📖 R — The English dictionary · page 19

reformer — Everyday, meaning 1: A reformer is a person who works to change something, such as laws, schools, prisons or society, to make it better and fairer.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church) The Reformers were Christian leaders, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, who wanted to change and renew the Church, leading to the Protestant churches.↗ Example: Elizabeth Fry was a prison reformer who helped women in jail.↗ · Lord Shaftesbury was a reformer who fought to stop children working in mines.↗ · (church) Martin Luther was one of the great Reformers.↗ · The new head teacher is a reformer who wants to change everything.↗ · Reformers campaigned for the vote for women.↗ · Many reformers were inspired by their Christian faith.↗

refract — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) To refract light is to bend it as it passes from one material into another, such as from air into water or glass.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sound and other waves can also refract when they change speed.↗ Example: Water refracts light, so the straw looks bent.↗ · A prism refracts white light into a rainbow of colours.↗ · Glasses lenses refract light to help people see clearly.↗ · Raindrops refract and reflect sunlight to make rainbows.↗ · The pool looks shallow because water refracts the light.↗ · Light refracts when it goes from air into glass.↗ · Draw how the light ray refracts at the surface.↗

refraction — Everyday, meaning 1: Refraction is the bending of light (or sound or water waves) when it passes from one material into another, like from air into water or glass.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Because of refraction, a straw in a glass of water looks bent or broken.↗ Example: A pencil in a glass of water looks bent because of refraction.↗ · Refraction of sunlight in raindrops makes a rainbow.↗ · Glasses use refraction to help people see clearly.↗ · The pool looks shallower than it is because of refraction, so be careful before jumping in.↗ · A prism uses refraction to split white light into colours.↗ · We did an experiment on refraction with a torch and a glass of water.↗

refrain — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To stop yourself from doing something: please refrain from talking.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) The part of a song or poem that is repeated, the chorus.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) A comment or complaint that people keep repeating.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: To stop yourself from doing something; to hold back; in old usage also used with "himself".↗ Example: Please refrain from running in the corridors.↗ · Passengers must refrain from smoking.↗ · Everyone joined in the refrain of the song.↗ · The poem has a refrain at the end of each verse.↗ · I refrained from laughing at his joke.↗ · «Are we there yet?» was the children's constant refrain.↗ · Every verse ended with this refrain,--↗ · And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.'↗ (Torah GEN.43.31, JPS 1917)↗ · Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.'↗ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.↗ (Torah GEN.45.1, JPS 1917)↗ · Wilt Thou refrain Thyself for these things, O LORD?↗ (Prophets ISA.64.11, JPS 1917)↗ · The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth; (Writings JOB.29.9, JPS 1917)↗ · I have refrained my feet from every evil way, in order that I might observe Thy word.↗ (Writings PSA.119.101, JPS 1917)↗ · And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.'↗ (Torah GEN.43.31, JPS 1917) · Every verse ended with this refrain,--↗ (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) · Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.'↗ And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.↗ (Torah GEN.45.1, JPS 1917)

refresh — Everyday, meaning 1: To refresh means to make someone feel less tired or hot, and more lively again.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To refresh a web page or screen means to load it again so it shows the newest version.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To refresh your memory means to remind yourself of something.↗ Example: A glass of cold water will refresh you.↗ · Refresh the page to see the new scores.↗ · Let me refresh your memory: we read this chapter last week.↗ · I felt refreshed after a nap.↗ · The cool breeze refreshed the hikers.↗ · The teacher refreshed the board with new questions.↗ · Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.↗ (Torah EXO.23.12, JPS 1917)↗ · It derives from the root נפ״שׁ NPSh, having to do with breathing, refreshing, and resting; its etymological relationships with curiously similar roots like נשׁ״ם NShM ‘to breathe, pant’, נשׁ״ף NShP ‘to blow’, and נשׁ״ב NShB ‘to blow’ are unclear.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · 'Stay ye me with dainties, refresh me with apples; for I am love-sick.'↗ (Writings SNG.2.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there.↗ (Prophets 2SA.16.14, JPS 1917)↗ · And the king said unto the man of God: 'Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.'↗ (Prophets 1KI.13.7, JPS 1917)↗

refreshment — Everyday, meaning 1: Refreshments are small amounts of food and drink offered at a meeting, show or party.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Refreshment is the feeling of being fresh and rested again after being tired, hot or thirsty.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal, joking) Refreshment can mean a drink, sometimes an alcoholic one.↗ Example: Refreshments will be served after the school concert.↗ · The refreshment stall sold juice for 50p a cup.↗ · We stopped at a café for some refreshment.↗ · Light refreshments were provided at the meeting.↗ · A cold glass of water was a real refreshment after the race.↗ · The refreshment tent was busy at the fair.↗ · If each cup of tea costs 80 cents, how much do 6 refreshments cost?↗ · After travelling many stages and for many days, he reached a plain of marvellous beauty and refreshment.↗

refreshments — Everyday, meaning 1: small amounts of food and drink offered at a meeting, event or journey.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (euphemism, polite) alcoholic drinks, as in "liquid refreshments" or "a few refreshments".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal, singular) the feeling of being refreshed.↗ Example: Refreshments will be served after the school play.↗ · We sold refreshments at the sports day to raise money.↗ · The grown-ups went to the pub for some liquid refreshment.↗ · "Had a few refreshments last night, did we?" the neighbour teased.↗ · Light refreshments include tea, juice and biscuits.↗ · The coach stopped for refreshments halfway.↗ · Shortly afterward, refreshments, consisting mostly of Camel's hump and ribs, were served to the company.↗

