used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
Abner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
on or to one side
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
astonishingadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃɪŋ/
surprising greatly
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
boardsnounUS /bɔːrdz/
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
inquirynounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪriː/
a search for knowledge
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
kickedverbUS /kɪkt/
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
rollersnounUS /ˈroʊlərz/
plural of “roller” — a grounder that rolls along the infield
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
the state of being asleep
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
squeakingadjectiveUS /ˈskwiːkɪŋ/
having or making a high-pitched sound such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
strodeverbUS /stroʊd/
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the farmer strode forward and dragged one of the doors back on its squeaking rollers.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
ticknounUS /tɪk/
a metallic tapping sound
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I scrambled to my feet and kicked aside the tick and blankets.
unpaintedadjectiveUS /ənˈpeɪntɪd/
not having makeup on
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Some snow fell in upon his boots from the ridge that had formed against it over night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Whatever else happened, it did not seem likely that there was any more sleeping to be done.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Abner and Esther stood for a bewildered minute, staring at the rough unpainted boards through which this astonishing inquiry had come.
