used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
put or send forth
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
cutthroatnounUS /ˈkʌtθroʊt/
someone who murders by cutting the victim's throat
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
DroppingadjectiveUS /ˈdrɑːpɪŋ/
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
grabbedverbUS /ɡræbd/
inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading How it happened, Sandy never knew.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How it happened, Sandy never knew.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How it happened, Sandy never knew.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
most important element
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
engage in
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
a particular point in time
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
paddleverbUS /ˈpædəl/
propel with a paddle
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
select carefully from a group
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
raftnounUS /ræft/
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
SandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
cut with a saw
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
shiftsnounUS /ʃɪfts/
plural of “shift” — an event in which something is displaced without rotation
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
skimmingnounUS /ˈskɪmɪŋ/
the act of removing floating material from the surface of a liquid
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Sandy never had a chance to make that cast.
twistingnounUS /ˈtwɪstɪŋ/
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
unpredictableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnprɪˈdɪktəbəl/
not capable of being foretold
From this reading The river, in one of its unpredictable shifts, suddenly grabbed his raft and sent it skimming and twisting out into the main current.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dropping all thoughts of landing the cutthroat, Sandy leaned hastily over to pick up his paddle.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading One moment he had the paddle; the next instant he saw it shoot out of his hand and land in the water out of reach.
