R

(177 words)

racist

noun [ C ] disapproving

someone who believes that other races are not as good as their own and therefore treats them unfairly:

adjective disapproving

politics believing that other races are not as good as your own and therefore treating them unfairly:

racket

noun

[ S ] informal an unpleasant loud continuous noise:

radical

adjective

believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change:

noun [ C ]

a person who supports great social and political change:

She was a radical all her life.

rage

verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]

to speak very angrily to someone:

to happen in a strong or violent way:

raid

noun [ C ]

a short sudden attack, usually by a small group of people:

an occasion when the police enter a place suddenly in order to find someone or something:

verb [ T ]

to attack a place suddenly:

(of the police) to enter a place suddenly in order to find someone or something:

rail

noun

[ C ] a horizontal bar fixed in position, especially to a wall or to vertical posts, used to close something off, as a support, or to hang things on:

raise the alarm

to make people understand the danger of something:

rally

noun [ C ]

MEETING

a public meeting of a large group of people, especially supporters of a particular opinion:

RACE

a car or motorcycle race, especially over long distances on public roads:

range

noun

[ S or U ] the distance within which you can see, hear, or hit someone:

rash

noun

[ C or U ] a lot of small red spots on the skin:

adjective

careless or unwise, without thought for what might happen or result:

at this rate

if the situation stays as it is:

at any rate

whatever happens:

ratings

[ plural ]
​
a list of television and radio programmes showing how popular they are:

ray

noun

[ C ] a small amount of a feeling that makes you feel happier or more full of hope:

reach

noun

[ S or U ] the limit within which someone can achieve something:

react against sth

to intentionally do the opposite of what someone wants you to do because you do not like their rules or ideas:

read

verb

[ T ] to understand and give a particular meaning to written information, a statement, a situation, etc.:

noun [ S ]

the act of reading something:

read between the lines

to try to understand someone’s real feelings or intentions from what they say or write:

reading

noun

[ C ] an occasion when something written, especially a work of literature, is spoken to an audience:

realistically

adverb

according to the facts and what is possible:

realisation/realization

noun

[ U ] the act or moment of achieving something you planned to do or hoped for:

realm

noun [ C ]

an area of interest or activity:

reap the benefit, reward, etc.

to get something good as a result of your own actions:

reasoning

noun [ U ]

the process of thinking about something in order to make a decision:

reassurance

noun [ C or U ]

words of advice and comfort intended to make someone feel less worried:

receptive

adjective

willing to listen to and accept new ideas and suggestions:

recharge your batteries

to rest and relax for a period of time so that you feel energetic again:

be a recipe for disaster, trouble, success, etc.

to be very likely to become a disaster, success, etc.:

reckless

adjective

doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and the possible results:

reckon on sth

to feel that something is likely to happen and to make plans that depend upon it happening:

reckon with sb/sth

informal

to deal with a difficult or powerful person or thing:

recognition

noun

ACCEPTING

[ S or U ] agreement that something is true or legal:

[ S or U ] If you are given recognition, people show admiration and respect for your achievements:

KNOWING

[ U ] the fact of knowing someone or something because you have seen or heard him or her or experienced it before:

recollect

verb [ I or T ] formal

to remember something:

recollection

noun formal

[ C ] a memory of something:

[ U ] the ability to remember things:

reconcile

verb [ T ]

to find a way in which two situations or beliefs that are opposed to each other can agree and exist together:

reconcile yourself to sth

to accept a situation or fact although you do not like it:

reconstruct

verb [ T ]

If you reconstruct something that has happened in the past, you combine a lot of information in order to get a complete description of what happened:

reconstruction

noun

[ C ] an attempt to get a complete description of an event using the information available, or an attempt to repeat what happened during the event:

record

noun

[ C ] the facts that are known about a person or a company and the actions they have done in the past:

recreational

adjective

connected with ways of enjoying yourself when you are not working:

recruit

noun [ C ]

a new member of an organization, especially the army:

recur

verb [ I ]

to happen many times or to happen again:

red tape

noun [ U ] disapproving

official rules and processes that seem unnecessary and delay results:

see red

to become very angry:

redistribute

verb [ T ]

to share something out differently from before, especially in a fairer way:

reduce sb to sth

to make someone unhappy or cause someone to be in a bad state or situation:

