used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
having fair knowledge of
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
in the past
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
angelsnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəlz/
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
churchesnounUS /ˈtʃɜːrtʃɪz/
plural of “church” — one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
claynounUS /kleɪ/
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
coupledadjectiveUS /ˈkʌpəld/
joined together especially in a pair or pairs
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
FashionableadjectiveUS /ˈfæʃənəbəl/
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
HATHauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/
an old form of “has”
From this reading WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
liftingverbUS /ˈlɪftɪŋ/
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
men'snounUS /menz/
a public toilet for men
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
mirenounUS /maɪr/
a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
many times at short intervals
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
and nothing more
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
preachernounUS /ˈpriːtʃər/
someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
arousing affect
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
unfashionableadjectiveUS /ənˈfæʃənəbəl/
not in accord with or not following current fashion
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
the words that are spoken
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
working-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He had, it was said, a rare power of touching men's hearts, and of lifting their thoughts out of the mire and clay of this working-day world.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Fashionable society knew them only as preacher and writer; but some of the unfashionable were better acquainted with them.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading And often, too, his wife's name was coupled with his; for she, by her written words, was doing angels' work among the people.
a late time of life
From this reading About two years ago, a great crowd assembled in one of the largest churches in London to hear a popular preacher.
