used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The mast snapped like a pipe-stem.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
admiralnounUS /ˈædmərəl/
the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/
feeling or showing anger
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A few moments and she would be beaten to pieces.
beamnounUS /biːm/
a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading A few moments and she would be beaten to pieces.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
terminate
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
broadsidenounUS /ˈbrɔːdsaɪd/
an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
the organ of sight
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
brought together in one place
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
hurledverbUS /hɜːrld/
past form of “hurl” — throw forcefully
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
ledgenounUS /ledʒ/
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The mast snapped like a pipe-stem.
lodgedverbUS /lɑːdʒd/
past form of “lodge” — be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
mastnounUS /mæst/
a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading The mast snapped like a pipe-stem.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading A few moments and she would be beaten to pieces.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading A few moments and she would be beaten to pieces.
pipe-stem
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mast snapped like a pipe-stem.
practisedadjectiveUS /ˈpræktɪst/
skillful after much practice
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
free from harm or evil
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
securelyadverbUS /sɪˈkjʊrli/
in a secure manner; in a manner free from danger
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
shocksnounUS /ʃɑːks/
plural of “shock” — the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
snappedverbUS /snæpt/
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading The mast snapped like a pipe-stem.
sunkenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌŋkən/
having a sunken area
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
tackverbUS /tæk/
fasten with tacks
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
very small
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
troughnounUS /trɔːf/
a narrow depression (as in the earth or between ocean waves or in the ocean bed)
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading After a few violent shocks she was hurled over on her beam ends, lodged securely on the rocks, and began to break up under the beating of the angry sea.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She was caught in the trough of the sea before she had gathered way on the other tack, and flung upon the sunken ledge, broadside on.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A few moments and she would be beaten to pieces.
yachtnounUS /jɑːt/
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading THE RESCUE As the practised eye of the admiral had seen, the tiny yacht was too near the rocks to go about and escape them.
