used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
actsnounUS /ækts/
a New Testament book describing the development of the early church from Christ's Ascension to Paul's sojourn at Rome
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
boundedadjectiveUS /ˈbaʊndəd/
having the limits or boundaries established
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
Carl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
flourishverbUS /ˈflɜːrɪʃ/
grow vigorously
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
the act of departing
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
heelnounUS /hiːl/
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
LeonounUS /ˈliːoʊ/
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
magiciannounUS /məˈdʒɪʃ.ən/
A practitioner of magic and ancient arcane arts, often wielding deception and powerful spells.
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
engage in
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
orchestranounUS /ˈɔːrkəstrə/
a musical organization consisting of a group of instrumentalists including string players
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
make square
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The performance had been going on for half an hour.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading He came down to the front, made a bow and threw the square box into the air.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
precisely as stated
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
(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 Leo had done some very clever acts and been well received, and now it was time for Carl to make his bow.
whirledverbUS /wɜːrld/
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Down it came into his hands, and as he whirled around on his heel the box disappeared from view.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The little orchestra struck up a grand flourish, and suddenly the young magician bounded upon the stage, bringing with him a small, square box.
