used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
captivesnounUS /ˈkæptɪvz/
plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
circuitnounUS /ˈsɜːrkət/
an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
depressionsnounUS /dɪˈpreʃənz/
plural of “depression” — a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading The vigilants were having a running fight with the savages.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The vigilants were having a running fight with the savages.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
locomotivenounUS /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
overtakenverbUS /ˈoʊvərteɪkən/
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
racedverbUS /reɪst/
past form of “race” — move hurridly
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
runawaynounUS /ˈrʌnəweɪ/
an easy victory
From this reading Like a runaway locomotive the Steam Man raced over the plain.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading The vigilants were having a running fight with the savages.
savagesnounUS /ˈsævədʒəz/
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
SteamverbUS /stiːm/
travel by means of steam power
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading At first Frank had fancied it easy to cut them off.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
vigilants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The vigilants were having a running fight with the savages.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But there were several depressions in the prairie which the Man had to circuit, and the distance was greater than Frank had really dreamed of.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The party of savages with the two captives in their midst, evidently intended to reach the hills, if possible, before being overtaken by the Steam Man.
