used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
(sentence connectors) because of the reason given
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
eagerly desirous
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
cautiousadjectiveUS /ˈkɔːʃəs/
showing careful forethought
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
creepverbUS /kriːp/
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
to or in any or all places
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
set up or found
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
freshmennounUS /ˈfreʃmɪn/
plural of “freshman” — a first-year undergraduate
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
HEARSverbUS /hiːrz/
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
to a considerable degree
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
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 He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
a boy or man
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
set down according to a plan
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/
extremely
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
RALPH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading He found where the darkness lay most heavily, and laid out his line of retreat accordingly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
solveverbUS /sɑːlv/
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
sophomoresnounUS /ˈsɑːfmɔːrz/
plural of “sophomore” — a second-year undergraduate
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
squeaksnounUS /skwiːks/
plural of “squeak” — a short high-pitched noise
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading RALPH HEARS SOMETHING Ralph had become cautious by this time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Two narrow squeaks, and the third time may see me held tight,” he said to himself, as he crouched there, looking around.
undetectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈtektɪd/
not perceived or discerned
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
having passed out of existence
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How to creep away undetected was a question for the lad to solve.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
in or at the place that
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He knew positively that the anxious sophomores were hiding everywhere about, their eyes on the barn where the freshmen had vanished, bearing their dinner with them.
