used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
aloftadverbUS /əˈlɔːft/
at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
belliedadjectiveUS /ˈbelid/
having a belly; often used in combination
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Slowly the bow swung.
cruisernounUS /ˈkruːzər/
a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
defenselessadjectiveUS /dɪˈfensləs/
lacking protection or support
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
to the same degree (often followed by “as”)
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
flashingnounUS /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
a short vivid experience
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
GleamingnounUS /ˈɡliːmɪŋ/
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
gnashverbUS /næʃ/
grind together, of teeth
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
green-blue
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
keelnounUS /kiːl/
a projection or ridge that suggests a keel
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
held up in the air
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
needlesnounUS /ˈniːdəlz/
plural of “needle” — the leaf of a conifer
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
and nothing more
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
cut with a saw
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Slowly the bow swung.
strainingnounUS /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/
an intense or violent exertion
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
STRANDEDadjectiveUS /ˈstrændɪd/
cut off or left behind
From this reading STRANDED!
submergedadjectiveUS /səbˈmɜːrdʒd/
beneath the surface of the water
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
possessing sweep
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Slowly the bow swung.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
male cat
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
tusksnounUS /tʌsks/
plural of “tusk” — a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Then a great, great, green-blue wave lifted between his straining eyes and the danger.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The wave swept on, while under their keel, another equally huge mass of water bellied up and flung the boat aloft on its surface.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading Gleaming and flashing like the huge tusks of a water wolf, waiting, submerged, to gnash upon the defenseless cruiser, Tom saw the rocks, great needles of terror, for only an instant.
