used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
accusationnounUS /ˌækjəˈzeɪʃən/
a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
lacking funds
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
brookside
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
DexteradjectiveUS /ˈdekstər/
on or starting from the wearer's right
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
a quad with a square body
From this reading GO GET 'EM!
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading GO GET 'EM!
a young female
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading GO GET 'EM!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
I'm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
junipersnounUS /ˈdʒuːnɪpərz/
plural of “juniper” — desert shrub of Syria and Arabia having small white flowers; constitutes the juniper of the Old Testament; sometimes placed in genus Genista
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
not in physical motion
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
not any; not one
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
rattledadjectiveUS /ˈrætəld/
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
express in words
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
strainingnounUS /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/
an intense or violent exertion
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I'm not making an accusation," he told her.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
vacantlyadverb
in a vacant manner
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But we have to hold you for the time being as a witness.
