used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A BOX OF MATCHES.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
completely unclothed
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
blindingadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading A BOX OF MATCHES.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
civiliannounUS /səˈvɪljən/
a nonmilitary citizen
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
cleareradjectiveUS /ˈklɪrər/
comparative of “clear” — readily apparent to the mind
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
clothingnounUS /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/
a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
counternounUS /ˈkaʊntər/
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
dustyadjectiveUS /ˈdʌsti/
covered with a layer of dust
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
a movement into or inward
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
Herc
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
interioradjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɪriər/
situated within or suitable for inside a building
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
engage in
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
MATCHESnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading A BOX OF MATCHES.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A BOX OF MATCHES.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
precautionnounUS /priˈkɔːʃən/
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
ricketyadjectiveUS /ˈrɪkəti/
inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
a vivid mental image
From this reading This did not help to make things clearer to his vision in the gloom.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Before entering he had taken the precaution to pull the front of his soft hat down over his eyes, for, as will be recalled, he was wearing civilian clothing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His first impression was of a large apartment, bare of floor and wall, with a set of dusty show cases placed at one side behind a rickety counter.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The change from the bright sunlight without to the dim and dusty interior of the store was, at first, almost blinding to Herc.
