rep /re p/ (reps )
1 N‑COUNT A rep is a person whose job is to sell a company's products or services, especially by travelling round and visiting other companies. Rep is short for representative . □ [+ for ] I'd been working as a sales rep for a photographic company.
2 → see also holiday rep
3 N‑COUNT A rep is a person who acts as a representative for a group of people, usually a group of people who work together. □ Contact the health and safety rep at your union.
4 N‑UNCOUNT In the theatre, rep is the same as repertory . □ A play is tested in rep before ever hitting a West End stage.
Rep. Rep. is a written abbreviation for representative . [AM ] □ …Rep. Barbara Boxer.
re|paid /r I pe I d/ Repaid is the past tense and past participle of repay .
re|pair ◆◇◇ /r I pe ə r / (repairs , repairing , repaired )
1 VERB If you repair something that has been damaged or is not working properly, you mend it. □ [V n] Goldsmith has repaired the roof to ensure the house is wind-proof. □ [have n V -ed] A woman drove her car to the garage to have it repaired. ● re|pair|er (repairers ) N‑COUNT [usu n N ] □ …TV repairers.
2 VERB If you repair a relationship or someone's reputation after it has been damaged, you do something to improve it. □ [V n] The government continued to try to repair the damage caused by the minister's interview.
3 N‑VAR A repair is something that you do to mend a machine, building, piece of clothing, or other thing that has been damaged or is not working properly. □ Many women know how to carry out repairs on their cars. □ There is no doubt now that her relationship is beyond repair.
4 VERB If someone repairs to a particular place, they go there. [FORMAL ] □ [V + to ] We then repaired to the pavilion for lunch.
5 PHRASE If something such as a building is in good repair , it is in good condition. If it is in bad repair , it is in bad condition. □ The monks of Ettal keep the abbey in good repair. SYNONYMS repair VERB 1
mend: They took a long time to mend the roof.
fix: If something is broken, we get it fixed.
restore: …the beautifully restored old town square.
re|pair|man /r I peə r mən/ (repairmen ) N‑COUNT A repairman is a man who mends broken machines such as televisions and phones. □ …a cheerful telephone repairman.
repa|ra|tion /re pəre I ʃ ə n/ (reparations )
1 N‑PLURAL Reparations are sums of money that are paid after a war by the defeated country for the damage and injuries it caused in other countries. □ Israel accepted billions of dollars in war reparations.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Reparation is help or payment that someone gives you for damage, loss, or suffering that they have caused you. □ There is a clear demand amongst victims for some sort of reparation from offenders.
rep|ar|tee /re pɑː r tiː , [AM ] -pərte I / N‑UNCOUNT Repartee is conversation that consists of quick, witty comments and replies. □ She was good at repartee.
re|past /r I pɑː st, -pæ st/ (repasts ) N‑COUNT A repast is a meal. [LITERARY ]
re|pat|ri|ate /riː pæ trie I t, [AM ] -pe I t-/ (repatriates , repatriating , repatriated ) VERB If a country repatriates someone, it sends them back to their home country. □ [V n] It was not the policy of the government to repatriate genuine refugees. ● re|pat|ria|tion /riː pæ trie I ʃ ə n, [AM ] -pe I t-/ (repatriations ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the forced repatriation of Vietnamese boat people.
re|pay /r I pe I / (repays , repaying , repaid )
1 VERB If you repay a loan or a debt, you pay back the money that you owe to the person who you borrowed or took it from. □ [V n] He advanced funds of his own to his company, which was unable to repay him.
2 VERB If you repay a favour that someone did for you, you do something for them in return. □ [V n] It was very kind. I don't know how I can ever repay you.
re|pay|able /r I pe I əb ə l/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A loan that is repayable within a certain period of time must be paid back within that time. [mainly BRIT ] □ The loan is repayable over twenty years. in AM, usually use payable
re|pay|ment /r I pe I mənt/ (repayments )
1 N‑COUNT Repayments are amounts of money which you pay at regular intervals to a person or organization in order to repay a debt. □ They were unable to meet their mortgage repayments.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The repayment of money is the act or process of paying it back to the person you owe it to. □ [+ of ] He failed to meet last Friday's deadline for repayment of a £114m loan.
re|peal /r I piː l/ (repeals , repealing , repealed ) VERB If the government repeals a law, it officially ends it, so that it is no longer valid. □ [V n] The government has just repealed the law segregating public facilities. ● N‑UNCOUNT Repeal is also a noun. □ [+ of ] That year was the 60th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.
re|peat ◆◆◇ /r I piː t/ (repeats , repeating , repeated )
1 VERB If you repeat something, you say or write it again. You can say I repeat to show that you feel strongly about what you are repeating. □ [V that] He repeated that he had been mis-quoted. □ [V n] The President repeated his call for the release of hostages. □ [V with quote] 'You fool,' she kept repeating.