used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
barracksnounUS /ˈbærəks/
plural of “barrack” — a building or group of buildings used to house military personnel
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
barringnounUS /ˈbɑːrɪŋ/
the act of excluding someone by a negative vote or veto
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
without doubt or question
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
dangersnounUS /ˈdeɪndʒərz/
plural of “danger” — the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
defeatedadjectiveUS /dɪˈfiːtəd/
beaten or overcome; not victorious
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
envisagedverbUS /enˈvɪzɪdʒd/
past form of “envisage” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
exultationnoun
a feeling of extreme joy
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
haciendanounUS /ˌhæsiˈendə/
a large estate in Spanish-speaking countries
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
headyadjectiveUS /ˈhedi/
marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
incensenounUS /ˌɪnˈsens/
a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
and nothing more
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
learntverbUS /lɜːrnt/
inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
a unit of instruction
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
lulledverbUS /lʌld/
past form of “lull” — calm by deception
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
the force of workers available
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
not any; not one
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
prematureadjectiveUS /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊr/
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
riddenverbUS /ˈrɪdən/
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
get by special effort
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
SIEGEnounUS /siːdʒ/
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
SORTIEnounUS /ˈsɔːrti/
a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
carry out
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
Tim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A SIEGE AND A SORTIE Tim had learnt his lesson against premature exultation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
troopersnounUS /ˈtruːpərz/
plural of “trooper” — a soldier in a motorized army unit
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
precisely as stated
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The flight of the troopers, the secure barring of the gates, gave him a breathing space in which he envisaged very clearly the dangers of his situation.
which person or people
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was not much troubled about the men whom he had just defeated.
witsnounUS /wɪts/
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading He did not at the barracks, as at the hacienda, allow his wits to be lulled by the heady incense of success.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They would probably take no further action until rejoined by the strong party who had ridden out to the hacienda.
