used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
abolishedverbUS /əˈbɑːlɪʃt/
past form of “abolish” — do away with
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
air-spun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
applausenounUS /əˈplɔːz/
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
asksverbUS /æsks/
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
cooperationnounUS /koʊˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən/
joint operation or action
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
gaspnounUS /ɡæsp/
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has never worked in practice.
labor'snounUS /ˈleɪbərz/
possessive form of “labor” — a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
moistenedverbUS /ˈmɔɪsənd/
past form of “moisten” — make moist
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It has never worked in practice.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
the local environment
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading It has never worked in practice.
profitnounUS /ˈprɑːfət/
the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
prosperitynounUS /prɑːˈsperəti/
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
questionernounUS /ˈkwestʃənər/
someone who asks a question
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
rattleverbUS /ˈrætəl/
make short successive sounds
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
scatteringnounUS /ˈskætərɪŋ/
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading A scattering rattle of applause shook parts of the crowd.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
a male human offspring
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
speaker'snounUS /ˈspiːkərz/
possessive form of “speaker” — someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
substitutedverbUS /ˈsʌbstətuːtɪd/
past form of “substitute” — put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There is something to be said for that as an air-spun theory.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
at the time that
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
which person or people
From this reading There was a gasp of surprise from the few in the audience who recognized the pale figure as the speaker's son.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Paul moistened his lips, and explained: "The questioner asks, will not labor's prosperity come when profit has been abolished, and cooperation substituted.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It has never worked in practice.
