used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
beliedverbUS /bɪˈlaɪd/
past form of “belie” — be in contradiction with
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading This ruse brought the two face to face.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/
with great urgency
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
desperationnounUS /ˌdespərˈeɪʃən/
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
disorderedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsɔːrdərd/
thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
drenchedadjectiveUS /drentʃt/
abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading This ruse brought the two face to face.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
Hervey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
an instinctive motive
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
outcomenounUS /ˈaʊtkʌm/
something that results
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
plaidnounUS /plæd/
a cloth having a crisscross design
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
with speed
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
raimentnoun
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
precisely, exactly
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
rusenounUS /ruːz/
a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)
From this reading This ruse brought the two face to face.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This ruse brought the two face to face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
toughnessnounUS /ˈtʌfnəs/
enduring strength and energy
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading This ruse brought the two face to face.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
which person or people
From this reading And in a flash Hervey realized that he had little to fear from one who had tried so desperately to escape his notice.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He wore a plaid cap, which being pulled down over his ears by reason of the wind, gave him an appearance of toughness which his first words belied.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading THE LIGHT THAT FAILED The suspense was worse than any outcome could be, and Hervey, in another impulse of desperation, took a step to the right, then quickly another to the left.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The figure was that of a young man, his raiment torn and disordered and utterly drenched.
