used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
ambushverbUS /ˈæmbʊʃ/
wait in hiding to attack
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
barrensnounUS /ˈbærənz/
plural of “barren” — an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
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 Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
traveling across
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
discernedverbUS /dɪˈsɜːrnd/
past form of “discern” — detect with the senses
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
FortunatelyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by good fortune
From this reading Fortunately, he was not pursued.
Fred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
huntersnounUS /ˈhʌntərz/
plural of “hunter” — someone who hunts game
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
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 He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
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 Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
postedadjectiveUS /ˈpoʊstɪd/
publicly displayed
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
a person who is being chased
From this reading Fortunately, he was not pursued.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
specksnounUS /speks/
plural of “speck” — a very small spot
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
stripverbUS /strɪp/
take away possessions from someone
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In the course of half an hour, he discerned two black specks crossing a strip of barrens to the north.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
precisely as stated
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Fortunately, too, he had not very long to wait there, for it was bitter cold.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In deadly fear of hearing a shot or a shout from behind, Fred did not stop running until he was out of sight of the cabin.
look attentively
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew the direction from which the hunters would be sure to return, and he posted himself in ambush, in a spot whence he could keep watch in front and rear.
