used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
eagerly desirous
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
blueprintsnounUS /ˈbluːprɪnts/
plural of “blueprint” — something intended as a guide for making something else
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
brightlyadverbUS /ˈbraɪtli/
with brightness
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
chins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
eyedadjectiveUS /aɪd/
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
financenounUS /fəˈnæns/
the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
laboratorynounUS /ˈlæbrətɔːri/
a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
for more time
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
the force of workers available
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
not any; not one
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
persuadeverbUS /pərˈsweɪd/
win approval or support for
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
rubbingnounUS /ˈrʌbɪŋ/
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
rushesnounUS /ˈrʌʃəz/
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
Saunders
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
scratchingnounUS /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
speculationnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃən/
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
suitsnounUS /suːts/
plural of “suit” — a set of garments (usually including a jacket and trousers or skirt) for outerwear all of the same fabric and color
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
confined on all sides
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The laboratory was brightly lit, and four men in business suits surrounded the large table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They stared down at the blueprints on the table, some scratching their heads, others rubbing their chins in speculation.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Man could reach the moon, if Saunders could persuade someone to finance him.
tweeds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The thin man in gray tweeds eyed them cautiously, his breath coming in short, anxious rushes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was no longer a question of theory, but of money.
