used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
(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 There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
towards the shore from the water
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
canvasnounUS /ˈkænvəs/
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
Don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
droppingadjectiveUS /ˈdrɑːpɪŋ/
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
exposingverbUS /ɪkˈspoʊzɪŋ/
-ing form of “expose” — expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
firearmnounUS /ˈfaɪərɑːrm/
a portable gun
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
fishermennounUS /ˈfɪʃərmɪn/
plural of “fisherman” — someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
Joe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
and nothing more
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
the force of workers available
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
Nat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
Nate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
outlinedadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪnd/
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
pyramidverbUS /ˈpɪrəmɪd/
enlarge one's holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amounts
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/
a large beer glass
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
scurryingadjectiveUS /ˈskɜːriɪŋ/
moving with great haste
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
past form of “secure” — get by special effort
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
sicklyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪkli/
unhealthy looking
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
There's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
THIEFnounUS /θiːf/
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
which person or people
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind was dropping, and against the scurrying clouds, behind which shone a pale and sickly moon, they could see outlined a pyramid of canvas—the schooner!
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading There’s a chance that they may, after all, be honest fishermen, and we don’t want to attack the wrong men.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t talk more than you have to,” said Nat, who had secured his firearm and brought oars for Joe and Nate.
yourselvespronounUS /jʊrˈselvz/
used when the people spoken to are both doing and receiving the action
From this reading “If they come ashore, just follow them without exposing yourselves to view.
