used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SUDDEN MEETING.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
absentadjectiveUS /ˈæbsənt/
not being in a specified place
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
errandnounUS /ˈerənd/
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
ferretingverbUS /ˈferətɪŋ/
-ing form of “ferret” — hound or harry relentlessly
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
set up or found
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
homesnounUS /hoʊmz/
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
intrudernounUS /ˌɪnˈtruːdər/
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
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 Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
main-land
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading A SUDDEN MEETING.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
of an obscure nature
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
by chance
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
prowlingverbUS /ˈpraʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “prowl” — move about in or as if in a predatory manner
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
robbersnounUS /ˈrɒb.ərz/
Persons who steal from a person or place, especially using violence or threats.
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
settlersnounUS /ˈsetlərz/
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A SUDDEN MEETING.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Walter had been absent for some time and they began to feel anxious about him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He had now been gone several hours, and they were alarmed, for they thought the robbers were prowling about the forest, and he might fall in with them.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading He had started off on a wild and perhaps dangerous errand--that of ferreting out the strange intruder, the owner of the mysterious voice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Three hours after they had left the island, the settlers found themselves on the main-land, with Shadow Lake between them and their homes.
