reef

[ reef ]

/ rif /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR reef ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water.

Mining. a lode or vein.

Origin of reef

1575–85; earlier riff(e) <Dutch rif

Words nearby reef

Reed-Sternberg cell, reed stop, reeducate, reed warbler, reedy, reef, reefer, reeffish, reefing, reefing jacket, reef knot

Definition for reef (2 of 2)

reef²

[ reef ]

/ rif /

Nautical

noun

a part of a sail that is rolled and tied down to reduce the area exposed to the wind.

verb (used with object)

to shorten (sail) by tying in one or more reefs.

to reduce the length of (a topmast, a bowsprit, etc.), as by lowering, sliding inboard, or the like.

to pull (old oakum) out of seams, as with a rave hook (often followed by out).

Origin of reef

1350–1400; Middle English refe (noun) <Dutch reef

OTHER WORDS FROM reef

un·reefed, adjective

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for reef

Divers exploring an underwater portion of the lake’s K’akaya reef found a ritual offering deposited by the Inca, say archaeologists Christophe Delaere of the University of Oxford and José Capriles of Penn State.
A submerged Inca offering hints at Lake Titicaca’s sacred role|Bruce Bower|August 3, 2020|Science News
They’re also planting tiny bits of coral in new places, trying to help new reefs get a good start.
Let’s learn about coral reefs|Bethany Brookshire|July 22, 2020|Science News For Students
A bleached reef can spell trouble for the many species that call it home.
Let’s learn about coral reefs|Bethany Brookshire|July 22, 2020|Science News For Students
Scientists are working to figure out how to help bleached corals and plant new coral reefs.
Let’s learn about coral reefs|Bethany Brookshire|July 22, 2020|Science News For Students

Coral reefs provide spots of brilliant color under the waves.
Let’s learn about coral reefs|Bethany Brookshire|July 22, 2020|Science News For Students
And this in turn affects the fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and seabirds that live within the Reef.
Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping|Kirsten Alexander|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, with two-thirds of the loss occurring after 1998.
Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping|Kirsten Alexander|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also takes place near a minefield of rocks, is a hangout spot for sharks, and breaks on a reef.
Now That Everest Is Closed, Check Out These Other Extreme Adventures|Nina Strochlic|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before the war I was a short-order cook in Zabadani, which is a beautiful tourist valley in Reef Damashq, near Lebanon.
Former Syrian Soldier Describes Life in the Army at the Start of War|Andrew Slater|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Searle and other native Gibraltarians say the move to build the reef was about much more than the fishing population.
Between Gibraltar and a Hard Place|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All the sects of the philosophers have stranded on the reef of moral and physical ill.
Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary|Voltaire
At high water the reef was overflowed excepting at its north-west end where a patch of sand not larger than the boat was left dry.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia|Phillip Parker King
The reef opposite, was entirely under water, and its position was indicated only by a line of breakers.
The Island Home|Richard Archer
The openings in the reef are few and narrow, so that no ship can anchor near the coral-girt isle.
The Cruise of the Mary Rose|William H. G. Kingston
The first of the little fleet of trawlers swung round the end of the reef into the sheltered water of the bay.
The Island Mystery|George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for reef (1 of 3)

reef¹

/ (riːf) /

noun

a ridge of rock, sand, coral, etc, the top of which lies close to the surface of the sea

a ridge- or mound-like structure built by sedentary calcareous organisms (esp corals) and consisting mainly of their remains

a vein of ore, esp one of gold-bearing quartz

Word Origin for reef

C16: from Middle Dutch ref, from Old Norse rif rib 1, reef ²

British Dictionary definitions for reef (2 of 3)

reef²

/ (riːf) nautical /

noun

the part gathered in when sail area is reduced, as in a high wind

verb

to reduce the area of (sail) by taking in a reef

(tr) to shorten or bring inboard (a spar)

Word Origin for reef

C14: from Middle Dutch rif; related to Old Norse rif reef, rib 1, German reffen to reef; see reef 1

British Dictionary definitions for reef (3 of 3)

Reef

/ (riːf) /

noun the Reef

another name for the Great Barrier Reef

another name for the Witwatersrand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for reef

reef

[ rēf ]

A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water. See more at coral reef.

