used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
Bechcombe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
Bechcombe's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
death-mask
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
hearersnounUS /ˈhiːrərz/
plural of “hearer” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
intense and profound fear
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
inscrutableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈskruːtəbəl/
of an obscure nature
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
immediately past
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
LukenounUS /luːk/
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
pinchedadjectiveUS /pɪntʃt/
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
rigidadjectiveUS /ˈrɪdʒəd/
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
shrunkverbUS /ʃrʌŋk/
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
express in speech
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
Steadman's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
strengthenedadjectiveUS /ˈstreŋθənd/
given added strength or support
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The horror in his hearers' faces grew and strengthened.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
trapnounUS /træp/
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Mrs. Bechcombe alone tried to speak; she leaned forward; in some inscrutable fashion her figure seemed to have shrunk in the last few minutes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He looked from one to another as he spoke and as he met John Steadman's glance his grey eyes were as hard as steel and his thin lips were drawn and pinched together like a trap.
a Caucasian
From this reading Her face was white and rigid and set like a death-mask.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
a late time of life
From this reading She looked bent and worn and old, ten years older than Luke Bechcombe's handsome wife had done.
