used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
awfullyadverbUS /ˈɑːfli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
inflected form of “behold” — see with attention
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
bronzenounUS /brɑːnz/
an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
DEBnounUS /deb/
a young woman making her debut into society
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
enginesnounUS /ˈendʒənz/
plural of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
Felix
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
start firing a weapon
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
firemennounUS /ˈfaɪrmən/
plural of “fireman” — play in which children pretend to put out a fire
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
destroyed or killed
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
Gray'snounUS /ɡreɪz/
possessive form of “gray” — a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
he'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
a small worthless amount
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
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 BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
mansionnounUS /ˈmænʃən/
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
a form of address for a man
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
information about recent and important events
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
passers-bynounUS /ˈpæsərzbaɪ/
plural of “passer-by” — a person who passes by casually or by chance
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
cut with a saw
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
shelfnounUS /ʃelf/
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/
plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
in the near future
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
subsideverbUS /səbˈsaɪd/
wear off or die down
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The little bronze clock upon the kitchen shelf struck four.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She opened the window, and from the conversation of the passers-by she learned that it was Mr. Felix Gray’s mansion that had been burned.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/
make whistling sounds
From this reading She beheld the flames shoot up, heard the shrill whistle of the engines, and the shouts of the firemen, and finally saw the light subside.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Jack will be returning soon," she thought, "and he’ll be awfully tired, too."
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading BAD NEWS FOR DEB After her brother Jack had gone, Deb stood by the window a long time, watching the progress of the fire.
