2 N‑COUNT The radius of a circle is the distance from its centre to its outside edge. □ [+ of ] He indicated a semicircle with a radius of about thirty miles.
ra|don /re I dɒn/ N‑UNCOUNT Radon is a radioactive element in the form of a gas.
RAF /ɑː r e I e f, ræ f/ N‑PROPER The RAF is the air force of the United Kingdom. RAF is an abbreviation for 'Royal Air Force'. □ An RAF helicopter rescued the men after the boat began taking in water.
raf|fia /ræ fiə/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Raffia is a fibre made from palm leaves. It is used to make mats and baskets.
raff|ish /ræ f I ʃ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Raffish people and places are not very respectable but are attractive and stylish in spite of this. [WRITTEN ] □ He was handsome in a raffish kind of way.
raf|fle /ræ f ə l/ (raffles , raffling , raffled )
1 N‑COUNT A raffle is a competition in which you buy tickets with numbers on them. Afterwards some numbers are chosen, and if your ticket has one of these numbers on it, you win a prize. □ Any more raffle tickets? Twenty-five pence each or five for a pound.
2 VERB If someone raffles something, they give it as a prize in a raffle. □ [V n] During each show we will be raffling a fabulous prize.
raft /rɑː ft, ræ ft/ (rafts )
1 N‑COUNT A raft is a floating platform made from large pieces of wood or other materials tied together. □ …a river trip on bamboo rafts through dense rainforest.
2 N‑COUNT A raft is a small rubber or plastic boat that you blow air into to make it float. □ The crew spent two days and nights in their raft.
3 → see also life raft
4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A raft of people or things is a lot of them. □ [+ of ] He has surrounded himself with a raft of advisers who are very radical.
raft|er /rɑː ftə r , ræ f-/ (rafters ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Rafters are the sloping pieces of wood that support a roof. □ From the rafters of the thatched roofs hung strings of dried onions and garlic.
raft|ing /rɑː ft I ŋ, ræ f-/ N‑UNCOUNT Rafting is the sport of travelling down a river on a raft. □ …water sports such as boating, fishing, and rafting.
rag /ræ g/ (rags )
1 N‑VAR A rag is a piece of old cloth which you can use to clean or wipe things. □ He was wiping his hands on an oily rag.
2 N‑PLURAL Rags are old torn clothes. □ There were men, women and small children, some dressed in rags.
3 N‑COUNT People refer to a newspaper as a rag when they have a poor opinion of it. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ 'This man Tom works for a local rag,' he said.
4 → see also ragged
5 PHRASE You use rags to riches to describe the way in which someone quickly becomes very rich after they have been quite poor. □ His was a rags-to-riches story and people admire that.
6 PHRASE If you describe something as a red rag to a bull , you mean that it is certain to make a particular person or group very angry. [mainly BRIT ] □ This sort of information is like a red rag to a bull for the tobacco companies.
raga /rɑː gə/ (ragas ) N‑COUNT A raga is a piece of Indian music based on a traditional scale or pattern of notes which is also called a raga .
raga|muf|fin /ræ gəmʌf I n/ (ragamuffins ) N‑COUNT A ragamuffin is someone, especially a child, who is dirty and has torn clothes. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ They looked like little ragamuffins.
ra g-and-bo ne man (rag-and-bone men ) N‑COUNT A rag-and-bone man is a person who goes from street to street in a vehicle or with a horse and cart buying things such as old clothes and furniture. [BRIT ] in AM, use junkman , junk dealer
rag|bag /ræ gbæg/ also rag-bag N‑SING A ragbag of things is a group of things which do not have much in common with each other, but which are being considered together. □ [+ of ] Carol Reed's film follows a ragbag of British army conscripts as they are turned into an efficient unit.
ra g do ll (rag dolls ) N‑COUNT A rag doll is a soft doll made of cloth.
rage ◆◇◇ /re I dʒ/ (rages , raging , raged )
1 N‑VAR Rage is strong anger that is difficult to control. □ He was red-cheeked with rage. □ I flew into a rage.
2 VERB You say that something powerful or unpleasant rages when it continues with great force or violence. □ [V ] Train services were halted as the fire raged for more than four hours. □ [V on ] The war rages on and the time has come to take sides.
3 VERB If you rage about something, you speak or think very angrily about it. □ [V + about/against/at ] Monroe was on the phone, raging about her mistreatment by the brothers. □ [V ] Inside, Frannie was raging. □ [V with quote] 'I can't see it's any of your business,' he raged.
4 N‑UNCOUNT [n N ] You can refer to the strong anger that someone feels in a particular situation as a particular rage , especially when this results in violent or aggressive behaviour. □ Cabin crews are reporting up to nine cases of air rage a week.
5 → see also road rage
6 N‑SING When something is popular and fashionable, you can say that it is the rage or all the rage . [INFORMAL ] □ The 1950s look is all the rage at the moment.
7 → see also raging
rag|ga /ræ gə/ N‑UNCOUNT Ragga is a style of pop music similar to rap music which began in the West Indies.