used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
clingingverbUS /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
crazilyadverbUS /ˈkreɪzəli/
in an insane manner
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
dadnounUS /dæd/
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
dearly loved
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What time was it, do you remember?" asked Bill.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
made afraid
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
and nothing more
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Nine o'clock," she said.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading "Nine o'clock," she said.
on one occasion
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
on the contrary
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "What time was it, do you remember?" asked Bill.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Nine o'clock," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
make steady
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I just _felt_ it," she answered, "and once I was so frightened about you, but that passed away."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "What time was it, do you remember?" asked Bill.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "I was waiting for dad to come home from a board meeting."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What time was it, do you remember?" asked Bill.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How did you know I was coming, mother dear?" asked Bill, clinging rather crazily to her as he tried to steady himself.
