used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
(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 Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
a line of approach
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
battledverbUS /ˈbætəld/
past form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
depressionnounUS /dɪˈpreʃən/
a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
digestverbUS /daɪˈdʒest/
convert food into absorbable substances
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
divisible by two
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
Hurd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
an instinctive motive
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
immediately past
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
mourningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
on one occasion
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
win a victory over
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
StephennounUS /ˈstiːvən/
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Strange things had happened--stranger things than he was able all at once to digest.
ThorpenounUS /θɔːrp/
outstanding United States athlete (1888-1953)
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The events of the last few days had told upon him, and his deep mourning had a sombre look.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE Up the broad avenue to the great house of Thorpe, Stephen Hurd slowly made his way, his hands clasped behind him, his eyes fixed upon the ground.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But his appearance was not altogether the appearance of a man overcome with grief.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet there were thoughts working even then in his brain which battled hard with his natural depression.
