used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
AndersonnounUS /ˈændərsən/
United States author whose works were frequently autobiographical (1876-1941)
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
BanverbUS /bæn/
forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
barknounUS /bɑːrk/
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
bayingverbUS /ˈbeɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “bay” — utter in deep prolonged tones
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
boundingverbUS /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/
-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading We were close to the house.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
ditchnounUS /dɪtʃ/
a long narrow excavation in the earth
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
fawningadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːnɪŋ/
attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
enclose with a fence
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading We were close to the house.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
and nothing more
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
light-coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
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 Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
mastiffnounUS /ˈmæstəf/
an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
Nicole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
a brief written record
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
having a point
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
in the near future
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
puppy-whine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
QuietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
Summer'snounUS /ˈsʌmərz/
possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We were close to the house.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Presently came a deep, baying bark, and a great, light-coloured English mastiff came bounding toward us.
vaultedadjectiveUS /ˈvɔːltɪd/
having a hemispherical vault or dome
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading Nicole stopped, and pointed to a cabin just visible at the foot of a long slope falling away to our right.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
well-cut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a Little Summer’s Sleep We vaulted the fence, jumped a well-cut ditch (I took note that Anderson was an excellent farmer), and ran across the fields.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were close to the house.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Quiet, Ban!” said Nicole; and the huge beast, with a puppy-whine of delight, fell fawning at his knees.
