used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
blocknounUS /blɑːk/
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
bluffnounUS /blʌf/
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
BricknounUS /brɪk/
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
circlingverbUS /ˈsɜːrkəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
clawnounUS /klɔː/
sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
dartedverbUS /ˈdɑːrtɪd/
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
HarpnounUS /hɑːrp/
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
to a considerable degree
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
ten 10s
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading They listened, but there was not a sound.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
not any; not one
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
poundedverbUS /ˈpaʊndɪd/
past form of “pound” — hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
ranch-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
the display of a motion picture
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading They listened, but there was not a sound.
move hurridly
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They listened, but there was not a sound.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
the upper part of anything
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading But no one tried to block them now, as they pounded heavily away from the house, circling toward the bluff trail.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not a light was showing in the old ranch-house.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
whirledverbUS /wɜːrld/
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
which person or people
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Brick whirled and ran to Harp, who had managed to claw the bar away from the door, and without a thought of what might be waiting outside for them, they darted out into the night.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading After about two hundred yards at top speed, Brick stopped and looked back.
