used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
a young person of either sex
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Did it come from the loft?
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did it come from the loft?
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Did it come from the loft?
graspedverbUS /ɡræspt/
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
gropingadjectiveUS /ˈɡroʊpɪŋ/
acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
Gubblum's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
laddernounUS /ˈlædər/
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
loftnounUS /lɔːft/
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
lowestadjectiveUS /ˈloʊəst/
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
the force of workers available
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
moannounUS /moʊn/
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
partiallyadverbUS /ˈpɑːrʃəli/
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
retiringadjectiveUS /rɪˈtaɪrɪŋ/
not arrogant or presuming
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
rungsnounUS /rʌŋz/
plural of “rung” — a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
unusual or striking
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It was something between the cry of a child and the deep moan of a sick man.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
not in physical motion
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As soon as the noise of the retiring steps had died away on Gubblum's ear, he dressed himself partially, opened the door of his bedroom cautiously, and stepped into the passage.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
at the time that
From this reading He had grasped the lowest rungs of it, and was already some steps up, when he heard a singular noise.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was still in the dark, and groping with one hand, he felt for the ladder by which the two men had carried their burden to the loft above.
