used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
alarmsnounUS /əˈlɑːrmz/
plural of “alarm” — fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
next to; at the side of
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
ChildishadjectiveUS /ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
handleverbUS /ˈhændəl/
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
Laura
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
MasonnounUS /ˈmeɪsən/
American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
come together
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
nervouslyadverbUS /ˈnɜːrvəsli/
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
piercingadjectiveUS /ˈpɪrsɪŋ/
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
remembrancesnounUS /rɪˈmembrənsɪz/
plural of “remembrance” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
roughlyadverbUS /ˈrʌfli/
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
dependable
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
thronging
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Childish remembrances and alarms seemed to be thronging back into her mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
in the direction of
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a noise of voices in the outer room.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mason went out to meet his mother, and Laura waited.
in or at the place that
From this reading She stood where she had risen, beside the piano, looking nervously towards the door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Then a handle was roughly turned, and Laura saw before her a short, stout woman, with grey hair, and the most piercing black eyes.
