ru|mi|nate /ruː m I ne I t/ (ruminates , ruminating , ruminated )
1 VERB If you ruminate on something, you think about it very carefully. [FORMAL ] □ [V + on/about/over ] He ruminated on the terrible wastage that typified American life. [Also V ]
2 VERB When animals ruminate , they bring food back from their stomach into their mouth and chew it again. [TECHNICAL ]
ru|mi|na|tion /ruː m I ne I ʃ ə n/ (ruminations ) N‑COUNT [oft with poss] Your ruminations are your careful thoughts about something. [FORMAL ] □ [+ on ] His ruminations on the subject are not always to be believed.
ru|mi|na|tive /ruː m I nət I v, [AM ] -ne I t-/ ADJ If you are ruminative , you are thinking very deeply and carefully about something. [FORMAL ] □ He was uncharacteristically depressed and ruminative. ● ru|mi|na|tive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He smiles and swirls the ice ruminatively around his almost empty glass.
rum|mage /rʌ m I dʒ/ (rummages , rummaging , rummaged ) VERB If you rummage through something, you search for something you want by moving things around in a careless or hurried way. □ [V prep] They rummage through piles of second-hand clothes for something that fits. [Also V ] ● N‑SING Rummage is also a noun. □ A brief rummage will provide several pairs of gloves. ● PHRASAL VERB Rummage about and rummage around mean the same as rummage . □ [V P ] I opened the fridge and rummaged about. □ [V P n] He rummaged around the post room and found the document.
ru m|mage sale (rummage sales ) N‑COUNT A rummage sale is a sale of cheap used goods that is usually held to raise money for charity. [AM ] in BRIT, use jumble sale
rum|my /rʌ mi/ N‑UNCOUNT Rummy is a card game in which players try to collect cards of the same value or cards in a sequence in the same suit.
ru|mor /ruː mər/ → see rumour
ru|mour ◆◇◇ /ruː mə r / (rumours ) in AM, use rumor N‑VAR [oft N that] A rumour is a story or piece of information that may or may not be true, but that people are talking about. □ We have been denying rumours of a split since the first week we got together. [Also + of/about ]
ru|moured /ruː mə r d/ in AM, use rumored V-PASSIVE If something is rumoured to be the case, people are suggesting that it is the case, but they do not know for certain. □ [be V -ed to-inf] Her parents are rumoured to be on the verge of splitting up. □ [be V -ed that] It was rumoured that he had been interned in an asylum for a while. [Also there be V -ed to-inf, be V -ed]
ru |mour mi ll (rumour mills ) in AM, use rumor mill N‑COUNT You can refer to the people in a particular place or profession who spread rumours as the rumour mill . [mainly JOURNALISM ] □ The Washington rumour mill suggests that the President secured his narrow majority only by promising all sorts of concessions.
rumour-monger /ruː mə r mʌ ŋgə r / (rumour-mongers ) in AM, use rumormonger N‑COUNT If you call someone a rumour-monger , you disapprove of the fact that they spread rumours. [DISAPPROVAL ]
rump /rʌ mp/ (rumps )
1 N‑SING The rump of a group, organization, or country consists of the members who remain in it after the rest have left. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] The rump of the party does in fact still have considerable assets.
2 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] An animal's rump is its rear end. □ The cows' rumps were marked with a number.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Rump or rump steak is meat cut from the rear end of a cow.
rum|ple /rʌ mp ə l/ (rumples , rumpling , rumpled ) VERB If you rumple someone's hair, you move your hand backwards and forwards through it as your way of showing affection to them. □ [V n] I leaned forward to rumple his hair, but he jerked out of the way.
rum|pled /rʌ mp ə ld/ ADJ Rumpled means creased or untidy. □ I hurried to the tent and grabbed a few clean, if rumpled, clothes.
rum|pus /rʌ mpəs/ (rumpuses ) N‑COUNT If someone or something causes a rumpus , they cause a lot of noise or argument. □ He had actually left the company a year before the rumpus started.
run ◆◆◆ /rʌ n/ (runs , running , ran ) The form run is used in the present tense and is also the past participle of the verb. 1 VERB When you run , you move more quickly than when you walk, for example because you are in a hurry to get somewhere, or for exercise. □ [V adv/prep] I excused myself and ran back to the phone. □ [V n/amount] He ran the last block to the White House with two cases of gear. □ [V ] Antonia ran to meet them. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Run is also a noun. □ After a six-mile run, Jackie returns home for a substantial breakfast.
2 VERB When someone runs in a race, they run in competition with other people. □ [V ] …when I was running in the New York Marathon. □ [V n] The British sprinter ran a controlled race to qualify in 51.32 sec.
3 VERB When a horse runs in a race or when its owner runs it, it competes in a race. □ [V ] The owner insisted on Cool Ground running in the Gold Cup. □ [V n] If we have a wet spell, Cecil could also run Armiger in the Derby.
4 VERB If you say that something long, such as a road, runs in a particular direction, you are describing its course or position. You can also say that something runs the length or width of something else. □ [V prep/adv] …the sun-dappled trail which ran through the beech woods.
5 VERB If you run a wire or tube somewhere, you fix it or pull it from, to, or across a particular place. □ [V n prep/adv] Our host ran a long extension cord out from the house and set up a screen and a projector.