used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Stover asked himself.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Who in creation can that be?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Who in creation can that be?"
circusnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəs/
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
colossaladjectiveUS /kəˈlɑːsəl/
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
considerablyadverbUS /kənˈsɪdərəbli/
to a great extent or degree
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
creationnounUS /kriˈeɪʃən/
the human act of creating
From this reading "Who in creation can that be?"
traveling across
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
ENEMY'SnounUS /ˈenəmiz/
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Stover asked himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
cut with a saw
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
StovernounUS /ˈstoʊvər/
the dried stalks and leaves of a field crop (especially corn) used as animal fodder after the grain has been harvested
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Who in creation can that be?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
at the time that
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
which person or people
From this reading He hadn't attended the circus, and had not therefore heard of the giant, who was one of its principal features.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Mr. Stover was considerably surprised when twenty minutes later, looking up from his work in the yard, he saw a man of colossal size crossing the street.