If you are reduced to doing something, you are forced to do it because you have no other choice:

reduce sth to sth

to cause something, especially a large structure, to be destroyed and broken into pieces:

redundant

adjective

(especially of a word, phrase, etc.) unnecessary because it is more than is needed:

referendum

noun [ C ]

a vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question:

refine

verb [ T ]

to improve an idea, method, system, etc. by making small changes:

refined

adjective

CHANGED

improved because of many small changes that have been made:

POLITE

very polite and showing knowledge of social rules

reflection

noun

[ C or U ] formal serious and careful thought:

reform

verb [ I or T ]

to make an improvement, especially by changing a person’s behaviour or the structure of something:

noun [ C or U ]

an improvement, especially in a person’s behaviour or in the structure of something:

refrain

verb [ I ] formal

to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something:

refuge

noun [ C or U ]

(a place that gives) protection or shelter from danger, trouble, unhappiness, etc.:

regime

noun [ C ]

mainly disapproving a particular government or a system or method of government:

register

verb

[ I or T ] to record, show, or express something:

reign

verb [ I ]

to be the king or queen of a country:

to be the main feeling or quality in a situation or person:

reinforce

verb [ T ]

to make something stronger:

rejection

noun

[ C or U ] the act of refusing to accept, use, or believe someone or something:

[ C ] a letter, etc. that tells you that you have not been successful in getting a job, a place on a course of study, etc.:

[ U ] the act of not giving someone the love and attention they want and expect:

relate

verb [ T ]

CONNECT

[ T ] to find or show the connection between two or more things:

TELL

[ T ] formal to tell a story or describe a series of events:

relative to

If something is relative to something else, it changes according to the speed or level of the other thing:

relentless

adjective

continuing in a severe or extreme way:

relentlessly

adverb

in an extreme way that continues without stopping:

self-reliant

adjective approving

not needing help or support from other people:

reliance

noun [ U ]

the state of depending on or trusting in something or someone:

relief

noun

[ C or U ] food, money, or services that provide help for people in need:

relieve

verb

[ T ] to make an unpleasant feeling, such as pain or worry, less strong:

relish

verb [ T ] formal

to like or enjoy something:

SAUCE

noun

[ C or U ] a type of sauce that is eaten with food to add flavour to it:

ENJOYMENT

[ U ] formal the enjoyment you get from doing something:

remorse

noun [ U ] formal

a feeling of sadness and being sorry for something you have done:

remote

adjective

slight:

remove

verb [ T ]

formal to force someone to leave an important job or a position of power because they have behaved badly or not in a way you approve of:

be far removed from sth

formal
​
to be very different from something:

render

verb [ T ]

formal to cause someone or something to be in a particular state:

renewable

adjective

If an official document is renewable, its use can be continued for an extra period of time:

renowned

adjective

famous for something:

repair

verb [ T ]

If you repair something wrong or harmful that has been done, you do something to make it right:

in good, bad, etc. repair

also in a good, bad, etc. state of repair
​
in good, bad, etc. condition:

repeated

adjective

happening again and again:

repetition

noun

[ U ] the act of doing or saying something again:

replace

verb [ T ]

to put something back where it was before:

reportedly

adverb

according to what many people say:

represent

verb

ACT FOR

[ T ] to speak, act, or be present officially for another person or people:

[ T ] to be the person from a country, school, etc. that is in a competition:

DESCRIBE

[ T ] to show or describe something or someone:

representation

noun

ACTING FOR

[ U ] a person or organization that speaks, acts, or is present officially for someone else:

