used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
ALBANYnounUS /ˈɔːlbəni/
state capital of New York; located in eastern New York State on the west bank of the Hudson river
From this reading "RICHARD BLOUNT," OF ALBANY.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
BLOUNT
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "RICHARD BLOUNT," OF ALBANY.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
delayedadjectiveUS /dɪˈleɪd/
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
detentionnounUS /dɪˈtenʃən/
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading Here, however, there was no detention.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
guerillanounUS /ɡərˈɪlə/
a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/
(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here, however, there was no detention.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Here, however, there was no detention.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
murkyadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrki/
(of liquids) clouded as with sediment
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
not any; not one
From this reading Here, however, there was no detention.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "RICHARD BLOUNT," OF ALBANY.
many times at short intervals
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
on one occasion
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
outpostsnounUS /ˈaʊtpoʊsts/
plural of “outpost” — a station in a remote or sparsely populated location
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
RICHARD
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "RICHARD BLOUNT," OF ALBANY.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
cut with a saw
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
stragglersnounUS /ˈstræɡlərz/
plural of “straggler” — someone who strays or falls behind
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Here, however, there was no detention.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
the upper part of anything
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
at the time that
From this reading It was a dark, murky night when George reached the headquarters at West Point.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading He had been delayed often in the journey, having been forced to hide in the woods to avoid meeting stragglers from the guerilla forces, and once he saw a man ride to the top of a hill behind him and shadow his eyes with his hat.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading His horse was almost worn out when he had reached the American outposts.
