used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
bendverbUS /bend/
form a curve
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
boomverbUS /buːm/
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
bouldersnounUS /ˈboʊldərz/
plural of “boulder” — a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
crashingadjectiveUS /ˈkræʃɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
Ditson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
foamed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
gorgeverbUS /ɡɔːrdʒ/
overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
horseshoenounUS /ˈhɔːrsʃuː/
game equipment consisting of an open ring of iron used in playing horseshoes
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
ledgenounUS /ledʒ/
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
louderadjectiveUS /ˈlaʊdər/
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
narrowedadjectiveUS /ˈneroʊd/
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
NegrosnounUS /ˈniːɡroʊz/
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
overhangingverbUS /ˈoʊvərhæŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “overhang” — project over
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
paddlers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
PintonounUS /ˈpɪntoʊ/
a spotted or calico horse or pony
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
RionounUS /ˈriːoʊ/
the former capital and 2nd largest city of Brazil; chief Brazilian port; famous as a tourist attraction
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
roaredverbUS /rɔːrd/
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
shapedadjectiveUS /ʃeɪpt/
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
SHIPWRECKnounUS /ˈʃɪprek/
a wrecked ship (or a part of one)
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
not in physical motion
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Beyond a bend in the river stretched before them a long gorge.
in or at that place or location
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading Professor Ditson had never been on the Rio Negros before, nor had Pinto followed it farther than Treasure Rock.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There the stream had narrowed, and, rushing across a ledge shaped like a horseshoe, foamed and roared and beat its way among the great boulders.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading SHIPWRECK About the middle of the morning there sounded through the still air a distant boom, which grew louder until finally it became a crashing roar.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The paddlers brought their craft into smooth water under an overhanging bank while they held a council of war.
