used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
(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 “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
autonounUS /ˈɔːtoʊ/
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
brakesnounUS /breɪks/
a braking device consisting of a combination of interacting parts that work to slow a motor vehicle
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
diggingnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
gainingverbUS /ˈɡeɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
destroyed or killed
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
Jim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
roused to anger
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
by chance
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
the force of workers available
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
not any; not one
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
railroadnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊd/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “It’s Jim all right,” murmured Bob.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
screechnounUS /skriːtʃ/
a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
shiftverbUS /ʃɪft/
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
sticksnounUS /stɪks/
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
not in physical motion
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Maybe it’s no good any more,” suggested Ned.
confined on all sides
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then he must have left our mine to shift for itself,” said Jerry.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
throngnounUS /θrɔːŋ/
a large gathering of people
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
in or at the place that
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
which person or people
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A TOWN GONE MAD With a screech of the brakes, the auto came to a stop not far from the throng that surrounded the two men, who were still digging away with sticks between the railroad tracks.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
wormed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The three lads leaped out, wormed their way through the press of persons, and, gaining a place where they could get a better view, looked on in wonder.
