1159
regiment
wanting to become refugees are coming to Europe for
economic reasons, and not for their personal safety.
re·ful·gent /rɪˈfʌldʒənt||rɪˈful-/ adj lit (of light) very bright;
BRILLIANT —gence n [U]
re·fund¹ /ˈriːfʌnd/ n a repayment; a sum of money refunded:
She took the faulty radio back to the shop and demanded a
refund. | (especially AmE) a tax refund
re·fund² /rɪˈfʌnd/ v [T(to)] to give (money) in repayment, in
return for loss or damage, in order to balance accounts etc:
They refunded the cost of the damaged book. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)]
They refunded us our money when the play was cancelled. →
compare REIMBURSE
re·fur·bish /ˌriːˈfɜːbʃ||-ɜːr-/ v [T] to make bright, clean, and
fresh again: to refurbish an old theatre | (fig.) He's going to
Paris to refurbish his French. —ment n [U]
re·fus·al /rɪˈfjuzəl/ n [C;U] (a case of) refusing: My offer met
with (=was answered with) a cold/a polite refusal. | [+to-v]
Their refusal to negotiate with us made progress impossible.
→ see also FIRST REFUSAL
re·fuse¹ /rɪˈfjuz/ v 1 [I;T] to state one's strong unwillingness
to do something; say no (to): He asked her to marry him but she
refused. | She refused his offer. 2 [T+obj[(i)+obj(d)] to not give or
allow: We were refused entry/refused permission to
enter. 3 [T+to-v, obj] to show or state strong unwillingness (to
do something): She flatly refused to have anything to do
with the plan. | The engine refused to start. | I told him to come
back but he refused to. | I refuse to answer that question.
USAGE 1 Refuse, decline, reject, and turn down all
mean that you do not do something that you are asked to
do (opposite agree to), or do not take something that you
are offered (opposite accept). You can refuse or decline
an invitation; refuse permission; decline, reject, or turn
down a suggestion; refuse, decline, reject, or turn
down an offer; reject or turn down a plan or proposal.
2 Decline is more polite than refuse and not so firm.
Compare I'm afraid I must decline your invitation/
decline to answer that question and The prisoner
refused to give his name. 3 You must decline in words:
The horse refused (not declined) to jump the fence. You
need not reject or refuse something in words: The horse
rejected/refused the apple.
ref·use² /ˈrefjuːs/ n [U] fml waste material; RUBBISH: a heap of
kitchen refuse | a refuse dump (=where a town's waste
material is put)
re·fuse·nik /rɪˈfjuːznɪk/ n a Jew in the former USSR who had
been refused permission to EMIGRATE, especially to Israel
refuse worker n BrE fml a DUSTMAN
re·fute /rɪˈfjut/ v [T] to prove that (someone or something)
is mistaken or incorrect: I was able to refute him/his
argument. | to refute the proposition that the world is flat
—refutation /ˌrefjuˈteɪʃən/ n [C;U]
USAGE Refute is often used simply with the meaning 'say
(not prove) that an argument or statement is mistaken': I
refute the allegation entirely. But some people think this is
bad English.
re·gain /rɪˈgeɪn/ v [T] 1 to get or win back: The football club
regained the trophy it had lost the previous year. | She is slowly
regaining her strength/confidence after the accident. | She was
unable to regain her balance, and she fell off the wall. | The
government is fighting to regain control of the rebel-held
areas. 2 lit to reach (a place) again: Shall we regain the shore
alive?
re·gal /ˈriːgəl/ adj fml apprec very splendid; of, like, or suitable
for a king or queen: regal manners | a regal old lady →
compare ROYAL —ly adv: We were regally entertained.
re·gale /rɪˈgeɪl/ v
regale sbdy. with sthg. phr v [T] to entertain with: He
regaled us with some stories about his youth.
