used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
anew
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
ambitiousadjectiveUS /æmˈbɪʃəs/
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
a youthful male person
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
brother'snounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
castingnounUS /ˈkæstɪŋ/
object formed by a mold
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
chumnounUS /tʃʌm/
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
clutchingverbUS /ˈklʌtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
hoveringverbUS /ˈhʌvərɪŋ/
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
Larry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
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 Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
marksmanshipnounUS /ˈmɑːrksmənʃɪp/
skill in shooting
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
a person who carries a message
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
musketnounUS /ˈmʌskət/
a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
Phil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
having a point
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
by chance
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
sightedadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪtɪd/
able to see
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
sneakverbUS /sniːk/
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
stealverbUS /stiːl/
take without the owner's consent
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
Tony
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But what makes Tony act like that?" demanded Larry.
hard to endure
From this reading Phil pointed to a small boy who was trying to sneak away, carrying an old musket about half again as long as himself.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had possibly taken advantage of the excitement to steal his elder brother's gun; and casting about for some object upon which to exercise his ambitious marksmanship, had sighted a hovering bird, which had instantly fallen to his fire.
which person or people
From this reading Who shot?" cried Larry, clutching his chum by the arm.
WINGEDadjectiveUS /wɪŋd/
having wings or as if having wings of a specified kind
From this reading THE "WINGED MESSENGER "Oh! what was that?
