used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
boltedverbUS /ˈboʊltəd/
past form of “bolt” — move or jump suddenly
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
the act of breaking something
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
confinedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnd/
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
grinnedverbUS /ɡrɪnd/
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
measuringnounUS /ˈmeʒərɪŋ/
the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
slitnounUS /slɪt/
a long narrow opening
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
solidlyadverbUS /ˈsɑːlədli/
as an undiversified whole
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
starvedadjectiveUS /stɑːrvd/
suffering from lack of food
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
that's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A RIDE FOR LIFE It was easy to talk of breaking for liberty but not so easy to see how it could be done.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We can’t get through that window, that’s certain,” said Ben, after measuring the opening.
(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 “Not until we are pretty well starved,” grinned Gilbert.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading The room in which they were confined was of stone, solidly built, and with one slit of a window, three feet high and not over six inches wide.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “And the door is about as solid and as well bolted as one would wish.”
