used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
(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 The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
crevicesnounUS /ˈkrevəsɪz/
plural of “crevice” — a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
dugnounUS /dʌɡ/
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "There's nothing there!" he exclaimed.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
set up or found
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading "But this is interesting."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But this is interesting."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "There's nothing there!" he exclaimed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
select carefully from a group
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
professor'snounUS /prəˈfesərz/
possessive form of “professor” — someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
scrapedverbUS /skreɪpt/
past form of “scrape” — scratch repeatedly
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
scratchedverbUS /skrætʃt/
past form of “scratch” — cause friction
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
in the near future
From this reading He dug at the base of the wall, but soon came to solid rock.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
SPYverbUS /spaɪ/
catch sight of
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
tappedadjectiveUS /tæpt/
in a condition for letting out liquid drawn out as by piercing or drawing a plug
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There's nothing there!" he exclaimed.
There's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's nothing there!" he exclaimed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But this is interesting."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
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 _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
weedsnounUS /wiːdz/
a black garment (dress) worn by a widow as a sign of mourning
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
at the time that
From this reading The desert weeds had grown over all the crevices in the rock, and when the professor had carefully scraped them away, he found what he had hoped for; a small opening.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _A SPY_ The professor's hand trembled with excitement as he scratched the surface of the rock, tapped the face of the wall for a possible hollow sound, then called on Bet to bring him a pick.
