used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
accostedverbUS /əˈkɑːstɪd/
past form of “accost” — speak to someone
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
AlfrednounUS /ˈælfrəd/
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
Alfred's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
rid of obstructions
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
opinion or judgment
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
gailyadverbUS /ˈɡeɪli/
in a gay manner
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
miserablyadverbUS /ˈmɪzərəbli/
in a miserable manner
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
a particular point in time
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
a form of address for a man
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
not any; not one
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE WATCH.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
recognitionnounUS /ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃən/
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
Sheldrakenoun
large crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
that is looked for
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
stareverbUS /ster/
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
moving very fast
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE WATCH.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Alfred's parched lips moved in response, but no sound came from them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He thought he had spoken aloud, however, and his eyes, after the first swift recognition of Mr. Sheldrake, sought the ground miserably.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
vacantadjectiveUS /ˈveɪkənt/
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
look attentively
From this reading ON THE WATCH.
at the time that
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
which person or people
From this reading In that moment his eyes fell upon Mr. David Sheldrake, who accosted him gaily.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Alfred was clear of the crowd, he paused for a moment, and looked around with a vacant stare.
