used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
aimedverbUS /eɪmd/
past form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
any person at all
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
Don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
the act of giving
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
GladstonenounUS /ˈɡlædstoʊn/
liberal British statesman who served as prime minister four times (1809-1898)
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
gunshotsnounUS /ˈɡʌnʃɑːts/
plural of “gunshot” — the act of shooting a gun
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
magazinenounUS /ˈmæɡəziːn/
a periodic publication containing pictures and stories and articles of interest to those who purchase it or subscribe to it
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
the force of workers available
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
PlacingverbUS /ˈpleɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “place” — put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
removingverbUS /riˈmuːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “remove” — remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
shellsnounUS /ʃelz/
plural of “shell” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
sheriffnounUS /ˈʃerəf/
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
make steady
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
carry out
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
triggerverbUS /ˈtrɪɡər/
put in motion or move to act
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “Don’t take any chances with a shot now giving an alarm to anyone,” he warned.
waryadjectiveUS /ˈweri/
marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
at the time that
From this reading Placing it against his shoulder, he aimed at a spot some distance away when a sharp call from the sheriff stopped the steady pressure of his finger on the trigger.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Bob got out his Gladstone bag and opened it, removing the case which held his rifle.
which person or people
From this reading “Remember that the men who hide out down here are all wary of any gunshots.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He assembled the gun and filled the magazine with shells.
