used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
callernounUS /ˈkɔːlər/
a social or business visitor
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
confidentadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnfədənt/
having or marked by confidence or assurance
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
the act of departing
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
Fuller'snounUS /ˈfʊlərz/
possessive form of “fuller” — United States jurist and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1833-1910)
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
HowardnounUS /ˈhaʊərd/
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading It was Len Howard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Len Howard.
conformity or harmony
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
Len
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Len Howard.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
retracedverbUS /riˈtreɪst/
past form of “retrace” — to go back over again
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
Identical; not different.
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
studentsnounUS /ˈstuːdənts/
plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At the entrance to the college grounds I paused long enough for him to come up.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
at the time that
From this reading A TURN OF LUCK I had not retraced my footsteps far when I heard Professor Fuller’s gate open and close.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Evidently the caller had taken his departure, and from the manner in which he was following me, I felt confident he must be one of the students.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading He was walking at about the same pace that I was, keeping some fifty yards behind me.
