used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
Alice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
(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 “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
placed in a grave
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
coughingnounUS /ˈkɑːfɪŋ/
a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
distressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈstresɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “It’s the woman next door--her child, I mean.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “It’s the woman next door--her child, I mean.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the woman next door--her child, I mean.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
immediately past
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
MarigoldnounUS /ˈmerəɡoʊld/
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “It’s the woman next door--her child, I mean.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
pillownounUS /ˈpɪloʊ/
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
sobbingnounUS /ˈsɑːbɪŋ/
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
sympatheticallyadverbUS /ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪkəli/
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “In the dark, sounds like that are more distressing,” said Alice sympathetically.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Next morning at breakfast Marigold said to Alice:
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “I did not sleep at all well last night; I heard a child coughing and then sobbing in the darkness.
at the time that
From this reading And when one ceased the other began--and I kept waiting and listening for the sounds, and at last I buried my head in the pillow and cried as well.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “It’s the woman next door--her child, I mean.
