used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
(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 After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
next to; at the side of
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
convulsivelyadverb
with convulsions, in a convulsive way
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
crushedadjectiveUS /krʌʃt/
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
a boy or man
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
set up or found
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
the act of departing
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
inertly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
without good reason
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
cause to move by pulling
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
precisely, exactly
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
express in words
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
sobsnounUS /sɑːbz/
plural of “sob” — a dyspneic condition
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
with low volume
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
that is looked for
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
express in speech
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
strokedverbUS /stroʊkt/
past form of “stroke” — touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
a special situation
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Like a crushed thing she sank inertly to the ground.
commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading He threw himself down beside her, put one arm around her waist, and sought her hand....
weepverbUS /wiːp/
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading Then she began to weep softly; he heard it, and stroked the hand he had found.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading After a while he had tried to say, lightly: “I guess the old fellow is going to pull through, all right.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Her body shook with sobs; they tore her so convulsively that she could not speak a word.
