English dictionary — definitions & meanings

rounder

noun

A regular at bars or similar places, often used disapprovingly for someone seen as disreputable.

rounders

noun

A team sport played with bat and ball with one fielding side and one batting side. It is similar to softball and baseball.

roundhouse

noun

A punch or kick delivered in a wide, sweeping arc rather than a straight line.

rounding

noun

The process of adjusting a number to a simpler, nearby value.

roundly

adv

Utterly or thoroughly.

Rounds

noun

A doctor's regular visits to check on patients, typically in a hospital.

roundup

noun

The act of gathering cattle together, or by extension, gathering people (such as suspects) together.

Rourke

name

An Irish surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "champion."

rouse

verb

To wake someone up, or to stir them out of inactivity.

rousing

adjective

Exciting or inspiring; capable of stirring strong emotion or enthusiasm.

Rousseau

name

A surname, most famously belonging to Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), the Genevan philosopher whose ideas shaped Enlightenment political thought.

roustabout

noun

An unskilled laborer, especially at an oilfield, at a circus or on a ship.

rout

noun

A crushing, disorganized defeat.

route

noun

The path or course taken to get from one place to another.

routed

adjective

Assigned a path or direction, as with data or traffic.

router

noun

A networking device that directs data between computers and networks, including connecting a home network to the internet.

routinary

adj

Involving, or pertaining to, routine; customary.

routine

noun

A fixed sequence of actions regularly followed.

routinely

adverb

As a normal, regular part of a process; habitually.

routing

noun

The process of determining the path data or traffic takes to reach its destination.

roux

noun

A cooked mixture of fat and flour used as a base to thicken sauces, soups, and stews.

rove

verb

To wander about without a fixed destination.

rover

noun

Someone or something that wanders or travels widely, including robotic vehicles used to explore other planets.

roving

adjective

Traveling from place to place without a fixed base.

row

noun

A straight line of people or things placed next to each other.

rowable

adj

Capable of being rowed.

rowan

noun

A small deciduous tree with clusters of white flowers and bright orange-red berries, also called the mountain ash.

rowbarge

noun

A barge propelled by oars.

rowboat

noun

A small boat that is moved through the water using oars.

rowdiness

noun

The state of being rowdy.

rowdy

adjective

Loud, boisterous, and disorderly.

rowdyism

noun

The state of being rowdy.

Rowe

name

An English surname, originally denoting someone who lived by a hedgerow or row of houses.

rowed

adjective

Arranged in rows.

rowen

noun

A second crop of hay (within a growing season).

Rowena

name

A feminine given name of uncertain origin, popularized by its use in medieval legend and Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe."

rowing

noun

The activity or sport of propelling a boat using oars.

Rowland

name

A masculine given name and surname derived from the Germanic name Roland, meaning "famous land."

Rowley

name

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "rough clearing."

rowlock

noun

A usually U-shaped pivot attached to the gunwale (outrigger in a sport boat) of a boat that supports and guides an oar, and provides a fulcrum for rowing; an oarlock.

rowport

noun

An opening in the side of small warships, such as sloops-of-war, placed near the surface of the water, to facilitate rowing in calm weather.

roxana

name

The wife of Alexander the Great.

Roxane

name

A feminine given name of Persian origin, meaning "dawn" or "bright star."

Roxanne

name

A female given name, a popular variant spelling of Roxane.

Roxton

name

An English surname and place name, likely meaning "Roc's settlement."

Roxy

name

A short, informal form of names like Roxana, Roxane, or Roxanne.

Roy

name

A male given name and surname with roots in Scottish Gaelic, French, and Bengali traditions.

royal

adjective

Belonging to, or connected with, a king, queen, or their family.

royale

noun

A savoury custard, cut into small decorative shapes, used to garnish a clear soup such as consommé.

royalist

adj

Of or related to royalists or some royalist faction.

royally

adverb

In a manner fit for royalty; grandly.