单词	reef
释义	reef ¹ [ reef ] / rif / SEE SYNONYMS FOR reef ON THESAURUS.COM noun a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water. Mining. a lode or vein. Origin of reef ¹ 1575–85; earlier riff(e) <Dutch rif Words nearby reef Reed-Sternberg cell, reed stop, reeducate, reed warbler, reedy, reef, reefer, reeffish, reefing, reefing jacket, reef knot Definition for reef (2 of 2) reef² [ reef ] / rif / Nautical noun a part of a sail that is rolled and tied down to reduce the area exposed to the wind. verb (used with object) to shorten (sail) by tying in one or more reefs. to reduce the length of (a topmast, a bowsprit, etc.), as by lowering, sliding inboard, or the like. to pull (old oakum) out of seams, as with a rave hook (often followed by out). Origin of reef ² 1350–1400; Middle English refe (noun) <Dutch reef OTHER WORDS FROM reef un·reefed, adjective Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for reef Divers exploring an underwater portion of the lake’s K’akaya reef found a ritual offering deposited by the Inca, say archaeologists Christophe Delaere of the University of Oxford and José Capriles of Penn State. A submerged Inca offering hints at Lake Titicaca’s sacred role\|Bruce Bower\|August 3, 2020\|Science News They’re also planting tiny bits of coral in new places, trying to help new reefs get a good start. Let’s learn about coral reefs\|Bethany Brookshire\|July 22, 2020\|Science News For Students A bleached reef can spell trouble for the many species that call it home. Let’s learn about coral reefs\|Bethany Brookshire\|July 22, 2020\|Science News For Students Scientists are working to figure out how to help bleached corals and plant new coral reefs. Let’s learn about coral reefs\|Bethany Brookshire\|July 22, 2020\|Science News For Students Coral reefs provide spots of brilliant color under the waves. Let’s learn about coral reefs\|Bethany Brookshire\|July 22, 2020\|Science News For Students And this in turn affects the fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and seabirds that live within the Reef. Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping\|Kirsten Alexander\|June 2, 2014\|DAILY BEAST The Reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, with two-thirds of the loss occurring after 1998. Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping\|Kirsten Alexander\|June 2, 2014\|DAILY BEAST It also takes place near a minefield of rocks, is a hangout spot for sharks, and breaks on a reef. Now That Everest Is Closed, Check Out These Other Extreme Adventures\|Nina Strochlic\|May 8, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Before the war I was a short-order cook in Zabadani, which is a beautiful tourist valley in Reef Damashq, near Lebanon. Former Syrian Soldier Describes Life in the Army at the Start of War\|Andrew Slater\|September 4, 2013\|DAILY BEAST But Searle and other native Gibraltarians say the move to build the reef was about much more than the fishing population. Between Gibraltar and a Hard Place\|Barbie Latza Nadeau\|August 7, 2013\|DAILY BEAST All the sects of the philosophers have stranded on the reef of moral and physical ill. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary\|Voltaire At high water the reef was overflowed excepting at its north-west end where a patch of sand not larger than the boat was left dry. Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia\|Phillip Parker King The reef opposite, was entirely under water, and its position was indicated only by a line of breakers. The Island Home\|Richard Archer The openings in the reef are few and narrow, so that no ship can anchor near the coral-girt isle. The Cruise of the Mary Rose\|William H. G. Kingston The first of the little fleet of trawlers swung round the end of the reef into the sheltered water of the bay. The Island Mystery\|George A. Birmingham British Dictionary definitions for reef (1 of 3) reef¹ / (riːf) / noun a ridge of rock, sand, coral, etc, the top of which lies close to the surface of the sea a ridge- or mound-like structure built by sedentary calcareous organisms (esp corals) and consisting mainly of their remains a vein of ore, esp one of gold-bearing quartz Word Origin for reef C16: from Middle Dutch ref, from Old Norse rif rib 1, reef ² British Dictionary definitions for reef (2 of 3) reef² / (riːf) nautical / noun the part gathered in when sail area is reduced, as in a high wind verb to reduce the area of (sail) by taking in a reef (tr) to shorten or bring inboard (a spar) Word Origin for reef C14: from Middle Dutch rif; related to Old Norse rif reef, rib 1, German reffen to reef; see reef 1 British Dictionary definitions for reef (3 of 3) Reef / (riːf) / noun the Reef another name for the Great Barrier Reef another name for the Witwatersrand Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Content related to reef Take An Aquarium Word Trip With Dictionary.com And Georgia AquariumTo help you get into full teacher and tour-guide mode, we've teamed up with the Georgia Aquarium to put together an educational language guide for you to reference as you're exploring the aquarium with your kids. READ MORE Words related to reef beach, shoal, atoll, coral reef, bar, ridge, bank, rock, cay, sand bar, skerry Scientific definitions for reef reef [ rēf ] A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water. See more at coral reef. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
随便看	great firewall great foramen great gatsby, the great glen great go great goddess great-grandaunt great-grandchild great-granddaughter great-grandfather great-grandmother great-grandnephew great-grandniece great-grandparent great-grandson great-granduncle great gray owl great gross great guns greathearted great horned owl great idaean mother great indian desert great khingan great lakes

reef

noun

Origin of reef

Words nearby reef

Definition for reef (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of reef

OTHER WORDS FROM reef

Example sentences from the Web for reef

British Dictionary definitions for reef (1 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for reef

British Dictionary definitions for reef (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for reef

British Dictionary definitions for reef (3 of 3)

noun the Reef

Content related to reef

Words related to reef

Scientific definitions for reef