used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Yet they were not afraid.
(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 children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
from appearances alone
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
avidadjectiveUS /ˈævəd/
(often followed by “for”) ardently or excessively desirous
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
boisterousadjectiveUS /ˈbɔɪstərəs/
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
breakersnounUS /ˈbreɪkərz/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
lacking funds
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
crowdsnounUS /kraʊdz/
plural of “crowd” — a large number of things or people considered together
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
dinnounUS /dɪn/
a loud harsh or strident noise
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
to or in any or all places
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
not able to be found
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
newnessnounUS /ˈnuːnəs/
the quality of being new; the opposite of oldness
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
not any; not one
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
on one occasion
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
Rockaway
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
shorewardadjectiveUS /ˈʃɔːrwərd/
(of winds) coming from the sea toward the land
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
in or at or to some place
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
surfnounUS /sɜːrf/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
thunderingadjectiveUS /ˈθʌndərɪŋ/
sounding like thunder
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading The children had apparently forgotten all about the tragedy.
train-ride
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
wadingnounUS /ˈweɪdɪŋ/
walking with your feet in shallow water
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They entered the city as if they were wading into the boisterous surf at Rockaway Beach.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The crowds broke about them with a din of breakers thundering shoreward.
the day immediately before today
From this reading The newness of the train-ride, the fear of missing something, of being late somewhere, of not being everywhere at once, kept their little minds so avid that there was no thought of yesterday.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet they were not afraid.