DESCRIPTION

[ U ] the way that someone or something is shown or described:

reproach

verb [ T ]

to criticize someone, especially for not being successful or not doing what is expected:

noun [ C or U ]

something that you say or do to criticize someone, especially for not being successful or for not doing what is expected:

reproduce

verb

[ I or T ] When living things reproduce, they produce young plants, animals, etc.:

reproduction

noun

[ U ] the process of having babies, producing young, or producing new plants:

resemblance

noun [ C or U ]

the fact that two people or things look like each other or are similar in some other way:

resent

verb [ T ]

to feel angry because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like:

resentment

noun [ C or U ]

a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept something that you do not like:

reservation

noun

[ C usually plural, U ] a doubt or feeling of not being able to agree with or accept something completely:

reserve

noun

[ C or U ] the act of keeping something or a supply of something until it is needed, or a supply that you keep:

residence

noun [ C ] formal

a home:

residential

adjective

A residential job, position, course, etc. is one for which you live at the same place where you work or study.

resign yourself to sth

to make yourself accept something that you do not like because you cannot change it:

resignation

noun

JOB

[ C or U ] the act of telling your employer that you are leaving your job:

ACCEPTING

[ U ] a sad feeling of accepting something that you do not like because you cannot easily change it:

resilience

noun [ U ]

the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened:

resilient

adjective

able to quickly return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed:

resistance

noun

[ U ] the act of fighting against something that is attacking you, or refusing to accept something:

resolution

noun

DECISION

[ C ] an official decision that is made after a group or organization has voted:

[ C ] a promise to yourself to do or to not do something:

SOLVING

[ S or U ] formal the act of solving or ending a problem or difficulty:

resolve

noun [ U ] formal

strong determination:

be your last resort

to be the only person or thing that might be able to help you, when every other person or possibility has failed:

resort to sth

to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something:

resourceful

adjective approving

skilled at solving problems and making decisions on your own:

respectable

adjective

A respectable amount or quality is large enough or of a good enough standard to be acceptable:

respectfully

POLITE

adverb

in a way that shows you want to be polite or honour someone:

ADMIRATION

in a way that shows you admire someone or something:

restriction

noun [ C or U ]

an official limit on something:

restrictive

adjective often disapproving

limiting the freedom of someone or preventing something from growing:

restructure

verb [ T ]

to organize a company, business, or system in a new way to make it operate more effectively:

retailer

noun [ C ]

a person, shop, or business that sells goods to the public:

retain

verb [ T ]

formal to keep or continue to have something:

retention

noun [ U ] formal

the continued use, existence, or possession of something or someone:

retrace your steps

to go back to a place in the same way that you came:

retreat

verb

[ I often + adv/prep ] to go away from a place or person in order to escape from fighting or danger:

[ I ] to go to a quiet safe place in order to avoid a difficult situation:

noun

[ C usually singular, U ] a move back by soldiers or an army, either because they have been defeated or in order to avoid fighting:

[ C ] a private and safe place:

retrieve

verb [ T ] /rɪˈtriːv/

to find and bring back something:

in retrospect

thinking now about something in the past:

reunion

noun

[ C ] a social event for a group of people who have not seen each other for a long time:

[ C or U ] a situation when people meet again after they have not seen each other for a long time:

reveal

verb [ T ]

to allow something to be seen that, until then, had been hidden:

revelation

noun [ C or U ]

the act of making something known that was secret, or a fact that is made known:

come as/be a revelation

to be an extremely pleasant surprise:

reversal

noun [ C ]

the act of changing or making something change to its opposite:

reverse

noun

[ U ] also reverse gear the method of controlling a vehicle that makes it go backwards:

the reverse

the opposite of what has been suggested:

reversible

adjective

If something is reversible, it can be changed back to what it was before:

Reversible clothes can be worn so that the inside becomes the outside:

revert to sth

to return to doing, using, being, or referring to something, usually something bad or less satisfactory:

review

noun

[ C or U ] the act of considering something again in order to make changes to it, give an opinion of it or study it:

revival

noun

[ C or U ] the process of becoming more active or popular again:

revive

verb [ I or T ]

to come or bring something back to life, health, existence, or use:

revolt

verb

PROTEST

[ I ] If a large number of people revolt, they refuse to be controlled or ruled, and take action against authority, often violent action:

