used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
(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 THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
boughnounUS /baʊ/
any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
bulletsnounUS /ˈbʊləts/
plural of “bullet” — a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
bundlenounUS /ˈbʌndəl/
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Inside was warmth, light, laughter and conversation.
crashingadjectiveUS /ˈkræʃɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Inside was warmth, light, laughter and conversation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
lashingnounUS /ˈlæʃɪŋ/
beating with a whip or strap or rope as a form of punishment
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Inside was warmth, light, laughter and conversation.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Inside was warmth, light, laughter and conversation.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
Maida's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
a particular point in time
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
showernounUS /ˈʃaʊər/
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
twigsnounUS /twɪɡz/
plural of “twig” — a small branch or division of a branch (especially a terminal division); usually applied to branches of the current or preceding year
From this reading One moment the rain was coming, like a shower of bullets, against the window of one side; the next it was lashing, like a bundle of twigs, against the glass of another.
veeredverbUS /vɪrd/
past form of “veer” — turn sharply; change direction abruptly
From this reading The wind veered and whirled.
warmthnounUS /wɔːrmθ/
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading Inside was warmth, light, laughter and conversation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
whirledverbUS /wɜːrld/
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading The wind veered and whirled.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading THE END OF SUMMER Outside all was wind, rain, confusion and destruction.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Occasionally a bough came crashing down to earth and always the branches of the great tree beside Maida’s window, rubbed against the house.
