used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
in addition
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
next to; at the side of
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
bos'nnoun
a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
brushful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
COMPULSIONnounUS /kəmˈpʌlʃən/
an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
dippedadjectiveUS /dɪpt/
having abnormal sagging of the spine (especially in horses)
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
enginesnounUS /ˈendʒənz/
plural of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
heavedverbUS /hiːvd/
past form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
hullnounUS /hʌl/
dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
Lindstrom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
loomverbUS /luːm/
come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
engage in
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
patchnounUS /pætʃ/
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
reefsnounUS /riːfs/
plural of “reef” — a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
cut with a saw
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
stripsnounUS /strɪps/
plural of “strip” — a relatively long narrow piece of something
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
to-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
UNDERprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "I think we can make our own terms to-day," he said.
at the time that
From this reading UNDER COMPULSION It was in the gray of the morning when Jimmy saw her, a dim patch of hull and four strips of sail that heaved and dipped between the seas.
a Caucasian
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
which person or people
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading He also saw the faint loom of land behind her, and turned to Lindstrom, who stood beside him, with a grim smile.
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She wouldn't be there with those reefs to lee of her if her engines hadn't broken down.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you ask the bos'n to have a board ready and a brushful of white lead?"
