English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Ra

noun

The ancient Egyptian sun god.

raasclaat

intj

An exclamation showing that you are angry, annoyed or shocked.

Rab

name

An informal Scottish nickname for the name Robert.

Rabb

name

A title meaning "lord" or "master," used in reference to God in Arabic and Islamic contexts.

rabbet

noun

A groove cut along the edge or surface of a piece of wood or other material, usually so another piece can fit into it and form a joint.

rabbi

noun

A Jewish scholar trained and qualified to teach and interpret Jewish law.

rabbit

noun

A small, long-eared mammal known for its fast breeding and hopping movement.

rabble

noun

A disorderly, unruly crowd of people.

rabid

adjective

Infected with rabies.

rabies

noun

A deadly viral disease spread through the bite of an infected animal, causing brain inflammation and severe behavioural changes.

Rabin

name

A surname, most famously borne by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

raccoon

noun

A nocturnal mammal native to the Americas, easily recognised by its grey-and-black fur, masked face, and ringed tail.

race

noun

A contest to see who is fastest at reaching a goal.

racecourse

noun

The track or ground on which a race takes place.

raced

verb

Past tense of race — competed in a speed contest, or moved quickly.

racehorse

noun

A horse specially bred and trained to compete in races.

racer

noun

Someone or something that takes part in a race.

racetrack

noun

A course laid out specifically for holding races.

raceway

noun

Somewhere races take place; a racetrack.

rach

noun

An old term for a hunting dog that tracks game by scent rather than by sight.

Rachael

name

A spelling variant of the name Rachel, first recorded in the 1600s.

Rachel

name

A common female given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "ewe."

rachelle

name

A female first name of Hebrew origin.

Rachid

name

A male given name and surname, a French rendering of the Arabic name Rashid.

rachis

noun

The backbone, made up of the vertebrae.

rachitis

noun

(botany) A plant disease that causes flowers, seeds or fruit to fail before they develop.

Rachmaninoff

name

An English spelling of the Russian surname belonging to composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.

racial

adjective

Relating to race or a particular racial group.

racialism

noun

The idea that people can be sorted into separate races, each with its own fixed, inherited features.

racially

adverb

In a way that relates to or involves race.

Racine

name

A surname of French origin, meaning "root."

racing

noun

The sport or activity of competing in races.

racism

noun

The belief that people can be divided into distinct races, with some inherently superior to others.

racist

noun

A person who believes in or practises racism.

rack

noun

A framework or set of shelves, bars, or hooks used for holding, storing, or displaying things.

racked

adjective

Suffering from severe strain, pain, or distress.

racket

noun

A handled frame strung with cord, used to hit a ball or shuttlecock in sports like tennis or badminton.

racketeer

noun

Someone who takes part in an illegal business, for example through fraud, bribery or extortion.

racketeering

noun

The crime of operating an illegal, organized scheme for profit, especially through extortion, fraud, or other repeated illegal activity.

rackets

noun

An indoor court sport, ancestor of squash, played by hitting a ball against the walls with a racket.

rackety

adj

Noisy; making a loud, disorderly din.

Rackham

name

An English habitational surname, also a hamlet in West Sussex, England.

racking

noun

A method of laying shingles vertically up a roof, rather than side to side, during roofing work.

Racks

name

A hamlet near Dumfries, Scotland.

raconteur

noun

A person who is skilled at telling stories in an entertaining, vivid way, especially anecdotes from their own life.

racquet

verb

To hit something with a racquet, or more generally, to move about energetically as if darting after a ball.

racquetball

noun

An indoor sport similar to squash, played with a short-handled racquet and a larger, bouncier ball.

racquets

noun

A sport for two or four players who hit a small, fast, hard ball inside a walled court.

racy

adjective

Slightly shocking or sexually suggestive.

rad

adjective

Excellent, exciting or impressively cool.

rada

noun

A national or regional parliamentary council in certain Slavic countries.

radar

noun

A system that detects and tracks objects by sending out radio waves and analyzing the signals that bounce back.

Radcliffe

name

An English surname, also a town in Greater Manchester, England.

raddled

adj

Old, tired-looking and in poor condition.

Radford

name

An English habitational surname, from a place name meaning "red ford"; also several places in England and the United States.

Radha

name

In Hindu tradition, the goddess of love and devotion, consort of Krishna; also a female given name.

radial

adjective

Arranged like spokes, radiating outward from a central point.

radian

noun

In the International System of Units, the derived unit of plane angle, equal to the angle at the centre of a circle formed by an arc as long as the radius.

radiance

noun

The quality of shining brightly, or figuratively, of glowing with happiness or beauty.

radiancy

noun

The quality of giving out light or heat; brightness.

radiant

adjective

Giving off light or heat; shining brightly.

radiate

verb

To send out light, heat, or other energy in rays from a central point.

radiated

adjective

Spreading outward from a center; having a radial arrangement.

radiation

noun

The way something spreads outward from a point or surface, similar to rays of light fanning out.

radiative

adj

To do with, or happening by means of, radiation.

radiator

noun

A device that cools a vehicle's engine by transferring heat from coolant to the surrounding air.

radical

adjective

Favoring extreme, fundamental change, especially in politics or society.

radicalism

noun

Political or social beliefs and movements that push for fundamental, far-reaching change to the structure of society.

radically

adverb

In a fundamental or extreme way; thoroughly.

radicated

adj

Having grown roots, or well and permanently settled.

radication

noun

The act of growing roots, or the state of having them.

radio

noun

The technology of sending sound over distances using electromagnetic waves, or the broadcasting medium built on it.

radioactive

adjective

Giving off radiation from the decay of unstable atomic nuclei.

radioactivity

noun

The spontaneous release of radiation from unstable atomic nuclei as they break down.

radiolocation

noun

Finding where something far away is by using microwaves, as with radar.

radiologist

noun

A doctor who specializes in interpreting medical images, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs.

radiology

noun

The branch of medicine that uses imaging technology, such as X-rays, ultrasound, and MRI, to diagnose and treat disease.

radioscopy

noun

The inspection of objects using X-rays; also called radiology.

radiotherapist

noun

A medical worker trained to give patients radiotherapy.

radish

noun

A crisp, peppery root vegetable, usually red or white, eaten raw in salads.

radium

noun

A rare, highly radioactive metallic chemical element (symbol Ra).

radius

noun

A straight line from the center of a circle or sphere to its edge, or the length of that line.

radix

noun

(linguistics) The original word or word-part that a later word comes from.

