used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
(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 All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
ChesternounUS /ˈtʃestər/
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
CrawfordnounUS /ˈkrɔːfərd/
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
Hal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
an opening into or through something
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
ten 10s
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
engage in
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
MAN'SnounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
not any; not one
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
PainenounUS /peɪn/
American Revolutionary leader and signer of the Declaration of Independence (1731-1814)
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
refugenounUS /ˈrefjuːdʒ/
a safe place
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
shellnounUS /ʃel/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading IN NO MAN'S LAND Hal Paine and Chester Crawford crouched low in a shell hole in No Man's Land.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
SprintersnounUS /ˈsprɪntərz/
plural of “sprinter” — someone who runs a short distance at top speed
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was plain common sense that kept them in their present position.
in or at that place or location
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sprinters such as Hal and Chester could easily have covered the distance in half a minute; and it was not for want of courage that so far they had failed to make the effort.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading All morning they had been there and the day had worn on now into the afternoon.
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 Two hundred yards west of their refuge were the American lines.
