used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
in the past
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
Barnard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She must get the telling over before he came.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
to come or go into
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She must get the telling over before he came.
GrahamnounUS /ˈɡreɪəm/
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
greetingnounUS /ˈɡriːtɪŋ/
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
and nothing more
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
lingeringnounUS /ˈlɪŋɡərɪŋ/
the act of tarrying
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
come together
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
the force of workers available
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
momentaryadjectiveUS /ˈmoʊmənteri/
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
a form of address for a man
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She must get the telling over before he came.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading She must get the telling over before he came.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
with low volume
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
Shirley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
express in speech
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
not in physical motion
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
suppressedadjectiveUS /səˈprest/
kept from public knowledge by various means
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading She must get the telling over before he came.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She began to speak in a low voice full of suppressed excitement.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading She had a vague fear lest the two men might be still lingering about the outer office, waiting for Mr. Barnard, and a momentary dread lest Mr. Barnard might enter the room at any minute.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Mr. Graham, two men were sitting in this room waiting for Mr. Barnard a few minutes ago, and I was in my little room just back there.
at the time that
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading When Graham entered the office Shirley came to meet him quietly, without a word of greeting other than to put her little cold hand into his that he held out to her.
