used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
anew
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
move towards
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Listening,” came in a hoarse whisper.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
glideverbUS /ɡlaɪd/
move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
hoarseadjectiveUS /hɔːrs/
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading “Listening,” came in a hoarse whisper.
hoarselyadverb
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Listening,” came in a hoarse whisper.
indistinctadjectiveUS /ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋkt/
not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
hear with intention
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “Listening,” came in a hoarse whisper.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
McCarthynounUS /məˈkɑːrθi/
United States satirical novelist and literary critic (1912-1989)
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
not any; not one
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
on-rushing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
on one occasion
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
PATSYnounUS /ˈpætsi/
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
RosanounUS /ˈroʊzə/
large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
spiralnounUS /ˈspaɪrəl/
a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading At first no sound reached their listening ears.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they caught a low, indistinct roar, like the approach of an on-rushing storm.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Now,” Tom muttered hoarsely, as he shut off the motor and they started on a spiral glide, “listen!”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
male cat
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
the topmost one of two
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
WATCHESnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃəz/
plural of “watch” — a small portable timepiece
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
in or at the place that
From this reading PATSY WATCHES THREE SHADOWS Once again Tom McCarthy and Rosa climbed to the upper sky where the stars seemed to reach down for them and the air was bitter cold.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Listening,” came in a hoarse whisper.
