used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
barknounUS /bɑːrk/
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
confidentlyadverbUS /ˈkɑːnfədəntli/
with confidence; in a confident manner
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
depthnounUS /depθ/
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
fasteradverbUS /ˈfæstər/
more quickly
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
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 minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
set up or found
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
half-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
ten 10s
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
IllinoisnounUS /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/
a midwestern state in north-central United States
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
jacketnounUS /ˈdʒækət/
a short coat
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
not any; not one
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
quarteringnoun
a coat of arms that occupies one quarter of an escutcheon; combining four coats of arms on one shield usually represented intermarriages
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
on the contrary
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
not used up
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
shoalnoun
a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
not in physical motion
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
streamingadjectiveUS /ˈstriːmɪŋ/
exuding a bodily fluid in profuse amounts
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
swamverbUS /swæm/
inflected form of “swim” — travel through water
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
possessing sweep
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
swimverbUS /swɪm/
travel through water
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
up to a particular time
From this reading However, he reached the shore finally, and drifted along till he found a low place and drew himself out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
male cat
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
upstreamadjectiveUS /ˈʌpˈstriːm/
in the direction against a stream's current
From this reading He swam quartering upstream, but still was swept downward rather faster than he had expected.
wadingnounUS /ˈweɪdɪŋ/
walking with your feet in shallow water
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading A FEW minutes later Tom was in the shoal water of the bar, wading toward the Illinois shore.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading He put his hand on his jacket pocket, found his piece of bark safe, and then struck through the woods, following the shore, with streaming garments.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
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 Before the depth reached his middle he was half-way over; the current would permit no more wading, now, so he struck out confidently to swim the remaining hundred yards.
