(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 They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
ballsnounUS /bɔːlz/
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
clamberedverbUS /ˈklæmbərd/
past form of “clamber” — climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
clappedverbUS /klæpt/
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s over now.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “It’s over now.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
on one occasion
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “It’s over now.”
participate in games or sport
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
playfuladjectiveUS /ˈpleɪfəl/
full of fun and high spirits
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
pranksnounUS /præŋks/
plural of “prank” — acting like a clown or buffoon
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
puppiesnounUS /ˈpʌpiz/
plural of “puppy” — a young dog
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
ruffledadjectiveUS /ˈrʌfəld/
shaken into waves or undulations as by wind
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
shrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
sofanounUS /ˈsoʊfə/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
at the time that
From this reading When the Lieutenant thought the children had had enough of play he clapped his hands once, and said:
whiskersnounUS /ˈwɪskərz/
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading They pulled his whiskers, ruffled his hair, and clambered up on to the sofa, playing all sorts of pranks on him.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, with wild shrieks, the children threw themselves upon him.
yarnnounUS /jɑːrn/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading He tossed them off as if they were little balls of yarn, but back they came like playful puppies.