UNPLEASANT FEELING

[ T ] to make someone feel unpleasantly shocked or disgusted:

rhyme

verb [ I or T ]

Words that rhyme have the same last sound:

noun

[ C ] a short poem, especially for young children:

[ U ] the use of rhymes in poetry:

in rhyme

written as a poem so that the word at the end of a line has the same last sound as a word at the end of another line:

ribbon

noun

[ C or U ] a long, narrow strip of material used to tie things together or as a decoration:

riches

noun [ plural ]

a large amount of money or valuable possessions:

a rough ride

a difficult time:

the Right/right

political parties or people that have traditional opinions, and that believe in low taxes, property, and industry being privately owned, and less help for the poor:

right-wing

supporting the political right:

rigid

adjective

stiff or fixed; not able to be bent or moved:

ring a bell/ring any bells

to sound familiar:

riot

verb [ I ]

to take part in a riot:

run riot

If people run riot, they behave in a way that is not controlled, running in all directions or being noisy or violent:

rip sb off

informal

to cheat someone by making them pay too much money for something:

ripe for sth

developed to a suitable condition for something to happen:

rise

BECOME SUCCESSFUL

verb

[ I ] to become important, successful, or powerful:

MOVEMENT UP

noun

[ S ] the process of becoming very famous, powerful, or popular:

give rise to

to cause something:

at your own risk

used to mean that you are responsible for any damage, loss, or difficulty:

ritual

noun [ C or U ]

a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony:

rival

verb [ T ]

to be as good, clever, beautiful, etc. as someone or something else:

rivalry

noun [ C or U ]

a situation in which people, businesses, etc. compete with each other for the same thing:

roar

verb

[ I ] to make a long, loud, deep sound:

[ T ] to shout loudly:

noun [ C or S ]

a loud, deep sound:

rob

verb [ T ]

If someone is robbed of something they deserve or want, it is taken away from them:

rock

verb

[ I or T ] to (cause someone or something to) move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a regular way:

romantic

adjective

sometimes disapproving not practical and having a lot of ideas that are not related to real life:

a roof over your head

a place to live:

go through the roof

to rise to a very high level:

also hit the roof informal to get very angry:

learn/know the ropes

to learn/know how to do a job or activity

rosy

adjective

having a colour between pink and red:

If a situation is described as rosy, it gives hope of success or happiness:

rot

verb [ I or T ]

to (cause something to) decay:

roughly

adverb

NOT EVENLY

without taking a lot of care to make something perfect:

VIOLENTLY

in a violent or angry way:

round of applause

a period of time during which people are clapping:

round

noun [ C ]

a number of things or group of events:

drinks that you buy for a group of people:

route

noun [ C ]

a method of achieving something:

routine

adjective

disapproving ordinary and boring:

ruin

noun

[ U ] a situation in which a person or company has lost all their money or their reputation:

rule

noun

[ U ] a period of time during which a particular person or group is in control of a country:

rule sth or sb out

to decide or say officially that something is impossible or will not happen, or that something or someone is not suitable:

ruling

noun [ C ]

a decision:

run over/through sth

to quickly say or practise something:

be running at sth

to be at the rate of something:

run wild

disapproving
​
If someone, often a child, runs wild, that person behaves as they want to without being controlled by anyone.

a run of sth

A run of something is a continuous period during which it lasts or is repeated:

run around/round, run about

to be very busy doing a lot of different things:

run up against sth

to experience an unexpected difficulty:

make a run for it

to suddenly start running in order to escape from somewhere:

running

adjective [ after noun ]

happening on a particular number of regular occasions:

noun [ U ]

the activity of controlling or taking care of something:

rush

noun

[ S ] a time when a lot of things are happening or a lot of people are trying to do or get something:

[ S ] the act of suddenly moving somewhere quickly:

(stuck) in a rut

too fixed in one particular type of job, activity, method, etc., and needing to change:

ruthless

adjective

not thinking or worrying about any pain caused to others; cruel: