used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
accountsnounUS /əˈkaʊnts/
plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
at or in or to any place
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
brassnounUS /bræs/
an alloy of copper and zinc
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
casuallyadverbUS /ˈkæʒəwəli/
not methodically or according to plan
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
cleaningnounUS /ˈkliːnɪŋ/
the act of making something clean
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
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 Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
greetingnounUS /ˈɡriːtɪŋ/
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
intrudernounUS /ˌɪnˈtruːdər/
someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
Jacques
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
matchesnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
in motion
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
preliminaryadjectiveUS /prɪˈlɪməneri/
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
salonnounUS /səˈlɑːn/
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
Identical; not different.
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
express in words
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
sideboardnoun
a removable board fitted on the side of a wagon to increase its capacity
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
a person, without saying who
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
which person or people
From this reading She had heard someone moving about in the salon, but she had thought it must be Jacques, who a few minutes before had been cleaning the brass on the front door.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading She rose from her desk by the window and shot the intruder a glance, at the same time reaching the matches from the sideboard.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The voice, which addressed her casually and without any preliminary greeting, stirred something in her memory.
the act of creating written works
From this reading Esther jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice close to her ear, and looked up from the accounts she was writing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I say, have you got any matches anywhere?"
