used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
alarmsnounUS /əˈlɑːrmz/
plural of “alarm” — fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
equally
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
coltishadjective
given to merry frolicking
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
erectverbUS /ɪˈrekt/
construct, build, or erect
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
excursionsnounUS /ɪkˈskɜːrʒənz/
plural of “excursion” — a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
hurryingadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːriɪŋ/
moving with great haste
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
Kate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
any art that invokes supernatural powers
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
the force of workers available
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
absolutely essential
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
rarelyadverbUS /ˈrerli/
not often
From this reading They rarely spoke.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
settlingnounUS /ˈsetəlɪŋ/
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading They rarely spoke.
make steady
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
steadyingadjective
causing to become steady
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
stridenounUS /straɪd/
a step in walking or running
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They rarely spoke.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It was her great gift, he thought, settling men and horses alike to their stride.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
trotverbUS /trɑːt/
run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
urgingnounUS /ˈɜːrdʒɪŋ/
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
precisely as stated
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Conversation was never necessary between them, and now both were busy with their thoughts.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Kate made the long drive back to Storm, which was to have been her wedding journey, with Philip beside her.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
but in spite of that
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She drove, sitting erect as was her custom, her hands very light upon the lines, steadying the young horses now and then with a word, never urging or hurrying them; yet after a few coltish alarms and excursions they settled down to their work with a long, steady trot that ate up the miles like magic.--It was always a pleasure to Philip to see her drive.
