used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
(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 day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
brown-eyed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
brown-hairedadjective
having hair of a dark color
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
buglenounUS /ˈbjuːɡəl/
a brass instrument without valves; used for military calls and fanfares
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
rid of obstructions
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
feminineadjectiveUS /ˈfemənən/
associated with women and not with men
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
a young female
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
hanknounUS /hæŋk/
a coil of rope or wool or yarn
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
the act of retaining something
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
knittingnounUS /ˈnɪtɪŋ/
needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
ledgenounUS /ledʒ/
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
the force of workers available
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
musicaladjectiveUS /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
PacificnounUS /pəˈsɪfɪk/
the largest ocean in the world
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
sewingnounUS /ˈsoʊɪŋ/
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading The feminine members of the little circle were knitting and sewing.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
smoulderingadjective
showing scarcely suppressed anger
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
soundingadjectiveUS /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
having a supporting base
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
tropicadjectiveUS /ˈtrɑːpɪk/
relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator)
From this reading All day the sun had been hot, almost as a tropic sun, but now with the coming of the late afternoon a cool breeze was blowing in from the sea.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not far off a number of persons were seated about a smouldering camp fire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Call to Service On a ledge of rock with the Pacific Ocean as a background a girl was standing, holding a bugle to her lips and with it sounding a clear, musical call.
woolnounUS /wʊl/
a fabric made from the hair of sheep
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading One of the two young men was holding a hank of wool, which a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl was winding slowly and carefully into a great ball.