Royals

name

A surname or nickname, and the plural form used for members of a royal family or teams named "Royals."

royalty

noun

Kings, queens, and their families, considered as a group.

Royce

name

An English surname and given name meaning "son of the king," also known from the Rolls-Royce automobile company.

roynish

adj

Mangy; scabby.

Royston

name

An English surname and place name, referring to a market town in Hertfordshire, England.

rozelle

name

A suburb of Sydney in the Inner West council area, New South Wales, Australia.

RPG

noun

A role-playing game, in which players take on the identity of characters in a story.

rpm

abbreviation

Revolutions per minute — a measure of how many full turns something makes each minute, used especially of engines, motors and hard drives.

RR

verb

In travel and booking status codes, to reconfirm or having reconfirmed a reservation.

Rs

symbol

Abbreviation for rupees, the currency used in India, Pakistan, and several other countries.

RSVP

verb

To reply to an invitation, confirming whether you will attend.

rta

noun

The Vedic principle of natural order that regulates the operation of the universe.

RTF

noun

A document file format that stores formatted text — things like bold, italics, fonts and margins — in a way that a very wide range of word processors can open, developed by Microsoft as a common ground between different programs.

ruan

noun

A traditional Chinese stringed instrument with a long fretted neck and a round body, played by plucking.

ruana

noun

An outer garment typical of the Andes region of Venezuela and Colombia, and resembling a poncho.

rub

verb

To move something back and forth against a surface while pressing on it.

rubadub

noun

The sound of a drum being continuously beaten.

rubbed

adjective

Having had something applied or worn away by rubbing.

rubber

noun

A stretchy, water-resistant material made from the sap of certain trees or synthetically.

rubbered

adj

Treated or coated with rubber.

rubbers

noun

Waterproof overshoes worn to protect regular shoes from wet or muddy conditions.

rubbery

adjective

Having the texture or springiness of rubber.

rubbing

noun

An image made by pressing paper against a textured surface and shading over it with a crayon or similar tool.

rubbish

noun

(chiefly British) Waste material; trash or garbage.

rubble

noun

Broken fragments of stone, brick, or masonry, especially from a collapsed or demolished building.

rubdown

noun

A quick, energetic massage.

rube

noun

(informal, often derogatory) An unsophisticated or naive person, especially someone from the countryside.

Ruben

name

A masculine given name, a variant of Reuben, of Hebrew origin meaning "behold, a son."

rubenesque

adj

Of the figure of a woman, plump and sensuous.

Rubens

name

A surname, most famously that of Peter Paul Rubens, the celebrated Flemish Baroque painter.

Rubicon

noun

A point of no return — a decision or action that can't be undone once taken.

Rubik

name

A Hungarian surname, best known from Ernő Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube puzzle.

Rubin

name

A surname of Jewish origin, a variant of Reuben, meaning "behold, a son."

Rubio

name

A Spanish surname meaning "blond" or "fair-haired."

ruble

noun

The main unit of currency in Russia and Belarus.

rubor

noun

redness, one of the main signs of inflammation

rubric

noun

A set of scoring criteria that lays out exactly what a piece of work must show to earn each grade or mark.

ruby

noun

A precious gemstone that is a deep red variety of corundum.

ruck

noun

A throng or crowd of people or things; a mass, a pack.

Rucker

name

An English surname, historically an occupational name related to spinning or rock-making.

ruckle

noun

A rattling noise in the throat, as from suffocation.

rucksack

noun

A bag with straps, carried on the back.

ruckus

noun

A noisy disturbance or commotion.

ruction

noun

A noisy quarrel or fight.

Ruda

name

A surname and given name of Slavic origin, related to the word for "red" or "ore."

rudd

noun

A freshwater fish related to the carp, found in European lakes and rivers.

rudder

noun

A flat, hinged piece at the back of a boat or aircraft used to steer it.

ruddiness

noun

The property of being ruddy.

ruddy

adjective

Having a healthy reddish color, especially in the face.

rude

adjective

Not polite; showing a lack of respect for others.

rudely

adverb

In an impolite or disrespectful way.

rudeness

noun

Impolite or disrespectful behavior.

