used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
Alcotts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
the act of breaking something
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
Buntingford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
Buntingford's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
claimedverbUS /kleɪmd/
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
defiedverbUS /dɪˈfaɪd/
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
deniedverbUS /dɪˈnaɪd/
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/
extreme fatigue
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
forty-eightadjective
being eight more than forty
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/
the act of grasping
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
hopelessadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpləs/
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
influenzanounUS /ˌɪnfluːˈenzə/
an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
informverbUS /ˌɪnˈfɔːrm/
impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
set down according to a plan
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
lingeredverbUS /ˈlɪŋɡərd/
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
poisonverbUS /ˈpɔɪzən/
spoil as if by poison
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
recklesslyadverbUS /ˈrekləsli/
in a reckless manner
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
recoverynounUS /rɪˈkʌvri/
return to an original state
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
cut with a saw
From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
surroundingsnounUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/
the environmental condition
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading The Alcotts' unexpected guest lingered another forty-eight hours under their roof,--making a hopeless fight for life.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
migratory
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
weakenedadjectiveUS /ˈwiːkənd/
impaired by diminution
From this reading But the influenza poison, recklessly defied from the beginning, had laid too deadly a grip on an already weakened heart.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading Buntingford saw her whenever the doctors allowed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And the excitement of the means she had taken to inform herself as to the conditions of Buntingford's life and surroundings, before breaking in upon them, together with the exhaustion of her night wandering, had finally destroyed her chance of recovery.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She claimed his presence indeed, and would not be denied.
