used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading "Stop!" called Frank aloud.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
Andy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
move towards
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Stop!" called Frank aloud.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
faintestadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪntəst/
superlative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
he's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
inaudibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnɔːdəbəl/
impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
intentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈtentli/
with strained or eager attention
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
a boy or man
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
Letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
information about recent and important events
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
rustlingnounUS /ˈrʌslɪŋ/
the stealing of cattle
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
with low volume
From this reading "That man--he's coming back!" said Frank softly.
a person, without saying who
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
stiffenedverbUS /ˈstɪfənd/
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading NEWS FROM THE WEST The boys stiffened into attention, listening intently for the faintest sound.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading At first they could hear nothing more than the whisper of the wind in the trees, and then, so faintly as to be almost inaudible, they did catch a rustling in the grass, that told of the approach of someone.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading "Let me attend to him!" exclaimed Andy, and, before his brother could stop him, the younger lad had run back over the course they had come.
