used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
(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 He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Good time?” he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
ColonialadjectiveUS /kəˈloʊniəl/
of or relating to or characteristic of or inhabiting a colony
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
conversationaladjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃənəl/
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
creamnounUS /kriːm/
the best people or things in a group
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
set up or found
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good time?” he asked.
Gordon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
invariablyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈveriəbli/
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
unusual or striking
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
in the near future
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
subduedadjectiveUS /səbˈduːd/
in a softened tone
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I met the cream of the Colonial Office.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
thoughtfuladjectiveUS /ˈθɔːtfəl/
having intellectual depth
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Good time?” he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
unusuallyadverbUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He was thoughtful, unusually subdued; most remarkable of all, was to be seen, for he invariably went to bed as soon as he reached home after a dinner or theatre, and never by any chance was he in a conversational mood at such hours.
at the time that
From this reading When she got home that night she found Gordon had arrived before her.
