used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
move towards
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
CANINEnounUS /ˈkeɪnaɪn/
one of the four pointed conical teeth (two in each jaw) located between the incisors and the premolars
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
dispatchverbUS /dɪˈspætʃ/
send away towards a designated goal
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
divisible by two
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
expansenounUS /ɪkˈspæns/
a wide scope
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
Hephzibah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
heraldedadjectiveUS /ˈherəldɪd/
publicly announced
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
hideousadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdiəs/
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
provoking horror
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
immediately past
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
literallyadverbUS /ˈlɪtərəli/
in a literal sense
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
absolutely essential
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
nightmarenounUS /ˈnaɪt.mɛr/
A terrifying or distressing dream.
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
pursuingadjectiveUS /pərˈsuːɪŋ/
following in order to overtake or capture or as accompaniment to such pursuit
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
ranchnounUS /ræntʃ/
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
recollectionnounUS /ˌrekəˈlekʃən/
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
ridersnounUS /ˈraɪdərz/
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
saddlesnounUS /ˈsædəlz/
plural of “saddle” — a seat for the rider of a horse or other animal
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
have in common
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
slackenedverbUS /ˈslækənd/
past form of “slacken” — become slow or slower
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
slidverbUS /slɪd/
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
springingverbUS /ˈsprɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
stretchverbUS /stretʃ/
occupy a large, elongated area
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
stridenounUS /straɪd/
a step in walking or running
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
tangibleadjectiveUS /ˈtændʒəbəl/
perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
thresholdnounUS /ˈθreʃoʊld/
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
VAGARIESnounUS /ˈveɪɡəriz/
plural of “vagary” — an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Even their horses seemed to share something of their riders' fears, for their light springing stride never slackened during that ten miles' stretch, and they had to be literally forced down to a walk to give them the necessary "breathing."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CANINE VAGARIES The last stage of the girls' journey--the ride home from the ranch--was like some horrible nightmare.
at the time that
From this reading The farm dogs heralded their approach, and when the girls slid down from their saddles Hephzibah was at the threshold waiting for them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was as though recollection had suddenly turned itself into a hideous, tangible form which was pursuing them over the dark expanse of prairie.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Like their riders, the animals' one idea seemed to be to reach the security of the farm with all possible dispatch.
