used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
brassardnounUS /ˈbræsərd/
armor plate that protects the arm
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
clerksnounUS /klɜːrks/
plural of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading And clerks of untiring patience sat at desks.
coatsnounUS /koʊts/
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
desksnounUS /desks/
plural of “desk” — a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading And clerks of untiring patience sat at desks.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
divisible by two
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
flappingnounUS /ˈflæpɪŋ/
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
frocknounUS /frɑːk/
a long, loose outer garment
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/
(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
khakiadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːki/
of a yellowish brown color
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
and nothing more
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
messengersnounUS /ˈmesəndʒərz/
plural of “messenger” — a person who carries a message
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
Orderlies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading And clerks of untiring patience sat at desks.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
with low volume
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
RevolutionnounUS /ˌrevəˈluːʃən/
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading And clerks of untiring patience sat at desks.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
in or at that place or location
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
bound or secured closely
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
untiringadjective
characterized by hard work and perseverance
From this reading And clerks of untiring patience sat at desks.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading |HE sent in his name, and waited for an hour in an outer office.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For even at this late hour in the evening headquarters was a busy place.
be dressed in
From this reading Chinese gentlemen crowded in and out, dressed, to a man, in the frock coats and the flapping black trousers they didn't know how to wear.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
a Caucasian
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
in the company of; together with
From this reading High officers slipped quietly in and out--in khaki, with the white brassard of the Revolution on their left arms; sometimes with merely a handkerchief tied there Orderlies and messengers came and went.