Rudi

name

A masculine given name, a diminutive of Rudolf, of Germanic origin.

rudiment

noun

A fundamental principle or skill, especially in a field of learning.

rudimentary

adj

Basic or undeveloped; existing only in a simple or early form.

Rudnick

name

A surname of Slavic Jewish origin, likely derived from a place name related to iron ore.

Rudolf

name

A masculine given name of Germanic origin, meaning "famous wolf."

Rudra

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, also the name of a fierce Hindu deity associated with storms.

Rudy

noun

A member of a Jamaican street-gang subculture of the 1960s and 70s associated with rude boy style and ska/rocksteady music.

rue

verb

To bitterly regret something, especially a decision or action.

rueful

adj

Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.

Ruel

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "friend of God."

rufescent

adj

Becoming reddish; tinged with red.

ruff

noun

A stiff, frilled collar worn around the neck, especially in 16th and 17th century fashion.

ruffian

noun

A violent, lawless, or thuggish person.

ruffle

noun

A gathered, frilled strip of fabric used as decoration on clothing.

ruffled

adj

Decorated with gathered frills of fabric.

Rufus

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, meaning "red-haired."

Rug

noun

A piece of thick fabric used to cover part of a floor.

rug pull

noun

A form of fraud in which the people behind a cryptocurrency project take the money investors have put in and abandon the project, leaving the remaining holders with a worthless or unsellable asset.

rugby

noun

A team sport played with an oval ball that can be carried, passed, or kicked, but not thrown forward.

Ruger

noun

A firearm made by the American gun manufacturer Ruger.

rugged

adj

Having a rough, uneven, or harsh terrain.

ruggedness

noun

The state of being rugged, or degree to which something is rugged.

rugose

adj

Having rugae or wrinkles, creases, ridges, or corrugation.

rugrat

noun

A toddler, a young child.

Rui

name

A masculine given name common in Portuguese-speaking countries, a form of Roderick.

ruin

verb

To destroy, spoil, or severely damage something so it no longer works or pleases.

ruinate

verb

To reduce to ruins; to destroy.

ruination

noun

The state or process of being completely ruined or destroyed.

ruined

adj

Destroyed, badly damaged, or left in a state of decay.

ruining

noun

The act or process of destroying or spoiling something.

ruinous

adj

Causing ruin; destructive, calamitous.

Ruiz

name

A Spanish surname meaning "son of Ruy," a short form of Roderick.

rukia

noun

Any bird of the genus Rukia, a small group of white-eye songbirds native to the islands of Micronesia.

rulable

adj

Capable of being ruled; governable.

rule

noun

An official regulation or guideline that governs behaviour or a process.

ruled

adj

Marked with straight printed or drawn lines.

ruler

noun

A flat, straight-edged tool marked with measurement units, used for drawing lines or measuring length.

Rules

noun

The set of official regulations that govern a game, organization, or activity.

ruling

noun

An official decision made by a judge or other authority on a legal or procedural question.

rum

noun

A strong alcoholic spirit distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses.

rumba

noun

A lively Cuban dance with partners, danced to a slow 4-beat rhythm.

rumble

noun

A deep, continuous, low sound, like distant thunder.

rumbling

noun

A continuous deep, low sound, or (often plural) early signs of trouble or unrest.

rumbullion

noun

Synonym of rum, an alcoholic beverage distilled from sugarcane, similar spirits.

rumbustion

noun

Synonym of rum, an alcoholic beverage distilled from sugarcane, similar spirits.

Rumi

noun

The Latin-alphabet writing system used to write Malay and Indonesian, as opposed to the Jawi Arabic-based script.

ruminate

verb

To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.