English dictionary — definitions & meanings

rifling

noun

The spiral grooves cut inside a gun barrel to spin the bullet for accuracy, or the process of making them.

rift

noun

A deep crack or split, especially in the earth or rock.

rig

noun

A large piece of equipment used for a specific task, especially for drilling or trucking.

Riga

name

The capital and largest city of Latvia.

rigamajig

noun

A thingy; a miscellaneous or nameless object.

Rigby

name

An English surname; also a city in Idaho, United States.

rigged

adj

Set up dishonestly so that the outcome is already decided.

rigger

noun

A person whose job is to set up and operate ropes, cables, chains and lifting gear, for example on a ship, a construction site, a concert stage or a film set.

rigging

noun

The ropes, chains, and cables that support a ship's masts and sails.

Riggins

name

A surname, possibly a variant of Higgins; also a city in Idaho, United States.

riggish

adj

Wanton, lewd, or tomboyish

Riggs

name

An English surname.

right

adj

Correct, true, or in accordance with fact or good judgment.

right wing

noun

The conservative side of politics, generally favouring free markets, traditional social values, strong national identity and limited state intervention in the economy.

righteous

adj

Morally right or virtuous; acting justly.

righteousness

noun

The quality of being morally right or virtuous.

rightful

adj

Having a legitimate or lawful claim to something.

rightfully

adv

In a manner that is legitimate, just, or deserved.

rightfulness

noun

The state or quality of being rightful.

rightist

noun

One who believes in the politics or policies of the political right.

rightly

adv

Correctly or justifiably.

rightness

noun

The characteristic of being right; correctness.

righto

intj

Used to express agreement or acknowledgment; okay.

righty

noun

A right-handed person.

rigid

adj

Stiff and not easily bent.

rigidity

noun

The quality of being stiff and resistant to bending.

rigidly

adv

In a rigid manner; stiffly.

rigmarole

noun

A long and complicated formal procedure.

Rigor

name

A surname of Spanish origin, found predominantly in the Philippines.

rigorous

adj

Extremely thorough, careful, and exacting.

rigorousness

noun

The property of being rigorous, strictness.

rigour

noun

Severity or strictness.

rigourousness

noun

Nonstandard spelling of rigorousness.

Rigsby

name

An English surname, originally a habitational name from a place in Lincolnshire.

Rihanna

name

A feminine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "basil" or "sweet basil".

Rika

name

A feminine given name of Japanese origin.

Riker

name

A surname of German origin.

rile

verb

To annoy or anger someone.

rill

noun

A very small brook; a streamlet; a creek, rivulet.

rim

noun

The outer edge of something round, like a cup, wheel, or basketball hoop.

Rimbaud

name

A French surname, notably borne by the poet Arthur Rimbaud.

rime

noun

Archaic in the form rimes: originally, any frozen dew forming a white deposit on exposed surfaces; hoar frost (sense 1).

riming

adj

That covers with rime or (loosely) hoar frost.

Rimini

name

A city and province on the Adriatic coast of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, known as a seaside resort.

rimmer

noun

A tool used to shape or trim the rim or edge of something.

rin

verb

A dialectal (Scots) form of "run."

Rina

name

A feminine given name, often used as a short form of names ending in "-rina" such as Katrina or Marina.

Rinaldi

name

An Italian surname.

Rinaldo

name

An Italian surname, also used as a masculine given name.

rind

noun

The tough outer skin or covering of certain fruits, cheeses, or meats.

rindle

noun

A small stream or rivulet; a watercourse or gutter.

rine

verb

To concern; affect.

ring

noun

A small circular band, often worn on a finger as jewelry.

ringed

adjective

Surrounded by, or marked with, a ring or rings.

ringer

noun

A person or thing that closely resembles someone or something else, often used to deceive.

ringing

adjective

Loud, clear, and resonant, like the sound of a bell.

ringle

verb

To put a ring through the nose of an animal, especially a pig, to stop it from digging.

ringleader

noun

The person who leads or organizes a group, especially one doing something disruptive or illegal.

ringlet

noun

A small ring.

ringleted

adj

With the hair in ringlets.

ringmaster

noun

The person who directs the performances in a circus ring.

Ringo

name

A masculine given name, famously borne by the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

ringside

noun

The area immediately next to a boxing or wrestling ring, or more generally, a position with a close-up view of an event.

ringtail

noun

A ring-tailed animal, notably:

ringtone

noun

The sound a mobile phone makes to signal an incoming call.

ringway

noun

A ring road.

rink

noun

A flat area, often covered in ice, used for skating or ice hockey.

rinse

verb

To wash something with clean water to remove soap, dirt, or residue.

rinsing

noun

The act by which something is rinsed.

rio

noun

A mid-tier grade of Spanish saffron, ranked below the top "mancha" and "coupé" grades but above the ordinary "standard" and "sierra" grades.

Riordan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Rios

name

A surname of Spanish origin, an anglicization of a habitational name from Riós in Galicia.

riot

noun

A violent public disturbance caused by a crowd.

rioting

noun

The act of taking part in a violent public disturbance.

riotous

adj

Having the characteristics of a riot.

rip

verb

To tear something apart quickly and forcefully.

ripe

adjective

Fully grown and ready to eat, as fruit or grain.

ripen

verb

To become, or make, ripe.

ripeness

noun

The characteristic of being ripe.

riposte

noun

A thrust given in return after parrying an attack.

ripped

adjective

Torn or damaged by tearing.

ripper

noun

A person or tool that rips or tears something apart.

ripping

adjective

(dated, chiefly British) Excellent or wonderful.

ripple

noun

A small wave or series of waves on the surface of water.

ripple effect

noun

The way one event spreads outward to cause a series of further effects, each further from the original cause.

rippling

adjective

Moving in small waves, or (of muscles) visibly flexing under the skin.

riptide

noun

A particularly strong tidal current.

