used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
Can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
hardshipnounUS /ˈhɑːrdʃɪp/
a state of misfortune or affliction
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
hopefullyadverbUS /ˈhoʊpfəli/
with hope; in a hopeful manner
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
ten 10s
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
feeling hunger; feeling a need or desire to eat food
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
someone who hunts game
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
immediately past
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
lengthenedadjectiveUS /ˈleŋθənd/
drawn out or made longer spatially
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
morselnounUS /ˈmɔːrsəl/
a small quantity of anything
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
privationnounUS /praɪˈveɪʃən/
a state of extreme poverty
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
the possibility of future success
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
in a serious manner
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
settlementnounUS /ˈsetəlmənt/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
starvationnounUS /stɑːrˈveɪʃən/
a state of extreme hunger resulting from lack of essential nutrients over a prolonged period
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
male cat
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “Can’t we reach some town or settlement?” inquired Tom, hopefully.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a dreary prospect for the tired and hungry boys, and Tom’s face lengthened as he realized the hardship and privation in store for them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “We may have wandered miles from the camp, and Mr. Hunter may be looking for us in an entirely different direction,” said Will, seriously.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had eaten the last morsel of food they had brought with them the day before, and the danger of actual starvation stared them in the face.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “There may not be a house within a hundred miles, and there may be one within ten.
