used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
barn-doors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
barnyardnounUS /ˈbɑːrnjɑːrd/
a yard adjoining a barn
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
beamsnounUS /biːmz/
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
cornersnounUS /ˈkɔːrnərz/
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
dryingverbUS /ˈdraɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “dry” — remove the moisture from and make dry
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
duskyadjective
lighted by or as if by twilight
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
farmhandsnounUS /ˈfɑːrmhændz/
plural of “farmhand” — a hired hand on a farm
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
fearlesslyadverb
without fear
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
haynounUS /heɪ/
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
laddersnounUS /ˈlædərz/
plural of “ladder” — steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
held dear
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
odournounUS /ˈoʊdər/
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
plungeverbUS /plʌndʒ/
thrust or throw into
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
ramblingadjectiveUS /ˈræmblɪŋ/
spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
sweet-smellingadjective
having a natural fragrance
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The warm sunshine lay full on the great barnyard, and the silence of a summer morning in the country lay over everything.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The air was full of the sweet, warm odour of drying hay.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
whoopverbUS /wuːp/
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading They would climb up the steep ladders, walk fearlessly across the big beams, and, with a wild whoop, would plunge downward on the mass of soft, sweet-smelling hay beneath.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The farmhands were off at work, and the wide barn-doors stood open.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The children loved the big, rambling barn, with its dark, dusky corners, and they would play there by the hour.
