used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
Aleck's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
next to; at the side of
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
blocknounUS /blɑːk/
a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
brushingnounUS /ˈbrʌʃɪŋ/
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
clothing in general
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
the act of departing
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
isn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My word, it was tight!
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My word, it was tight!
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
ratnounUS /ræt/
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
scrapingnounUS /ˈskreɪpɪŋ/
(usually plural) a fragment scraped off of something and collected
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
shufflingnounUS /ˈʃʌflɪŋ/
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
with low volume
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
swellverbUS /swel/
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
There's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
tightadjectiveUS /taɪt/
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading My word, it was tight!
very small
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
the upper part of anything
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
tricklingverbUS /ˈtrɪklɪŋ/
-ing form of “trickle” — run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading "There's a tiny stream comes trickling in there," he said, brushing himself down softly; "but there isn't room for a rat to get any further than I did.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a good deal of shuffling and scraping, and then Aleck's feet came into the light over the top of the block.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading I felt as if the water had made me swell out, and it didn't seem as if I was going to get back."
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The next minute he was on his feet beside his companion, hot, panting, and with the front of his clothes wet.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading My word, it was tight!
