used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
at or in the front
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
(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 Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
backedadjectiveUS /bækt/
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
next to; at the side of
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
DAVISnounUS /ˈdeɪvəs/
English navigator who explored the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage (1550-1605)
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
fringenounUS /frɪndʒ/
the outside boundary or surface of something
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
GUARDINGverbUS /ˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/
-ing form of “guard” — to keep watch over
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
the act of retaining something
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
MAILnounUS /meɪl/
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
MAJORadjectiveUS /ˈmeɪdʒər/
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
maskedadjectiveUS /mæskt/
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
with speed
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
recruitsnounUS /rəˈkruːts/
plural of “recruit” — a recently enlisted soldier
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
rookiesnounUS /ˈrʊkiz/
plural of “rookie” — an awkward and inexperienced youth
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
except for; apart from
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading "Back, all three of you.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
create by training and teaching
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
twinklingnounUS /ˈtwɪŋkəlɪŋ/
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading In a twinkling, out of the fringe of darkness, almost beside the recruits, stepped a masked man.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading GUARDING THE MAIL TRAIN MAJOR DAVIS backed quickly out of the car, holding his weapon behind his back as he dropped to the ground beside the car.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He did not look to see whether the rookies were behind him, but they were.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading Ahead, and about them, all was black, save for the light that came through the car windows.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Back, all three of you.
