used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
actuatedadjective
moved to action
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
move towards
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
breathlesslyadverbUS /ˈbreθləsli/
in a breathless manner
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
contactnounUS /ˈkɑːntækt/
close interaction
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
defensenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
an opposing military force
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
a boy or man
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
fouladjectiveUS /faʊl/
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
graspedverbUS /ɡræspt/
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
invadernounUS /ˌɪnˈveɪdər/
someone who enters by force in order to conquer
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
a particular point in time
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
in motion
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
not any; not one
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
with speed
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
only a very short time before
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
without speaking
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
stealthyadjectiveUS /ˈstelθi/
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading To strike him down as quickly and silently as possible was therefore the plain duty of the moment.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
accept gladly
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
Whoever
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whoever the invader creeping upon us might prove to be, he was certainly an enemy, actuated by some foul purpose, and, no doubt armed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading To be certain of free space I extended one hand and my fingers came into unexpected contact with the back of a chair.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without moving my body I grasped this welcome weapon of defense and swung it above my head.
but in spite of that
From this reading A MURDER ON BOARD The fellow made scarcely a sound as he advanced, yet, as I waited breathlessly, I felt assured of his stealthy approach.
