used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
the state of being absent
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
ACCUSATIONnounUS /ˌækjəˈzeɪʃən/
a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED ACCUSATION.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
(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 Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED ACCUSATION.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
a youthful male person
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
of short duration or distance
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
devouringadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaʊərɪŋ/
(often followed by “for”) ardently or excessively desirous
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
gaspsnounUS /ɡæsps/
plural of “gasp” — a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
lariatnounUS /ˈleriət/
a long noosed rope used to catch animals
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
lassonounUS /ˈlæsoʊ/
Belgian composer (1532-1594)
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
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 We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
PlattenounUS /plæt/
a river in Nebraska that flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
quicksandsnounUS /ˈkwɪksændz/
plural of “quicksand” — a treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
rendverb
tear or be torn violently
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
carry out
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
TighteradjectiveUS /ˈtaɪtər/
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading Tighter and tighter grew the lariat about his body; his arms seemed to be forced into his sides, and his breath became mere gasps, and brief ones at that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
tuggedverbUS /tʌɡd/
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
twainnounUS /tweɪn/
two items of the same kind
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED ACCUSATION.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We left George Long among the devouring quicksands of the Platte, and now, after a brief absence, we return to him.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Meanwhile, they tugged with all their strength at the lasso, and the boy thought that they would rend him in twain.
yellsnounUS /jelz/
plural of “yell” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading His weight, though not great, seemed to take him down, and the Indians, seeing this, set up wild yells for assistance.
