used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
emittedverbUS /ɪˈmɪtəd/
inflected form of “emit” — expel (gases or odors)
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
not accessible to view
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
mournfuladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrnfəl/
expressing sorrow
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
owlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
PICKINGnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
recurring again and again
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
secondsnounUS /ˈsekəndz/
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
Shif'less
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
shiftlessadjectiveUS /ˈʃɪftlɪs/
lacking or characterized by lack of ambition or initiative; lazy
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
SolnounUS /sɑːl/
a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
STRANDSnounUS /strændz/
plural of “strand” — a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Henry opened his mouth and emitted a long, mournful cry, so like that of the owl that Shif'less Sol, at a little distance, could not have told the difference.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading After a silence of a few seconds he repeated the cry, to show that they were two.
underbrushnounUS /ˈʌndərbrʌʃ/
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading PICKING UP THE STRANDS Henry sat down in the underbrush, and Shif'less Sol sat down close to him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Their figures were hidden by the darkness and the bushes.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do your best, Henry," said the shiftless one.
