used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
avengingverbUS /əˈvendʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “avenge” — take revenge for a perceived wrong
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
bestowedverbUS /bɪˈstoʊd/
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
betrayingverbUS /bɪˈtreɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
blazesnounUS /ˈbleɪzɪz/
plural of “blaze” — a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
exhale hard
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
BULLYnounUS /ˈbʊli/
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
past form of “deliver” — deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
engineersnounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪrz/
plural of “engineer” — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH.
hurryingadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːriɪŋ/
moving with great haste
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
insultnounUS /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
knockoutnounUS /ˈnɑːkaʊt/
a very attractive or seductive looking woman
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
marvelousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːrvələs/
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH.
MEETSnounUS /miːts/
plural of “meet” — a meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held
From this reading THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
swiftnessnounUS /ˈswɪftnəs/
a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
there'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
a source of difficulty
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Now there’ll be blazes to pay!” whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear.
wipersnounUS /ˈwaɪpərz/
plural of “wiper” — a worker who wipes
From this reading The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the engineers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a clean knockout blow, delivered with marvelous skill and swiftness.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading The strange youth had not waited an instant before avenging the insult bestowed upon him.
