used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NARROW ESCAPE.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
anew
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading A NARROW ESCAPE.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
harshadjectiveUS /hɑːrʃ/
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
intense and profound fear
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
horrorsnounUS /ˈhɔːrərz/
plural of “horror” — intense and profound fear
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
incurverbUS /ˌɪnˈkɜːr/
make oneself subject to; bring upon oneself; become liable to
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
immediately past
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
McGinnis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading A NARROW ESCAPE.
not any; not one
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
outcrynounUS /ˈaʊtkraɪ/
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
PantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
permittingverbUS /pərˈmɪtɪŋ/
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
with speed
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
recededverbUS /rəˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “recede” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
receivingverbUS /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
ripplenounUS /ˈrɪpəl/
a small wave on the surface of a liquid
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
ripplingnounUS /ˈrɪpəlɪŋ/
a small wave on the surface of a liquid
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
move upward
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
sinkverbUS /sɪŋk/
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
very small
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
treacherousadjectiveUS /ˈtretʃərəs/
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
a shaky motion
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the ripple receded, and she was again able to breathe.
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 Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Tiny waves were rippling the surface of the water, and one of these at last sprang against her lips.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Afraid to incur the anger of McGinnis, Helen made no further outcry after receiving his harsh command to be silent, but stood there, trembling with horror, as the treacherous waters continued to rise.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading Panting, worn out, Helen felt like permitting herself to sink, and thus quickly end the horrors of her situation.
