used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
(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 THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
BlocknounUS /blɑːk/
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/
having lost your job
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
GouldnounUS /ɡuːld/
United States paleontologist and popularizer of science (1941-2002)
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
intentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈtentli/
with strained or eager attention
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading “But couldn’t those shots have been fired on land?”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
not in physical motion
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
and nothing more
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
PEAKnounUS /piːk/
the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
by chance
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
reportsnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrts/
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
only a very short time before
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
transport commercially
From this reading “It’s a ship passing off the coast!” said Captain Gould at length.
shotsnounUS /ʃɑːts/
plural of “shot” — the act of firing a projectile
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the distance a few more shots rang out, the sound borne to them on the faint breath of the breeze.
in the direction of
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
at the time that
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE FLAG ON THE PEAK All stood motionless, their hearts tense with excitement, their eyes turned towards the northern horizon, listening intently, scarcely breathing.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes; those reports can only come from a ship,” John Block replied; “when night falls, perhaps we shall see her lights.”
