintech Technology-driven financial services that challenge traditional banks.
fire a warning shot To signal gently that difficult news is coming, so the patient can prepare emotionally.
first-line Describing the treatment recommended as the initial choice for a condition.
first-mover advantage The benefit a company gains by being the first to enter a market or launch a type of...
fisc The public treasury or the body of state revenue.
fiscal Relating to government revenue, taxation and public finance.
fiscal drag The stealthy rise in effective tax burden as inflation pushes incomes into higher bands...
fiscal nullity A doctrine treating a self-cancelling series of steps as having no tax effect where...
fiscal policy A government's use of taxation and public spending to influence the economy.
fissiparous Inclined to break up into groups or factions; tending to divide.
fissure A linear cleft or crack through the epidermis and into the dermis, often painful and...
fistula An abnormal channel connecting a source of infection to a surface, through which pus may...
fit-out The work of making an interior space ready for occupation, including partitions,...
Five Forces Porter's framework analysing industry attractiveness through five competitive pressures...
fixation The act of directing and holding the gaze steadily on a particular target.
fixative A solution used to preserve tissue or cells and prevent decay before examination.
fixed asset A long-term tangible asset that a business uses in its operations rather than selling as...
fixed charge A security interest attaching to identified assets which the chargor cannot dispose of...
fixture An object so affixed to land or a building that it becomes part of it in law and passes...
flaccidity A loss of normal muscle tone, leaving a limb soft, floppy and difficult to move.
flack A press agent or publicist.
flag To draw deliberate attention to an issue so that others act on or monitor it.
flag (something) To draw attention to an issue or item so it is not overlooked.
flagrancy The blatant or deliberate quality of an infringement, a factor supporting an award of...
flagrant Conspicuously and openly wrong.
flagship The most important or prestigious product or store that anchors a brand's position.
flanker brand A secondary brand launched to defend the flagship or occupy an adjacent niche.
flanking maneuver An attack aimed at an uncontested segment rather than a rival's fortified core.
flare-up A temporary worsening of symptoms, particularly pain, after a period of relative...
flashback A vivid, involuntary re-experiencing of a traumatic event as if it were happening again.
flat affect A severe reduction in the outward expression of emotion, seen in the face, voice and...
flattener A trade positioned to profit from the yield curve narrowing between maturities.
flesh out To add more detail or substance to something that is currently only an outline or basic...
flexion The bending of a joint that decreases the angle between two bones.
flexitime A system that lets employees vary their start and finish times within agreed limits.
flight of ideas A rapid stream of speech with loosely connected ideas jumping from topic to topic,...
flinch A visible show of shock at an offer, staged to signal that it is unacceptable.
flippancy A lack of proper seriousness, expressed through glib or facetious humour.
flipping Quickly selling newly allotted shares to capture the immediate offering premium.
flit To move swiftly and lightly from one place to another.
float The amount of time a task can be delayed without affecting the project's finish date.
floater A bond whose coupon resets periodically in line with a reference rate.
floaters Small shapes or specks that drift across the visual field, caused by opacities in the...
floating charge Security over a shifting pool of assets that fixes onto them on default.
flog a dead horse To waste effort on something that has no chance of succeeding or is already settled.
floorlet A single interest-rate option that pays out if a reference rate falls below a set level...
floorplate The floor area available on a single level of a building.
floppy Describing an infant with abnormally low muscle tone who feels limp when handled.
florid Excessively ornate or elaborate in style; also, having a red or flushed complexion.
flotation The offering of a company's shares to the public for the first time, typically on listing.
flounce To move with exaggerated, impatient motions expressing annoyance.
flounder To struggle clumsily or thrash about, as if unable to keep balance.
flourish A bold, sweeping gesture made to attract attention.
flout To openly disregard a rule, law or convention.
flow void The loss of signal from rapidly flowing blood, appearing dark on conventional spin-echo...
flowback The return of securities to their home market after being placed with foreign investors...
fluency The smoothness, rate and continuity with which speech is produced.
fluid balance The record of fluids a patient takes in and passes out.
fluid balance chart A record of a patient's fluid intake and output used to monitor their hydration and renal...
fluid overload An excess of fluid in the circulation and tissues, commonly seen in heart failure and...
fluid responsiveness The likelihood that a patient's cardiac output will rise meaningfully in response to a...
fluid restriction A prescribed limit on daily fluid intake to prevent overload in patients with poor kidney...
fluid resuscitation The rapid administration of intravenous fluids to restore circulating volume in a shocked...
fluorescein staining The application of an orange dye that highlights corneal abrasions and ulcers as green...
fluoride varnish A concentrated fluoride coating painted onto the teeth to strengthen enamel and reduce...
fluoroquinolone A class of antibiotic that inhibits bacterial DNA replication and is associated with...
fluoroscopy A technique that uses a continuous X-ray beam to display moving internal structures in...
fluorosis A cosmetic mottling of the enamel caused by excessive fluoride during tooth formation.
flying freehold A freehold part of a building that overhangs or sits above land or property belonging to...
