English dictionary — definitions & meanings

reciting

noun

The act of saying something aloud from memory; a recitation.

reck

verb

To take account of (someone or something); to care for; to consider, to heed, to regard.

reckful

adj

Full of careful heed or attention; careful; cautious.

reckfulness

noun

The state or quality of being reckful or careful; heedfulness; caution.

reckless

adj

Acting without thinking about danger or consequences; carelessly rash.

recklessly

adv

In a way that ignores danger or likely consequences.

recklessness

noun

The quality of acting without regard for danger or consequences.

reckon

verb

To think or suppose something, often used informally.

reckoning

noun

The act of calculating or working something out.

reclaim

verb

To get something back that was lost, taken, or given up.

reclaimed

adj

Recovered and made usable again, especially materials salvaged for reuse.

Reclaiming

name

A tradition within modern Wicca and neopaganism, founded in California in the 1980s, associated with feminist and earth-based spirituality.

reclamation

noun

The process of making land fit for use again, especially by draining or clearing it.

recline

verb

To cause to lean back; to bend back.

reclining

adj

Able to be tilted back into a more horizontal, relaxed position.

recluse

adj

Living apart from others; withdrawn from society.

reclusive

adj

Preferring to live alone, away from other people; withdrawn.

recognisable

adj

Able to be identified or known from previous experience; British spelling of "recognizable."

recognise

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of recognize.

recognised

adj

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of recognized.

recognition

noun

The act of identifying someone or something as already known.

recognitive

adj

Connected with recognition.

recognitory

adj

Pertaining to, or connected with, recognition.

recognizable

adj

Able to be identified or known from previous experience.

recognizance

noun

A legal promise made to a court that a person will appear when required and behave lawfully, often used as a condition of release.

recognizant

adj

Of or pertaining to recognizance.

recognize

verb

To identify someone or something as already known from a previous encounter.

recognized

adj

Widely accepted or acknowledged as valid, official, or distinguished.

recoil

verb

To jerk or pull back suddenly, especially from fear, disgust, or shock.

recollect

verb

To bring a past memory back to mind; to remember, often with some effort.

recollection

noun

A memory of something from the past.

recombine

verb

To combine again, especially to reassemble the parts of something previously taken apart in a different manner.

recommend

verb

To suggest that someone or something is good or suitable, often based on personal experience.

recommendation

noun

A suggestion that something is good, suitable, or worth trying.

recommendatory

adj

Of or pertaining to a recommendation

recommended

adj

Suggested as good, suitable, or advisable.

recompensation

noun

Synonym of compensation.

recompense

noun

Payment or reward given in return for something done, lost, or suffered.

recon

noun

Reconnaissance — the act of scouting an area to gather information, especially in a military context.

reconcile

verb

To restore a friendly relationship between people after a disagreement.

reconciliation

noun

The restoration of friendly relations between people or groups who have been in conflict.

recondite

adj

Difficult, obscure.

reconditeness

noun

The quality of being recondite.

recondition

verb

To restore to a functional state, or to a condition resembling the original.

reconditioned

adj

Which has been reconditioned

reconditioning

noun

The process by which something is reconditioned.

reconfigure

verb

To arrange or set something up differently, especially a system, machine, or software.

reconfirm

verb

To confirm again; to establish more firmly

reconnaissance

noun

The act of exploring or observing an area to gather information, especially before military action.

reconnect

verb

To connect something again, or to connect it in a new way.

reconnoitering

noun

A reconnoiter of enemy land or position.

reconnoitre

verb

To perform a reconnaissance (of an area; an enemy position); to scout with the aim of gaining information.

reconnoitring

noun

An act of reconnaissance.

reconsider

verb

To think about a decision or matter again, often to see if it should change.

reconsideration

noun

The act of reconsidering or something reconsidered.

reconstitute

verb

to construct something anew, or in a different manner

reconstitution

noun

The process or result of reconstituting

reconstruct

verb

To build something again after it was damaged or destroyed.

reconstructed

adj

Rebuilt or reassembled after being damaged or taken apart.

reconstruction

noun

The process of rebuilding something, or the rebuilt result.

reconstructive

adj

Involving the rebuilding or repair of something, especially body tissue.

reconstrue

verb

To construe something again, or in a new way.

reconvene

verb

To meet again after a break or pause.

reconvert

verb

To convert again, convert back.

record

noun

A written or stored account of information, kept for future reference.

recorded

adj

Captured and stored in some permanent form, such as audio, video, or writing.

recorder

noun

A simple woodwind instrument played by blowing into a mouthpiece, common in school music classes.

recording

noun

Something (sound, video, etc.) that has been captured and stored.

recordkeeping

noun

The creation, collection and management of records, especially of a business or governmental nature.

recount

verb

To tell a story or describe events in detail.

recounting

noun

An act in which something is recounted

recoup

verb

To get back money that was spent or lost.

recourse

noun

An option to turn to for help, especially when other options have failed.

recover

verb

To get better after being ill, injured, or upset.

recovering

noun

The process of getting better or getting something back.

recovery

noun

A return to a normal or better condition after illness, damage, or difficulty.

recreant

adj

Having admitted defeat and surrendered; defeated.

recreate

verb

To make something happen or exist again, copying an original.

