used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
attackingadjectiveUS /əˈtækɪŋ/
disposed to attack
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
BlakenounUS /bleɪk/
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
blastverbUS /blæst/
make a strident sound
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
exhale hard
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
ceaseverbUS /siːs/
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
chokingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃoʊ.kɪŋ/
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
devastatingadjectiveUS /ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/
making light of
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
divisible by two
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
moving swiftly
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
gasnounUS /ɡæs/
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
destroyed or killed
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
only a very short time before
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
lethaladjectiveUS /ˈliːθəl/
of an instrument of certain death
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
held up in the air
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
without good reason
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
McGuire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
the force of workers available
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
musclenounUS /ˈmʌsəl/
one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
observatorynounUS /əbˈzɜːrvətɔːri/
a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
and nothing more
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
oxygennounUS /ˈɑːksədʒən/
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
reprievenounUS /riˈpriːv/
a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
savingnounUS /ˈseɪvɪŋ/
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
senselessadjectiveUS /ˈsensləs/
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
transport commercially
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
unconsciousnessnounUS /ˌʌnˈkɑːnʃəsnɪs/
a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment
From this reading Lieutenant McGuire hardly heard the sound of his own pistol before unconsciousness took him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His heart had gone on, and his breathing, though it became shallow, did not cease; he was even able to turn his eyes.
weaponsnounUS /ˈwepənz/
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading But to the men in the observatory room the gas from the weapons of the attacking force came as a devastating, choking cloud that struck them senseless as if with a blow.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
which person or people
From this reading It was death for the men who were left--for them the quick darkness never lifted--but for McGuire and his companion there was reprieve.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A breath of a lethal gas shot from the flying ship had made Captain Blake as helpless as if every muscle were frozen hard, and he had got it only lightly, mixed with the saving blast of oxygen.
