used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
aimverbUS /eɪm/
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Open fire at once!"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
BoersnounUS /bɔːrz/
plural of “boer” — a white native of Cape Province who is a descendant of Dutch settlers and who speaks Afrikaans
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
bouldersnounUS /ˈboʊldərz/
plural of “boulder” — a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
Chris
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
confidentadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnfədənt/
having or marked by confidence or assurance
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
start firing a weapon
From this reading "Open fire at once!"
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
gorgeverbUS /ɡɔːrdʒ/
overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
ten 10s
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
ladsnounUS /lædz/
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
on one occasion
From this reading "Open fire at once!"
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Open fire at once!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The rifles at once spoke out.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
PROJECTverbUS /ˈprɑːdʒekt/
communicate vividly
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
restsnounUS /rests/
plural of “rest” — something left after other parts have been taken away
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
riflesnounUS /ˈraɪfəlz/
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading The rifles at once spoke out.
only a very short time before
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
shootingnounUS /ˈʃuːtɪŋ/
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The rifles at once spoke out.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The lads had all used the boulders behind which they crouched as rests for their rifles, and confident of their shooting and their position, their aim was deadly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Chris shouted, "the farther they have to come under fire the less they will like it."
plural of “yard” — 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 A DESPERATE PROJECT Scarcely had the band taken cover in the gorge than the Boers appeared some five hundred yards away.
