used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
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 One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
ascendingadjectiveUS /əˈsendɪŋ/
moving or going or growing upward
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
in a state of sleep
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
completely unclothed
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
blindsnounUS /blaɪndz/
plural of “blind” — people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
boltnounUS /boʊlt/
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
Celeste
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
countsnounUS /kaʊnts/
plural of “count” — the total number counted
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
daughter'snounUS /ˈdɔːtərz/
possessive form of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
excludeverbUS /ɪkˈskluːd/
prevent from being included or considered or accepted
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
a particular point in time
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
recurring again and again
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
shapelyadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪpli/
having a well-proportioned and pleasing shape
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
with low volume
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading At the door she paused and listened for a moment, then, softly turning the bolt, she entered the room.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "'Nothing counts that we do for ourselves,'" Celeste repeated, as she was ascending the stairs to her daughter's room.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The blinds were down to exclude the sunlight which was growing warm.
a Caucasian
From this reading On the great white bed Ruth lay asleep.
wristnounUS /rɪst/
a joint between the distal end of the radius and the proximal row of carpal bones
From this reading One plump bare arm, shapely wrist, and hand lay against the mass of golden hair.
