used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
in addition
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
asternadverb
stern foremost or backward
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
the shore of a sea or ocean
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
destroyernounUS /dɪˈstrɔɪər/
a small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
duskyadjective
lighted by or as if by twilight
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
flashingnounUS /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
a short vivid experience
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had often wondered how it was possible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
something that is lost
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
the force of workers available
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
MillionsnounUS /ˈmɪljənz/
plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
minesnounUS /maɪnz/
plural of “mine” — excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extracted
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
mistyadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsti/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
many times at short intervals
From this reading She had often wondered how it was possible.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
perilsnounUS /ˈperəlz/
plural of “peril” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading She had often wondered how it was possible.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
searchlightnounUS /ˈsɜːrtʃlaɪt/
a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
searchlightsnounUS /ˈsɜːrtʃlaɪts/
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
submarinesnounUS /ˈsʌbməriːnz/
plural of “submarine” — a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
transportnounUS /trænˈspɔːrt/
something that serves as a means of transportation
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
transportedverbUS /trænˈspɔːrtɪd/
past form of “transport” — move something or somebody around; usually over long distances
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading It was the first flash of the shore searchlights, and May Margaret watched it flashing long after the English coast had disappeared.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading The cliffs became ghostly in the distance, and suddenly on the dusky waters astern there shone a great misty star.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then she lost the searchlight also; and the transport was left, with the dark destroyer, to find its way, through whatever perils there might be, to the French coast.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Millions of men--she had read it--had been transported, despite mines and submarines, without the loss of a single life.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading She had often wondered how it was possible.
