used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
acutelyadverbUS /əˈkjuːtli/
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
any person at all
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
footstepnounUS /ˈfʊtstep/
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
intrusionnounUS /ˌɪnˈtruːʒən/
any entry into an area not previously occupied
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
hear with intention
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
nervousnessnounUS /ˈnɜːrvəsnəs/
the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading That was her way now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
privacynounUS /ˈpraɪvəsi/
the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
in or at or to some place
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading She started at each fresh sound that suggested anyone approaching.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was her way now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was her way now.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading That was her way now.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
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 THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE WOMAN The woman turned from the window at the sound of footsteps somewhere behind her.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Her nerves were on edge for some reason she could never have put into words.
but in spite of that
From this reading She did not fear, yet a curious nervousness was hers which made her listen acutely at every footstep, and breathe her relief if the sound died away without further intrusion upon her privacy.
