used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
attainingverbUS /əˈteɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “attain” — to gain with effort
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
backwardadverbUS /ˈbækwərd/
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
a youthful male person
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
couplingnounUS /ˈkʌplɪŋ/
a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
excitableadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtəbəl/
easily excited
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
made afraid
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
GiraffenounUS /dʒərˈæf/
tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
hurlverbUS /hɜːrl/
throw forcefully
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
infrequentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfriːkwənt/
not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
jumpingnounUS /ˈdʒʌmpɪŋ/
the act of participating in an athletic competition in which you must jump
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
and nothing more
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
not any; not one
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
occurrencenounUS /əˈkɜːrəns/
an event that happens
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
pandemoniumnounUS /ˌpændɪˈmoʊniəm/
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
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 Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
remnantnounUS /ˈremnənt/
a small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
move hurridly
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
shrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading Of course by now a pandemonium of loud cries and shrieks had broken forth.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
Thad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
create by training and teaching
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
transportationnounUS /ˌtrænspərˈteɪʃən/
a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Thad knew that a coupling must have broken under the great strain, a no infrequent occurrence across in America.
vansnounUS /vænz/
plural of “van” — any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
vehiclesnounUS /ˈviːhɪkəlz/
plural of “vehicle” — a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading Some of the more excitable passengers aboard the rear vans acted as though almost ready to hurl themselves out of the open vehicles of transportation.
velocitynounUS /vəˈlɑːsəti/
distance travelled per unit time
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While Giraffe was saying this the remnant of the train was indeed attaining considerable velocity in its backward rush.
wildlyadverbUS /ˈwaɪldli/
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading Indeed, Thad just caught one frightened little boy in time to prevent him from jumping wildly.
