used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
a young person of either sex
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
ConounUS /koʊ/
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
eardrums
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
incapableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/
(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
leafnounUS /liːf/
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
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 For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
motorsnounUS /ˈmoʊtərz/
plural of “motor” — machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
murmurnounUS /ˈmɜːrmər/
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
registeringverbUS /ˈredʒɪstərɪŋ/
-ing form of “register” — record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
Reilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
RodgersnounUS /ˈrɑːdʒərz/
United States composer of musical comedies (especially in collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II and with Lorenz Hart) (1902-1979)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
rustleverbUS /ˈrʌsəl/
make a dry crackling sound
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
squirmed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
suggestingverbUS /səˈdʒestɪŋ/
-ing form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Not the slightest murmur suggesting life reached his ears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
throbverbUS /θrɑːb/
pulsate or pound with abnormal force
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
very small
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Red Rodgers rolled half over, squirmed about, then sat up.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His eardrums, beaten upon as they had been by the roar of those motors, now seemed incapable of registering sound.
vibrateverbUS /ˈvaɪbreɪt/
shake, quiver, or throb; move back and forth rapidly, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “Not the rustle of a leaf, nor the lap of a tiny wave; not the whisper of a village child asleep,” he told himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For a long time he had felt the floor beneath him vibrate with the throb of powerful motors.
