used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Then came another surprise.
appearancesnounUS /əˈpɪrənsəz/
plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then came another surprise.
Chinamen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
demonstrationsnounUS /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃənz/
plural of “demonstration” — a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
descendverbUS /dɪˈsend/
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Then shouts of laughter echoed through the place.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
hostileadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːstəl/
characterized by enmity or ill will
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
laddernounUS /ˈlædər/
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Then shouts of laughter echoed through the place.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
engage in
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
newcomersnounUS /ˈnuːkʌmərz/
plural of “newcomer” — any new participant in some activity
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Then shouts of laughter echoed through the place.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
rungnounUS /rʌŋ/
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
SandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/
plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Then shouts of laughter echoed through the place.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Then came another surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came another surprise.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then shouts of laughter echoed through the place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading As they landed on the floor the boys sprang toward them, ready to make a battle for their liberty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
WASauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Instead of making hostile demonstrations, the two newcomers, Chinamen so far as appearances went, threw up their hands and dropped back against the wall.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading WHY ESCAPE WAS SO EASY As Sandy finished speaking two figures dropped down the ladder, not stopping to descend rung by rung.
