used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
ammunitionnounUS /ˌæmjəˈnɪʃən/
projectiles to be fired from a gun
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
any thing at all
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
BLACKMAILverbUS /ˈblækmeɪl/
exert pressure on someone through threats
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
despisedadjectiveUS /dɪˈspaɪzd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
hand-to-handadjective
being at close quarters
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
MalaysnounUS /məˈleɪz/
plural of “malay” — a member of a people inhabiting the northern Malay Peninsula and Malaysia and parts of the western Malay Archipelago
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
the force of workers available
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
MOROnounUS /ˈmɔːroʊ/
a member of the predominantly Muslim people in the southern Philippines
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
MorosnounUS /ˈmɔːroʊz/
plural of “moro” — a member of the predominantly Muslim people in the southern Philippines
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
a full supply
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
PrescottnounUS /ˈpreskɑːt/
a town in central Arizona
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
rascalsnounUS /ˈræskəlz/
plural of “rascal” — a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
regularsnounUS /ˈreɡjələrz/
plural of “regular” — a regular patron
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
riflesnounUS /ˈraɪfəlz/
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They know now about how many men I have, and they know that my men are regulars.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
they're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
a special situation
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On a charge, however--in close, hand-to-hand fighting--these Malays are not to be despised.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The Moros have plenty of rifles, and I judge that they're well off in ammunition, but they can't shoot as well as American regulars.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading A TALE OF MORO BLACKMAIL "That's what they will do--if anything," nodded Lieutenant Prescott.
winningadjectiveUS /ˈwɪnɪŋ/
having won
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
wisestadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪzəst/
superlative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading "A charge is the wisest thing for the brown rascals, if they are bent on winning here.
