used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
barriernounUS /ˈbæriər/
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
exhale hard
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
chafedadjectiveUS /tʃeɪft/
painful from having the skin abraded
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
your usual mood
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
encounteredverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntərd/
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
EzranounUS /ˈezrə/
a Jewish priest and scribe sent by the Persian king to restore Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
an act that fails
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
financesnounUS /fɪˈnænsɪz/
assets in the form of money
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
firm'snounUS /fɜːrmz/
possessive form of “firm” — the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
Girdlestone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
MISUNDERSTANDINGnounUS /ˌmɪsəndərˈstændɪŋ/
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading A SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
obstaclesnounUS /ˈɑːbstəkəlz/
plural of “obstacle” — something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
overbearingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərˈberɪŋ/
expecting unquestioning obedience
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
ragedverbUS /reɪdʒd/
past form of “rage” — behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
revelationnounUS /ˌrevəˈleɪʃən/
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading A SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
tempestuousadjectiveUS /ˌtemˈpestʃuːəs/
characterized by violent emotions or behavior
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
treadverbUS /tred/
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The revelation of the real state of the firm's finances was a terrible blow to Ezra Girdlestone.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To a man of his overbearing, tempestuous disposition failure and poverty were bitter things to face.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Now he encountered a great barrier which could not be passed so easily, and he raged and chafed before it.
wontnounUS /woʊnt/
an established custom
From this reading He had been wont to tread down before him all such little difficulties and obstacles as came across him in his former life.
