used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
anew
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
any thing at all
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
audaciousadjectiveUS /ɑːˈdeɪʃəs/
invulnerable to fear or intimidation
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
chokedadjectiveUS /tʃoʊkt/
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
conflictingadjectiveUS /kənˈflɪktɪŋ/
in disagreement
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
emotionsnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
set up or found
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
headlongadverbUS /ˈhedlɔːŋ/
with the head foremost
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
intoxicationnounUS /ˌɪntɑːksəˈkeɪʃən/
the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
and nothing more
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
rapidadjectiveUS /ˈræpəd/
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
move upward
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
stressnounUS /stres/
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
surprisesnounUS /sərˈpraɪzɪz/
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The intoxication of rapid motion carried him away headlong in more senses than one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
utterancenounUS /ˈʌtərəns/
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
ventnounUS /vent/
a hole for the escape of gas or air
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
vividadjectiveUS /ˈvɪvəd/
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE FIRST FLIGHT There was not much talking at first.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For with wings it is almost easier to rise than to fall, and a first flight is, before anything else, a series of vivid and audacious surprises.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The stress of conflicting emotions was so fierce that the words choked themselves in his throat, and the desire for utterance found its only vent in hard breathing.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At first he felt as if he never would be able to keep up; then it seemed as if he never would get down again.
