used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading VIOLET GAINS A SIGNAL VICTORY.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
(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 "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
companion's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
curvenounUS /kɜːrv/
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
firmeradjectiveUS /ˈfɜːrmər/
comparative of “firm” — marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
obtain
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
GAINSnounUS /ɡeɪnz/
plural of “gain” — a quantity that is added
From this reading VIOLET GAINS A SIGNAL VICTORY.
the act of departing
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
much-tried
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
obediencenounUS /oʊˈbiːdiəns/
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
on one occasion
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
and nothing more
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
pretendingnounUS /priˈtendɪŋ/
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
resoluteadjectiveUS /ˈrezəluːt/
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
respectfuladjectiveUS /rɪˈspektfəl/
full of or exhibiting respect
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
cut with a saw
From this reading Violet saw it, and instantly the lines about her own mouth grew firmer and more resolute.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading VIOLET GAINS A SIGNAL VICTORY.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
tireverbUS /ˈtaɪər/
lose interest or become bored with something or somebody
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
twitchverbUS /twɪtʃ/
make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
From this reading She caught the sound of her much-tried companion's sigh, and instantly her lips began to twitch and curve slightly in a smile that had suspicion of triumph in it.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading VIOLET GAINS A SIGNAL VICTORY.
VIOLETnounUS /ˈvaɪəlɪt/
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading VIOLET GAINS A SIGNAL VICTORY.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The child was only pretending not to hear.
which person or people
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "She thinks to tire me out and gain her point," she said to herself, "but I am going to settle who is to rule, once for all, for if I cannot have her respectful obedience it will be useless for me to remain here."
