used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
addressingverbUS /əˈdresɪŋ/
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
AREauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "ARE WE AWAKE?"
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
AWAKEadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading "ARE WE AWAKE?"
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
big-wigs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
bronzedadjectiveUS /brɑːnzd/
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
departmentnounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtmənt/
a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
imposingadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpoʊzɪŋ/
impressive in appearance
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
Jackies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
ManhattannounUS /mænˈhætən/
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
navaladjectiveUS /ˈneɪvəl/
connected with or belonging to or used in a navy
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
on one occasion
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
quickenedverbUS /ˈkwɪkənd/
past form of “quicken” — move faster
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
salutedverbUS /səˈluːtɪd/
past form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
summonedverbUS /ˈsʌmənd/
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
thoroughadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːroʊ/
painstakingly careful and accurate
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "ARE WE AWAKE?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They guessed at once from the manner in which he had been addressed, that the stranger was one of the "big-wigs" of the naval department.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The lads drew themselves up and saluted, not without a quickened action of their hearts.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "These are the lads I was speaking to you about, Mr. Secretary," he said, addressing his companion.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The commander of the _Manhattan_, an imposing, bronzed figure of a man, and a thorough sailor, swung around in his chair and faced the two young Jackies he had summoned.
