used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
Brookdale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
commencedverbUS /kəˈmenst/
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
characterized by great determination
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
devotingverbUS /dɪˈvoʊtɪŋ/
-ing form of “devote” — give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
energiesnounUS /ˈenərdʒiz/
plural of “energy” — (physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
idlingnounUS /ˈaɪdəlɪŋ/
having no employment
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
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 The long summer vacation had now commenced.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
MIXERnounUS /ˈmɪksər/
a party of people assembled to promote sociability and communal activity
From this reading NED MIXER.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
NED
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NED MIXER.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
OscarnounUS /ˈɔːskər/
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
an educational institution
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
do one's shopping
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
vacationnounUS /veɪˈkeɪʃən/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading The long summer vacation had now commenced.
vacationsnounUS /veɪˈkeɪʃənz/
plural of “vacation” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Meanwhile, Oscar was idling away his time about the streets, and devoting all his energies to the pursuit of amusement.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
at the time that
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
but in spite of that
From this reading They had not yet fully determined what to do with him; whether to send him to a private school, when the vacations were over, or to put him to work in some shop or store.
be the cause or source of
From this reading Oscar wished to spend it at Brookdale, but his parents did not seem much inclined to yield to his wishes.
