used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
(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 THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
ducksnounUS /dʌks/
plural of “duck” — small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
a small worthless amount
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
patrolnounUS /pəˈtroʊl/
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
skirmishingverbUS /ˈskɜːrmɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “skirmish” — engage in a skirmish
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
having a supporting base
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
we're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN "Paul, we're not alone up here after all!"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
what's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
in or at the place that
From this reading He had been skirmishing around later in the afternoon; and came upon the other as Paul was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out upon its surface, to where some ducks floated.
which person or people
From this reading It was Jack who made this remark.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, I never believed we did own the place," returned the patrol leader, with a smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But what's happened to give you that idea, Jack?"
