used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
from appearances alone
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
briskadjectiveUS /brɪsk/
quick and energetic
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
bulletsnounUS /ˈbʊləts/
plural of “bullet” — a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
placed in a grave
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
capturingverbUS /ˈkæptʃərɪŋ/
-ing form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading WE ESCAPE TO SEA.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
start firing a weapon
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
fortunatelyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by good fortune
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
harmlesslyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrmləsli/
in a harmless manner
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
cause to move by striking
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
missilesnounUS /ˈmɪsəlz/
plural of “missile” — a rocket carrying a warhead of conventional or nuclear explosives; may be ballistic or directed by remote control
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
used to form the superlative
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
negroesnounUS /ˈniːɡroʊz/
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
not one, and not any
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
nosesnounUS /ˈnoʊzɪz/
plural of “nose” — the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
ominousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːmənəs/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
pingsnounUS /pɪŋz/
plural of “ping” — a river in western Thailand; a major tributary of the Chao Phraya
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
piratesnounUS /ˈpaɪrəts/
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading WE ESCAPE TO SEA.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
tantalizingadjectiveUS /ˈtæntəlaɪzɪŋ/
arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was of course extremely tantalizing for them, especially as they had felt so sure of capturing us.
thunderstruckadjectiveUS /ˈθʌndərstrʌk/
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading WE ESCAPE TO SEA.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One or two bullets struck the boat, but most fortunately none of us got hit.
precisely as stated
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading WE ESCAPE TO SEA.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The pirates must have been thunderstruck at our apparently successful attack upon the armed negroes, and the game way in which we walked off with the boat under their very noses.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A brisk fire, however, was kept up for some minutes, and many of the deadly little missiles flew about us with their ominous _pings_, and then buried themselves harmlessly in the sea.