re·ga·li·a /rɪˈgeɪliə/ n [U+sing./pl. v] ceremonial clothes and
decorations, especially those used on official occasions:
royal regalia | a mayor's regalia
Re·gan /ˈriːgən/ one of King Lear's daughters in the play King
Lear by William SHAKESPEARE. She and her sister GONERIL
pretend to love their father to make him give them his land,
but then treat him very cruelly. Goneril finally kills her with
poison. → see also CORDELIA, GONERIL
re·gard¹ /rɪˈgɑːd||-ɑːrd/ n [U] usually fml 1 respect; ESTEEM: I
hold her in high/low/the greatest regard. 2 [+for, to] respectful
attention; consideration: You have no regard for my
feelings. | The report pays little regard/scant regard to the
facts of the case. 3 connection or relation (in phrases like in
this regard, with regard to): The company is owned by its
staff, and in that regard it is rather unusual. | With regard to
your recent application, I am afraid we are unable to offer you
the job. 4 lit a long look without moving one's eyes → see
also REGARDS
regard² v [T not in progressive forms] 1 [+obj+adv/prep] to consider
in the stated way: I have always regarded him highly/with
the greatest admiration. | She is generally regarded as one of
the best writers in the country. | We regard these developments
with grave concern. 2 [+obj+adv/prep] fml to look at in the
stated way: She regarded him thoughtfully/with suspi-
cion. 3 [usually negative] fml to pay attention to (thoughts, ideas
etc): If you fail to regard my warning, you may be sorry.
re·gard·ful /rɪˈgɑdfəl||-ɑːr-/ adj [F+of] fml full of respectful
attention
re·gard·ing /rɪˈgɑːdɪŋ||-ɑːr-/ also as regards, re prep fml
(especially in business letters) on the subject of; in connec-
tion with; concerning: regarding your recent inquiry ...
re·gard·less /rɪˈgɑːdləs||-ɑːr-/ adv 1 infml in spite of every-
thing: They knew it was too expensive, but they went ahead
regardless and bought it. 2 regardless of without worrying
about or taking account of: They decorated the house regard-
less of cost. | All our proposals were rejected, regardless of
their merits. → compare IRRESPECTIVE
re·gards /rɪˈgɑdz||-ɑːr-/ n [P] 1 good wishes: Give him my
(best) regards. 2 with kind/best/warm regards (a friendly
but rather formal way of ending a letter)
re·gat·ta /rɪˈgætə/ n a meeting for races between rowing or
sailing boats
re·gen·cy /ˈriːdʒənsi/ n [C;U] (a period of) government by a
regent
Regency adj Regency buildings, furniture etc are from or in
the style of the period 1811–1820 in Britain
Regency, the adj the period of British history from 1811–
1820 when the country was ruled by King George III's son,
the Prince Regent, because the king was mentally ill. The
period is known especially for its NEOCLASSICAL furniture and
buildings, which were based on the styles of ancient Greece
and Rome.
re·gen·er·ate /rɪˈdʒenəreɪt/ v [I;T] to give or obtain new
life; form, grow again: This creature's tail will regenerate if it
is cut off → see also UNREGENERATE —ration
/ˌrɪdʒenəreɪʃən/ n [U] the regeneration of agriculture after
the war
re·gent /ˈriːdʒənt/ n (often cap.) a person who governs in place
of a king or ruling queen who is ill, absent, or still a child
—regent adj [after n] the Prince Regent
Regent's Park a park in central London. It is the home of
London Zoo and has an open-air theatre where Shakespeare
plays are performed in the summer.
Regent Street a street in central London that runs from
PICCADILLY towards REGENT'S PARK as far as Oxford Street. It
is a popular place for shopping.
reg·gae /ˈregeɪ/ n [U] (often cap.) a kind of popular music from
the West Indies with a strong regular beat, which developed
in Jamaica in the 1960s. The songs often have a political
message or are about rastafarianism (RASTAFARIAN). The best
known, most successful reggae singer was Bob Marley.
re·gi·cide /ˈredʒɪsaɪd/ n 1 [U] the crime of killing a king or
queen 2 [C] a person who does this
re·gime /reɪˈʒiːm/ n 1 often derog a particular (system of)
government: a fascist/military regime | Things will change
under the new regime. 2 a regimen
re·gi·men /ˈredʒɪmən/ n fml a fixed plan of food, exercise
etc, in order to improve one's health: I followed a strict
regimen. | the daily regimen of a ballet dancer
re·gi·ment¹ /ˈredʒɪmənt/ n [C+sing./pl. v] 1 a large military