used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
cragsnounUS /kræɡz/
plural of “crag” — a steep rugged rock or cliff
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
demanding attention
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
day'snounUS /deɪz/
possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading It was now growing dusk.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading The loneliness of the place was extreme.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
fishingnounUS /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading It was now growing dusk.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading THE HOME OF THE MONSTER.
homesnounUS /hoʊmz/
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was now growing dusk.
leisurelyadverbUS /ˈliːzərli/
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
lonelinessnounUS /ˈloʊnlinəs/
the state of being alone in solitary isolation
From this reading The loneliness of the place was extreme.
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 They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
MONSTERnounUS /ˈmɑːnstər/
an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
From this reading THE HOME OF THE MONSTER.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was now growing dusk.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE HOME OF THE MONSTER.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
overheadadverbUS /ˈoʊvərˈhed/
above your head; in the sky
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The loneliness of the place was extreme.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
scoutingnounUS /ˈskaʊtɪŋ/
exploring in order to gain information
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
sea-gulls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
shorewardadjectiveUS /ˈʃɔːrwərd/
(of winds) coming from the sea toward the land
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HOME OF THE MONSTER.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They had come back from their long day's fishing far out to sea and up and down the coast, and were leisurely wheeling, scouting, and sailing shoreward to their homes among the crags.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was now growing dusk.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
wheelingnounUS /ˈwiːlɪŋ/
a city in the northern panhandle of West Virginia on the Ohio river
From this reading A few sea-gulls were wheeling and crying in the dull air overhead.
