used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Somebody else was awake, then.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
blinkingadjectiveUS /ˈblɪŋkɪŋ/
closing the eyes intermittently and rapidly
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somebody else was awake, then.
opinion or judgment
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
fasteradverbUS /ˈfæstər/
more quickly
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
firnounUS /fɜːr/
nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
flappingnounUS /ˈflæpɪŋ/
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
to a considerable degree
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
HootnounUS /huːt/
a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
moorverbUS /mʊr/
secure in or as if in a berth or dock
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
not any; not one
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
OwlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
get rid of
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody else was awake, then.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
statelyadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪtli/
impressive in appearance
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Somebody else was awake, then.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old lady moved faster than she appeared to do, and though Tommy ran hard she was in the shed some time before him.
Tommy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Somebody else was awake, then.
at the time that
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “It’s the Old Owl,” said Tommy; and there she came swinging heavily across the moor with a flapping stately flight, and sailed into the shed by the lake.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “Hoot! hoot!” said a voice from the fir wood behind him.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading When he got in, no bird was to be seen, but he heard a sound from above, and there sat the Old Owl, blinking at him—Tommy—with yellow eyes.
