used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
buttverbUS /bʌt/
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
contendverbUS /kənˈtend/
maintain or assert
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
dangerouslyadverbUS /ˈdeɪn.dʒər.əs.li/
In a way that involves danger or risk.
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
opinion or judgment
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
hutsnounUS /hʌts/
plural of “hut” — temporary military shelter
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
incompleteadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkəmˈpliːt/
not complete or total; not completed
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
leadersnounUS /ˈliːdərz/
the body of people who lead a group
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
roused to anger
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
the force of workers available
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
miraculousadjectiveUS /mərˈækjələs/
being or having the character of a miracle
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
patrolnounUS /pəˈtroʊl/
a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
perishedverbUS /ˈperɪʃt/
past form of “perish” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
rebelsnounUS /ˈrebəlz/
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
revolversnounUS /rɪˈvɑːlvərz/
plural of “revolver” — a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
riflesnounUS /ˈraɪfəlz/
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
slopesnounUS /sloʊps/
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
Spiritlessadjective
lacking ardor or vigor or energy
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
staggeredverbUS /ˈstæɡərd/
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How could they have been mad enough to contend against such a power?
push forcefully
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
unarmedadjectiveUS /əˈnɑːrmd/
(used of persons or the military) not having or using arms
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading But the King knew well enough how dangerously incomplete his victory was.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
a Caucasian
From this reading Many of the rebels had fallen to the revolvers of the white men at bay, and many more to the rifles of the patrol.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Spiritless and unarmed, thrust on by the patrol with the butt of the rifle, they staggered down the slopes to their huts on the beach.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Two of their leaders had perished before their eyes, and the death of one of them, slave to the fixed eyes and whispered words of the King, had seemed to them miraculous.
