used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
the two together, not just one
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
crampsnounUS /kræmps/
plural of “cramp” — a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
the act of retaining something
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
occurring by chance
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
movesnounUS /muːvz/
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
in a swift manner
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
timbernounUS /ˈtɪmbər/
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
precisely as stated
From this reading It seems a long time and it may be very short.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The water was cold and in flood and many things passed that had been floated off the banks when the river rose.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
at the time that
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading I was lucky to have a heavy timber to hold on to, and I lay in the icy water with my chin on the wood, holding as easily as I could with both hands.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I was afraid of cramps and I hoped we would move toward the shore.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly.
