used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
after-glow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
(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 As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
circlesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəlz/
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading The dusk was creeping down the streets.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
departingverbUS /dɪˈpɑːrtɪŋ/
-ing form of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The dusk was creeping down the streets.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading The dusk was creeping down the streets.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
hopingverbUS /ˈhoʊpɪŋ/
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
lampsnounUS /læmps/
plural of “lamp” — an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
moonsnounUS /muːnz/
plural of “moon” — the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
roofsnounUS /ruːfs/
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
silhouettedverbUS /ˌsɪləˈwetɪd/
past form of “silhouette” — project on a background, such as a screen, like a silhouette
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading A silver star hung over the roofs silhouetted black against the faint blue of the night sky.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The dusk was creeping down the streets.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
a special situation
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
valiantlyadverbUS /ˈvæljəntli/
with valor; in a valiant manner
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
having passed out of existence
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
precisely as stated
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
wagenounUS /weɪdʒ/
something that remunerates
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As he passed through the town all his thoughts were of his splendid fortune.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This was the very thing for which he had been hoping, the key to all his difficulties.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
yieldingadjectiveUS /ˈjiːldɪŋ/
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading The lamps seemed to wage war with the departing daylight; the after-glow of the setting sun fluttered valiantly for a little, and then, yielding its place to the stronger golden circles stretching like hanging moons down the street, vanished.
