(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
breathlesslyadverbUS /ˈbreθləsli/
in a breathless manner
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading D.C.M.
clumpnounUS /klʌmp/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading D.C.M.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
fugitivesnounUS /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪvz/
plural of “fugitive” — someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
furrows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
gallopedverbUS /ˈɡæləpt/
past form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
hoofsnounUS /hʊfs/
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
horsemennounUS /ˈhɔːrsmən/
plural of “horseman” — a man skilled in equitation
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading D.C.M.
the force of workers available
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
not in physical motion
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
stubblenounUS /ˈstʌbəl/
material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading They instantly dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
thudverbUS /θʌd/
make a dull sound
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
in the direction of
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them and the clump and plunged among the trees.
at the time that
From this reading The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the thud of horses’ hoofs approaching them from the front.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Two horsemen galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives.
