7 PHRASE If something happens or is done without rhyme or reason , there seems to be no logical reason for it to happen or be done. □ He picked people on a whim, without rhyme or reason.
rhy m|ing slang N‑UNCOUNT Rhyming slang is a spoken informal kind of language in which you do not use the normal word for something, but say a word or phrase that rhymes with it instead. In Cockney rhyming slang, for example, people say 'apples and pears' to mean 'stairs'.
rhythm ◆◇◇ /r I ðəm/ (rhythms )
1 N‑VAR A rhythm is a regular series of sounds or movements. □ He had no sense of rhythm whatsoever.
2 N‑COUNT A rhythm is a regular pattern of changes, for example changes in your body, in the seasons, or in the tides. □ Begin to listen to your own body rhythms.
rhy thm and blue s N‑UNCOUNT Rhythm and blues is a style of popular music developed in the 1940's from blues music, but using electrically amplified instruments. The abbreviation R&B is also used.
rhyth|mic /r I ðm I k/ or rhythmical /r I ðm I k ə l/ ADJ A rhythmic movement or sound is repeated at regular intervals, forming a regular pattern or beat. □ Good breathing is slow, rhythmic and deep. ● rhyth|mi|cal|ly /r I ðm I kli/ ADV [ADV after v] □ She stood, swaying her hips, moving rhythmically.
rhy thm meth|od N‑SING The rhythm method is a practice in which a couple try to prevent pregnancy by having sex only at times when the woman is not likely to become pregnant.
rhy thm sec|tion N‑SING The rhythm section of a band is the musicians whose main job is to supply the rhythm. It usually consists of bass and drums, and sometimes keyboard instruments.
rib /r I b/ (ribs , ribbing , ribbed )
1 N‑COUNT Your ribs are the 12 pairs of curved bones that surround your chest. □ Her heart was thumping against her ribs.
2 N‑COUNT [n N ] A rib of meat such as beef or pork is a piece that has been cut to include one of the animal's ribs. □ [+ of ] …a rib of beef.
3 VERB If you rib someone about something, you tease them about it in a friendly way. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] The guys in my local pub used to rib me about drinking 'girly' drinks.
4 → see also ribbed , ribbing
rib|ald /r I b ə ld/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A ribald remark or sense of humour is rather rude and refers to sex in a humorous way. □ …her ribald comments about a fellow guest's body language.
ribbed /r I bd/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A ribbed surface, material, or garment has a raised pattern of parallel lines on it. □ …ribbed cashmere sweaters.
rib|bing /r I b I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Ribbing is friendly teasing. [INFORMAL ] □ I got quite a lot of ribbing from my team-mates.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Ribbing is a method of knitting that makes a raised pattern of parallel lines. You use ribbing, for example, round the edge of sweaters so that the material can stretch without losing its shape.
rib|bon /r I bən/ (ribbons )
1 N‑VAR A ribbon is a long, narrow piece of cloth that you use for tying things together or as a decoration. □ She had tied back her hair with a peach satin ribbon.
2 N‑COUNT A typewriter or printer ribbon is a long, narrow piece of cloth containing ink and is used in a typewriter or printer.
3 N‑COUNT A ribbon is a small decorative strip of cloth which is given to someone to wear on their clothes as an award or to show that they are linked with a particular organization.
ri b cage (rib cages ) also ribcage N‑COUNT Your rib cage is the structure of ribs in your chest. It protects your lungs and other organs.
ri|bo|fla|vin /ra I boʊfle I v I n/ N‑UNCOUNT Riboflavin is a vitamin that occurs in green vegetables, milk, fish, eggs, liver, and kidney.
rice ◆◇◇ /ra I s/ (rices ) N‑VAR Rice consists of white or brown grains taken from a cereal plant. You cook rice and usually eat it with meat or vegetables. □ …a meal consisting of chicken, rice and vegetables.
ri ce pa|per N‑UNCOUNT Rice paper is very thin paper made from rice plants. It is used in cooking.
ri ce pu d|ding (rice puddings ) N‑VAR Rice pudding is a dessert which is made from rice, milk, and sugar.
rich ◆◆◇ /r I tʃ/ (richer , richest , riches )
1 ADJ A rich person has a lot of money or valuable possessions. □ Their one aim in life is to get rich. ● N‑PLURAL The rich are rich people. □ This is a system in which the rich are cared for and the poor are left to suffer.
2 N‑PLURAL Riches are valuable possessions or large amounts of money. □ A gold medal can lead to untold riches for an athlete.
3 ADJ A rich country has a strong economy and produces a lot of wealth, so many people who live there have a high standard of living. □ There is hunger in many parts of the world, even in rich countries.
4 N‑PLURAL If you talk about the Earth's riches , you are referring to things that exist naturally in large quantities and that are useful and valuable, for example minerals, wood, and oil. □ …Russia's vast natural riches.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] If something is rich in a useful or valuable substance or is a rich source of it, it contains a lot of it. □ [+ in ] Liver and kidney are particularly rich in vitamin A.
6 ADJ Rich food contains a lot of fat or oil. □ Additional cream would make it too rich. ● rich|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The coffee flavour complemented the richness of the pudding.