used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," I answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
bracedadjectiveUS /breɪst/
positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she did not fire.
convulsivelyadverb
with convulsions, in a convulsive way
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
placed crosswise
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
curvingadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrvɪŋ/
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But she did not fire.
divisible by two
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
start firing a weapon
From this reading But she did not fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
hatrednounUS /ˈheɪtrəd/
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
it's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
loweredadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərd/
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
maliciouslyadverbUS /məˈlɪʃɪsli/
with malice; in a malicious manner
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But she did not fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
recognisedadjectiveUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
cut with a saw
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
spasmnounUS /ˈspæzəm/
a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
moving very fast
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
tightenedverbUS /ˈtaɪtənd/
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
triggerverbUS /ˈtrɪɡər/
put in motion or move to act
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Instead, she lowered her pistol with a grim little laugh.
WitsnounUS /wɪts/
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading A Battle of Wits I saw the swift spasm of hatred which crossed her face, as she recognised me; I even fancied that her finger tightened convulsively upon the trigger, and I braced myself for the shock.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," I answered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So it's you!" she said, and stood looking at me, her lips curving maliciously.
