used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading GILBERT ALLISON HEARS A VOICE.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
how long something has existed
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
ALLISON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GILBERT ALLISON HEARS A VOICE.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
buryingnounUS /ˈberiɪŋ/
concealing something under the ground
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
GILBERTnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading GILBERT ALLISON HEARS A VOICE.
graveyardnounUS /ˈɡreɪvjɑːrd/
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
HEARSverbUS /hiːrz/
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading GILBERT ALLISON HEARS A VOICE.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
homesnounUS /hoʊmz/
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
journeyingnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrniɪŋ/
the act of traveling from one place to another
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
a form of address for a man
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
nearedverbUS /nɪrd/
past form of “near” — move towards
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
by chance
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
ridersnounUS /ˈraɪdərz/
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
in or at or to some place
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
suburbanadjectiveUS /səˈbɜːrbən/
relating to or characteristic of or situated in suburbs
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
talkativeadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːkətɪv/
full of trivial conversation
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At any rate, it was somewhere close to the hour of midnight and they were approaching an old graveyard.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were out later than they had expected to be, perhaps.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
travelersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveler” — a person who changes location
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading GILBERT ALLISON HEARS A VOICE.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was this night that two travelers were journeying across a bit of suburban country toward their city homes.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading As they neared the ancient burying ground Mr. Allison, for he was one of the riders, became less talkative, and rode closer to his friend, a young man of about his own age.
