used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
anew
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
(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 BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
BUTTINGverbUS /ˈbʌtɪŋ/
-ing form of “butt” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
cowsnounUS /kaʊz/
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
devilmentnoun
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
without deviation
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
the organ of sight
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
farmyardnounUS /ˈfɑːrmjɑːrd/
an area adjacent to farm buildings
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
the act of departing
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
and nothing more
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
MATCHESnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
milkedverbUS /mɪlkt/
past form of “milk” — take milk from female mammals
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
being perceived or observed
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
pasturenounUS /ˈpæstʃər/
a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/
worried and uneasy
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
Shep
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
villainnounUS /ˈvɪlən/
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
wanderverbUS /ˈwɑːndər/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
migratory
From this reading They wandered around the farmyard, lay down for a few minutes and then got up to begin their restless wandering again.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
WatsonnounUS /ˈwɑːtsən/
United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading BUTTING MATCHES Shep, the Watson dog, noticed that all the animals seemed greatly excited.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
in or at the place that
From this reading Now the night pasture where the cows were allowed to wander after they had been milked in the evening was directly the other side of the barn.
WhiskersnounUS /ˈwɪskərz/
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “Something is up, and I bet it is some devilment of Billy Whiskers.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I’ll just keep my eye on the villain without his knowing it and discover what it is that is going on,” thought Shep.
