used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
bootedadjectiveUS /ˈbuːtɪd/
wearing boots
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
diggingnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
driftsnounUS /drɪfts/
plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
droningnounUS /ˈdroʊnɪŋ/
an unchanging intonation
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
flounderedverbUS /ˈflaʊndərd/
past form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
set up or found
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
Frome
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
Frome's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
to a considerable degree
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
ladder-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
latchverbUS /lætʃ/
fasten with a latch
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
held up in the air
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
porchnounUS /pɔːrtʃ/
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
querulouslyadverb
in a peevish manner
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
raynounUS /reɪ/
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
precisely, exactly
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
slipperyadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpəri/
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
StaggeringadjectiveUS /ˈstæɡərɪŋ/
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he lifted his lantern, found the latch, and led the way into the house.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
unlitadjective
not set afire or burning
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Staggering along in Frome’s wake I floundered toward it, and in the darkness almost fell into one of the deep drifts against the front of the house.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I went after him into a low unlit passage, at the back of which a ladder-like staircase rose into obscurity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Frome scrambled up the slippery steps of the porch, digging a way through the snow with his heavily booted foot.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading On our right a line of light marked the door of the room which had sent its ray across the night; and behind the door I heard a woman’s voice droning querulously.
