used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
activitynounUS /ækˈtɪvəti/
any specific behavior
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
bartendernounUS /ˈbɑːrtendər/
an employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
brushedadjectiveUS /brʌʃt/
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
busiedverbUS /ˈbɪzid/
inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
Cañonville
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
clothing in general
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
deputynounUS /ˈdepjəti/
someone authorized to exercise the powers of sheriff in emergencies
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
glasswarenounUS /ˈɡlæswer/
an article of tableware made of glass
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
gloomilyadverbUS /ˈɡluːməli/
with gloom
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
Joe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
Joe's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
mopverbUS /mɑːp/
to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
and nothing more
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/
perfected or made shiny and smooth
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
on the contrary
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
saloonnounUS /səˈluːn/
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
sheriffnounUS /ˈʃerəf/
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
swamper
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In fact, it was rather out of the ordinary for any one to be drunk that early in the morning.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was too early in the morning for much activity.
tow-colored
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joe’s tow-colored hair had not been brushed, and he looked as though he had slept in his clothes.
precisely as stated
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Joe Cave, deputy sheriff, was very drunk.
water-bucket
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
in or at the place that
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He leaned on a saloon bar in Cañonville, and gazed gloomily about the place, where only a bartender polished glassware, and a swamper busied himself with mop and water-bucket.
