used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
ABOUTprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ABOUT MANY THINGS.
(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 AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
anchorsnounUS /ˈæŋkərz/
plural of “anchor” — a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
any thing at all
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
creek'snounUS /kriːks/
possessive form of “creek” — a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
gaspingverbUS /ˈɡæspɪŋ/
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
inlandadjectiveUS /ˈɪnlænd/
situated away from an area's coast or border
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
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 ABOUT MANY THINGS.
a particular point in time
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
mouthsnounUS /maʊðz/
plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
skiffsnounUS /skɪfs/
plural of “skiff” — any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
in the near future
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
spitverbUS /spɪt/
expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading ABOUT MANY THINGS.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading All stood silent for a moment, gazing at the thousands on thousands of little, open, gasping mouths.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading AS soon as the anchors were dropped all scrambled into the skiffs, eager to be ashore.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
in or at the place that
From this reading They landed close to the sand spit that barred the creek's entrance, and a few steps brought them to where they could look in on the little inland lake.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I expected to see some fish from what you told us but I didn't expect anything like this," said Bill, drawing a deep breath.
