used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
advancingadjectiveUS /ədˈvænsɪŋ/
moving forward
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
erectverbUS /ɪˈrekt/
construct, build, or erect
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
opinion or judgment
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
hostileadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːstəl/
characterized by enmity or ill will
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
intermittentlyadverbUS /ˌɪntərˈmɪtəntli/
in an intermittent manner
From this reading The man on the summit of the rock was still shooting, though intermittently.
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 Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
loping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man on the summit of the rock was still shooting, though intermittently.
MAN'SnounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
the force of workers available
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
mincingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪnsɪŋ/
affectedly dainty or refined
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
nearedverbUS /nɪrd/
past form of “near” — move towards
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
not any; not one
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
PurgatorynounUS /ˈpɜːrɡətɔːri/
a temporary condition of torment or suffering
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
with speed
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
ridernounUS /ˈraɪdər/
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
rider'snounUS /ˈraɪdərz/
possessive form of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
shootingnounUS /ˈʃuːtɪŋ/
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
snortingnounUS /ˈsnɔːrtɪŋ/
an act of forcible exhalation
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
not in physical motion
From this reading The man on the summit of the rock was still shooting, though intermittently.
successive (without a break)
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
stretchverbUS /stretʃ/
occupy a large, elongated area
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
summitnounUS /ˈsʌmət/
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading The man on the summit of the rock was still shooting, though intermittently.
confined on all sides
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
suspiciouslyadverbUS /səˈspɪʃəsli/
with suspicion
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The man on the summit of the rock was still shooting, though intermittently.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The black horse seemed to have caught something of his rider's caution.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
traveledadjectiveUS /ˈtrævəld/
traveled over or through; sometimes used as a combining term
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
warilyadverbUS /ˈwerəli/
in a wary manner
From this reading A MAN'S REPUTATION Purgatory moved fast, but warily.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
which person or people
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For part of the distance toward the rock the animal traveled straight, loping rapidly, but as he neared the little stretch of broken country that surrounded the rock he began to sheer off, advancing with mincing steps, his ears erect, his eyes wide and alert, snorting suspiciously.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Knowing his horse, the rider made no attempt to guide him; he knew Purgatory was alert to any hostile movement on the part of the men who were shooting, and that at the first sign of danger to himself or to his rider he would do what was required of him.
