used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
Ah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
cause to be bored
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
deathbednounUS /ˈdeθbed/
the last few hours before death
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
divisible by two
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
improvementnounUS /ˌɪmˈpruːvmənt/
a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
and nothing more
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
overtakenverbUS /ˈoʊvərteɪkən/
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
pangsnounUS /pæŋz/
plural of “pang” — a sudden sharp feeling
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
ReubennounUS /ˈruːbən/
(Old Testment) a son of Jacob and forefather of one of the tribes of Israel
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
robbedverbUS /rɑːbd/
inflected form of “rob” — take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
express in words
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading But he still had a start; he could not be overtaken.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
not in physical motion
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
stingverbUS /stɪŋ/
cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And at every success, every improvement, as they by degrees were able to offer their mother a good home and comfort, it had to be reward enough for them for their mother to say: “Ah, if my little Reuben could have seen that!”
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
which person or people
From this reading It was he who robbed the death pangs of their sting, since she knew that they bore her to him.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Brother Reuben followed his mother through the whole of her life, even to her deathbed.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading They grew up strong and capable; they worked their way up to wealth and consideration, while Brother Reuben only sat still on his stone steps.
