used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
checkedadjectiveUS /tʃekt/
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
cigarettenounUS /ˌsɪɡərˈet/
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
DavisnounUS /ˈdeɪvəs/
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
psychological suffering
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
fence-corner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
grinningnounUS /ˈɡrɪnɪŋ/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
INTOprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading INTO THE SHADOWS.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
loudlyadverbUS /ˈlaʊdli/
with relatively high volume
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
outskirtsnounUS /ˈaʊtskɜːrts/
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
peeredverbUS /pɪrd/
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
protestingverbUS /prəˈtestɪŋ/
-ing form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
roadsidenounUS /ˈroʊdsaɪd/
edge of a way or road or path
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
cut with a saw
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading INTO THE SHADOWS.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
SpottyadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːti/
having spots or patches (small areas of contrasting color or texture)
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading INTO THE SHADOWS.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
thin-legged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were laughing loudly at something that was taking place there.
which person or people
From this reading On the outskirts of the little gathering he saw the thin-legged figure of Spotty Davis, who was smoking a cigarette and grinning as he peered over the heads of those in front of him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Ben would have hurried past, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, checked by the shrill, protesting voice of a child in distress.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading As he hastened from the yard and turned down the street, he saw several boys assembled beneath a tree in a fence-corner near the roadside.
