used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
anew
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
confessionnounUS /kənˈfeʃən/
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Micky raised his head sharply.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Micky raised his head sharply.
hoarselyadverb
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
incredulitynounUS /ˌɪnkrəˈduːlɪti/
doubt about the truth of something
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
Micky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Micky raised his head sharply.
Micky's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
mirthnounUS /mɜːrθ/
great merriment
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
a particular point in time
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
not any; not one
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
on one occasion
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
and nothing more
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Micky raised his head sharply.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Micky raised his head sharply.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading A long moment of silence followed Micky's broken confession.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then all at once she began to laugh, a laugh which held no real mirth, only incredulity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
wondermentnounUS /ˈwʌndərmənt/
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading He dared not look at Esther, though she was staring at him, staring hard, with a curious sort of wonderment in her grey eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For a second they stared at one another; then Micky said hoarsely-- "You don't believe me"; and then again, more slowly: "You mean that you--don't believe--me?"
