used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
creepverbUS /kriːp/
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
one or the other of two
From this reading This was not the worst, either.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
Fritz
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
a long fixed look
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
a particular point in time
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
not any; not one
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This was not the worst, either.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
overcastnounUS /ˈoʊvərkæst/
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
in the near future
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
sinksnounUS /sɪŋks/
plural of “sink” — plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The land is now growing quite faint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was not the worst, either.
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
upsetverbUS /əpˈset/
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was not the worst, either.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut out everything from their gaze.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
we'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."
we're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading This was not the worst, either.
