used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been drowned.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
dartverbUS /dɑːrt/
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
drownedverbUS /draʊnd/
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading He had been drowned.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
fishesnounUS /ˈfɪʃəz/
plural of “fish” — any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
flashingnounUS /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
a short vivid experience
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been drowned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been drowned.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
hurtled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
inquisitivelyadverb
with curiosity
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
the act of departing
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
murkyadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrki/
(of liquids) clouded as with sediment
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
on one occasion
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
rocketnounUS /ˈrɑːkət/
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
shootingnounUS /ˈʃuːtɪŋ/
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
swamverbUS /swæm/
inflected form of “swim” — travel through water
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They hurtled through the murky light like shooting stars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And once two of them dashed together and burst like a rocket.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was floating in a sea of light, and now and then shining little fishes swam inquisitively up to him and stared.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They would look at him with wide, cold eyes and then dart off into space, leaving a flashing wake behind them.
