used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
aptadjectiveUS /æpt/
(usually followed by “to”) naturally disposed toward
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
Barney
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
befallenverbUS /bəˈfɑːlən/
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
bendverbUS /bend/
form a curve
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
brakenounUS /breɪk/
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
moving swiftly
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
set up or found
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
brought together in one place
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
hastenverbUS /ˈheɪsən/
act or move at high speed
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
impossibilitynounUS /ˌɪmpɔːsɪˈbɪlɪti/
incapability of existing or occurring
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
locomotivenounUS /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
a particular point in time
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
not one, and not any
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
go across or through
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
Ranger'snounUS /ˈreɪndʒərz/
possessive form of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
runnersnounUS /ˈrʌnərz/
plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
ship'snounUS /ʃɪps/
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
in the near future
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
move hurridly
From this reading She gathered speed every moment, as the hill was steep, and was soon roaring down like a locomotive.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He, therefore, raised them, and let the boat go on her runners.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading None of the Ranger’s crew had seen what had befallen Barney, as the bend in the pass hid him from their view.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading Frank, therefore, did not hasten to stop the ice ship’s wheels, and to his surprise he found her flying down the side of a steep hill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading To stop her now with the brake was almost an utter impossibility, for the wheels were apt to trip her up.
