used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
alleynounUS /ˈæli/
a narrow street with walls on both sides
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT LAST.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
candlesticknounUS /ˈkændəlstɪk/
a holder with sockets for candles
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
cookingnounUS /ˈkʊkɪŋ/
the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
John'snounUS /dʒɑːnz/
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
immediately past
From this reading AT LAST.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
messnounUS /mes/
a state of confusion and disorderliness
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
panverbUS /pæn/
make a sweeping movement
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
pot-holes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading "I could not come any sooner."
spoonnounUS /spuːn/
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
tinnounUS /tɪn/
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
communicated in words
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
in or at the place that
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Mary, cooking supper, uttered a soft exclamation of pleasure and relief as she heard John's step under the alley window and then at the door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She turned, with an iron spoon in one hand and a candlestick in the other, from the little old stove with two pot-holes, where she had been stirring some mess in a tin pan.
you're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, you're"--she reached for a kiss--"real late!"
