used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
aftadverbUS /æft/
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
anew
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading It was a time of awful suspense.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading The drum beat to quarters.
believingnounUS /bɪˈliːvɪŋ/
the cognitive process that leads to convictions
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
drumnounUS /drʌm/
a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
From this reading The drum beat to quarters.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
foenounUS /foʊ/
an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a time of awful suspense.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
mutineersnounUS /ˌmjuːtɪˈnɪrz/
plural of “mutineer” — someone who is openly rebellious and refuses to obey authorities (especially seamen or soldiers)
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
not any; not one
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading The drum beat to quarters.
on the contrary
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
recurring again and again
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
express the need or desire for
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
transport commercially
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
signalsnounUS /ˈsɪɡnəlz/
plural of “signal” — any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
sinkverbUS /sɪŋk/
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
surrendernounUS /sərˈendər/
acceptance of despair
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading It was a time of awful suspense.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was a time of awful suspense.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The crew, believing her to be a foe, again came aft, and repeated their request to be allowed to sink, rather than surrender to the mutineers.
in the direction of
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
look attentively
From this reading "Towards the end of the middle watch, a large ship, as she appeared, was seen bearing down towards us.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The private signals were made: they were answered; but that was no security, as the mutineers would of course have possessed themselves of them.
