used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
despairingadjectiveUS /dɪˈsperɪŋ/
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
elbowsnounUS /ˈelboʊz/
plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
a young female
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
headlongadverbUS /ˈhedlɔːŋ/
with the head foremost
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
horsehairnoun
hair taken from the mane or tail of a horse
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
ill-cleaned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
a message received and understood
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
intolerableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɑːlərəbəl/
incapable of being tolerated or endured
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
maelstromnounUS /ˈmeɪl.strɒm/
A powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river; a state of confused turmoil.
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
MUTUALadjectiveUS /ˈmjuːtʃuːəl/
common to or shared by two or more parties
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
occupantnounUS /ˈɑːkjəpənt/
someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
sofanounUS /ˈsoʊfə/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was one other occupant of the room, and, curiously enough, his attitude appeared to be a somewhat similar one.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
propel through the air
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This, then, was to be the end of her dreams.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MUTUAL INFORMATION The girl was sitting in the middle of a hard horsehair sofa, her elbows upon her knees, her head resting in her hands.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She must go back to the life which she felt to be intolerable, or she must throw herself headlong into the maelstrom.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She looked across the dreary apartment and out of the ill-cleaned windows, with dull, despairing eyes.
