used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
anew
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
doorstepnounUS /ˈdɔːrstep/
the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
fancying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
kneelingnounUS /ˈniːlɪŋ/
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
panelnounUS /ˈpænəl/
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
raynounUS /reɪ/
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
not in physical motion
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Again he listened, fancying he heard a distant sound in the house; then he felt in his pocket for a match, and kneeling down, passed its light slowly over the rough edges of snow about the doorstep.
in or at that place or location
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading He heard a step on the stairs, and again for an instant the thought of tramps tore through him.
trampsnounUS /træmpz/
plural of “tramp” — a vagrant
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What if tramps had been there—what if....
at the time that
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
which person or people
From this reading Who could be stirring in that silent house?
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was still kneeling when his eyes, on a level with the lower panel of the door, caught a faint ray beneath it.
