used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
clutchingverbUS /ˈklʌtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
disappearingnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrɪŋ/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
intense and profound fear
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
insaneadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈseɪn/
afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
leechesnounUS /ˈliːtʃɪz/
plural of “leech” — carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
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 They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
mockedverbUS /mɑːkt/
past form of “mock” — treat with contempt
From this reading They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
noiselesslyadverb
without a sound
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
reappearing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They played with him, mocked him, disappearing and reappearing.
scoresnounUS /skɔːrz/
a large number or amount
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
shrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
caught or fixed
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
having come into contact
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
arousing affect
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Behind him a crowd of people were gathering, it seemed to him, noiselessly, their feet never touching the ground.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They ran after him stretching out scores of long clutching hands, which reached his neck, and touched his hair.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They filled him with insane horror, and drove him on, on, and on.
Yevsey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shrieks stuck to Yevsey, to the back of his neck, like leeches.
