used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
BIRTHDAYSnounUS /ˈbɜːrθdeɪz/
plural of “birthday” — an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
coughedverbUS /kɔːft/
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A moment's silence followed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
JannounUS /dʒæn/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
hear with intention
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
loudlyadverbUS /ˈlaʊdli/
with relatively high volume
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
moment'snounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading A moment's silence followed.
Mélisse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
with low volume
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
scrapedverbUS /skreɪpt/
past form of “scrape” — scratch repeatedly
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading A moment's silence followed.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
a message informing of danger
From this reading He stopped to listen, and caught a faint laugh from the other room, and then another; and to give warning of his presence, he coughed loudly and scraped a chair along the floor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
at the time that
From this reading BIRTHDAYS The big room was empty when Jan came quietly through the open door.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The farther door opened a little, and then it opened wide, and Mélisse came out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now what do you think of me, brother Jan?"
