used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
anew
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There was no possibility of any mistake.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
past form of “attract” — direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
barefootedadjective
without shoes
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
one or the other of two
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
farm-buildings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
and nothing more
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading There was no possibility of any mistake.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no possibility of any mistake.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
pitchnounUS /pɪtʃ/
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The situation was sufficiently plain, at any rate.
a future prospect or potential
From this reading There was no possibility of any mistake.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading The situation was sufficiently plain, at any rate.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
only a very short time before
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
a particular situation
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The situation was sufficiently plain, at any rate.
skirtedverbUS /ˈskɜːrtɪd/
past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
to a sufficient degree
From this reading The situation was sufficiently plain, at any rate.
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no possibility of any mistake.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
in the direction of
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
precisely as stated
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
at the time that
From this reading When I did, it was quite close at hand, just at the beginning of the range of farm-buildings which skirted the road.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading It could not in reality have been more than a minute or two, although it seemed to me then a terribly long while, before I again heard the sound which had attracted my attention.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Scarcely fifty yards away a man was coming running towards me, either barefooted or with very soft shoes on; and it was past midnight, pitch dark, and a lonely road.
