used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
(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 outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
annoyverbUS /əˈnɔɪ/
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
bunknounUS /bʌŋk/
a long trough for feeding cattle
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
put or send forth
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
cricketsnounUS /ˈkrɪkəts/
plural of “cricket” — leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
customarilyadverbUS /ˌkʌstəˈmerəli/
by custom; according to common practice
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
disconcertinglyadverb
in a disturbing or embarrassing manner
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
frogsnounUS /frɑːɡz/
plural of “frog” — any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
Hooper's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
hootnounUS /huːt/
a loud raucous cry (as of an owl)
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
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 There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
lackedverbUS /lækt/
past form of “lack” — be without
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
the force of workers available
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
mergedadjectiveUS /mɜːrdʒd/
formed or united into a whole
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
the light of the Moon
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
musicaladjectiveUS /ˈmjuːzɪkəl/
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
owlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
patchnounUS /pætʃ/
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
regularitynounUS /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/
a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
snoringnounUS /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/
the act of snoring or producing a snoring sound
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
with low volume
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
sweetlyadverbUS /ˈswiːtli/
in an affectionate or loving manner (“sweet” is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of “sweetly”)
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I lay in my bunk and cast things up in my mind.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The outside silence was softly musical with all the little voices that at Hooper's had so disconcertingly lacked.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
at the time that
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
belonging to which person
From this reading There were crickets--I had forgotten about them--and frogs, and a hoot owl, and various such matters, beneath whose influence customarily my consciousness merged into sleep so sweetly that I never knew when I had lost them.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The patch of moonlight from the window moved slowly across the floor.
in the company of; together with
From this reading One of the men was snoring, but with regularity, so he did not annoy me.
