used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
dearly loved
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
someone who is a detective
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
emergingadjectiveUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒɪŋ/
coming to maturity
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
harpoonnounUS /hɑːrˈpuːn/
a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is attached to it
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
and nothing more
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
meeklyadverbUS /ˈmiːkli/
in a submissive or spiritless manner
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
mermaidnounUS /ˈmɜːrmeɪd/
half woman and half fish; lives in the sea
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
Moby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
NantucketnounUS /nænˈtʌkɪt/
an island resort off Cape Cod; formerly a center of the whaling industry
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
PEABODY'SnounUS /ˈpiːbɑːdiz/
possessive form of “peabody” — educator who founded the first kindergarten in the United States (1804-1894)
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
cut with a saw
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
transport commercially
From this reading A Nantucket ship saw him as he blew, and her boats put out after him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
successive (without a break)
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
swimmingnounUS /ˈswɪmɪŋ/
the act of swimming
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She did so, and then, instead of swimming away from the boats, he put down his enormous head and went straight at them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
propel through the air
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading _LUCY PEABODY’S DREAM._ Moby Dick went on his way, “emerging strong against the tide.”
whalenounUS /weɪl/
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
a Caucasian
From this reading “The white whale!” cried the sailors; and they did not throw the harpoon, but went meekly back to the ship.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Just get off a minute, my dear,” said he to the little mermaid whom he carried.
