used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Already the fire was burning the floor beneath them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
a line of approach
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Already the fire was burning the floor beneath them.
a youthful male person
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the act of burning something
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
cracksnounUS /kræks/
plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
DaltonnounUS /ˈdɔːltən/
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
destructiveadjectiveUS /dɪˈstrʌktɪv/
causing destruction or much damage
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
encroachingadjectiveUS /ɪnˈkroʊtʃɪŋ/
gradually intrusive without right or permission
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
moving swiftly
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
freaknounUS /friːk/
a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
huddledadjectiveUS /ˈhʌdəld/
crowded or massed together
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
imprisonedadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈprɪzənd/
being in captivity
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
other's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
pitnounUS /pɪt/
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
quakingverbUS /ˈkweɪkɪŋ/
-ing form of “quake” — shake with fast, tremulous movements
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Already the fire was burning the floor beneath them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The encroaching fire showed through the cracks so plainly now that they could see each other’s face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
male cat
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
trustedadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌstɪd/
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Already the fire was burning the floor beneath them.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Wind and weather or the destructive freak of some careless boy had certainly cut off the one avenue of escape for the imprisoned boys from the burning building.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Tom Dalton, utterly overwhelmed, sat huddled together on the floor quaking with terror.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
yawnedverbUS /jɔːnd/
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading Had not the pit yawned far below the ground surface Will would have trusted to a flying jump in the darkness.