flywheel A self-reinforcing loop in which each success feeds and accelerates the next.
fob off To deal with someone dismissively by giving them an unsatisfactory explanation or...
focal neurological deficit A problem with nerve function affecting a specific area, such as weakness, sensory loss...
folliculitis Inflammation of one or more hair follicles, typically presenting as follicle-centred...
follow-on damages claim A private action for compensation that relies on an existing infringement decision to...
follow-on work Additional engagements generated from a successful project, a key measure of a...
follow the fortunes The doctrine binding a reinsurer to accept the cedant's good-faith claims decisions.
follow up Continued monitoring or review of a patient after an initial episode of care.
foment To stir up or instigate trouble, unrest, or discord.
fomite An inanimate object capable of harbouring and transmitting infectious organisms.
fontanelle A soft membranous gap between the bones of a newborn's skull that later closes.
foot drop An inability to lift the front of the foot due to weakness or paralysis of the...
footfall The number of people passing through or visiting a retail location over a given period.
foothold A secure initial position from which further market expansion is possible.
for review A handover instruction indicating a patient should be reassessed, usually within a stated...
for the avoidance of doubt Introducing a clarification that makes explicit something intended to be implied,...
for the purposes of Limiting a definition or rule so that it operates only in relation to the specified...
for the reasons set out above A connector referring back to arguments already made as the basis for a conclusion.
for the time being For a limited period, until a situation changes.
for your awareness A phrase signalling that information is shared for the reader to note, with no action...
for your review and further management A phrase stating that the patient is being handed to the recipient for continued...
foray An initial attempt to enter a new competitive market.
forbearance Patient self-control and restraint in the face of provocation.
force-fit To apply a framework or template to a situation it doesn't naturally suit, distorting the...
force majeure A clause excusing performance when extraordinary events beyond a party's control...
force multiplier Something that greatly amplifies the impact of existing resources.
forced ranking An appraisal method that sorts employees into fixed performance tiers, guaranteeing a...
forceps A hinged instrument used to grasp, hold, or manipulate tissue or objects during a...
foreboding A strong feeling that something bad is about to happen.
forecast A prediction of the revenue a salesperson or team expects to close within a period.
forecasting The practice of estimating future demand or supply to guide planning and inventory...
foreclosure A court process by which a lender extinguishes the borrower's interest and takes the...
foreground To make a particular idea or theme especially prominent in a discussion.
forensic Relating to the scientific analysis of physical evidence for use in court.
foreperson The juror who chairs the jury's deliberations and announces the verdict.
forerunner A person or thing that comes before another of the same kind, indicating what is to...
foreseeability The extent to which a reasonable person could have anticipated the harm that occurred.
foreseeable Reasonably capable of being anticipated at the time of contracting.
foreshore The strip of land between the high and low water marks of an ordinary tide, generally...
foresight The capacity to anticipate and prepare for future needs or events.
forestall To prevent something by taking action in advance.
forfaiting The purchase of an exporter's medium-term receivables by a financier who assumes all...
forfeit To lose a right, sum, or property as a consequence of breach or default.
forfeiture The landlord's right to end a lease and retake possession when the tenant breaches it.
forgery The making of a false document or instrument with intent to deceive and cause it to be...
forlorn Pitifully sad, lonely and abandoned.
form e The standard court document in which each party sets out their full financial...
formication A tactile sensation resembling insects crawling over or under the skin.
formulary An approved list of medicines that may be prescribed within a health system.
formulary apportionment The allocation of a multi-jurisdictional group's taxable profit by formula rather than by...
formulation The particular physical form and composition in which a drug is presented, such as a...
forthcoming Willing to give information or answer questions openly.
forthright Direct and outspoken, without evasion or reservation.
forthrightness Directness and honesty in speech, without evasion.
fortification The addition of extra nutrients or energy to ordinary foods to boost their nutritional...
fortify To strengthen a competitive position against attack.
fortitude Courage and strength of mind in the face of pain or adversity.
fortuitous Happening by chance, especially in a fortunate way.
forum non conveniens A discretionary doctrine allowing a court to decline jurisdiction where another forum is...
forum shopping The practice of choosing the court or jurisdiction most likely to treat one's claim...
forward funding An arrangement in which an investor finances a development in stages and acquires it on...
forward guidance A central bank's communication about the likely future path of policy.
fossorial Adapted to digging and to life underground.
foundational Serving as a basic and necessary starting point or basis for something.
four corners The whole of a written document considered on its own, without reference to outside...
fovea The tiny central pit of the macula that provides the sharpest visual acuity.
fraction of inspired oxygen The proportion of oxygen in the gas mixture delivered to a patient, expressed as a...
fractious Irritable and quarrelsome, or difficult to control.
fracture A break in the continuity of a bone.
fragmentation The condition of a market being divided among many small players with no dominant firm.
frailty A state of reduced physical reserve that leaves an older person vulnerable to sudden...
framing The way information is presented so that the same facts prompt different decisions.
franchise The right to vote conferred by membership of a company.
