used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
(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 "He all but struck me with his whip.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
for the reason that
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't say I was particularly regretful, either."
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
coarseadjectiveUS /kɔːrs/
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
disgraceverbUS /dɪsˈɡreɪs/
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
one or the other of two
From this reading I can't say I was particularly regretful, either."
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
a person of German nationality
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
nurse'snounUS /ˈnɜːrsɪz/
possessive form of “nurse” — one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading I can't say I was particularly regretful, either."
a human being
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
regretfuladjectiveUS /rɪˈɡretfəl/
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading I can't say I was particularly regretful, either."
express in words
From this reading I can't say I was particularly regretful, either."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
skirtnounUS /skɜːrt/
cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
having a supporting base
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
not in physical motion
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
threadbareadjectiveUS /ˈθredber/
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
From this reading She looked down at her skirt of threadbare, coarse black stuff.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And five minutes later, still in my nurse's uniform, I was standing in the street, with the door of the hospital closed behind me.
whipverbUS /wɪp/
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "He all but struck me with his whip.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "'Because if France should do that, it would be as much a disgrace for an honest person to be French as now to be German.'