Risa

name

A feminine given name of Japanese origin.

rise

verb

To move upward or increase.

risen

adj

Having come up, gone up, or gotten up; in a raised or elevated state (often after having been down or low before).

riser

noun

Someone who gets out of bed, especially described by how early or late.

Rishabh

name

A masculine given name of Indian usage, from Hindi.

rishi

noun

In Hindu tradition, a sage or seer credited with composing the ancient Vedic hymns.

risible

adj

Of or pertaining to laughter.

rising

noun

An armed revolt or uprising against a ruler or government.

risk

noun

The chance that something bad will happen as a result of an action or situation.

risking

noun

The act of putting something in danger or exposing it to possible loss, in the hope of gaining something else.

risky

adj

Dangerous; involving risks.

risotto

noun

A creamy Italian rice dish made by slowly stirring hot stock into short-grain rice, often with cheese, wine, or other flavourings.

Rita

name

A feminine given name, originally a shortening of Margherita or Margarita, cognates of Margaret.

ritalin

noun

The brand name (now often used generically) for methylphenidate, a stimulant medication prescribed to treat ADHD and, historically, narcolepsy.

Ritchie

name

A diminutive of the given name Richard, also used as a formal given name and surname.

rite

noun

A formal ceremony or custom, especially one with religious or traditional significance.

rith

noun

A small stream or channel.

rito

noun

The young, tender leaves of the coconut palm, traditionally woven into baskets, mats, and other items in parts of the Pacific.

Rittenhouse

name

An American surname of German origin.

ritter

noun

A knight, especially in historical German contexts; also used in some English fantasy or translated fiction to mean a mounted, armored warrior.

Ritu

name

A feminine given name of Indian origin.

ritual

noun

A set sequence of actions performed regularly, often with symbolic or religious meaning.

ritualistic

adj

Carried out in a fixed, ceremony-like way, following a set pattern.

ritz

noun

A show of impressive, sometimes excessive, style and elegance.

ritzy

adj

Expensively fashionable and luxurious, often to a showy degree.

riva

noun

A crack, split, or narrow gap in rock or land.

rival

noun

A person, team, or organisation competing for the same goal as another.

rivalry

noun

An ongoing competition between people, teams, or groups striving for the same thing.

Rivas

name

A department of Nicaragua, and a Spanish surname.

rive

verb

To tear apart by force; to rend; to split; to cleave.

river

noun

A large natural stream of water flowing across land, usually into the sea, a lake, or another river.

Rivera

name

A surname of Spanish origin, meaning "riverbank".

riverbank

noun

The sloped land at the edge of a river, separating the water from the surrounding ground.

riverbed

noun

The channel of ground over which a river flows, or once flowed.

riverboat

noun

A boat built specifically for travelling on rivers rather than open sea.

Riverdale

name

A common place name for neighbourhoods and towns in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, typically describing a location along a river valley.

riverside

noun

The land along the edge of a river.

rivet

noun

A short metal pin used to permanently join two pieces of metal or other material by hammering or pressing one end flat.

riveter

noun

A person whose job is to rivet.

riveting

adj

So interesting or exciting that it completely holds your attention.

riviera

noun

A scenic, sunny coastline popular with tourists, especially one resembling the Mediterranean coast the term was named after.

Rivka

name

A feminine given name of Hebrew origin, a doublet of Rebecca.

rivulet

noun

A small stream; a streamlet; a gill.

Riya

name

A feminine given name of Indian usage.

Riyadh

name

The capital city of Saudi Arabia, and by extension a metonym for its government.

Riza

name

A masculine given name and surname of Persian origin, meaning "satisfaction" or "contentment".

rizz

noun

Skill at attracting a romantic or sexual partner through charm, confidence and smooth talking.

rizzler

noun

Someone exceptionally skilled at applying rizz; an expert seducer.

Rizzo

name

An Italian surname.

RMA

noun

Return Merchandise Authorisation: approval from a seller for a customer to send back a faulty or unwanted item, and the reference number issued with it.

rn

abbreviation

Right now — used in text messages and online chat to mean at this moment.

Ro

name

A short nickname or given name, also the name of an early constructed international auxiliary language created in 1904.

roach

noun

A small freshwater fish related to carp, common in European rivers and lakes.

road

noun

A paved or surfaced route built for vehicles and pedestrians to travel between places.

roadblock

noun

A barrier set up across a road, often by police or the military, to stop or check traffic.

roader

noun

A vessel sheltering in a roadstead.

roadhouse

noun

An inn, bar, or restaurant set on a highway outside a town, historically used by travellers on long journeys.

roadie

noun

A person who works on the technical crew for a touring band, setting up and moving equipment.

roadkill

noun

An animal killed by a vehicle on the road, or the act of an animal being killed this way.

roadman

noun

A man who builds or repairs roads.

roadmap

noun

A plan setting out what will be done, in what order, over a period of time.

roads

noun

A sheltered stretch of water near the coast where ships can safely anchor.

roadside

adj

Situated at the edge of a road.