used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
clickedverbUS /klɪkt/
past form of “click” — move or strike with a noise
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
clungverbUS /klʌŋ/
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
dispatchersnounUS /dɪˈspætʃərz/
plural of “dispatcher” — the official who signals the beginning of a race or competition
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
fasteradverbUS /ˈfæstər/
more quickly
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading "FLAG NUMBER TWO!"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/
the act of grasping
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
incessantlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈsesəntli/
with unflagging resolve
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
instrumentsnounUS /ˈɪnstrəmənts/
plural of “instrument” — a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
labouredadjective
lacking natural ease
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading "FLAG NUMBER TWO!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
railroadingnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊdɪŋ/
the activity of designing and constructing and operating railroads
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
sleetnounUS /sliːt/
partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
soggyadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːɡi/
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the season of growth
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
successive (without a break)
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
swirlingverbUS /ˈswɜːrlɪŋ/
-ing form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
tenaciousadjectiveUS /təˈneɪʃəs/
good at remembering
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
having come into contact
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
trainsnounUS /treɪnz/
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading It was a bad night for railroading, and the instruments in the office clicked incessantly as the dispatchers laboured, with tense faces, to keep their trains straight.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "FLAG NUMBER TWO!"
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
veeringnounUS /ˈvɪrɪŋ/
the act of turning aside suddenly
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
vise-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Then, the wind veering to the north had turned the sleet to snow, soggy, tenacious, and swirling fast and faster, until now, as night closed in, nearly six inches had fallen.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading The snow was falling steadily, a late spring snow, but as heavy as any of the winter.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had started in the early morning as sleet, which clung to everything it touched with a vise-like grip.
