used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
barnsnounUS /bɑːrnz/
plural of “barn” — an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
battle-green
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On Lexington battle-green several of them fell.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
bulletsnounUS /ˈbʊləts/
plural of “bullet” — a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
destructiveadjectiveUS /dɪˈstrʌktɪv/
causing destruction or much damage
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
disorderlyadjectiveUS /dɪˈsɔːrdərli/
undisciplined and unruly
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
encounteredverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntərd/
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
at any time
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
gallingadjectiveUS /ˈɡɔːlɪŋ/
causing irritation or annoyance
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
gantletnounUS /ˈɡɔːntlət/
to offer or accept a challenge
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
LexingtonnounUS /ˈleksɪŋtən/
town in eastern Massachusetts near Boston where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
march in a procession
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
minute-men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
a particular point in time
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
used to form the superlative
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On Lexington battle-green several of them fell.
orderlynounUS /ˈɔːrdərli/
a soldier who serves as an attendant to a superior officer
From this reading It began as an orderly march; it ended as a disorderly flight.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
revengefuladjective
disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
road-side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading On Lexington battle-green several of them fell.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington, the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive storm of bullets they had ever encountered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading On Lexington battle-green several of them fell.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
soldiers collectively
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Reaching the line of retreat, they hid behind houses, barns, and road-side walls, and poured a galling fire upon the troops, some of whom at every moment fell dead.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The story of Lexington had already spread far and wide and, full of revengeful fury, the minute-men hastened to the scene.
