used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
cellarnounUS /ˈselər/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
Clanton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
confinedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnd/
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
creakingnounUS /ˈkriːkɪŋ/
a squeaking sound
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
a boy or man
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
Goodheart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
gropedverbUS /ɡroʊpt/
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
hingesnounUS /ˈhɪndʒɪz/
plural of “hinge” — a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
inchnounUS /ɪntʃ/
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
in motion
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
information about recent and important events
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
noiselesslyadverb
without a sound
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
PaulineadjectiveUS /pɔːˈliːn/
relating to Paul the Apostle or his doctrines
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
rustyadjectiveUS /ˈrʌsti/
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
up to a particular time
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The creaking of the rusty hinges seemed to Jim to be shouting aloud the news of his escape.
trapdoor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rose, moved noiselessly across the floor, and raised the trapdoor slowly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
in or at the place that
From this reading Jim Takes a Prisoner After Goodheart left the room where his prisoner was confined, Clanton waited a few moments till the sound of his footsteps had died away.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He groped his way to the door, which Pauline had left open an inch or two.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young fellow descended into the cellar and stood there without moving till his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
