used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
Allan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It must be conquered—must be dragged away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
clawsnounUS /klɔːz/
plural of “claw” — sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
coalnounUS /koʊl/
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
coal-dust
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
conqueredverbUS /ˈkɑːŋkərd/
past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading It must be conquered—must be dragged away.
dirtnounUS /dɜːrt/
the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading It must be conquered—must be dragged away.
dragonnounUS /ˈdræɡən/
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
HEROESnounUS /ˈhɪroʊz/
plural of “hero” — a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
hideousadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdiəs/
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
conformity or harmony
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
labouredadjective
lacking natural ease
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
a particular point in time
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
munchnounUS /mʌntʃ/
Norwegian painter (1863-1944)
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
noticingverbUS /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
personalitynounUS /ˌpɜːrsəˈnælɪti/
the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
move upward
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
road'snounUS /roʊdz/
possessive form of “road” — an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
sandwichesnounUS /ˈsændwɪtʃɪz/
plural of “sandwich” — two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
savagelyadverbUS /ˈsævɪdʒli/
in a vicious manner
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
shovelsnounUS /ˈʃʌvəlz/
plural of “shovel” — a hand tool for lifting loose material; consists of a curved container or scoop and a handle
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
make steady
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
threateningadjectiveUS /ˈθretənɪŋ/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading One thought sang in his brain, keeping time to the steady rise and fall of the shovels: “The track must be cleared; the track must be cleared.”
UNSUNGadjectiveUS /ənˈsʌŋ/
not famous or acclaimed
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading From time to time he stopped a moment to munch one of the sandwiches, not noticing the dirt and coal-dust that settled upon it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The great pile of coal before him took on a hideous and threatening personality—it was a dragon, with its claws at the road’s throat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading UNSUNG HEROES Allan laboured savagely with the others.
