used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
ashoreadverbUS /əˈʃɔːr/
towards the shore from the water
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
a youthful male person
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
brig's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
the act of escaping physically
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
divisible by two
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
start firing a weapon
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
the act of departing
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
he's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
cause to move by striking
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
provoking horror
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
by chance
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
she'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
hard to endure
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was evidently not hit, my boy."
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "It seemed so horrible watching that vessel trying to escape under fire."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?"
the least favorable outcome
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; perhaps I have been thinking the worst; but the brig's captain is evidently a clever sailor and knows what he's about.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But it was going right out into the face of this storm, and even you thought she'd be driven ashore."
