used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
flashingnounUS /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
a short vivid experience
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
flippingverbUS /ˈflɪpɪŋ/
inflected form of “flip” — lightly throw to see which side comes up
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
killernounUS /ˈkɪlər/
someone who causes the death of a person or animal
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
NibbleverbUS /ˈnɪbəl/
bite off very small pieces
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
not any; not one
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
OwlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
peekedverbUS /piːkt/
past form of “peek” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
snarlingverbUS /ˈsnɑːrlɪŋ/
-ing form of “snarl” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading He listened and peeked behind every corner, expecting to see the flashing eyes and snarling teeth of the killer no one knew.
express in words
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
a special situation
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had a hard time finding her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
TopknotnounUS /ˈtɑːpnɑːt/
headdress consisting of a decorative ribbon or bow worn in the hair
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
precisely as stated
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
at the time that
From this reading The very first thing Nibble did when he got to the barn was to hunt up poor Topknot.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading That was why the Bad Little Owl didn’t see him when he came flipping by.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For he had to be very careful himself, I can tell you.
