used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
anew
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
awaitedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪtɪd/
expected hopefully
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
coldlyadverbUS /ˈkoʊldli/
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
dapperadjectiveUS /ˈdæpər/
marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
embassynounUS /ˈembəsi/
a diplomatic building where ambassadors live or work
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
GalenounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
a young female
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
good-lookingadjectiveUS /ˈɡʊdlʊkɪŋ/
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
grinnounUS /ɡrɪn/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
harborverbUS /ˈhɑːrbər/
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
only a very short time before
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
having much knowledge or education
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
Juan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
and nothing more
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
pilotverbUS /ˈpaɪlət/
operate an airplane
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
quizzicallyadverb
in a quizzical and questioning manner
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I certainly did not,” the girl replied coldly.
reporternounUS /rɪˈpɔːrtər/
a person who investigates and reports or edits news stories
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
San
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
sardonicadjectiveUS /sɑːrˈdɑːnɪk/
disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
express a supposition
From this reading “Hardly expected to see me back again, I suppose?” he remarked quizzically.
required or under orders
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I changed my mind just after the boat sailed out of San Juan harbor, and went ashore in the pilot boat,” the reporter informed her.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
at the time that
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
which person or people
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I supposed that you were in New York by this time, Mr. Gale.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading When Virginia returned to the embassy, an unpleasant surprise awaited her in the form of a good-looking, dapper young man who greeted her with a sardonic grin.
