used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
alongsideadverbUS /əˈlɔːŋˈsaɪd/
side by side
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
(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 "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
bobbingverbUS /ˈbɑːbɪŋ/
inflected form of “bob” — move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
driftingnounUS /ˈdrɪftɪŋ/
aimless wandering from place to place
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
ten 10s
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
kickedverbUS /kɪkt/
past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading LOST ON THE WESTERN SEA.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
Nat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading LOST ON THE WESTERN SEA.
and nothing more
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading LOST ON THE WESTERN SEA.
shallop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
in the near future
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
in a strange manner
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
swellsnounUS /swelz/
plural of “swell” — the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LOST ON THE WESTERN SEA.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something strangely familiar about her looks to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
vigorouslyadverbUS /ˈvɪɡərəsli/
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading He kicked out vigorously and was soon alongside the drifting shallop.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading LOST ON THE WESTERN SEA.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If I can only get on board her, I'll be far better off than I would be here," muttered Nat to himself.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Not a hundred yards from him, and bobbing gently up and down on the long swells, was a small boat.
