used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
the act of departing
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
despatch-boat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
dunnounUS /dʌn/
horse of a dull brownish grey color
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
elapsedadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæpst/
(of time) having passed or slipped by
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
foggyadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːɡi/
stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or drunkenness or exhaustion)
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
gunboatnounUS /ˈɡʌnboʊt/
a small shallow-draft boat carrying mounted guns; used by costal patrols
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
harbourverbUS /ˈhɑːrbər/
secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals)
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
JapanesenounUS /ˌdʒæpəˈniːz/
a native or inhabitant of Japan
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
loomedverbUS /luːmd/
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
MisfortunesnounUS /mɪˈsfɔːrtʃənz/
plural of “misfortune” — unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
moment'snounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
the middle of the day
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
PunctualadjectiveUS /ˈpʌŋktʃuːəl/
acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
singlyadverbUS /ˈsɪŋɡli/
one by one; one at a time
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
move hurridly
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
steamedadjectiveUS /stiːmd/
cooked in steam
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nothing of interest occurred during the day and a half that elapsed before the departure of the despatch-boat.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
in the direction of
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
vapournoun
a visible suspension in the air of particles of some substance
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
precisely as stated
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
a message informing of danger
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The morning after our departure was very foggy, and towards noon we had to slow down to less than half speed.
(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 Misfortunes are well known never to come singly, and so it was in my case.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Punctual enough as to time she steamed out of the harbour under cover of night, with the Chinese agent and myself on board.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Suddenly, without a moment's warning, a Japanese gunboat loomed through the dun vapour close on the port bow.
