used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
attackingadjectiveUS /əˈtækɪŋ/
disposed to attack
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
brushedadjectiveUS /brʌʃt/
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
drowsed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
furryadjectiveUS /ˈfɜːri/
covered with a dense coat of fine silky hairs
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
garretnounUS /ˈɡerɪt/
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
gnawingverbUS /ˈnɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
for more time
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
the force of workers available
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
a particular point in time
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
nerve-rackingadjectiveUS /ˌnɜːrˈvrækɪŋ/
extremely irritating to the nerves
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
on one occasion
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
RatsnounUS /ræts/
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
scamperedverbUS /ˈskæmpərd/
past form of “scamper” — to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
squealingadjectiveUS /ˈskwiːlɪŋ/
having or making a high-pitched sound such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
TadnounUS /tæd/
a slight amount or degree of difference
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He could hear them gnawing, squealing, fighting all about him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had heard of rats attacking men in places like this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
two times
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
wakingadjectiveUS /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Rats scampered everywhere, in the walls and up and down the floor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
at the time that
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Once or twice, when he drowsed off for a moment, their furry bodies brushed against his skin, waking him with a start.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading There may have been worse nights in history than the one Tad spent in that garret, but in all his experience he never was to know a longer or more nerve-racking one.
