used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
belligerentsnounUS /bəˈlɪdʒərənts/
plural of “belligerent” — someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
a youthful male person
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
a young person of either sex
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
dingyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪndʒi/
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
remove the dust from
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
take in solid food
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
enviouslyadverbUS /ˈenviəsli/
with jealousy; in an envious manner
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
huggedverbUS /hʌɡd/
inflected form of “hug” — hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
HungernounUS /ˈhʌŋɡər/
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
an instinctive motive
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
leanverbUS /liːn/
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
and nothing more
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
noisilyadverbUS /ˈnɔɪzəli/
with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
pebblenounUS /ˈpebəl/
a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
pleasanter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
a full supply
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
quarrelingverbUS /ˈkwɑːrəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
ragsnounUS /ræɡz/
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
sparrownounUS /ˈsperoʊ/
any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/
plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
stareverbUS /ster/
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
tightenedverbUS /ˈtaɪtənd/
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “They find plenty to eat,” he told himself enviously, as he hugged his lean little body.
TornounUS /tɔːr/
a prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
Tor's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hunger was a common experience in Tor’s short life; he merely tightened the dingy rags about his middle and continued to stare at the group of sparrows quarreling noisily in the red dust of the street.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
vastlyadverbUS /ˈvæstli/
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading It had occurred to Tor that the life of a sparrow must be vastly pleasanter than that of a boy.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN Tor was hungry.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a sudden impulse the child flung a pebble into the midst of the belligerents.