used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
aftadverbUS /æft/
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
anew
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
asternadverb
stern foremost or backward
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
comfortablyadverbUS /ˈkʌmfərtəbli/
in mental comfort; without stress
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
fatedadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtɪd/
(usually followed by “to”) determined by tragic fate
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
fluidnounUS /ˈfluːəd/
a substance that is fluid at room temperature and pressure
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
gesturesnounUS /ˈdʒestʃərz/
plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
mouthsnounUS /maʊðz/
plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
not any; not one
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
preservedadjectiveUS /prəˈzɜːrvd/
prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
procuredverbUS /proʊˈkjʊrd/
past form of “procure” — get by special effort
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
relieveverbUS /rɪˈliːv/
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
rescueverbUS /ˈreskjuː/
free from harm or evil
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
scannedverbUS /skænd/
inflected form of “scan” — examine minutely or intensely
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
transport commercially
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
slumbers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
squanderedadjectiveUS /ˈskwɑːndərd/
not used to good advantage
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
uselesslyadverb
in a useless manner
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We anxiously scanned the horizon in the hopes that a ship might appear to rescue us, but not a sail was in sight to relieve our anxiety.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They had uselessly squandered what might have preserved them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Water! water!" was repeated by parched mouths, which were fated never to taste that fluid again.
which person or people
From this reading Some stood aft, and shouted to the captain, who sat comfortably in the boat astern, and made gestures at him for water.
wokeverbUS /woʊk/
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading As the people woke up from their slumbers, the general cry was for water; but no water was to be procured.
