used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
answeringadjectiveUS /ˈænsərɪŋ/
replying
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
door-bell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
gailyadverbUS /ˈɡeɪli/
in a gay manner
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
brought together in one place
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
a young female
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
lassnounUS /læs/
a girl or young woman who is unmarried
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
lighternounUS /ˈlaɪtər/
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
by chance
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
Meade's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
Norah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
speaksverbUS /spiːks/
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
stampingverbUS /ˈstæmpɪŋ/
-ing form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
having a supporting base
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading SUCCESS.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
express in words
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
at the time that
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Maybe my face speaks the truth," answered the sailor, gaily, stamping to free his boots from the snow which had gathered upon them.
which person or people
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Norah was surprised on answering the door-bell on the morning of the following Sunday to find her uncle standing without.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
the day immediately before today
From this reading "I thought that my little lass would go to church with a lighter heart, if I stepped over early to tell her what I heard yesterday evening when I looked in at old Meade's."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, uncle, who would have thought to have seen you so early? and your face looks so bright, as if you were bringing good news!" cried the girl.
