used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
biggestadjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡəst/
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
coltnounUS /koʊlt/
a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
developmentnounUS /dɪˈveləpmənt/
act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
the act of discovering something
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
exoticadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɑːtɪk/
being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
FalconnounUS /ˈfælkən/
diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
fleeingverbUS /ˈfliːɪŋ/
-ing form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
Flunkynoun
a male servant (especially a footman)
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
a young female
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
happeningsnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋz/
plural of “happening” — an event that happens
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
improbabilities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
held dear
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
Manzanitanoun
chiefly evergreen shrubs of warm dry areas of western North America
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
a particular point in time
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
nightmarenounUS /ˈnaɪt.mɛr/
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
overjoyedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɔɪd/
extremely joyful
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
pitchingnounUS /ˈpɪtʃɪŋ/
(baseball) playing the position of pitcher on a baseball team
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
plungingverbUS /ˈplʌndʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
roannounUS /roʊn/
a soft sheepskin leather that is colored and finished to resemble morocco; used in bookbinding
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
Identical; not different.
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
steadiedadjectiveUS /ˈstedid/
made steady or constant
From this reading After a run of a mile or more, the roan colt that Manzanita rode steadied down and ceased pitching and plunging.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading One moment he had been overjoyed at the discovery that the girl he had loved almost from the first day he met felt the same toward him, that he had held her in his arms and kissed her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
unlooked-foradjective
not anticipated
From this reading FLIGHT THE rapid development of the unlooked-for situation seemed to have bewildered Falcon the Flunky.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now they were fleeing from the hand of the law.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
whirlwindnounUS /ˈwɜːrlwɪnd/
a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth
From this reading The biggest day of his life suddenly had been turned into a nightmare of improbabilities, a whirlwind of exotic happenings of which he had never dreamed.
