used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
blindlyadverbUS /ˈblaɪndli/
without seeing or looking
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
cavernnounUS /ˈkæv.ərn/
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
crackverbUS /kræk/
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
fannedadjectiveUS /fænd/
especially spread in a fan shape
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
gapingadjectiveUS /ˈɡeɪpɪŋ/
with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
a young female
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/
the act of grasping
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
half-swooning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
the act of retaining something
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
the act of departing
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
held up in the air
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
on one occasion
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
and nothing more
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
peeringverbUS /ˈpiːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
releaseverbUS /riˈliːs/
release, as from one's grip
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading She was alive… breathing… her breath fanned his cheek and gave him new strength.…
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
in the direction of
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
vestibulenounUS /ˈvestɪbjuːl/
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading He lifted her in his arms, ran across the vestibule into the open air.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Somebody shouted his name in the distance, and he ran blindly towards the voice.
a message informing of danger
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Once he stumbled over a great crack that had appeared in the earth, but managed to recover himself, though he was forced to release his grip of the girl.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading /He/ stood, holding the half-swooning girl, peering into the face he could only see by the reflected light of his lantern, and then suddenly the safe fell back from him without warning, leaving a gaping cavern.
