used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
arousedadjectiveUS /ərˈaʊzd/
aroused to action
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
gun-shot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
a particular point in time
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
sashnounUS /sæʃ/
a framework that holds the panes of a window in the window frame
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
slamverbUS /slæm/
close violently
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
express in words
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
that's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
male cat
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading For the moment he could not tell what had aroused him.
at the time that
From this reading "Must have been the storm," he told himself, and was about to turn over and go to sleep when he heard a gun-shot from the direction of the barn.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Then he remembered hearing the slam of a door or a window sash.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A USELESS PURSUIT Half an hour later Tom awoke with a start.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "Something is wrong, that's certain!" he cried.
