used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
audibleadjectiveUS /ˈɑːdəbəl/
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
brightlyadverbUS /ˈbraɪtli/
with brightness
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was no relaxation in his stillness.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
contractedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntræktəd/
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
flickeredverbUS /ˈflɪkərd/
past form of “flicker” — move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
latch-key
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
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 Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
not in physical motion
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
musclesnounUS /ˈmʌsəlz/
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
not any; not one
From this reading But there was no relaxation in his stillness.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
on one occasion
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
relaxationnounUS /ˌriːlækˈseɪʃən/
(physiology) the gradual lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers
From this reading But there was no relaxation in his stillness.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
spasmnounUS /ˈspæzəm/
a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
Stacey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading But there was no relaxation in his stillness.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
tautadjectiveUS /tɔːt/
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading His body was tense, and now and then a spasm contracted the taut muscles of his face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Once in his study, he threw himself down upon a couch and lay there for a long time, motionless, his hands thrown back and clasped beneath his head.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there was no relaxation in his stillness.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The late western sunlight poured in through the windows and flickered brightly across the wall, and the shrill distant voices of children at play were audible.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Stacey let himself in with a latch-key, then hurried up the stairs to his own rooms.
