used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
blindlyadverbUS /ˈblaɪndli/
without seeing or looking
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
druggedadjectiveUS /drʌɡd/
under the influence of narcotics
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading This room had existed this morning!
flightsnounUS /flaɪts/
plural of “flight” — a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
HERRICKnounUS /ˈherɪk/
English lyric poet (1591-1674)
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
and nothing more
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
RECEIVESverbUS /rəˈsiːvz/
third-person singular of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
shuttingnounUS /ˈʃʌtɪŋ/
the act of closing something
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so had he!
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
TELEPHONEnounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
wall-paper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stared across the floor at the wall-paper, like a man drugged.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading HERRICK RECEIVES A TELEPHONE MESSAGE Herrick came home through a world which he had never seen before, blindly climbed his three flights of stairs, and, shutting himself into his room, sat down on his bed.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, there was wall-paper in the world, just as there had been this morning.