used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
barriernounUS /ˈbæriər/
a structure or object that impedes free movement
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
blindingadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
brutenounUS /bruːt/
a cruelly rapacious person
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
cat-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
cellarnounUS /ˈselər/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
evennessnounUS /ˈiːvənnəs/
the parity of even numbers (divisible by two)
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
flashlightsnounUS /ˈflæʃlaɪts/
plural of “flashlight” — a small portable battery-powered electric lamp
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
Garth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
the act of retaining something
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
inspectornounUS /ˌɪnˈspektər/
a high ranking police officer
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
engage in
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
the force of workers available
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
in motion
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
muscularadjectiveUS /ˈmʌskjələr/
of or relating to or consisting of muscle
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
Nora
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
revolvernounUS /rɪˈvɑːlvər/
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
ruggedadjectiveUS /ˈrʌɡəd/
sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
SlimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
in the near future
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
stainedadjectiveUS /steɪnd/
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
stealthnounUS /stelθ/
avoiding detection by moving carefully
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
strengthenedadjectiveUS /ˈstreŋθənd/
given added strength or support
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
tearingnounUS /ˈterɪŋ/
shedding tears
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLACK CAP Four shadowy figures stood in front of him, holding flashlights.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Behind the blinding barrier he could make out Nora, crouched against a stained and rugged wall.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And the brute, George, was at her side, his muscular hands on her arm.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Slim stepped out of the obscurity, moving for Garth with a stealth and an evenness nearly cat-like.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Garth raised his revolver, strengthened by the knowledge that the inspector with many men would soon be tearing through the cellar doors.
