used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
abruptadjectiveUS /əˈbrʌpt/
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
Allston
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
in a state of sleep
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading She had listened, too, rather closely.
the act of departing
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
start firing a weapon
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
good-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
half-past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
inhospitableadjectiveUS /ɪnˈhɑːspətəbəl/
unfavorable to life or growth
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
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 half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading She had listened, too, rather closely.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
on the contrary
From this reading She had listened, too, rather closely.
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
retreatednounUS /riˈtriːtəd/
people who have retreated
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Her abrupt and somewhat inhospitable departure was a retreat--nothing less.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And though it was after midnight before she fell asleep, she had not then heard his footsteps along the hall.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The man had been in her thoughts every minute since she bade him good-night and retreated to her room.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had listened, too, rather closely.
on a floor above
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
at the time that
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
Wilmer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was half-past nine when Wilmer left Allston alone in front of the open fire and went upstairs.
