used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
abackadverbUS /əˈbæk/
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
astonishingadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃɪŋ/
surprising greatly
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He turned his head away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
chokingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃoʊ.kɪŋ/
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
at any time
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
the act of giving
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned his head away.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He turned his head away.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He turned his head away.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
not any; not one
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
nobody'snounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiːz/
possessive form of “nobody” — a person of no influence
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
proposalnounUS /prəˈpoʊzəl/
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
swallowedverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊd/
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
express in words
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “Boys——” He swallowed several times before he could go on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
hard to endure
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned his head away.
twinsnounUS /twɪnz/
(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other
From this reading The astonishing proposal of the twins took the man completely aback.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
the act of using
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A choking rose in his throat, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Boys, nobody’s ever had as much faith in me as you two are giving—— No use trying to tell you what it means to me, or trying to thank you—— But I couldn’t ask you to do it.
