used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
Ali'snounUS /ˈɑːliz/
possessive form of “ali” — United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
bonenounUS /boʊn/
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
the act of breaking something
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
bulletnounUS /ˈbʊlət/
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
catchingnounUS /ˈkætʃɪŋ/
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
constrictedadjectiveUS /kənˈstrɪktəd/
especially tense; especially in some dialects
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
crushingadjectiveUS /ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
explosiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsploʊsɪv/
serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/
having lost your job
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
Frontispiecenoun
an ornamental facade
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
hittingnounUS /ˈhɪtɪŋ/
the act of contacting one thing with another
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
and nothing more
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
leopardnounUS /ˈlepərd/
the pelt of a leopard
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
mid-air
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
screamedverbUS /skriːmd/
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
snakenounUS /sneɪk/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
spearnounUS /spɪr/
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
squarelyadverbUS /ˈskwerli/
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The native screamed and the snake constricted suddenly, breaking nearly every bone in the man's body and crushing the life out of him."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Frontispiece_ "I looked up just as a black leopard sprang at us.
whizzedverbUS /wɪzd/
inflected form of “whiz” — make a soft swishing sound
From this reading Ali's spear whizzed by my head, hitting the animal in the side.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I fired, catching him in mid-air squarely in the chest with an explosive bullet."
