used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
apprenticeshipnounUS /əˈprentəsʃɪp/
the position of apprentice
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
arrestverbUS /ərˈest/
take into custody
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
a youthful male person
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
someone who is a detective
From this reading DICK IN THE STATION-HOUSE.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
errorsnounUS /ˈerərz/
plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
divisible by two
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
faultsnounUS /fɔːlts/
plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading DICK IN THE STATION-HOUSE.
instinctiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/
unthinking; prompted by (or as if by) instinct
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
instructionnounUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌkʃən/
a message describing how something is to be done
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
moraladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrəl/
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
not one, and not any
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Dick!
pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
only a very short time before
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
severestadjectiveUS /səˈvɪrəst/
superlative of “severe” — intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
have in common
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
spirenounUS /spaɪr/
a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
STATION-HOUSE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DICK IN THE STATION-HOUSE.
stealverbUS /stiːl/
take without the owner's consent
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DICK IN THE STATION-HOUSE.
theftnounUS /θeft/
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
TrinitynounUS /ˈtrɪnəti/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading If Trinity Church spire had suddenly fallen to the ground, it could scarcely have surprised and startled him more than his own arrest for theft.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of religious and moral instruction he had then received none; but something told him that it was mean to steal, and he was true to this instinctive feeling.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading During the hard apprenticeship which he had served as a street boy, he had not been without his share of faults and errors; but he had never, even under the severest pressure, taken what did not belong to him.
