affectedadjectiveUS /əˈfektɪd/
acted upon; influenced
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
amusementnounUS /əˈmjuːzmənt/
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Bibbs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
effortnounUS /ˈefərt/
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
factnounUS /fækt/
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
homenounUS /hoʊm/
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
impressverbUS /ˌɪmˈpres/
have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
laughedverbUS /læft/
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
laughternounUS /ˈlæftər/
the sound of laughing
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Significant of what?
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
overwhelmingadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/
so strong as to be irresistible
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
ponderingadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːndərɪŋ/
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
SibylnounUS /ˈsɪbəl/
a woman who tells fortunes
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
significantadjectiveUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
important in effect or meaning
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
spontaneousadjectiveUS /spɑːnˈteɪniəs/
happening or arising without apparent external cause
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
suppressverbUS /səˈpres/
bring under control by force or authority
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
suspicionnounUS /səˈspɪʃən/
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
wentverbUS /went/
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Significant of what?
whynounUS /waɪ/
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
