News from February 7–February 13, 2026
Each week, we scan the latest headlines to spot words in action. From major news stories to pop culture buzz, this feature highlights language as it’s unfolding. Stories about dominant victories, grade inflation, and a break from the cold all contributed to the vocabulary from this week’s news.
dingo
noun: a wolflike yellowish-brown wild dog native to Australia
From the headlines: A study showed that since Russia’s 2022 invasion, dogs in Ukraine have come to more closely resemble their wild relatives. Researchers found that dogs on the front line had begun to look more like coyotes or dingoes. Most of these dogs had longer muzzles, similar to wild canines; smaller body mass; and upright, pointed ears rather than floppy ones. They concluded that dogs resembling dingoes were better suited to survival in a war zone than those with more “domesticated” features.
harbinger
noun: something that foreshadows a future event
From the headlines: Teachers in San Francisco have gone on strike for the first time since 1979, a development many view as a harbinger for school districts across the state. After a year of negotiations, the teachers’ union and the district failed to reach a deal over health care expenses and salary increases. Teachers throughout California are also pressing for better pay, and many consider the San Francisco walkout a sign of broader labor unrest ahead.
inoperable
adjective: not able to perform its normal function
From the headlines: Dozens of visitors in New York’s Adirondacks required rescue after the ski gondolas they were riding became inoperable. A mechanical malfunction shut down the lift system at Gore Mountain, leaving sixty-seven skiers and snowboarders suspended high above the slopes for nearly three hours. Rescue crews climbed the towers and rappelled to the stalled cabins, then lowered each stranded passenger safely to the ground using ropes.
landslide
noun: an overwhelming electoral victory
From the headlines: Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, won a snap election in a landslide. LDP president and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led the country’s conservative party to an overwhelming victory that will give them enough of a majority to override vetoes by the opposition party, who still control the legislature’s upper house. The stunning win comes amid a general shift to the right in Japanese politics.
lofty
adjective: of high moral or intellectual value
From the headlines: In an effort to restore the grade “A” as a mark of “extraordinary distinction,” Harvard University is considering limiting how many are awarded. Once a lofty symbol separating exceptional work from average performance, the grade has become commonplace, with As making up about two-thirds of course marks. The proposed policy would restrict full A’s to the top 20 percent of students, while placing no cap on A-minuses.
prevail
verb: prove superior in strength, power, or influence
From the headlines: On February 8, the Seattle Seahawks overpowered the New England Patriots and prevailed 29–13 in Super Bowl LX. Fueled by a dominant defense that held the Patriots scoreless until the fourth quarter and sacked quarterback Drake Maye six times, Seattle ultimately took home the Lombardi trophy. The victory marked the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl title overall, following their last win 12 years ago.
quadruple
adjective: consisting of four parts
From the headlines: After the men’s figure skating short program, where Ilia Malinin thrilled spectators with a backflip, he has emerged as the frontrunner for gold. Many experts say his mastery of the quadruple axel gives him a decisive edge over his Olympic rivals. The “Quad God” remains the only skater ever to land the extraordinarily demanding jump, which involves four and a half rotations in midair.
reciprocal
adjective: given or felt by each toward the other
From the headlines: A new trade deal slashed hundreds of reciprocal tariffs between the United States and Argentina. It will eliminate U.S. tariffs on 1,675 Argentine products, while import taxes on 200 categories of U.S. goods will also be scrapped. Shared concessions also include a lower tariff on imported beef from Argentina.
respite
noun: a relief from harm or discomfort
From the headlines: People living in the Eastern United States finally got a respite from the bitterly cold weather they’ve experienced since mid-January. Wind chills in parts of New England dipped to negative 30 early this week, but by February 11 temperatures climbed as high as 40 degrees. A break from frigid conditions was an enormous relief after weeks of record-breaking cold.
tout
verb: praise or advertise in strongly positive terms
From the headlines: The CIA announced that it will shut down its popular World Factbook website. Journalists, historians, librarians, and former agency officials touted the site as an important, reliable source of information about the world, praising it for providing accurate facts about governments, cultures, etiquette, religion, and more. Once a classified document used only by CIA employees, the Factbook was made available to the public in book form in 1975 and moved online in 1997.
