used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
abruptadjectiveUS /əˈbrʌpt/
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
anew
From this reading "Oh, please," she appealed again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
from appearances alone
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading "Oh, please," she appealed again.
arrivingverbUS /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
blendingnounUS /ˈblendɪŋ/
the act of blending components together thoroughly
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
brakesnounUS /breɪks/
a braking device consisting of a combination of interacting parts that work to slow a motor vehicle
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
drivernounUS /ˈdraɪvər/
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
one or the other of two
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
a young female
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
grindverbUS /ɡraɪnd/
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
haltverbUS /hɔːlt/
cause to stop
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
limousinenounUS /ˈlɪməziːn/
large luxurious car; usually driven by a chauffeur
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
machinesnounUS /məˈʃiːnz/
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
meadowsnounUS /ˈmedoʊz/
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, please," she appealed again.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Oh, please," she appealed again.
reportsnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrts/
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
roadsidenounUS /ˈroʊdsaɪd/
edge of a way or road or path
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
searchlightsnounUS /ˈsɜːrtʃlaɪts/
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, please," she appealed again.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
signaledverbUS /ˈsɪɡnəld/
past form of “signal” — communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
soundlessadjective
marked by absence of sound
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
not in physical motion
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The roaring reports of the motor fell into abrupt silence, as the driver brought his car to a halt.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
uninhabitedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətɪd/
not having inhabitants; not lived in
From this reading On either side stretched away the Long Island meadows, dark, soundless, apparently uninhabited.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
which person or people
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You signaled?" he called across the grind of set brakes.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading In the blending glare of the searchlights from the two machines, the gray one arriving and the limousine drawn to the roadside, the young girl stood, her hand still extended in the gesture which had stopped the man who now leaned across his wheel.
