used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may be either," replied the doctor.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
BRINKnounUS /brɪŋk/
a region marking a boundary
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
canenounUS /keɪn/
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
one or the other of two
From this reading It may be either," replied the doctor.
escapingverbUS /ɪˈskeɪpɪŋ/
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Nothing serious, I hope?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
imaginingverbUS /ˌɪˈmædʒənɪŋ/
-ing form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It may be either," replied the doctor.
Kenyon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
museumnounUS /mjuːˈziːəm/
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
not any; not one
From this reading "No--yes.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing serious, I hope?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading It may be either," replied the doctor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading "Nothing serious, I hope?"
in the near future
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
express in words
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
unnoticedadjectiveUS /ənˈnoʊtɪst/
not noticed
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
VOLCANOnounUS /vɑːlˈkeɪnoʊ/
a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading THE BRINK OF A VOLCANO The boys were quite wrong in imagining that their act of escaping from the museum had passed unnoticed, for as soon as they had passed out of hearing the doctor nodded his head and threw himself back in his cane chair.
an affirmative
From this reading "No--yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now we are alone," he said to Mr. Kenyon, "I may as well tell you what I have heard."
