re|duc|tion ◆◇◇ /r I dʌ kʃ ə n/ (reductions )
1 N‑COUNT When there is a reduction in something, it is made smaller. □ [+ in ] …a future reduction in U.K. interest rates.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Reduction is the act of making something smaller in size or amount, or less in degree. □ …a new strategic arms reduction agreement. SYNONYMS reduction NOUN 1
decrease: …a decrease in the number of young people out of work.
cut: The economy needs an immediate 2 per cent cut in interest rates.
lowering: …a package of social measures which included the lowering of the retirement age.
re|duc|tion|ist /r I dʌ kʃən I st/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Reductionist describes a way of analysing problems and things by dividing them into simpler parts. □ …reductionist science.
re|duc|tive /r I dʌ kt I v/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something such as a theory or a work of art as reductive , you disapprove of it because it reduces complex things to simple elements. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ …a cynical, reductive interpretation.
re|dun|dan|cy /r I dʌ ndənsi/ (redundancies )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] When there are redundancies , an organization tells some of its employees to leave because their jobs are no longer necessary or because the organization can no longer afford to pay them. [BRIT , BUSINESS ] □ The ministry has said it hopes to avoid compulsory redundancies. in AM, use dismissal , layoff 2 N‑UNCOUNT Redundancy means being made redundant. [BUSINESS ] □ Thousands of bank employees are facing redundancy as their employers cut costs.
re|dun|dant /r I dʌ ndənt/
1 ADJ If you are made redundant , your employer tells you to leave because your job is no longer necessary or because your employer cannot afford to keep paying you. [BRIT , BUSINESS ] □ My husband was made redundant late last year. □ …a redundant miner. in AM, use be dismissed 2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Something that is redundant is no longer needed because its job is being done by something else or because its job is no longer necessary or useful. □ Changes in technology may mean that once-valued skills are now redundant.
re|dux /riː dʌks/ ADJ [ADJ n, n ADJ ] If a work of art is redux , it is presented in a new way. □ She first hit our screens in Besson's brilliantly preposterous Pygmalion redux.
red|wood /re dwʊd/ (redwoods ) N‑VAR A redwood is an extremely tall tree which grows in California. ● N‑UNCOUNT Redwood is the wood from this tree.
reed /riː d/ (reeds )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Reeds are tall plants that grow in large groups in shallow water or on ground that is always wet and soft. They have strong, hollow stems that can be used for making things such as mats or baskets.
2 N‑COUNT A reed is a small piece of cane or metal inserted into the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument. The reed vibrates when you blow through it and makes a sound.
re -e ducate (re-educates , re-educating , re-educated ) in AM, also use reeducate VERB If an organization such as a government tries to re-educate a group of people, they try to make them adopt new attitudes, beliefs, or types of behaviour. □ [V n] The government should re-educate the public about the dangers of easy credit. ● re-education N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …a programme of punishment and re-education of political dissidents.
reedy /riː di/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that someone has a reedy voice, you think their voice is unpleasant because it is high and unclear. □ The big man had a high-pitched reedy voice.
reef /riː f/ (reefs ) N‑COUNT A reef is a long line of rocks or sand, the top of which is just above or just below the surface of the sea. □ An unspoilt coral reef encloses the bay.
reef|er /riː fə r / (reefers )
1 N‑COUNT A reefer or reefer coat is a short thick coat which is often worn by sailors. [BRIT ]
2 N‑COUNT A reefer is a cigarette containing cannabis or marijuana. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ]
reek /riː k/ (reeks , reeking , reeked )
1 VERB To reek of something, usually something unpleasant, means to smell very strongly of it. □ [V + of ] He came home reeking of fish. □ [V ] The entire house reeked for a long time. ● N‑SING Reek is also a noun. □ [+ of ] …the reek of bad drainage.
2 VERB If you say that something reeks of unpleasant ideas, feelings, or practices, you disapprove of it because it gives a strong impression that it involves those ideas, feelings, or practices. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + of ] The whole thing reeks of hypocrisy.
reel ◆◇◇ /riː l/ (reels , reeling , reeled )
1 N‑COUNT A reel is a cylindrical object around which you wrap something such as cinema film, magnetic tape, fishing line, or cotton thread. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] …a 30m reel of cable. in AM, usually use spool 2 VERB If someone reels , they move about in an unsteady way as if they are going to fall. □ [V ] He was reeling a little. He must be very drunk. □ [V adv/prep] He lost his balance and reeled back.
3 VERB [usu cont] If you are reeling from a shock, you are feeling extremely surprised or upset because of it. □ [V + from ] I'm still reeling from the shock of hearing of it. □ [V prep] It left us reeling with disbelief.