Radley

name

An English surname; also a village in Oxfordshire, England.

radon

noun

A colorless, odorless, radioactive noble gas (symbol Rn) that can build up in basements and poses a health risk.

rae

name

A Scottish surname transferred from the nickname. A variant of Roe.

raegan

name

A female first name that came from a family name.

Raf

name

A male given name, a diminutive of Rafael.

Rafa

name

A unisex given name, a diminutive of Rafael or Raphaela.

Rafael

name

A male given name, a variant of Raphael.

Rafe

name

A male given name of Germanic origin, a medieval spelling variant of Ralph, also used as a diminutive of Raphael.

raff

noun

Worthless or disorderly people considered as a group; the rabble.

Raffaele

name

An Italian surname.

Rafferty

name

An Irish surname.

Raffi

name

A male given name of Armenian origin.

raffish

adj

Marked by a casual disregard for convention; rakish.

raffle

noun

A fundraising draw in which people buy tickets for a chance to win a prize.

Rafi

name

A surname of Arabic origin.

Rafiq

name

A surname of Arabic origin.

raft

noun

A flat floating platform, often made of logs or planks lashed together, used to carry people or cargo on water.

rafter

noun

One of the angled wooden beams that hold up a roof.

rafting

noun

The sport or activity of steering a raft down a river, especially through rapids.

rag

noun

A worn or torn piece of old cloth, especially one used for cleaning.

raga

noun

A melodic framework used in Indian classical music, or a piece composed within it.

ragamuffin

noun

A scruffy, dirty child in torn clothes.

rage

noun

Intense, uncontrolled anger.

rager

noun

A wild, high-energy party (informal, US slang).

ragga

noun

A style of music combining reggae and dancehall with hip hop influences and digital production.

ragged

adj

Torn or worn to shreds; tattered.

raggedness

noun

The state of being torn, worn or untidy.

raggedy

adj

Torn, tattered, or shabby-looking (informal).

ragging

noun

Teasing or mocking someone in a lighthearted way.

Raghav

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "descendant of Raghu" and used as an epithet of the god Rama.

Raghavan

name

A South Indian surname.

raghead

noun

(offensive, slang) A Muslim or Sikh person.

Raghu

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, referring to a legendary king in Indian tradition.

raging

adj

Extremely intense or violent; out of control.

raglan

adj

Describing a sleeve that runs in one piece up to the collar, with no shoulder seam.

Ragnarok

name

In Norse mythology, the prophesied final battle in which the gods and their enemies destroy one another and the world is consumed and reborn.

Rags

name

A nickname for the New York Rangers hockey team.

ragtag

adj

Made up of a disorganised, mismatched mix of people or things.

ragtime

noun

A style of music with strongly syncopated melodies over a steady, regular accompaniment, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

ragusa

name

The name of a province of Sicily, Italy.

ragweed

noun

A North American plant that spreads easily elsewhere and is well known for pollen that causes hay fever.

rah

intj

A shout of encouragement or support, especially at a sports event.

Rahim

name

A male given name and surname of Arabic origin, meaning "compassionate."

Rahman

name

A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "merciful."

rahui

noun

In Māori and wider Polynesian culture, a temporary ban restricting access to or use of a place or resource.

Rahul

name

A male given name of Sanskrit origin, widely used in India.

rai

noun

Large carved stone discs traditionally used as currency on the island of Yap in Micronesia.

raid

noun

A sudden attack or surprise incursion, often by armed forces or police.

raider

noun

A person or group that carries out a raid.

raiding

noun

The act of carrying out a raid.

raik

noun

A walk or trip, usually made on foot.

rail

noun

A horizontal bar used as a support or barrier, or one of the metal bars that trains run on.

railcar

noun

A train carriage that moves under its own power and carries passengers, rather like a bus on rails.

railhead

noun

A place on a rail network where passengers or goods are put on, taken off, or moved onto other transport.

railing

noun

A fence or barrier made of horizontal bars and upright supports.

railings

noun

A barrier made of horizontal bars and posts, especially around a park, house, or balcony (usually plural in British English).

raillery

noun

Light, friendly teasing or joking.

railleur

noun

A person who teases or mocks others in a joking way.

railroad

noun

A track and system of transport using trains (American English).

railway

noun

A transport system that runs trains on fixed tracks (British English).

raiment

noun

(literary) Clothes; the clothing a person wears.

rain

noun

Water falling from clouds in drops.

rain check

noun

A polite refusal of an invitation that leaves the door open for another time, almost always in the phrase "take a rain check".

Raina

name

A female given name, and also a surname especially common in Kashmir.

rainbow

noun

An arc of spectrum colours that appears in the sky when sunlight passes through raindrops.

raincoat

noun

A waterproof or water-resistant coat worn to stay dry in wet weather.

raindrop

noun

A single drop of water falling as rain.