used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
armchairnounUS /ˈɑːrmtʃer/
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
BULL'SnounUS /bʊlz/
possessive form of “bull” — uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
set up or found
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
JerseynounUS /ˈdʒɜːrzi/
a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
a female domestic
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
Margery
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
meditateverbUS /ˈmedəteɪt/
reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
resourcesnounUS /ˈriːsɔːrsɪz/
plural of “resource” — available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading Her thoughts were sad.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
shoppingnounUS /ˈʃɑːpɪŋ/
searching for or buying goods or services
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
soothingadjectiveUS /ˈsuːðɪŋ/
affording physical relief
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Her thoughts were sad.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
precisely as stated
From this reading With the exception of a few old ladies in the drawing-room the house was empty, and Miss Bull found the quiet very soothing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MISS BULL'S STORY Miss Bull was alone in the sitting-room of the late Mrs. Jersey.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading After a time she grew weary of the game and seated herself in an armchair to meditate.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her thoughts were sad.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Margery had gone out shopping, and the old maid, left to her own resources, amused herself, as usual, with playing Patience.
