used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
(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 And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
cock-robins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
corneredadjectiveUS /ˈkɔːrnərd/
forced to turn and face attackers
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
at any time
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
hitsnounUS /hɪts/
plural of “hit” — (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
and nothing more
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
a person, without saying who
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
splitverbUS /splɪt/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
up to a particular time
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
male cat
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
twenty-thousandth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
unfortunatelyadverbUS /ənˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by bad luck
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
precisely as stated
From this reading The stars are very beautiful, certainly; but unfortunately they go in the twenty-thousandth part of a split second, and the pain which comes after them does not.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But how to get out was the difficult matter.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “I must get out of this,” thought Tom, “or I shall stay here till somebody comes to help me—which is just what I don’t want.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And indeed I don’t think he would ever have got out at all, but have stayed there till the cock-robins covered him with leaves, if he had not suddenly run his head against a wall.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Now running your head against a wall is not pleasant, especially if it is a loose wall, with the stones all set on edge, and a sharp cornered one hits you between the eyes and makes you see all manner of beautiful stars.
