in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
attractverbUS /əˈtrækt/
direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
blinkedverbUS /blɪŋkt/
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
COWBOYSnounUS /ˈkaʊbɔɪz/
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading SINGING COWBOYS “What was that?”
dilapidatedadjectiveUS /dəˈlæpədeɪtɪd/
in deplorable condition
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
examinationnounUS /ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
not accessible to view
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
hoodnounUS /hʊd/
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
intentnounUS /ˌɪnˈtent/
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
conformity or harmony
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
Newcomb's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
patientlyadverbUS /ˈpeɪʃəntli/
with patience; in a patient manner
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
peepedverbUS /piːpt/
past form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
pretendedadjectiveUS /priˈtendɪd/
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading SINGING COWBOYS “What was that?”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading SINGING COWBOYS “What was that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SINGING COWBOYS “What was that?”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Two cowboys stood beside it, evidently more intent upon an examination of the machinery under the hood than they were of the house.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading SINGING COWBOYS “What was that?”
whistlingnounUS /ˈwɪslɪŋ/
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading Although they were whistling, to attract attention, they pretended to be patiently waiting.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Near the back porch stood Jerry Newcomb’s dilapidated old car, gray with sand.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Mary sat up in bed, blinked her eyes hard to get them open, then leaped out, and, keeping hidden, peeped down into the door yard.
