used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
anew
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they do think.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
dulledadjectiveUS /dʌld/
having lost or been caused to lose interest because of overexposure
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
gleamverbUS /ɡliːm/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
gnawingverbUS /ˈnɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
hungernounUS /ˈhʌŋɡər/
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
and nothing more
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
occurring by chance
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
mascotnounUS /ˈmæskət/
a character, animal or object that is adopted by a team or group as a symbolic figure
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
overboardadverbUS /ˈoʊvərbɔːrd/
to extremes
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
pangsnounUS /pæŋz/
plural of “pang” — a sudden sharp feeling
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
RICKnounUS /rɪk/
a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (“rick” and “wrick” are British)
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
roughlyadverbUS /ˈrʌfli/
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
RUDDYadjectiveUS /ˈrʌdi/
inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
swamverbUS /swæm/
inflected form of “swim” — travel through water
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But they do think.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
hard to endure
From this reading The food given him by the coast guard had dulled, just a little, the gnawing pangs of hunger, and now, as Ruddy crouched among the sand hills, trying to find shelter from the storm, he felt the first gleam of hope that had come to him in many a day.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Maybe I'll find a home after all," he thought to himself, for I believe that dogs can talk and think--not as we do, of course; perhaps sometimes not as well, and again, perhaps, better.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And so Ruddy, which was to be his name, as it was now his color, thought and hoped.
which person or people
From this reading RICK AND RUDDY Washed overboard from the deck of the vessel, not long after he had been roughly tossed into a box by the man who wanted a lucky "mascot," Ruddy had swam ashore.
