used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
the state of being absent
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
(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 It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
exhale hard
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
make calm or still
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
capacitynounUS /kəˈpæsəti/
capability to perform or produce
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
flickeredverbUS /ˈflɪkərd/
past form of “flicker” — move back and forth very rapidly
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
set up or found
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
JOURNEY'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
limitedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪmətəd/
small in range or scope
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
mildlyadverbUS /ˈmaɪldli/
to a moderate degree
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
noisesnounUS /ˈnɔɪzɪz/
plural of “noise” — sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
remoteadjectiveUS /rɪˈmoʊt/
located far away spatially
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JOURNEY'S END The capacity of the human brain for surprise, like that of the human body for pain, is limited.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
totalverbUS /ˈtoʊtəl/
add up in number or quantity
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
unrealitynounUS /ˌʌnriˈæləti/
the quality possessed by something that is unreal
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading For a single instant a sense of utter unreality struck John like a physical blow.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was absurd, he told himself, that he should be feeling as if he had known of her presence there all the time.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, quite suddenly, these things passed, and he found himself looking at her with a total absence of astonishment, mildly amused in some remote corner of his brain at his own calm.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world flickered before his eyes and the air seemed full of strange noises.
