used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
applenounUS /ˈæpəl/
fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
barricading
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
BeenounUS /biː/
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading Bee!--BEE!-O heavens--It's happened!"
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
citizennounUS /ˈsɪtəzən/
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
traveling across
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
the act of consuming food
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
destroyed or killed
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Bee!--BEE!-O heavens--It's happened!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Bee!--BEE!-O heavens--It's happened!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
indoorsadverbUS /ˈɪndɔːrz/
within a building
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
introspectiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪntrəˈspektɪv/
given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bee!--BEE!-O heavens--It's happened!"
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
a particular point in time
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
mêlée
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
not any; not one
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Bee!--BEE!-O heavens--It's happened!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
owingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊɪŋ/
owed as a debt
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
shakesnounUS /ʃeɪks/
plural of “shake” — building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
spectaclesnounUS /ˈspektəkəlz/
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
having a supporting base
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He was evidently an indoors sort of man and no shakes at crossing streets, owing to the introspective nature of his mind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
unwiselyadverbUS /ənˈwaɪzli/
without good sense or judgment
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
vacantlyadverb
in a vacant manner
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had happened was a small tragedy in its way.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And, too quick for West, she was gone into the mêlée, which immediately closed in behind her, barricading him away.
which person or people
From this reading The little citizen in spectacles, who had been standing on the opposite corner vacantly eating an apple out of a paper bag, had unwisely chosen his moment to try the crossing.
