used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
accomplishingverbUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “accomplish” — put in effect
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
acenounUS /eɪs/
the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
conceivedverbUS /kənˈsiːvd/
past form of “conceive” — have the idea for
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
discretionnounUS /dɪˈskreʃən/
freedom to act or judge on one's own
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
flickeringadjectiveUS /ˈflɪkərɪŋ/
shining unsteadily
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
set up or found
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
Grewgus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
inebriatedadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnebrieɪtəd/
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
immediately past
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
merestadjectiveUS /ˈmerəst/
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
a particular point in time
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
Newcombe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
with little or no delay
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
relapsedverbUS /riˈlæpst/
past form of “relapse” — deteriorate in health
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was by the merest bad luck, at the last moment, some sudden flickering of intelligence had caused the inebriated man to exercise discretion.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He got up for an instant, but relapsed promptly into his seat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Newcombe did as he was told, but the effort was not successful.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Grewgus found himself confronted with an awkward situation.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading He did not for a moment regret his hastily conceived pursuit of Newcombe; he had come within an ace of accomplishing his object.
