(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
captureverbUS /ˈkæptʃər/
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
carefully weighed
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
CONVINCINGadjectiveUS /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/
causing one to believe the truth of something
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
distortedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɔːrtəd/
so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
flimsyadjectiveUS /ˈflɪmzi/
lacking solidity or strength
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
gangstersnounUS /ˈɡæŋstərz/
plural of “gangster” — a criminal who is a member of gang
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/
(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
illogicaladjectiveUS /ˌɪˈlɑːdʒɪkəl/
lacking in correct logical relation
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
mentallyadverbUS /ˈmentəli/
in your mind
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
narratedverbUS /ˈnereɪtɪd/
past form of “narrate” — provide commentary for a film, for example
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
normaladjectiveUS /ˈnɔːrməl/
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
by chance
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
by chance
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
ridiculedverbUS /ˈrɪdəkjuːld/
past form of “ridicule” — subject to laughter or ridicule
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
sincereadjectiveUS /sɪnˈsɪr/
open and genuine; not deceitful
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
carry out
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CONVINCING THE POLICE The boys headed for police headquarters.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
trepidationnounUS /ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/
a feeling of alarm or dread
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
truthfuladjectiveUS /ˈtruːθfəl/
expressing or given to expressing the truth
From this reading The fact that they were perfectly normal and were sincere and truthful was beside the point.
unbelievingadjectiveUS /ˌʌnbəˈliːvɪŋ/
rejecting any belief in gods
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
undertookverbUS /ˌʌndərˈtʊk/
inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
unreasonableadjectiveUS /ənˈriːznəbəl/
not reasonable; not showing good judgment
From this reading And coming to think of it, all the evidence at their command was flimsy, in many cases unreasonable and illogical.
unwiseadjectiveUS /ənˈwaɪz/
showing or resulting from lack of judgment or wisdom
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
showing curiosity
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They undertook their task with trepidation, wondering how they would be received, feeling that possibly it was an unwise course to take, that perhaps if they tried they might capture the gangsters themselves without having to be ridiculed by unbelieving police.
youngstersnounUS /ˈjʌŋstərz/
plural of “youngster” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Besides, they were youngsters, and if they narrated all the events, they would be considered mentally distorted.
