understand: They are too young to understand what is going on.
appreciate: He appreciates that co-operation with the media is part of his professional duties.
grasp: He instantly grasped that Stephen was talking about his wife.
rea l li fe N‑UNCOUNT [usu in N ] If something happens in real life , it actually happens and is not just in a story or in someone's imagination. □ In FarmVille, wheat grows in two days - in real life, it takes months. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Real life is also an adjective. □ …a real-life horror story.
re|allo|cate /riː æ ləke I t/ (reallocates , reallocating , reallocated ) VERB When organizations reallocate money or resources, they decide to change the way they spend the money or use the resources. □ [V n] …a cost-cutting program to reallocate people and resources within the company. □ [be V -ed + to ] Money should be reallocated to towns devastated by pit closures.
re|al|ly ◆◆◆ /riː əli/
1 ADV [usu ADV with v] You can use really to emphasize a statement. [SPOKEN , EMPHASIS ] □ I'm very sorry. I really am. □ It really is best to manage without any medication if you possibly can.
2 ADV [ADV adj/adv] You can use really to emphasize an adjective or adverb. [EMPHASIS ] □ It was really good. □ They were really nice people.
3 ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] You use really when you are discussing the real facts about something, in contrast to the ones someone wants you to believe. □ My father didn't really love her.
4 ADV [ADV before v] People use really in questions and negative statements when they want you to answer 'no'. [EMPHASIS ] □ Do you really think he would be that stupid?
5 ADV [ADV before v] If you refer to a time when something really begins to happen, you are emphasizing that it starts to happen at that time to a much greater extent and much more seriously than before. [EMPHASIS ] □ That's when the pressure really started.
6 ADV [ADV after neg, usu ADV with v] People sometimes use really to slightly reduce the force of a negative statement. [SPOKEN , VAGUENESS ] □ I'm not really surprised. □ 'Did they hurt you?'—'Not really'.
7 CONVENTION You can say really to express surprise or disbelief at what someone has said. [SPOKEN , FEELINGS ] □ 'We discovered it was totally the wrong decision.'—'Really?'. SYNONYMS really ADV 2
extremely: Three of them are working extremely well.
very: I'm very sorry.
particularly: Progress has been particularly disappointing.
incredibly: Their father was incredibly good-looking.
realm /re lm/ (realms )
1 N‑COUNT [oft adj N ] You can use realm to refer to any area of activity, interest, or thought. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the realm of politics.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A realm is a country that has a king or queen. [FORMAL ] □ Defence of the realm is crucial.
3 PHRASE If you say that something is not beyond the realms of possibility , you mean that it is possible. □ A fall of 50 per cent or more on prices is not beyond the realms of possibility.
rea l pro p|er|ty N‑UNCOUNT Real property is property in the form of land and buildings, rather than personal possessions. [AM ]
rea l time N‑UNCOUNT [oft in N ] If something is done in real time , there is no noticeable delay between the action and its effect or consequence. □ …umpires, who have to make every decision in real time.
rea l-time ADJ [ADJ n] Real-time processing is a type of computer programming or data processing in which the information received is processed by the computer almost immediately. [COMPUTING ] □ …real-time language translations.
Real|tor /riː əltɔːr/ (Realtors ) also realtor N‑COUNT A Realtor is a person whose job is to sell houses, buildings, and land, and who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. [AM , TRADEMARK ] in BRIT, use estate agent
rea l wo rld N‑SING If you talk about the real world , you are referring to the world and life in general, in contrast to a particular person's own life, experience, and ideas, which may seem untypical and unrealistic. □ When they leave school, they will be ill-equipped to deal with the real world.
ream /riː m/ (reams ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] If you say that there are reams of paper or reams of writing, you mean that there are large amounts of it. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ of ] They have to sort through the reams of information to determine what it may mean.
reap /riː p/ (reaps , reaping , reaped ) VERB If you reap the benefits or the rewards of something, you enjoy the good things that happen as a result of it. □ [V n] You'll soon begin to reap the benefits of being fitter.
reap|er /riː pə r / (reapers )
1 N‑COUNT A reaper is a machine used to cut and gather crops.
2 → see also Grim Reaper
re|appear /riː əp I ə r / (reappears , reappearing , reappeared ) VERB When people or things reappear , they return again after they have been away or out of sight for some time. □ [V ] Thirty seconds later she reappeared and beckoned them forward.
re|appear|ance /riː əp I ə rəns/ (reappearances ) N‑COUNT [usu with poss] The reappearance of someone or something is their return after they have been away or out of sight for some time. □ His sudden reappearance must have been a shock.