used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
anew
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
aghastadjectiveUS /əˈɡæst/
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading The boys stared at one another, aghast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The boys stared at one another, aghast.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boys stared at one another, aghast.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
completely unclothed
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
blood-thirsty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
diabolicaladjectiveUS /ˌdaɪəˈbɑːlɪkəl/
showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
dumbfoundedadjectiveUS /ˈdʌmfaʊndɪd/
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading For a moment they were dumbfounded.
echoesnounUS /ˈekoʊz/
plural of “echo” — the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
at any time
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment they were dumbfounded.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
malignancenoun
(medicine) a malignant state; progressive and resistant to treatment and tending to cause death
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
mistakingnounUS /mɪˈsteɪkɪŋ/
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment they were dumbfounded.
used to form the superlative
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
not any; not one
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boys stared at one another, aghast.
quaveringadjectiveUS /ˈkweɪvərɪŋ/
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
recurring again and again
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
scalenounUS /skeɪl/
an ordered reference standard
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
screamverbUS /skriːm/
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
shrieknounUS /ʃriːk/
sharp piercing cry
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
small or little relative to something else
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The boys stared at one another, aghast.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a moment they were dumbfounded.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
uncannyadjectiveUS /ənˈkæni/
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
communicated in words
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
plural of “wall” — 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 As the quavering notes died away, the bare walls of the old house flung back the echoes so that the shriek seemed to be repeated again and again, but on a smaller scale.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE STORM That shriek was the most fearful and uncanny sound the boys had ever heard.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a moment they were dumbfounded.
but in spite of that
From this reading There was a diabolical malignance about it, like the scream of some blood-thirsty animal, yet there was no mistaking the fact that it was uttered by a human being.
