used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
(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 Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
barkingverbUS /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/
-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
captorsnounUS /ˈkæptərz/
plural of “captor” — a person who captures and holds people or animals
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
being one more than ten
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
hostilitiesnounUS /hɑːˈstɪlətiz/
fighting; acts of overt warfare
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
hummed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
hurledverbUS /hɜːrld/
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
lugubriousadjectiveUS /luːˈɡjuːbriəs/
excessively mournful
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
neighborhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
and nothing more
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
one of four equal parts
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
done under pressure
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the display of a motion picture
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
express in speech
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading About eleven o'clock, a fierce barking announced the neighborhood of the camp.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those people are as lugubrious as a ruin.
tunenounUS /tuːn/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading They did not speak; one, only, now and then hummed a sort of tune.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ten or a dozen enormous dogs rushed out and hurled themselves upon us, showing all their teeth.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Our captors drove them back with stones, and after a quarter of an hour of hostilities, peace was declared.
