used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading WHAT JOE HARPER SAW ABROAD.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
(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 My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
for the reason that
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
dessertnounUS /dɪˈzɜːrt/
a dish served as the last course of a meal
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
HARPERnounUS /ˈhɑːrpər/
someone who plays the harp
From this reading WHAT JOE HARPER SAW ABROAD.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
JOE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT JOE HARPER SAW ABROAD.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
information about recent and important events
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
a separate part of a whole
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
cut with a saw
From this reading WHAT JOE HARPER SAW ABROAD.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
supremeadjectiveUS /səˈpriːm/
final or last in your life or progress
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
express in words
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT JOE HARPER SAW ABROAD.
at the time that
From this reading “When it comes after dinner,” said I, “it is certain it can be nothing of supreme importance, because if it was, papa could not keep it to himself till then.”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading My father laughed, and said he had a good mind not to tell me at all, that I might see whether he could not keep a piece of good news to himself.
which person or people
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “The news always comes with the dessert,” observed my mother, smiling; “and a very pleasant dessert it is for people who live in a country village.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I have a piece of news for you,” said my father, one day after dinner.
