1912
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
awakenverbUS /əˈweɪkən/
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
lacking funds
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
burglarnounUS /ˈbɝː.ɡlɚ/
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
curtainsnounUS /ˈkɜːrtənz/
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
deftlyadverbUS /ˈdeftli/
with dexterity; in a dexterous manner
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
disconnectedadjectiveUS /ˌdɪskəˈnektɪd/
(music) marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds; cut short crisply
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
entrynounUS /ˈentri/
an item inserted in a written record
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
Etc
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
FebruarynounUS /ˈfebjəweri/
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
fumbledverbUS /ˈfʌmbəld/
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
an opening into or through something
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
a social unit living together
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
noiselessadjective
making no sound
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
noiselesslyadverb
without a sound
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
outlinedadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪnd/
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
panenounUS /peɪn/
sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
sashnounUS /sæʃ/
a framework that holds the panes of a window in the window frame
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
scratchingnounUS /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
the state of being asleep
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
stairnounUS /ster/
support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
star-lit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “C. O. D.,” “The Man Outside,” Etc.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
push forcefully
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading For a few moments he crouched behind the heavy curtains, but his entry had been too noiseless to awaken the sleeping household.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The sash was pushed gently up, and a man’s figure was outlined for a second against the star-lit sky as he dropped noiselessly through the window to the stair landing.
precisely as stated
From this reading _Published February, 1912_ A FAINT, very faint scratching noise broke the stillness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
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 a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then a hand was thrust through the hole in the window pane; deftly the burglar alarm was disconnected, and the fingers fumbled with the catch of the window.
