adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
brainsnounUS /breɪnz/
plural of “brain” — that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
deepestadjectiveUS /ˈdiːpəst/
superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
dropverbUS /drɑːp/
let fall to the ground
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
dyeverbUS /daɪ/
color with dye
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
faradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
feltverbUS /felt/
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
fingersnounUS /ˈfɪŋɡərz/
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
fournounUS /fɔːr/
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
glanceverbUS /ɡlæns/
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
gropedverbUS /ɡroʊpt/
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
harrowingadjectiveUS /ˈheroʊɪŋ/
extremely painful
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
hopenounUS /hoʊp/
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
mid-air
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
murderernounUS /ˈmɜːrdərər/
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
MydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
pavementnounUS /ˈpeɪvmənt/
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
peeredverbUS /pɪrd/
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
policenounUS /pəˈliːs/
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
pooradjectiveUS /puːr/
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
precipitateverbUS /prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/
bring about abruptly
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
preynounUS /preɪ/
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
provedadjectiveUS /pruːvd/
established beyond doubt
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
red-handedadjectiveUS /ˈredˈhændɪd/
in the act of committing a crime or other reprehensible act
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
regretsnounUS /rɪˈɡrets/
a polite refusal of an invitation
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
remainsnounUS /rɪˈmeɪnz/
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
scatteringnounUS /ˈskætərɪŋ/
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
slipverbUS /slɪp/
move stealthily
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
StandingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/
having a supporting base
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
staringadjectiveUS /ˈsterɪŋ/
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
storiesnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
superfluousadjectiveUS /ˈsuːpərflwʌs/
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading My first glance proved my regrets to be superfluous.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Standing there staring after him, I felt like a murderer of the deepest dye.
thiefnounUS /θiːf/
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
thingnounUS /θɪŋ/
a special situation
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
throughprepositionUS /θruː/
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
UnnervedadjectiveUS /ənˈnɜːrvd/
deprived of courage and strength
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
vestigenounUS /ˈvestɪdʒ/
an indication that something has been present
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Unnerved, I groped to the window and peered downward for his remains.
wretchnounUS /retʃ/
performs some wicked deed
From this reading There was not a vestige of hope for the poor wretch.
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It is one thing to hand over to the police their natural prey, a thief taken red-handed, but quite another, and a much more harrowing one, to have him slip through your fingers, precipitate himself into mid-air, and drop four stories to the pavement, scattering his brains far and wide.
