used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
ApachesnounUS /əˈpætʃiz/
plural of “apache” — any member of Athapaskan tribes that migrated to the southwestern desert (from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico); fought a losing battle from 1861 to 1886 with the United States and were resettled in Oklahoma
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Still there was at least a ray of hope.
beingsnounUS /ˈbiːɪŋz/
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
centernounUS /ˈsɛn.tər/
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
being joined in close association
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
detonationnounUS /ˌdetəˈneɪʃən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
divisible by two
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
groannounUS /ɡroʊn/
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Still there was at least a ray of hope.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
raynounUS /reɪ/
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading Still there was at least a ray of hope.
reassureverbUS /ˌriːəˈʃʊr/
cause to feel sure; give reassurance to
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
precisely, exactly
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
Scotty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
Sid'snounUS /sɪdz/
possessive form of “sids” — sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant during sleep
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still there was at least a ray of hope.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
stunningadjectiveUS /ˈstʌnɪŋ/
commanding attention
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
survivedverbUS /sərˈvaɪvd/
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
in or at that place or location
From this reading How _could_ he and the Apaches down there have survived, right in the storm center of that explosion?
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Not even a faint groan came up to his listening ears.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a time he dared not even call out, nor was there the least sound of human beings alive down there to reassure him.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
witsnounUS /wɪts/
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading OUT OF THE DESERT As Sid’s scattered wits returned to connected thought, after the first few moments following that stunning detonation, his mind and his hopes went out first to Scotty.
