used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading All present willingly agreed to do this.
(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 All present willingly agreed to do this.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
dancesnounUS /ˈdænsəz/
plural of “dance” — an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading All present willingly agreed to do this.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
guaranteedverbUS /ˌɡerənˈtiːd/
past form of “guarantee” — give surety or assume responsibility
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
guessingnounUS /ˈɡesɪŋ/
an estimate based on little or no information
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
incapableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/
(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
MorsenounUS /mɔːrs/
a telegraph code in which letters and numbers are represented by strings of dots and dashes (short and long signals)
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
and nothing more
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
participate in games or sport
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
playersnounUS /ˈpleɪərz/
plural of “player” — a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/
extremely
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading All present willingly agreed to do this.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
provocationnounUS /ˌprɑːvəˈkeɪʃən/
unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
recentlyadverbUS /ˈriːsəntli/
in the recent past
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
ruffledadjectiveUS /ˈrʌfəld/
shaken into waves or undulations as by wind
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading All present willingly agreed to do this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
volunteeredverbUS /ˌvɑːlənˈtɪrd/
past form of “volunteer” — tell voluntarily
From this reading Nobody seemed to know of any particular game to play, until Ruth volunteered to explain to them a new game that had recently made its appearance in Boston.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
which person or people
From this reading “It’s really only difficult for one,” explained Ruth; “the one who does the guessing must be guaranteed to possess a temper that is positively incapable of being ruffled under any provocation.”
willinglyadverbUS /ˈwɪlɪŋli/
in a willing manner
From this reading All present willingly agreed to do this.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The game was called “It,” and was great fun, Ruth said, if the players would agree to keep their temper.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading After several dances Mrs. Morse proposed that the young people should play a game of some sort.
