used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
Acton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
at or in or to any place
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
confirmedadjectiveUS /kənˈfɜːrmd/
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
elatedadjectiveUS /ɪˈleɪtəd/
exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
plural of “family” — a social unit living together
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
a social unit living together
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
inabilitynounUS /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/
lack of ability (especially mental ability) to do something
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
information about recent and important events
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
out-of-the-wayadjective
exceptional, unusual, or remarkable
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
regrettedverbUS /rɪˈɡretɪd/
inflected form of “regret” — feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
relatingverbUS /rɪˈleɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “relate” — make a logical or causal connection
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
RichmondnounUS /ˈrɪtʃmənd/
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
sewingnounUS /ˈsoʊɪŋ/
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Mr. Richmond had gone forth in search of more facts on the subject.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE TWO FAMILIES The report that George Acton had returned was the talk of the town and had reached the ears of the Richmond family in their out-of-the-way home.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mr. Richmond closed his remarks by saying that he regretted his inability to find George Acton anywhere, and nobody seemed to know what had become of him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He returned highly elated, with the good news confirmed, and stood in the midst of his family relating it to them.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Lucy stopped sewing and her hands dropped in her lap, for the news was such a wonderful surprise to her.
