used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
anew
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I waited, listening with all my ears.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
breathlesslyadverbUS /ˈbreθləsli/
in a breathless manner
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It came from the direction of my house.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading It came from the direction of my house.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading I waited, listening with all my ears.
long-drawn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
noisesnounUS /ˈnɔɪzɪz/
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
piteousadjective
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
sandsnounUS /sændz/
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
sighingverbUS /ˈsaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
sobverbUS /sɑːb/
weep convulsively
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I waited, listening with all my ears.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My ears were so accustomed to the noises of nature, the sighing of the breeze and the sob of the waves, that any other sound made itself heard at a great distance.
at the time that
From this reading I suppose I must have been at least half a mile from the house when I suddenly stopped and listened breathlessly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I waited, listening with all my ears.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, there it was again--a long-drawn, shrill cry of despair, ringing over the sands and echoed back from the hills behind me--a piteous appeal for aid.
