used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
anew
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
barkingverbUS /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/
-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
blazedverbUS /bleɪzd/
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
blownadjectiveUS /bloʊn/
being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
calibrenoun
a degree or grade of excellence or worth
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
cleaving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
dischargeverbUS /dɪsˈtʃɑːrdʒ/
complete or carry out
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
start firing a weapon
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
gaugeverbUS /ɡeɪdʒ/
judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
Half-blinded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
interminableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɜːrmənəbəl/
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
leapnounUS /liːp/
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
roused to anger
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
powdernounUS /ˈpaʊdər/
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
compacted by ironing
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
cut with a saw
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
sightedadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪtɪd/
able to see
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
smudgenounUS /smʌdʒ/
a smoky fire to drive away insects
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
spitsnounUS /spɪts/
plural of “spit” — a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
strivingnounUS /ˈstraɪvɪŋ/
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came the report, a flash of flame, and the powder smoke blown back in her face.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
triggerverbUS /ˈtrɪɡər/
put in motion or move to act
From this reading It seemed an interminable time before his finger pressed the trigger.
uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A WAY TO THE RIVER She waited in agony as he sighted carefully, striving to gauge the distance.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
yellnounUS /jel/
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading There was a cry--a mad yell of rage--in which scattered voices joined; spits of fire cleaving the darkness, the barking of guns of different calibre.
but in spite of that
From this reading Half-blinded by the discharge, she yet saw that black smudge leap upright; again the Henry blazed, and the dim figure went down.
