used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
blindedadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪd/
deprived of sight
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
chokeverbUS /tʃoʊk/
breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
consternationnounUS /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
fisher-boy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
haven't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
lumpnounUS /lʌmp/
a compact mass
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading TOM'S NEW YACHT.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
and nothing more
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
thunderboltnounUS /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
male cat
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
TOM'SnounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading TOM'S NEW YACHT.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
the act of using
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
precisely as stated
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
wharfnounUS /wɔːrf/
a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
at the time that
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
belonging to which person
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A great lump seemed to be rising up in his throat, his eyes were blinded with tears he could not choke back, and it was only after a desperate effort that he recovered the use of his tongue.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the wharf and burst at their very feet, Tom could not have been more astonished than he was when these words fell upon his ear.
YACHTnounUS /jɑːt/
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading TOM'S NEW YACHT.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I have!" replied the fisher-boy, whose amazement and consternation were fully equal to Tom's.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "O, now, Bob, you haven't read that letter right," he almost gasped.
