used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
shoot down, of birds
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
in the recent past
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
the sound of laughing
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
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 How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
Sandpipernoun
any of numerous usually small wading birds having a slender bill and piping call; closely related to the plovers
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
sleepyadjectiveUS /ˈsliːpi/
ready to fall asleep
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
carry out
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
precisely as stated
From this reading He began to feel very sleepy, and then suddenly he heard something laugh.
someone who visits
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading How he hoped he would not have a long wait!
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading A DREADFUL VISITOR Ready finished his dinner slowly, stretched himself out in the grass, and waited for the Sandpiper to appear.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Life lately had been so full of waiting, waiting, nothing but waiting!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
water'snounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/
possessive form of “water” — binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was quite near the beach now and knew, of course, that the Sandpiper would take him along the water’s edge.
