used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
convulsivelyadverb
with convulsions, in a convulsive way
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
one or the other of two
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
exhaustverbUS /ɪɡˈzɔːst/
wear out completely
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
faceplatenoun
a protective covering for the front of a machine or device (as a door lock or computer component)
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
fiercelyadverbUS /ˈfɪrsli/
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
gaspingverbUS /ˈɡæspɪŋ/
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
glisteningadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɪsənɪŋ/
reflecting light
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
intense and profound fear
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
staying power
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
lickedadjectiveUS /lɪkt/
having been got the better of
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
meltverbUS /melt/
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
metallicadjectiveUS /məˈtælɪk/
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
near-tragedy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
not any; not one
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
plasticadjectiveUS /ˈplæstɪk/
capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)
From this reading Its exhaust could have burned him to a crisp, or at the least flashed his plastic faceplate.
rocketnounUS /ˈrɑːkət/
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
a strong line
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
Soames
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
soaredverbUS /sɔːrd/
past form of “soar” — rise rapidly
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
space-suited
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
splashedadjectiveUS /splæʃt/
(of a fluid) having been propelled about in flying drops or masses
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He jumped convulsively, rose out of the flame before it could either cook his legs or melt down his space suit, and, gasping in horror, soared off and up to the length of his safety rope.
upcrop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
precisely as stated
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was a very close call indeed.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The rocket went past him no more than a dozen feet away.
at the time that
From this reading The other near-tragedy happened when a rocket took off and the flame splashed against a glistening metallic upcrop and licked fiercely at Soames' space-suited legs.
