used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
arrangeverbUS /ərˈeɪndʒ/
put into a proper or systematic order
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
attractionsnounUS /əˈtrækʃənz/
plural of “attraction” — the force by which one object attracts another
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
dressesnounUS /ˈdresəz/
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
dénouement
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
start firing a weapon
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
funerealadjective
suited to or suggestive of a grave or burial
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
gravitynounUS /ˈɡrævəti/
(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
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 As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
engage in
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
Nora
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
reinforceverbUS /ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrs/
make stronger
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
Roger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
dependable
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
thirty-threeadjective
being three more than thirty
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
up to a particular time
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
waningnounUS /ˈweɪnɪŋ/
a gradual decrease in magnitude or extent
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was now thirty-three; he fancied he was growing stout.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He stood before the fire, looking at her with almost funereal gravity.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
but in spite of that
From this reading “My dénouement is not yet written,” he said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Wait till the story is finished; then you shall hear the whole.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading As at this time Nora put on long dresses and began to arrange her hair as a young lady, it occurred to Roger that he might make some change in his own appearance and reinforce his waning attractions.
