used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
doctor'snounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Why did I risk his life this way?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
interminablyadverbUS /ˈɪntərmɪnæbli/
all the time; seemingly without stopping
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Why did I risk his life this way?
mechanicallyadverbUS /məˈkænɪkli/
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
monologuenounUS /ˈmɑːnəlɔːɡ/
speech you make to yourself
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
musclesnounUS /ˈmʌsəlz/
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
not any; not one
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
recurring again and again
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading Why did I risk his life this way?
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
spilledverbUS /spɪld/
past form of “spill” — cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
strangledadjectiveUS /ˈstræŋɡəld/
held in check with difficulty
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
subconsciousadjectiveUS /səbˈkɑːnʃəs/
just below the level of consciousness
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
swallowverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊ/
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
moving very fast
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Why did I risk his life this way?
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Her muscles obeyed the orders of her brain, but her subconscious mind spilled over into her consciousness every minute of the time, and a dreary monologue repeated itself interminably:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
voidadjectiveUS /vɔɪd/
lacking any legal or binding force
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Why did I risk his life this way?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why did I bring him here?
in the company of; together with
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Since the first swift descent of danger she had worked mechanically, under the doctor's orders, without sleep, with no attention to the food which they forced her to swallow.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It seemed to Jane that the world was a great void, filled with the strangled breathing of the baby.
