used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
clutchnounUS /klʌtʃ/
the act of grasping
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
concurredverbUS /kənˈkɜːrd/
inflected form of “concur” — be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading "Possible," McGinity concurred.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
diningnounUS /ˈdaɪnɪŋ/
the act of eating dinner
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/
on a floor below
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
flashlightnounUS /ˈflæʃlaɪt/
a small portable battery-powered electric lamp
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Let's go."
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
hairyadjectiveUS /ˈheri/
having or covered with hair
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
and nothing more
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
Let's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let's go."
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 As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
McGinity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Possible," McGinity concurred.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
a particular point in time
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
nervousnessnounUS /ˈnɜːrvəsnəs/
the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading "Possible," McGinity concurred.
reporternounUS /rɪˈpɔːrtər/
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
stealthilyadverb
in a stealthy manner
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had just stepped into the dining room.
at the time that
From this reading My feeling of nervousness increased when, in the midst of our search on the ground floor, my flashlight suddenly failed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As I crept stealthily downstairs, with the reporter at my side, I fully expected, at any moment, to be confronted with a long hairy arm, stretching out from some dark corner, to clutch at my throat.
