used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
(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 The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
in a state of sleep
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
breezesnounUS /ˈbriːzɪz/
plural of “breeze” — a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
rid of obstructions
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
start firing a weapon
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
nestsnounUS /nests/
plural of “nest” — a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
Ralph
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
with speed
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
move upward
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
in the near future
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
underneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
precisely as stated
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The afternoon began to rapidly draw to a close, and darkness was soon at hand.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
at the time that
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
whitesnounUS /waɪts/
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading The birds had all gone to their nests or were asleep in the branches of the trees with their heads underneath their wings.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The day had been pretty warm, but night brought cool and very pleasant breezes with it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The sky was clear of clouds, and all knew when the moon _did_ rise it would have a clear field before it.
yarnnounUS /jɑːrn/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading After Ralph had finished his yarn, the whites sat for some time talking around the fire.
