R
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R,r
R, r /ɑːr/ pl. R's, r's n 1 [C,U] the 18th letter of the English alphabet 2 [U] AmE used to describe a film that has been officially approved as suitable for people over 17 → see also THREE R'S
R abbrev. for 1 AmE Republican; used after a politician's name to show that he or she belongs to the Republican Party in the US: Steve Gunderson (R) 2 REGINA (=queen); used after the name of the queen of the United Kingdom: Elizabeth R 3 also R. river; used especially on maps → see also R AND B, R AND D, R AND R
RA /ˌɑːr ˈeɪ/ abbrev. for 1 ROYAL ACADEMY 2 REAR ADMIRAL 3 AmE Regular Army; the US Army
RAA /ˌɑːr eɪ ˈeɪ/ abbrev. for ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS
Ra•bat /rəˈbæt‖rəbɑːt/ the capital city of Morocco, in the northwest of the country, on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the River Bou Regreg
rab•bi /ˈræbaɪ/ n a Jewish religious leader
rab•bin•i•cal /rəˈbɪnɪkəl/ adj of or being the writings, teaching etc, of Jewish religious leaders and teachers
rabbit
hare
rabbit
rab•bit¹ /ˈræbɪt/ n 1 [C] a common small long-eared animal that lives in a BURROW (=a hole it makes in the ground) and which is often kept as a pet. In the past some country people used to carry a rabbit's foot with them because they thought it would bring them luck. Rabbits are also known for producing large numbers of young very quickly and jokes are sometimes made about this. → compare HARE 2 [U] the fur or meat of this animal 3 [C] BrE infml someone who plays a game badly: I'm just a rabbit at tennis.
rabbit² v -tt- or -t- [I(ON)] infml derog, especially BrE to talk continuously, especially in an uninteresting or complaining way: He keeps rabbiting (on) about his health.
'rabbit ears n [P] AmE (a plastic holder with) two movable rods in the shape of a V which sit on top of a television set and are connected to it by a wire. They serve as an AERIAL: We don't get very good reception with these rabbit ears.
'rabbit hole n a hole where a rabbit lives. In the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice goes down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a strange place where many surprising things happen. → see also ALICE IN WONDERLAND
'rabbit hutch n a wooden cage for pet rabbits
'rabbit punch n a quick blow on the back of the neck
'rabbit warren n an area where wild rabbits live in their BURROWS (=holes); (fig.) The old city is a real rabbit warren. (=consists of many narrow winding streets)
rab•ble /ˈræbəl/ n 1 [C+sing./pl. v] a noisy disorderly crowd of people; MOB 2 [the S] derog the lower classes; the common people
'rabble-,rousing adj (of a speaker or speech) exciting people to hatred and violence: a rabble-rousing speech —rabble-rouser n
Rab•e•lais, Fran•çois /ˈræbəˌleɪ‖ræbəˈleɪ, ˈfrɑnswa‖frɑnˈswɑː/ (?1494–1553) a French writer whose book Gargantua and Pantagruel is known for its SATIRE (=a way of writing about society or powerful people that makes them seem funny in order to show their faults) and jokes about sex
Rab•e•lai•si•an /ˌræbəˈleɪziənˌ -ʒən/ adj full of jokes
about sex and the body, which are shocking but not really offensive, like the work of the French writer Rabelais: Rabelaisian humour
rab•id /ˈræbɪd/ adj 1 [no comp.] tech suffering from rabies: a rabid dog 2 derog (of people or their opinions) violently and unreasoningly keen; fanatical (FANATIC): a rabid Tory
ra•bies /ˈreɪbiːz/ also hydrophobia tech — n [U] a disease of certain animals, including humans, passed on by the bite of an infected animal and causing madness and death
Ra•bin, Itz•hak /ræˈbiːn, ˈjɪtsɑːk/ (1922–95) an Israeli politician, Prime Minister 1974–77 and 1992–95, who supported the idea that the Palestinian people should have some power to govern themselves. He was ASSASSINATED by a Jew opposed to this.
RAC, the /ˌɑːr eɪ ˈsiː/ abbrev. for the Royal Automobile Club; a British organization that helps its members when their cars break down during a journey → compare AA
rac•coon, racoon
/rəˈkuːn, rə-‖rɑː-/ also coon
AmE infml — n 1 [C] a small meat-eating North American animal with a long black-ringed tail 2 [U] the thick fur of this animal
race¹ /reɪs/ n 1 [(against, between, with)] a competition in speed: to have/run/lose/ win a race | a ten-mile race | a boat race | a horse race | (fig.) a race against time (=an attempt to complete something before it is too late) 2 tech or lit a strong flow of water: A mill-race is the stream of water driving a water-mill. → see also ARMS RACE, RAT RACE
race² v 1 [I;T] to compete in a race (against): She's a very good swimmer and often races. | I'll race you to the end of the road. 2 [I;T+obj+adv/prep] to (cause to) move or go very fast; RUSH: He came racing across the road. | We raced the sick woman to hospital. | We really had to race to get the work finished in time. | (fig.) The holidays raced by. → see RUN (USAGE) 3 [T] to cause (an animal or vehicle) to run a race: My horse has hurt his foot so I can't race him. 4 [I] (of an engine) to run too fast, especially because the machine that it drives is disconnected
race³ n 1 [C] any of the main groups into which human beings can be divided according to their physical type: the black/white/brown races 2 [U] the fact of belonging to one of these groups: The law forbids discrimination on the grounds of race or religion. | race relations (=relations between different races) | a person of mixed race (=with parents who each belong to a different race) 3 [C] a group of people with the same history, language, customs etc: the German race 4 [C] tech a breed or type of animal or plant: They bred an improved race of cattle. → see also RACISM, HUMAN RACE
USAGE Race, nation, state, and tribe are all words for large groups into which human beings may be divided. The largest of these groups is a race, a group of people of the same colour and/or physical type. A nation is a group of people who share a common history and usually a language, and usually but not always live in the same area: the Native American nations. A state is either a politically independent country, or one of the states making up a country such as the US: The German nation was divided into two states, East Germany and West Germany. A tribe is a social group, smaller than a nation, sharing the same customs and usually the same language, and often following an ancient way of life: a wandering tribe of hunters in the Amazon forest.
'race car AmE for RACING CAR
race•course /ˈreɪs-kɔːs‖-kɔːrs/ n 1 BrE a track round which horses race 2 AmE a racetrack
race•horse /ˈreɪshɔːs‖-hɔːrs/ n a horse specially bred and trained for racing
'race meeting n BrE an occasion when horse races are held at a particular place
rac•er /ˈreɪsər/ n an animal bred and trained for racing, or a vehicle planned for use in races