used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
beastlyadjectiveUS /ˈbiːstliː/
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
bedclothesnoun
coverings that are used on a bed
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
bedsnounUS /bedz/
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading In three little white beds lay three boys.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading In three little white beds lay three boys.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
castingnounUS /ˈkæstɪŋ/
object formed by a mold
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
cry-baby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
expressionsnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃənz/
plural of “expression” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
start firing a weapon
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
FIRELIGHTnoun
the light of a fire (especially in a fireplace)
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
flickeringadjectiveUS /ˈflɪkərɪŋ/
shining unsteadily
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
that which is pleasing or valuable or useful
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
huddledadjectiveUS /ˈhʌdəld/
crowded or massed together
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In three little white beds lay three boys.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
muffledadjectiveUS /ˈmʌfəld/
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
NippernounUS /ˈnɪpər/
a young person of either sex
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
except for; apart from
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
snivelingnoun
whining in a tearful manner
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
sobbingnounUS /ˈsɑːbɪŋ/
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
sullenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌlən/
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
tear-stained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In three little white beds lay three boys.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The sobbing ceased for a minute, then, from beneath the bedclothes, came the muffled voice of Nipper.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
a Caucasian
From this reading In three little white beds lay three boys.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At least they should have been lying, but, as a matter of fact, two were sitting up, with expressions of sullen rage upon their tear-stained faces, and one was lying in a huddled heap beneath the bedclothes, sobbing.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading BY FIRELIGHT The night nursery was in darkness, save for the red glow of the fire, and the occasional flickering light of a little yellow flame that seemed to wake up every now and then and light up the room, casting strange black shadows on the ceiling.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “For goodness’ sake stop that beastly sniveling, you little cry-baby,” said David.
