used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading GERALD SUFFERS AN INDIGNITY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/
a formal public statement
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “It cannot be possible!”
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It cannot be possible!”
crashverbUS /kræʃ/
fall or come down violently
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
GERALD
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GERALD SUFFERS AN INDIGNITY.
depressingly dark
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
hold firmly
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
intense and profound fear
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
Hubbard'snounUS /ˈhʌbərdz/
possessive form of “hubbard” — a United States writer of science fiction and founder of Scientology (1911-1986)
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
INDIGNITYnounUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnətiː/
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
From this reading GERALD SUFFERS AN INDIGNITY.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It cannot be possible!”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
paralyzedadjectiveUS /ˈperəlaɪzd/
affected with paralysis
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “It cannot be possible!”
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
staggeredverbUS /ˈstæɡərd/
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
SUFFERSverbUS /ˈsʌfərz/
third-person singular of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading GERALD SUFFERS AN INDIGNITY.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
topmostadjective
at or nearest to the top
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
vaultnounUS /vɒlt/
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading Gerald finally gasped, as he staggered back against the side of the vault, almost paralyzed from horror.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a dead silence in that gloomy place for the space of a full minute after John Hubbard’s terrible announcement.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As he did so, the topmost box in his hands slipped from his grasp, and fell with a crash to the floor.
