used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
completely unclothed
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
the two together, not just one
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
creakingnounUS /ˈkriːkɪŋ/
a squeaking sound
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
distinctadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
eagernessnounUS /ˈiːɡərnəs/
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
apart from; not including
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
expiringverbUS /ɪkˈspaɪrɪŋ/
-ing form of “expire” — lose validity
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
fumbledverbUS /ˈfʌmbəld/
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
a particular point in time
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
RaphaelnounUS /ˌrɑːfaɪˈel/
Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High Renaissance (1483-1520)
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
snoresnounUS /snɔːrz/
plural of “snore” — the rattling noise produced when snoring
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
with low volume
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
storeynounUS /ˈstɔːri/
a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
the upper part of anything
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
unlatch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
the topmost one of two
From this reading At the top of the bare, creaking stairs he fumbled a moment for the handle of his door, and the regular sound of two distinct snores descended from an upper storey.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked home to Raphael Street.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The house was dead, except for a pale light in his own room.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The smell of the expiring lamp compelled him to unlatch both windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He closed the door softly, locked it, and glanced round the room with some eagerness.
