used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
react verbally
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
basementnounUS /ˈbeɪsmənt/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
beadsnounUS /biːdz/
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
dottingverbUS /ˈdɑːtɪŋ/
inflected form of “dot” — scatter or intersperse like dots or studs
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
expressionlessadjectiveUS /ɪkspreʃənlɪs/
deliberately impassive in manner
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
firingnounUS /ˈfaɪrɪŋ/
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
fixturenounUS /ˈfɪkstʃər/
an object firmly fixed in place (especially in a household)
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
gauntadjectiveUS /ɡɔːnt/
very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
HarshadjectiveUS /hɑːrʃ/
unpleasantly stern
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
headlinesnounUS /ˈhedlaɪnz/
plural of “headline” — the heading or caption of a newspaper article
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
love-triangle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
the force of workers available
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
a particular point in time
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
movesnounUS /muːvz/
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
overheadadverbUS /ˈoʊvərˈhed/
above your head; in the sky
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
pallornoun
unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
perspirationnounUS /ˌpɜːrspərˈeɪʃən/
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
having a point
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
rumpledadjectiveUS /ˈrʌmpəld/
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
Sidenote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
squadnounUS /skwɑːd/
a smallest army unit
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
very small
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
today'snounUS /təˈdeɪz/
possessive form of “today” — the present time or age
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A rumpled shock of black hair pointed up the extreme pallor of a gaunt face, empty at the moment of all expression.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading The three men with him watched him out of faces as expressionless as his own.
waxenadjective
made of or covered with wax
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
winkedverbUS /wɪŋkt/
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading Harsh light from an overhead fixture winked back from tiny beads of perspiration dotting the waxen skin of his forehead.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He moved slowly and with a kind of painful dignity, as a man moves on his way to the firing squad.
a late time of life
From this reading [Sidenote: _It was a love-triangle murder that made today's headlines but the answer lay hundreds of thousands of light years away!_] They brought him into one of the basement rooms.
