used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A WORD WITH MME.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
for the reason that
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
behooved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
BERNSTEINnounUS /ˈbɜːrnstaɪn/
United States conductor and composer (1918-1990)
From this reading BERNSTEIN.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
contactnounUS /ˈkɑːntækt/
close interaction
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
CoopernounUS /ˈkuːpər/
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
Dr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
exchangedadjectiveUS /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒd/
changed for (replaced by) something different
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
foesnounUS /foʊz/
plural of “foe” — an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
MME
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A WORD WITH MME.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
a form of address for a man
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
Nisbet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
express in speech
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
stragglersnounUS /ˈstræɡlərz/
plural of “straggler” — someone who strays or falls behind
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
precisely as stated
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It behooved us to be thus careful, because there was the risk of our coming into contact with our common foes, Mr. Nisbet and Dr. Cooper.
watchfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɑːtʃfəl/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Nothing of importance happened on the way.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
which person or people
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A WORD WITH MME.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading A WORD WITH MME.
the words that are spoken
From this reading We passed one or two stragglers who did not speak to us, and who, in the darkness of the night, could have seen very little of us; we, on our part, were more watchful, and though we exchanged but few words nothing escaped our attention.
