used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
clutchedverbUS /klʌtʃt/
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
coamingnoun
a raised framework around a hatchway on a ship to keep water out
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
flagpolenounUS /ˈflæɡpoʊl/
surveying instrument consisting of a straight rod painted in bands of alternate red and white each one foot wide; used for sightings by surveyors
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
footholdnounUS /ˈfʊthoʊld/
an area in hostile territory that has been captured and is held awaiting further troops and supplies
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
death of a person
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
JAWSnounUS /dʒɔːz/
plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
launchverbUS /lɔːntʃ/
set up or found
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
markingnounUS /ˈmɑːrkɪŋ/
a distinguishing symbol
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
and nothing more
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
projectedadjectiveUS /prəˈdʒektəd/
extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
submergedadjectiveUS /səbˈmɜːrdʒd/
beneath the surface of the water
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
sunkenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌŋkən/
having a sunken area
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading One foot rested on a narrow ridge; he thought it was the coaming.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Wilfred clutched the flagpole and tried to get a foothold on the sunken launch.
UNSEENadjectiveUS /ənˈsiːn/
not seen or perceived
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading There was no voice now, and only the sound of the beating water answered his own call.
wateryadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːtəri/
filled with water
From this reading The launch was not to be seen but the end of its long flagpole projected a few inches out of the lake marking its watery grave.
at the time that
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
Wilfred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAWS UNSEEN Darkness had fallen when Wilfred reached the submerged rock.
