used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
(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 For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
boltsnounUS /boʊlts/
plural of “bolt” — a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
farawayadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːrəˈweɪ/
very far away in space or time
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtəd/
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
gearsnounUS /ɡɪrz/
plural of “gear” — a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
hammeredadjectiveUS /ˈhæmərd/
shaped or worked with a hammer and often showing hammer marks
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then--he made a mistake.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
knotsnounUS /nɑːts/
plural of “knot” — a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
the sound of laughing
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
staying power
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
machinesnounUS /məˈʃiːnz/
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading And then--he made a mistake.
men'snounUS /menz/
a public toilet for men
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading And then--he made a mistake.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
and nothing more
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
Sidenote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
deliver by singing
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
spidersnounUS /ˈspaɪdərz/
plural of “spider” — predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
spinningnounUS /ˈspɪnɪŋ/
creating thread
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
bound or secured closely
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
webnounUS /web/
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
weldedverbUS /ˈweldɪd/
past form of “weld” — join together by heating
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/
make whistling sounds
From this reading They did not look at each other or sing or whistle or talk or laugh.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading For sometimes that is the only way...._] All along the line of machines, the men's hands and arms worked like the legs of spiders spinning a web.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading They wound wire and hammered bolts, tied knots and welded pieces of steel and fitted gears.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [Sidenote: _If you wish to escape, if you would go to faraway places, then go to sleep and dream.
