used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
astiradjective
out of bed
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT ROSARIO STATION.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
bestirverb
become active
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
ChihuahuanounUS /tʃəˈwɑːwɑː/
a city in northern Mexico in the state of Chihuahua; commercial center of northern Mexico
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
the first light of day
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
illuminatingadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈluːməneɪtɪŋ/
tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
inertadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnɜːrt/
unable to move or resist motion
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
and nothing more
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
locomotivenounUS /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
not any; not one
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
passengersnounUS /ˈpæsəndʒərz/
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
potnounUS /pɑːt/
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
quoteverbUS /kwoʊt/
repeat a passage from
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
ROSARIOnounUS /roʊˈzɑːrioʊ/
a port city on the Parana River in eastern central Argentina
From this reading AT ROSARIO STATION.
schedulesnounUS /ˈskedʒʊlz/
plural of “schedule” — a temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
sidetracknounUS /ˈsaɪdtræk/
a short stretch of railroad track used to store rolling stock or enable trains on the same line to pass
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since fighting had begun in Chihuahua, schedules had, to quote Bill, "gone to pot."
smokelessadjectiveUS /ˈsmoʊkləs/
emitting or containing little or no smoke
From this reading On a sidetrack lay a locomotive, smokeless and inert, just as her crew had abandoned her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading AT ROSARIO STATION.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
create by training and teaching
From this reading The station agent was not about so early on account of passengers that might be expected by an early train--for the excellent reason that there was no morning train.
tree-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
at the time that
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
WhitingnounUS /ˈwaɪtɪŋ/
flesh of a cod-like fish of the Atlantic waters of Europe
From this reading The dull gray of the dawn was illuminating the east, and the breath of the morning astir in the tree-tops, when Bill Whiting, station agent at Rosario, began to bestir himself.