refrigerated — Everyday, meaning 1: Refrigerated means kept cold in a fridge or a cold room so that food or medicine stays fresh.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A refrigerated lorry or truck has a cold box to carry food a long way.↗ Example: Once opened, keep refrigerated and use within three days.↗ · The fish came in a refrigerated lorry.↗ · Some medicines must be refrigerated.↗ · The refrigerated section of the supermarket is very cold.↗ · The milk was refrigerated at 4 degrees.↗ · Refrigerated food stays fresh longer.↗ · The ice cream was taken from the refrigerated van.↗

refrigeration — Everyday, meaning 1: Refrigeration is keeping things cold, especially food and medicine, using a fridge, freezer or other cooling machine.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It also means the technology and machines that make things cold.↗ Example: Milk needs refrigeration or it goes sour.↗ · Before refrigeration, people kept food cold with ice from lakes.↗ · The vaccine must be kept under refrigeration.↗ · Refrigeration slows down the growth of germs.↗ · The ketchup bottle says "refrigeration after opening".↗ · Lorries with refrigeration carry frozen food to shops.↗ · Refrigeration changed how people shop and eat.↗

refrigerator — Everyday, meaning 1: A refrigerator is a kitchen machine like a cold cupboard that keeps food and drinks cool so they stay fresh longer.↗ Example: Put the milk back in the refrigerator.↗ · A refrigerator keeps food cold so it lasts longer.↗ · The refrigerator is set to 4 °C.↗ · Keep raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.↗ · «Keep refrigerated» means store it in a fridge.↗ · The freezer is colder than the refrigerator.↗ · Never play inside an old refrigerator — you could get trapped.↗

refuel — Everyday, meaning 1: To refuel is to fill a car, plane, ship or other vehicle with fuel again.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) To refuel is to eat and drink to get your energy back.↗ Example: We stopped to refuel on the motorway.↗ · The plane landed to refuel before flying on.↗ · After football practice I need to refuel with a sandwich.↗ · It cost $60 to refuel the car.↗ · The tank holds 50 litres; it had 10 litres left, so we needed 40 litres to refuel.↗ · The rescue boat refuelled at the harbour.↗ · The runners refuelled with oranges at half-time.↗

refuge — Everyday, meaning 1: Refuge is safety or shelter from danger, trouble or bad weather.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A refuge is a place that gives this safety, like a shelter for animals, a mountain hut or a safe house for people escaping violence.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (church, Bible) Christians and Jews pray that God is their refuge, meaning a safe place to trust.↗ Example: We took refuge under a tree when the storm started.↗ · The family sought refuge in another country after the war.↗ · The bird reserve is a refuge for wild geese.↗ · (Bible) The psalm says, "God is our refuge and strength."↗ · Climbers sheltered in a mountain refuge for the night.↗ · Wait on the traffic refuge in the middle of the road.↗ · The library was her refuge when the playground got too noisy.↗ · "Peasant," cries the Demon, "wherever can I take refuge?"↗ · And as to the cities which ye shall give, there shall be for you six cities of refuge.↗ (Torah NUM.35.13, JPS 1917)↗ · But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth; (Torah NUM.35.26, JPS 1917)↗ · then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither.↗ (Torah NUM.35.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Happy are all they that take refuge in Him.↗ (Writings PSA.2.12, JPS 1917)↗ · Keep me, O God; for I have taken refuge in Thee.↗ (Writings PSA.16.1, JPS 1917)↗ · God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.↗ (Writings PSA.46.2, JPS 1917)↗

refugee — Everyday, meaning 1: A refugee is a person who has had to leave their home country because of war, danger or being treated cruelly, and who has gone to live somewhere safer.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: More loosely, anyone who has had to escape from a place: «refugees from the flood».↗ Example: A new girl in our class is a refugee from a country at war.↗ · The family lived in a refugee camp for two years.↗ · Refugees often leave with only what they can carry.↗ · Our school collected warm coats for refugees.↗ · Many people became refugees after the earthquake destroyed their towns.↗ · The book tells the story of a refugee boy crossing the sea.↗ · Countries have laws that protect refugees.↗

refulgent — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Shining very brightly.↗ Example: The Seventh Path is the Occult Intelligence, because it is the Refulgent Splendor of all the Intellectual virtues which are perceived by the eyes of intellect, and by the contemplation of faith.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗ · The Seventh Path is the Occult Intelligence, because it is the Refulgent Splendour of all the Intellectual virtues which are perceived by the eyes of intellect, and by the contemplation of faith.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

refund — Everyday, meaning 1: A refund is money given back to you, usually because you returned something you bought or a service did not happen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To refund is to give someone their money back.↗ Example: The toy was broken, so Mum asked for a refund.↗ · The shop gave us a full refund.↗ · Keep the receipt in case you need a refund.↗ · The concert was cancelled, so they refunded our tickets.↗ · I got a refund of three pounds.↗ · Some shops will not refund sale items.↗ · If you get a refund of 5 dollars on a 12-dollar game, you paid 7 dollars in the end.↗ · The airline refunded the money a week later.↗

refurbishment — Everyday, meaning 1: Refurbishment is the work of repairing, cleaning and redecorating a building or room so it looks and works like new.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A refurbishment is one such job, for example on a library, a shop or a school hall.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The repairing and cleaning of a used machine, such as a phone or computer, so it can be sold again.↗ Example: The swimming pool is closed for refurbishment until after the holidays.↗ · The school library had a refurbishment, and now it has bright beanbags.↗ · The refurbishment of the old cinema took many months.↗ · Mum bought a refurbished laptop because it was cheaper.↗ · During the refurbishment, our class had lessons in the hall.↗ · The museum reopened after a big refurbishment.↗ · Builders carried out the refurbishment of the playground toilets.↗