used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
alpenstocknoun
a stout staff with a metal point; used by mountain climbers
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “And you are really not hurt at all?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
Blanche
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
be the source of pain
From this reading “And you are really not hurt at all?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
listenersnounUS /ˈlɪsənərz/
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “And you are really not hurt at all?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “And you are really not hurt at all?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
Sigrid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
sympatheticadjectiveUS /ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/
of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
treacherousadjectiveUS /ˈtretʃərəs/
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.”
which person or people
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood waiting at the door of the hotel.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And so it did,” said Blanche, laughing, “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother.
