used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
(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 At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
arrowsnounUS /ˈæroʊz/
plural of “arrow” — a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
Bachelor'snounUS /ˈbætʃələrz/
possessive form of “bachelor” — a man who has never been married
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
beleagueredverbUS /bɪˈliːɡərd/
past form of “beleaguer” — annoy persistently
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
Berghen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Berghen understood his business.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Berghen understood his business.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
travel across or pass over
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
defiedverbUS /dɪˈfaɪd/
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
increase twofold
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
erectedverbUS /ɪˈrektəd/
past form of “erect” — construct, build, or erect
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
evacuateverbUS /ɪˈvækjəeɪt/
move out of an unsafe location into safety
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
forcingverbUS /ˈfɔːrsɪŋ/
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Berghen understood his business.
hostilitiesnounUS /hɑːˈstɪlətiz/
fighting; acts of overt warfare
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
impunitynounUS /ˌɪmˈpjuːnɪti/
exemption from punishment or loss
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
engage in
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
mostlyadverbUS /ˈmoʊstli/
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
outlyingadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ/
relatively far from a center or middle
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
the local environment
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
PiratenounUS /ˈpaɪrət/
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
raidsnounUS /reɪdz/
plural of “raid” — a sudden short attack
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
rampartsnounUS /ˈræmpɑːrts/
plural of “rampart” — an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
shelteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃeltərd/
protected from danger or bad weather
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
sweepverbUS /swiːp/
sweep across or over
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading Berghen understood his business.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
volleysnounUS /ˈvɑːliz/
plural of “volley” — rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A Night Attack--Appearance of _The Bachelor’s Delight_--The Pirate Flag--We evacuate the Valley.
(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 They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The hostilities were mostly on the side of the beleaguered party.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had erected double ramparts, and well sheltered behind them they defied us with impunity, for they could sweep us off the narrow neck with their volleys of arrows.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At night they would cross in their boats and make sudden raids on the outlying parts of the town, forcing us to keep in arms all night.