FRAND Denoting the fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis on which essential patents...
frank haematuria Blood in the urine that is visible to the naked eye and colours the urine red or pink.
franked Of a dividend, carrying a tax credit for corporation tax already paid by the company.
franking The attaching of a credit to a dividend to reflect corporation tax already paid on the...
fraternise To associate or socialise on friendly terms, especially with those one should keep at a...
fratricidal Involving the killing of one's own kin or comrades, or ruinous internal strife.
fratricide The killing of one's brother or sibling.
fraud-on-the-market Presumption that investors relied on the integrity of a security's market price, sparing...
free cash flow The cash a company generates after accounting for capital expenditure needed to maintain...
free float The time a task can slip without delaying any task that immediately follows it.
free-rider A party that benefits from others' monitoring or effort without bearing the cost itself.
free-riding Exploiting the distinctive character or repute of a well-known mark to gain an unfair...
free trade International trade left largely free from tariffs, quotas and other government...
freedom to operate The ability to commercialise a product without infringing the intellectual property...
freehold Outright, permanent ownership of land or property.
freemium A model offering a free basic tier to lure users toward a paid upgrade.
freezing order A court order preventing a party from dealing with or dissipating its assets before...
freight The remuneration payable to a carrier or shipowner for the carriage of goods by sea.
frequency capping Limiting how many times one person sees a given ad to avoid fatigue.
friable Easily crumbled or broken into small fragments.
fricative A consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel to create audible friction.
friction The drag or resistance that makes a process slower or harder than it need be.
frictionless Describing an idealised market with no transaction costs, taxes, or barriers to trade.
friendshoring Relocating supply chains to countries regarded as political and economic allies.
fringe benefit A perk provided on top of normal wages, such as a company car, health cover, or...
frisson A sudden thrill or shiver of excitement.
frivolous Lacking any serious legal merit or arguable basis.
front pay Prospective damages awarded in lieu of reinstatement to cover an employee's future lost...
fronting An arrangement where a licensed insurer issues a policy but passes most of the risk to a...
frontrunning Trading ahead of a known pending order to profit from its expected price impact.
fructify To bear fruit or to make fertile and productive.
frugal Sparing and economical with money or resources.
frugality Carefulness and restraint in spending money.
frugivorous Feeding chiefly on fruit.
fruit of the poisonous tree Evidence derived from an earlier illegal search or seizure and therefore inadmissible.
frustrate To bring a contract to an end automatically because an unforeseen event makes performance...
frustration The automatic discharge of a contract when an unforeseen event makes performance...
fugacious Fleeting and apt to vanish almost as soon as it appears.
fugitive A person who flees to evade arrest or prosecution.
fulcrum The central point on which a situation, decision or organisation pivots.
fulcrum security The layer of debt where value breaks in the capital structure, which typically converts...
fulfilment The complete process of receiving, packing, and shipping customer orders.
fuliginous Sooty, smoky or of a dark dusky hue.
full and frank disclosure The duty to reveal all relevant financial information openly and without concealment.
full employment The level of employment at which almost everyone willing and able to work has a job.
full ratchet An anti-dilution term that reprices earlier shares down to the lowest price of any later...
full weight-bearing Describing a limb that is able to bear the entire weight of the body.
fulminant Occurring suddenly and with great severity, as of rapidly progressive liver failure.
fulminate To express vehement protest or condemnation.
fulsome Excessive to the point of being distasteful, especially in flattery or praise.
fulvous Of a dull tawny or brownish-yellow colour.
functional endoscopic sinus surgery Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery that restores drainage and ventilation of the...
functional independence A patient's ability to carry out everyday activities safely without assistance from...
functionality The principle denying trade mark or design protection to features that exist purely to...
functus Describing a tribunal that, having rendered its final award, has exhausted its authority...
functus officio Having discharged one's office such that no further authority to act on the matter...
fundal height The measured distance from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus, used to monitor fetal...
fundamental breach A breach going to the root of the contract that deprives the innocent party of...
fundoplication An anti-reflux operation in which the fundus of the stomach is wrapped around the lower...
fundoscopy Examination of the back of the eye, including the retina and optic disc, using an...
fundus The upper rounded part of the uterus, farthest from the cervix, palpated to gauge growth.
fungating Describing a tumour that forms a raised, ulcerating and often necrotic mass.
fungibility The quality of being freely interchangeable with any other identical unit.
fungible Describing goods or securities that are interchangeable, each unit being equivalent to...
funnel A model of the stages a prospect passes through from awareness to eventual purchase.
funnel analysis An examination of the sequential steps users take toward a goal to find where the largest...
furlough A temporary period of mandatory leave during which an employee is retained but not...
further or alternatively A pleading connector introducing an argument advanced in addition to, or as an...
further to A formal opening connector referring back to previous correspondence or a prior...
furtive Attempting to avoid notice; secretive.
fusillade A rapid, continuous discharge of firearms, or a sudden barrage of anything.
future-proof To design a strategy or system so it remains effective despite future change.

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