used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
for the reason that
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
CanadanounUS /ˈkænədə/
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
traveling across
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
moving swiftly
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
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 There was a further time loss.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
ten 10s
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
long-distanceadjectiveUS /ˌlɔːŋˈdiːstəns/
of or relating to or being a long-distance telephone call
From this reading The night long-distance operators were sleepy.
something that is lost
From this reading There was a further time loss.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night long-distance operators were sleepy.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
obstinateadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbstənət/
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
operatorsnounUS /ˈɑːpəreɪtərz/
plural of “operator” — (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation
From this reading The night long-distance operators were sleepy.
OttawanounUS /ˈɑːtəwɑː/
a member of the Algonquian people of southern Ontario
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
radarmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because of the difficulty of making the call, the radarmen became obstinate and insisted on putting it through.
reportedadjectiveUS /ˌriːˈpɔːrtɪd/
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
seventy-twoadjective
being two more than seventy
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/
being ten more than fifty
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
sleepyadjectiveUS /ˈsliːpi/
ready to fall asleep
From this reading The night long-distance operators were sleepy.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a further time loss.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There was a further time loss.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
a source of difficulty
From this reading They had a little trouble getting the call through.
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They reported to Ottawa that some object flying at sixty thousand feet and six hundred seventy-two miles an hour was crossing Canada headed for the United States.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The night long-distance operators were sleepy.
