used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
AshtonnounUS /ˈæʃtən/
British choreographer (1906-1988)
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
holidaysnounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪz/
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
occurrencesnounUS /əˈkɜːrənsɪz/
plural of “occurrence” — an event that happens
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
on one occasion
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
pupilsnounUS /ˈpjuːpəlz/
plural of “pupil” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
reluctantlyadverbUS /rɪˈlʌktəntli/
with reluctance
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
recurring again and again
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
express the need or desire for
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
respectsnounUS /rɪˈspekts/
(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
routinenounUS /ruːˈtiːn/
an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
satisfactoryadjectiveUS /ˌsætəˈsfæktri/
giving satisfaction
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
an educational institution
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
sorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
talksnounUS /tɔːks/
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A few left for good; some of them on their own account, some at the request of the principal.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading New pupils took their places, and almost at once the regular routine of work began.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Miss Ashton in one of her short morning talks told them, while the past term had been in many respects a satisfactory one, there had been several occurrences which she should be sorry to see repeated.
WOMEN'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WOMEN'S WORK.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading WOMEN'S WORK.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The Christmas holidays being over, the young ladies returned slowly, and many of them reluctantly, to the school.
