used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
Cambridgeshire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Sam, I hear a child crying."
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
demanding attention
From this reading "Sam, I hear a child crying."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
Ely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
fens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
flakesnounUS /fleɪks/
plural of “flake” — a crystal of snow
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
flatsnounUS /flæts/
footwear (shoes or slippers) with no heel (or a very low heel)
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
destroyed or killed
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "Sam, I hear a child crying."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Sam, I hear a child crying."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
and nothing more
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
muffledadjectiveUS /ˈmʌfəld/
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
porternounUS /ˈpɔːrtər/
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading "Sam, I hear a child crying."
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
very small
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a bitterly cold night in January.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
at the time that
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
belonging to which person
From this reading But few people had been about all day, and those whose business compelled them to face the weather had hurried along, muffled up to the chin.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind was roaring across the flats and fens of Cambridgeshire, driving tiny flakes of snow before it.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
workhousenoun
a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor
From this reading It was ten at night; and the porter and his wife at the workhouse, at Ely, had just gone to bed, when the woman exclaimed:
