used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
abominationnounUS /əˌbɑːməˈneɪʃən/
a person who is loathsome or disgusting
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
react verbally
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
crammedverbUS /kræmd/
inflected form of “cram” — crowd or pack to capacity
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
declinedverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnd/
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
dineverbUS /daɪn/
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
one or the other of two
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
opinion or judgment
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
start firing a weapon
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
invitationsnounUS /ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃənz/
plural of “invitation” — a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
come together
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
on one occasion
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
OUTSTRETCHEDadjectiveUS /aʊtˈstretʃt/
fully extended especially in length
From this reading AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
politelyadverbUS /pəˈlaɪtli/
in a polite manner
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
with low volume
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
on the contrary
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
SallynounUS /ˈsæli/
witty remark
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
smartadjectiveUS /smɑːrt/
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
a special situation
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
WebsternounUS /ˈwebstər/
English playwright (1580-1625)
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading It was many weeks before Paul and May Webster met after the night of the fire.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
which person or people
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
wistfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɪstfəl/
showing pensive sadness
From this reading "It's quite impossible, Sally," Paul had said, in answer to the rather wistful look in her dark eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Court was crammed with company, and although Paul and his sister were invited to dinner more than once, such invitations were politely declined.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "To dine there quietly by ourselves, is one thing; to go and meet a heap of smart people, who are my special abomination, is another; and I should not have thought you would have wished it either."
