used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
Alan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
awakenedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪkənd/
aroused or activated
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
Bob'snounUS /bɑːbz/
possessive form of “bob” — a former monetary unit in Great Britain
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
checkedadjectiveUS /tʃekt/
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
chopverbUS /tʃɑːp/
cut into pieces
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
power to direct or determine
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
let fall to the ground
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
enginesnounUS /ˈendʒənz/
plural of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
examinationnounUS /ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
groanedverbUS /ɡroʊnd/
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
hastyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪsti/
excessively quick
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
hoarselyadverb
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
intense and profound fear
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
and nothing more
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
planesnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plane” — an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
prophecynounUS /ˈprɒf.ə.si/
A prediction of what will happen in the future, often divinely or magically inspired.
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
recurring again and again
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The boys stared at each other, blank horror in each face.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
tremornounUS /ˈtremər/
an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
hard to endure
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
We'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ll drop like a rock!” he repeated hoarsely, trying to control the tremor in his voice.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Ned and Bob were immediately awakened and a hasty examination of the engines showed plainly the terrible truth of Bob’s prophecy.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading “Oh, if only we had not been forced to chop away the big wing planes,” groaned Alan.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “With them spread, the force of our fall would surely have been checked and given us at least a fighting chance for our lives!”
