used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
aimingverbUS /ˈeɪmɪŋ/
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
crippledadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪpəld/
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
cripplingadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪpəlɪŋ/
that cripples or disables or incapacitates
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
damagenounUS /ˈdæmədʒ/
the occurrence of a change for the worse
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
firingnounUS /ˈfaɪrɪŋ/
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
highest in quality
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
immediately past
From this reading THE LAST OF THE SWANSEA.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
loadingnounUS /ˈloʊdɪŋ/
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
for more time
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
occurring by chance
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
luffing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
mainmastnoun
the chief mast of a sailing vessel with two or more masts
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
march in a procession
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
not any; not one
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LAST OF THE SWANSEA.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
and nothing more
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
piratesnounUS /ˈpaɪrəts/
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
with speed
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
cut with a saw
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/
a large beer glass
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
schooner's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
sparverbUS /spɑːr/
furnish with spars
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
SWANSEAnoun
a port city in southern Wales on an inlet of the Bristol Channel
From this reading THE LAST OF THE SWANSEA.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAST OF THE SWANSEA.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
at the time that
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
windwardnounUS /ˈwɪndwərd/
the direction from which the wind is coming
From this reading When she saw the effect of her shot she ceased firing, and came after us, luffing up to windward so as to board us on the weather side.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading We did little damage for some time, and it was not until the pirates were within half a mile that a lucky shot carried away their mainmast.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Mr. March and I worked at the gun, loading as rapidly as possible, and aiming with the greatest care for the schooner’s spar.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading We could now no longer run, and our only chance of escape lay in crippling the schooner worse than she had crippled us.
