used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
beardsnounUS /bɪrdz/
plural of “beard” — the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
birch-bark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
breathlesslyadverbUS /ˈbreθləsli/
in a breathless manner
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
the act of burning something
From this reading They swung burning torches.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
clothing in general
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
firnounUS /fɜːr/
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
made afraid
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
holesnounUS /hoʊlz/
plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
and nothing more
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
lichennounUS /ˈlaɪkən/
any of several eruptive skin diseases characterized by hard thick lesions grouped together and resembling lichens growing on rocks
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
Magnus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Magnus screamed shrilly.
the force of workers available
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
paintverbUS /peɪnt/
make a painting
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
scarecrownounUS /ˈskærkroʊ/
an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
screamedverbUS /skriːmd/
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Magnus screamed shrilly.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
shirtsnounUS /ʃɜːrts/
plural of “shirt” — a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
shrillyadverb
in a shrill voice
From this reading Magnus screamed shrilly.
spottedadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːtɪd/
having spots or patches (small areas of contrasting color or texture)
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
stealthilyadverb
in a stealthy manner
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading They swung burning torches.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
the upper part of anything
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
torchesnounUS /ˈtɔːrtʃɪz/
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading They swung burning torches.
troopnounUS /truːp/
a group of soldiers
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
wedding-farm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
which person or people
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a troop of men and boys who, with shirts spotted with red paint on top of their clothes, came stealthily up to the ‘wedding-farm.’
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading They had scarecrow faces of birch-bark, with big round holes for eyes, and long beards of lichen from an old fir in the woods.
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 FLIGHT Just as they ran breathlessly down the yard, they met a crowd that nearly frightened them out of their senses.