recreation

noun

An activity done for enjoyment or relaxation rather than work.

recreational

adj

Relating to activities done for fun or relaxation, not for work or necessity.

recrudesce

verb

To recur, or break out anew after a quiescence or dormant period.

recruit

noun

A person newly enlisted in the military, or newly hired somewhere.

recruiting

noun

The process of finding and enrolling new members, soldiers, or employees.

recruitment

noun

The process of finding and hiring people for jobs or enlisting them into an organization.

rectal

adj

Relating to, or given through, the rectum.

rectangle

noun

A four-sided shape with four right angles, where opposite sides are equal and parallel.

rectangular

adj

Shaped like a rectangle, with four right-angled corners.

rectification

noun

The action or process of rectifying.

rectify

verb

To correct a mistake or fix a problem.

rectilinear

adj

In a straight line.

rectitude

noun

Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent.

rector

noun

A clergy member in charge of a parish, especially in the Anglican or Catholic Church.

rectorial

noun

The events associated with the appointment of a new rector.

rectory

noun

The house where a rector or parish priest lives.

rectrix

noun

A governess; a rectoress.

rectum

noun

The final section of the large intestine, where waste is stored before leaving the body.

recuperate

verb

To recover strength or health after illness, injury, or exhaustion.

recuperation

noun

Gradual restoration to health.

recur

verb

Of an event, situation, etc.: to appear or happen again, especially repeatedly.

recurrence

noun

The return of something that happened before, especially a symptom or problem.

recurrent

adj

Recurring; happening time after time.

recurring

adj

Happening repeatedly or coming back again and again.

recursion

noun

The act of recurring.

recursive

adj

Drawing upon, invoking, or referring back to itself.

recursivity

noun

The quality of being recursive.

recusancy

noun

Obstinate refusal or opposition.

recusant

noun

Someone refusing to attend Church of England services, between the 16th and early 19th centuries, whether a Protestant dissident or a Roman Catholic.

recusation

noun

The act of disqualifying a judge or jury in a specific case on the grounds of possible partiality or prejudice.

recusative

adj

Refusing; denying; rejecting of the norm.

recusatory

adj

Containing a libel or a recusation.

recuse

verb

To step aside from a decision or case because of a conflict of interest.

recycle

verb

To process waste materials so they can be used again.

recycled

adj

Made from materials that have already been used and processed again.

recycling

noun

The process of collecting and reprocessing waste materials for reuse.

red

adj

Having the color of blood, ripe strawberries, or a stop light.

red flag

noun

A sign that something is wrong or dangerous, especially an early warning about a person's behaviour or about a situation you are considering entering.

red herring

noun

Something introduced into an argument, investigation or story that draws attention away from the real issue, whether by accident or on purpose.

red screen

noun

A red backdrop occasionally used for chroma-key compositing instead of the more common green or blue, chosen when a subject is wearing green or blue clothing, has blue-toned hair, or the scene is shot at night.

redact

verb

To censor, to black out or remove parts of a document while leaving the remainder.

redacted

adj

Edited to remove or black out sensitive or confidential information.

redbird

noun

Any of several unrelated American songbirds having red plumage.

redbreast

noun

Any of several unrelated birds that have a red breast.

redcap

noun

A member of the Royal Military Police a unit in the British army.

redcliffe

name

A district of Bristol, England immediately south of the River Avon

redden

verb

To become red or redder.

reddening

noun

The act or process of becoming red or redder.

Redder

adj

Comparative form of red; more red than something else.

Reddick

name

An English surname.

Reddington

name

An English surname, likely originating from a lost place name in England.

reddish

adj

Somewhat red in color; tinged with red.

reddishness

noun

The quality of being reddish.

reddition

noun

restoration; restitution: surrender

Reddy

adjective

Somewhat red in colour.

redecorate

verb

To give a room or building a new look by changing its paint, furnishings, or decor.

redeem

verb

To exchange a voucher, points, or a bond for cash or its stated value.

redeemed

adjective

Having been saved, forgiven, or restored to good standing.

redeemer

noun

A person who saves or rescues someone, especially from a bad situation, debt, or wrongdoing.

redeeming

adjective

Making up for otherwise negative qualities.

redefine

verb

To define something again, or in a new and different way.

redemption

noun

The act of making up for past mistakes or wrongdoing and restoring one's reputation.

redemptioner

noun

An immigrant, generally from the 18th or 19th century, who gained passage to America by selling themselves as an indentured servant.

redemptor

noun

One who redeems (especially used of Jesus).

redemptorist

noun

A member of the Roman Catholic missionary congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (i.e. Jesus Christ), founded in 1732 by Saint Alphonsus Maria of Liguori

redemptory

adj

Paid as ransom; serving to redeem.

redesign

verb

To plan or build a new version of something that already existed.

redette

noun

A red-haired person, especially a woman.

redevelopment

noun

The process of rebuilding or improving an area, often by demolishing old structures and putting up new ones.

Redfern

name

An English surname, also the name of an inner suburb of Sydney, Australia, named after surgeon William Redfern.

Redford

name

An English surname, possibly referring to a stream stained by peat near a river crossing.

redhead

noun

A person with naturally red or reddish hair.