used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
abilitynounUS /əˈbɪlətiː/
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
capturedverbUS /ˈkæptʃərd/
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
catlike
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
divisible by two
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
facultynounUS /ˈfækəlti/
one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
the act of departing
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
on one occasion
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
propositionnounUS /ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃən/
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
redskinsnounUS /ˈredskɪnz/
plural of “redskin” — (slang) offensive term for Native Americans
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
regionnounUS /ˈriːdʒən/
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
seeminglyadverbUS /ˈsiːmɪŋli/
from appearances alone
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
sentinelsnounUS /ˈsentənəlz/
plural of “sentinel” — a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading He had been successful, always, in getting through the lines of British sentinels, but these redskins were a different proposition.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading They were perfectly at home in this region, and, too, they were used to being about at night.
precisely as stated
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
vicinitynounUS /vəˈsɪnəti/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They possessed the ability to know what was going on around them, even in the darkness, they seemingly having the catlike faculty of seeing in the dark.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At once he realized that he would have to be very careful, or he would be unable to get through the lines without being captured.
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 Dick and the Indians Dick Dare had not gone twenty yards before he became convinced that there were Indians in the vicinity.
