re|hash (rehashes , rehashing , rehashed ) The noun is pronounced /riː hæʃ/. The verb is pronounced /riːhæ ʃ/. 1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you describe something as a rehash , you are criticizing it because it repeats old ideas, facts, or themes, though some things have been changed to make it appear new. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ of ] The Observer found the play 'a feeble rehash of familiar Miller themes'.
2 VERB If you say that someone rehashes old ideas, facts, or accusations, you disapprove of the fact that they present them in a slightly different way so that they seem new or original. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] They've taken some of the best bits out of the best things and rehashed them.
re|hears|al /r I hɜː r s ə l/ (rehearsals )
1 N‑VAR A rehearsal of a play, dance, or piece of music is a practice of it in preparation for a performance. □ [+ for ] The band was scheduled to begin rehearsals for a concert tour. [Also + of ]
2 → see also dress rehearsal
3 N‑COUNT You can describe an event or object which is a preparation for a more important event or object as a rehearsal for it. □ Daydreams may seem to be rehearsals for real-life situations.
re|hearse /r I hɜː r s/ (rehearses , rehearsing , rehearsed )
1 VERB When people rehearse a play, dance, or piece of music, they practise it in order to prepare for a performance. □ [V n] A group of actors are rehearsing a play about Joan of Arc. □ [V + for ] Thousands of people have been rehearsing for the opening ceremony. □ [V ] The cast and crew were only given three and a half weeks to rehearse.
2 VERB If you rehearse something that you are going to say or do, you silently practise it by imagining that you are saying or doing it. □ [V n] Anticipate any tough questions and rehearse your answers. □ [V wh] We encouraged them to rehearse what they were going to say.
re|house /riː haʊ z/ (rehouses , rehousing , rehoused ) VERB If someone is rehoused , their council, local government, or other authority provides them with a different house to live in. □ [be V -ed] Many of the families who lost their homes in the earthquake have still not been rehoused. □ [V n] The council has agreed to rehouse the family.
reign /re I n/ (reigns , reigning , reigned )
1 VERB If you say, for example, that silence reigns in a place or confusion reigns in a situation, you mean that the place is silent or the situation is confused. [WRITTEN ] □ [V ] Confusion reigned about how the debate would end. □ [V + over ] A relative calm reigned over the city.
2 VERB When a king or queen reigns , he or she rules a country. □ [V ] …Henry II, who reigned from 1154 to 1189. □ [V -ing] …George III, Britain's longest reigning monarch. ● N‑COUNT [with poss] Reign is also a noun. □ …Queen Victoria's reign.
3 VERB If you say that a person reigns in a situation or area, you mean that they are very powerful or successful. □ [V ] He reigned as the male sex symbol of the 1950s. □ [V + over ] …the girls that reigned over 1960s pop. ● N‑COUNT [with poss] Reign is also a noun. □ …Klitschko's 11-year reign as a world champion.
4 PHRASE Someone or something that reigns supreme is the most important or powerful element in a situation or period of time. □ The bicycle reigned supreme as Britain's most popular mode of transport.
5 PHRASE A reign of terror is a period during which there is a lot of violence and killing, especially by people who are in a position of power. □ The commanders accused him of carrying out a reign of terror.
reign|ing /re I n I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] The reigning champion is the most recent winner of a contest or competition at the time you are talking about. □ …the reigning world champion.
re|im|burse /riː I mbɜː r s/ (reimburses , reimbursing , reimbursed ) VERB If you reimburse someone for something, you pay them back the money that they have spent or lost because of it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + for ] I'll be happy to reimburse you for any expenses you might have incurred. □ [V n] The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.
re|im|burse|ment /riː I mbɜː r smənt/ (reimbursements ) N‑VAR If you receive reimbursement for money that you have spent, you get your money back, for example because the money should have been paid by someone else. [FORMAL ] □ [+ for ] She is demanding reimbursement for medical and other expenses.
rein /re I n/ (reins , reining , reined )
1 N‑PLURAL Reins are the thin leather straps attached round a horse's neck which are used to control the horse.
2 N‑PLURAL Journalists sometimes use the expression the reins or the reins of power to refer to the control of a country or organization. □ He was determined to see the party keep a hold on the reins of power.
3 PHRASE If you give free rein to someone, you give them a lot of freedom to do what they want. □ The government believed it should give free rein to the private sector in transport.
4 PHRASE If you keep a tight rein on someone, you control them firmly. □ Her parents had kept her on a tight rein with their narrow and inflexible views.
▸ rein back PHRASAL VERB To rein back something such as spending means to control it strictly. □ [V P n] The government would try to rein back inflation. [Also V n P ]