(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 full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
cellsnounUS /selz/
plural of “cell” — any small compartment
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
crueltynounUS /ˈkruːlti/
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
take in solid food
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
exposeverbUS /ɪkˈspoʊz/
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
full-grownadjective
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
usually; as a rule
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
grubsnounUS /ɡrʌbz/
plural of “grub” — informal terms for a meal
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
mothersnounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
To move from a closed position.
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
pinchverbUS /pɪntʃ/
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
sleepyadjectiveUS /ˈsliːpi/
ready to fall asleep
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
in the near future
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
starvationnounUS /stɑːrˈveɪʃən/
a state of extreme hunger resulting from lack of essential nutrients over a prolonged period
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
waspsnounUS /wɑːsps/
plural of “wasp” — a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading So what looks like cruelty is really kindness.
at the time that
From this reading They tear open the cells and expose the young grubs to the weather, when they die, or the birds eat them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Generally they pinch them to death, for they will not let them live to die of starvation; and while they are in this state they do not feel pain.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "The full-grown wasps soon become sleepy with cold and die off, all but the few which live to be the mothers of the wasps next year."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "The wasps cease to bring in any more food for the young.
