used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
brutes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
complainedverbUS /kəmˈpleɪnd/
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
countedverbUS /ˈkaʊntɪd/
past form of “count” — determine the number or amount of
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
earnverbUS /ɜːrn/
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
finestadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəst/
superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
fleasnounUS /fliːz/
plural of “flea” — any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading The village folk loved her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
ha'pennynoun
an English coin worth half a penny
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The village folk loved her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
horriblyadverbUS /ˈhɔːrəbli/
of a dreadful kind
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
horrorsnounUS /ˈhɔːrərz/
plural of “horror” — intense and profound fear
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
humornounUS /ˈhjuːmər/
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
indignitynounUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnətiː/
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
IrishmannounUS /ˈaɪrɪʃmən/
a man who is a native or inhabitant of Ireland
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
kennelsnounUS /ˈkenəlz/
plural of “kennel” — outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
held dear
From this reading The village folk loved her.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
outragedadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtreɪdʒd/
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
select carefully from a group
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
spendingnounUS /ˈspendɪŋ/
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
stingyadjectiveUS /ˈstɪndʒi/
unwilling to spend (money, time, resources, etc.)
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The village folk loved her.
Tim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading The village folk loved her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, she had kennels filled with the finest dogs in the United Kingdom, and, oh, horrors! she obliged my brother and myself to pick the fleas from the brutes in order to earn spending money.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading An old Irishman named Tim Burden stood over us and counted the fleas, for each one of which we received a ha’penny.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “She was a kindly woman, with a strong sense of humor, but was horribly stingy with us boys.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “At one time we became so outraged at the indignity that we wrote to our father and complained to him.
