used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
(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 They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
bachelor'snounUS /ˈbætʃələrz/
possessive form of “bachelor” — a man who has never been married
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
bunchnounUS /bʌntʃ/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
buttonsnounUS /ˈbʌtənz/
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
rid of obstructions
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
put on clothes
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
only a very short time before
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
he's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Billy heard her say, “Yes, Mr. Prescott.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
take the midday meal
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Billy heard her say, “Yes, Mr. Prescott.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
PrescottnounUS /ˈpreskɑːt/
a town in central Arizona
From this reading Billy heard her say, “Yes, Mr. Prescott.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
express in words
From this reading Billy heard her say, “Yes, Mr. Prescott.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
shadesnounUS /ʃeɪdz/
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading She had hardly taken off her hat before the telephone rang hard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
up to a particular time
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “Mr. Prescott says he’s not coming to the office till after lunch,” she said, turning to Billy.
precisely as stated
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
at the time that
From this reading BILLY STANDS BY When Miss King came into the office the next morning she had a large bunch of bachelor’s buttons in her hand.
a Caucasian
From this reading They were blue--all shades of blue--and they looked very pretty against the clear white of her dress.
an affirmative
From this reading Billy heard her say, “Yes, Mr. Prescott.”
