abundantadjectiveUS /əˈbʌndənt/
present in great quantity
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
burrowsnounUS /ˈbɜːroʊz/
plural of “burrow” — a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
captureverbUS /ˈkæptʃər/
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
crumblingverbUS /ˈkrʌmbəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
diggingnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
one or the other of two
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
fishingnounUS /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
formidableadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmədəbəl/
extremely impressive in strength or excellence
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
set up or found
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
grass-roots
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
heavingnounUS /ˈhiːvɪŋ/
an upward movement (especially a rhythmical rising and falling)
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
not accessible to view
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
hungernounUS /ˈhʌŋɡər/
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
ice-fringe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
interceptingverbUS /ˌɪntərˈseptɪŋ/
-ing form of “intercept” — seize on its way
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
for more time
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
micenounUS /maɪs/
plural of “mouse” — any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
not any; not one
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
owlsnounUS /aʊlz/
plural of “owl” — nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
passer-bynoun
a person who passes by casually or by chance
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
provendernoun
food for domestic livestock
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
ratsnounUS /ræts/
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
runwaysnounUS /ˈrʌnweɪz/
plural of “runway” — a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
ruthlessadjectiveUS /ˈruːθləs/
without mercy or pity
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
get by special effort
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And now, in her misery, she found her food cut off.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
snappingverbUS /ˈsnæpɪŋ/
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
tunnelsnounUS /ˈtʌnəlz/
plural of “tunnel” — a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars)
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The ice-fringe, crumbling and heaving under the ruthless tide, put an end to her fishing.
unwaryadjectiveUS /ənˈweri/
not alert to danger or deception
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The rats, too, were out of sight, digging burrows themselves in the soft snow, in the hope of intercepting some of the tunnels of the mice, and now and then snapping up an unwary passer-by.
in or at the place that
From this reading The mice ran secure in their hidden runways, where the grass-roots on either side of them gave them easy and abundant provender.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She would have tried to capture one of the formidable owls, in her hunger, but the owls no longer came to the island.
