used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
ConounUS /koʊ/
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
deceivedverbUS /dɪˈsiːvd/
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
divenounUS /daɪv/
a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
downstreamadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈstriːm/
away from the source or with the current
From this reading He rose some ten yards downstream.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
gleamverbUS /ɡliːm/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
Reilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
rocket-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose some ten yards downstream.
Identical; not different.
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He rose some ten yards downstream.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
move hurridly
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
stealthyadjectiveUS /ˈstelθi/
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
successive (without a break)
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He rose some ten yards downstream.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
ThompsonnounUS /ˈtɑːmpsən/
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading At the same time something told him to dive, and dive he did.
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago _Printed in the United States of America_ As Johnny Thompson bent over the black waters of the river he thought he heard a stealthy movement behind him.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
a Caucasian
From this reading Before he could decide whether or not his eyes had deceived him he caught the reflection of a sudden white gleam on the dark surface of the water.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the rocket-like speed that was his, he shot straight into the water, then away beneath the surface.
plural of “yard” — 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 He rose some ten yards downstream.
