2 N‑SING [usu N to-inf] If you have a right to do or to have something, you are morally or legally entitled to do it or to have it. □ …a woman's right to choose.
3 N‑PLURAL If someone has the rights to a story or book, they are legally allowed to publish it or reproduce it in another form, and nobody else can do so without their permission. □ An agent bought the rights to his life. □ …the film rights of his story in 1957.
4 PHRASE If something is not the case but you think that it should be, you can say that by rights it should be the case. □ She did work which by rights should be done by someone else.
5 PHRASE If someone is a successful or respected person in their own right , they are successful or respected because of their own efforts and talents rather than those of the people they are closely connected with. □ Although now a celebrity in her own right, the actress knows the difficulties of living in the shadow of her famous older sister.
6 PHRASE If you say that you reserve the right to do something, you mean that you will do it if you feel that it is necessary. □ He reserved the right to change his mind.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone is within their rights to do something, you mean that they are morally or legally entitled to do it. □ You were quite within your rights to refuse to co-operate with him.
➍ right ◆◆◆ /ra I t/
1 ADV You use right in order to attract someone's attention or to indicate that you have dealt with one thing so you can go on to another. [SPOKEN ] □ Right, I'll be back in a minute.
2 CONVENTION You can use right to check whether what you have just said is correct. [SPOKEN ] □ They have a small plane, right?
3 ADV You can say ' right ' to show that you are listening to what someone is saying and that you accept it or understand it. [SPOKEN ] □ 'Your children may speak with a bit of a country accent'—'Right.'—'because they're mixing with country children.'
4 → see also all right
➎ right ◆◆◆ /ra I t/
1 ADV [ADV adv/prep] You can use right to emphasize the precise place, position, or time of something. [EMPHASIS ] □ The back of a car appeared right in front of him. □ …a charming resort right on the Italian frontier.
2 ADV You can use right to emphasize how far something moves or extends or how long it continues. [EMPHASIS ] □ …the highway that runs right to the army positions. □ She was kept very busy right up to the moment of her departure.
3 ADV [ADV adv/prep] You can use right to emphasize that an action or state is complete. [EMPHASIS ] □ The candle had burned right down. □ The handle came right off in my hand.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use right to emphasize a noun, usually a noun referring to something bad. [BRIT , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ He gave them a right telling off.
5 ADV If you say that something happened right after a particular time or event or right before it, you mean that it happened immediately after or before it. [EMPHASIS ] □ All of a sudden, right after the summer, Mother gets married.
6 ADV [ADV adv] If you say I'll be right there or I'll be right back , you mean that you will get to a place or get back to it in a very short time. [EMPHASIS ] □ I'm going to get some water. I'll be right back.
7 PHRASE If you do something right away or right off , you do it immediately. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ He wants to see you right away. □ Right off I want to confess that I was wrong.
8 PHRASE You can use right now to emphasize that you are referring to the present moment. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ I'm warning you; stop it right now!
➏ Right /ra I t/ ADV [ADV adj] Right is used in some British titles. It indicates high rank or status. □ …The Right Reverend John Baker. □ …the Right Honourable Lynn Jones MP.
ri ght an|gle (right angles ) also right-angle
1 N‑COUNT A right angle is an angle of ninety degrees. A square has four right angles.
2 PHRASE If two things are at right angles , they are situated so that they form an angle of 90° where they touch each other. You can also say that one thing is at right angles to another. □ …two lasers at right angles.
ri ght-angled
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A right-angled triangle has one angle that is a right angle. [BRIT ] in AM, use right triangle 2 ADJ [ADJ n] A right-angled bend is a sharp bend that turns through approximately ninety degrees.
ri ght-cli ck (right-clicks , right-clicking , right-clicked ) VERB To right-click or to right-click on something means to press the right-hand button on a computer mouse. [COMPUTING ] □ [V + on ] All you have to do is right-click on the desktop and select New Folder.
right|eous /ra I tʃəs/ ADJ If you think that someone behaves or lives in a way that is morally good, you can say that they are righteous . People sometimes use righteous to express their disapproval when they think someone is only behaving in this way so that others will admire or support them. [FORMAL ] □ Aren't you afraid of being seen as a righteous crusader? ● right|eous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Both sides in the dispute have been adopting a tone of moral righteousness. ● right|eous|ly ADV □ They righteously maintain that they do not practise rationing.
right|ful /ra I tfʊl/ ADJ [ADJ n] If you say that someone or something has returned to its rightful place or position, they have returned to the place or position that you think they should have. □ This certainly helped Spain take its rightful place in Europe. ● right|ful|ly ADV □ Jealousy is the feeling that someone else has something that rightfully belongs to you.