used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
areanounUS /ˈeriə/
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
blobsnounUS /blɑːbz/
plural of “blob” — an indistinct shapeless form
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
blurryadjectiveUS /ˈblɜːri/
indistinct or hazy in outline
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
churnedverbUS /tʃɜːrnd/
past form of “churn” — stir (cream) vigorously in order to make butter
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
climbingnounUS /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
clusterverbUS /ˈklʌstər/
come together as in a cluster or flock
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
discoveringverbUS /dɪˈskʌvərɪŋ/
-ing form of “discover” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
elmnounUS /elm/
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
enlargedadjectiveUS /ˌenˈlɑːrdʒd/
(of an organ or body part) excessively enlarged as a result of increased size in the constituent cells
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
grandeurnounUS /ɡrænˈduːr/
the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
grapesnounUS /ɡreɪps/
plural of “grape” — any of various juicy fruit of the genus Vitis with green or purple skins; grow in clusters
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
hoofprints
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
mammothadjectiveUS /ˈmæməθ/
so exceedingly large or extensive as to suggest a giant or mammoth
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
by chance
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
meltingnounUS /ˈmeltɪŋ/
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
murkyadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrki/
(of liquids) clouded as with sediment
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
outlyingadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ/
relatively far from a center or middle
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
resembledverbUS /rɪˈzembəld/
past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
ReubennounUS /ˈruːbən/
(Old Testment) a son of Jacob and forefather of one of the tribes of Israel
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
sprawlingnounUS /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/
an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
stableadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪbəl/
resistant to change of position or condition
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
suppliedverbUS /səˈplaɪd/
inflected form of “supply” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading A lake of churned mud by the stable resembled a mammoth cluster of grapes, separate blobs of fruit supplied by outlying hoofprints.
tanglenounUS /ˈtæŋɡəl/
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
untidyadjectiveUS /ənˈtaɪdi/
not neat and tidy
From this reading At the rear of the yard rose the untidy grandeur of an elm.
precisely as stated
From this reading Maybe this very day, Ben thought, he and Reuben could be climbing that hill road, discovering the far side of it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Near the base of the elm a murky area suggested a man sprawling with his head on his arm.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
yesterday'snounUS /ˈjestərdeɪz/
possessive form of “yesterday” — the day immediately before today
From this reading The snow and mud in the yard below him showed a tangle of blurry tracks enlarged by yesterday's melting.
