used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
crouchingverbUS /ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
dippingverbUS /ˈdɪpɪŋ/
inflected form of “dip” — immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
fainteradjectiveUS /ˈfeɪntər/
comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
Hugh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
and nothing more
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
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 Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
for more time
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
not any; not one
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
paddlesnounUS /ˈpædəlz/
plural of “paddle” — small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
peep-hole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
reconnoiterverbUS /ˌriːkəˈnɔɪtər/
explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
ripplingnounUS /ˈrɪpəlɪŋ/
a small wave on the surface of a liquid
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
slippingadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpɪŋ/
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
not in physical motion
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
straitnounUS /streɪt/
a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
in a swift manner
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It could not be far away, though, so he lay still.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Hugh drew a long breath, raised his head a little and looked through the peep-hole.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
in the direction of
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
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 He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The canoe was no longer in sight.
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 The slight sounds of dipping paddles and rippling water grew fainter and fainter, then ceased.
at the time that
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
wideradjectiveUS /ˈwaɪdər/
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
showing curiosity
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was just wondering whether it would be safe now to try for another and wider view of the bay and strait, and had raised his head to reconnoiter, when he caught sight of a crouching figure slipping swiftly between the trees towards him.
