used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
accomplishverbUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃ/
put in effect
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
attackedverbUS /əˈtækt/
past form of “attack” — launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
CATO
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CATO.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
intentionally conceived
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
defendverbUS /dɪˈfend/
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
set up or found
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
ten 10s
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
hurledverbUS /hɜːrld/
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/
as a matter of instinct
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
luckilyadverbUS /ˈlʌkəli/
by good fortune
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
not any; not one
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
only a very short time before
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
stressnounUS /stres/
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
suddennessnounUS /ˈsʌdənnəs/
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
swimmingnounUS /ˈswɪmɪŋ/
the act of swimming
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
temporarilyadverbUS /ˌtempərˈerəli/
for a limited time only; not permanently
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
unskilledadjectiveUS /ənˈskɪld/
not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading He was scarcely conscious of having been attacked until he found himself in the water struggling for life.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
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 Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Such was the suddenness with which Robert had been hurled into the water that he had no chance to defend himself.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading But the shore was a hundred yards distant, and to reach it would have been beyond his unskilled strength to accomplish, if he had not luckily happened to receive assistance.
but in spite of that
From this reading He knew nothing of swimming from actual experience, yet under the stress of necessity, and with death staring him in the face, he instinctively struck out, and managed temporarily to keep his head above water.
