used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
ceaselessadjectiveUS /ˈsiːslɪs/
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
dismaladjectiveUS /ˈdɪzməl/
causing dejection
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
draggingadjectiveUS /ˈdræɡɪŋ/
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
drenchedadjectiveUS /drentʃt/
abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
irritatedadjectiveUS /ˈɪrəteɪtəd/
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
muddyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌdi/
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
pattering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
picturedadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərd/
seen in the mind as a mental image
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/
worried and uneasy
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
roadsnounUS /roʊdz/
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
Rosalind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
express in words
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
torrentsnounUS /ˈtɔːrənts/
plural of “torrent” — a heavy rain
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
travellersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
vagrantsnounUS /ˈveɪɡrənts/
plural of “vagrant” — a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
precisely as stated
From this reading Rosalind spent a very restless night.
wayfarers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading As she lay awake in the darkness she pictured them to herself, drenched and cold, dragging along the muddy ways.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
which person or people
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading She thought, she could not tell why, of the poor people who were out in it--travellers, wayfarers, poor vagrants, such as she had seen about the country roads.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She could not sleep, and the rain coming down in torrents irritated her with its ceaseless pattering.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading What would the miserable creatures do in such a dismal night?
