used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
Bloomberg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
ChessnounUS /tʃes/
weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
crumpledadjectiveUS /ˈkrʌmpəld/
of metal e.g.
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
deliberatelyadverbUS /dɪˈlɪbərətli/
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
filmsnounUS /fɪlmz/
plural of “film” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
gaspnounUS /ɡæsp/
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
immediately past
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
a particular point in time
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
not any; not one
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
RECKONINGnounUS /ˈrekənɪŋ/
problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
Ruth'snounUS /ruːθs/
possessive form of “ruth” — United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
in or at that place or location
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading THE RECKONING Ruth stared at the crumpled bit of paper for a moment of quick thought.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At any rate, there was no time to be lost.
male cat
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
toolsnounUS /tuːlz/
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading It might be a trap deliberately set by Bloomberg and his tools.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
trapnounUS /træp/
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Or it might have been—and here Ruth’s breath caught in a gasp of hope—that the boys had struck a real trail at last and stumbled upon the hiding place of the films.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was evident that Tom and Chess had stumbled into a trap of some sort.
