used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
(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 All was silent as the grave.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
any person at all
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading All was silent as the grave.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
cross-townadjective
going or extending across a town or city
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
deepestadjectiveUS /ˈdiːpəst/
superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
someone who is a detective
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
DICK'SnounUS /dɪks/
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
the act of departing
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
death of a person
From this reading All was silent as the grave.
groundsnounUS /ɡraʊndz/
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
immediately past
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
not any; not one
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
peeringverbUS /ˈpiːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
rectorynounUS /ˈrektəri/
an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
RiversidenounUS /ˈrɪvərsaɪd/
the bank of a river
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading All was silent as the grave.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
suspiciouslyadverbUS /səˈspɪʃəsli/
with suspicion
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
Swinton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
warilyadverbUS /ˈwerəli/
in a wary manner
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Convinced, at last, that no one was about, he advanced toward his home in the shadow of the houses, going warily.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading At the beginning of the rectory grounds, he stopped and leaned against the wall, peering into the shadows for signs of a watching figure.
at the time that
From this reading DICK'S RETURN The deepest stillness of night had settled down on Riverside Drive, when Dick Swinton came cautiously along the cross-town street, and paused near the corner, looking suspiciously to left and to right.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He slipped to the side gate without meeting anyone.
