used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
AdanounUS /ˈeɪdə/
an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
cliffnounUS /klɪf/
a steep high face of rock
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
commencedverbUS /kəˈmenst/
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
descendingadjectiveUS /dɪˈsendɪŋ/
coming down or downward
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
echoverbUS /ˈekoʊ/
to say again or imitate
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
Fleetwood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
footfallnounUS /ˈfʊtfɔːl/
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading There could be no mistake about it.
not any; not one
From this reading There could be no mistake about it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
a course of conduct
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
one of four equal parts
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
Raby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
with speed
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
cut with a saw
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
supportingadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪŋ/
furnishing support and encouragement
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
tenderlyadverbUS /ˈtendərli/
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There could be no mistake about it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced descending the path.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Footsteps were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them.
at the time that
From this reading They had got about a quarter of the way down, when Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Could it be the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop while they listened.
