Ru -symbol

  1. ruthenium

ru·a·na [rü-'ä-nə] -n

  1. a woolen covering resembling a poncho

rub ['rəb] -vb

  1. to move along the surface of a body with pressure : grate
  2. to fret or chafe with or as if with friction
  3. to cause discontent, irritation, or anger
  4. to continue in a situation usu. with slight difficulty
    • in spite of financial difficulties, he is rubbing along
  5. to admit of being rubbed (as for erasure or obliteration)
  6. to subject to or as if to the action of something moving esp. back and forth with pressure and friction
  7. to cause (a body) to move with pressure and friction along a surface
  8. to treat in any of various ways by rubbing
  9. to bring into reciprocal back-and-forth or rotary contact
  10. annoy, irritate
  11. an unevenness of surface (as of the ground in lawn bowling)
  12. obstruction, difficulty
    • the rub is that so few of the scholars have any sense of this truth themselves -- Benjamin Farrington
  13. something grating to the feelings (as a gibe or harsh criticism)
  14. something that mars serenity
  15. the application of friction with pressure
    • an alcohol rub

Ru·bai·yat stanza ['rü-bē-,ät-, -,bī-, -,at-] -n

  1. an iambic pentameter quatrain with a rhyme scheme aaba

ru·ba·to [rü-'bä-(,)tō] -n

  1. a fluctuation of tempo within a musical phrase often against a rhythmically steady accompaniment

rub·ber ['rə-bər] -n, adj

  1. one that rubs
  2. an instrument or object (as a rubber eraser) used in rubbing, polishing, scraping, or cleaning
  3. something that prevents rubbing or chafing
  4. an elastic substance that is obtained by coagulating the milky juice of any of various tropical plants (as of the genera Heveaand Ficus), is essentially a polymer of isoprene, and is prepared as sheets and then dried called also caoutchouc india rubber
  5. any of various synthetic rubberlike substances
  6. natural or synthetic rubber modified by chemical treatment to increase its useful properties (as toughness and resistance to wear) and used esp. in tires, electrical insulation, and waterproof materials
  7. : something made of or resembling rubber: as
  8. a rubber overshoe
  9. a rubber tire
  10. the set of tires on a vehicle
  11. a rectangular slab of white rubber in the middle of a baseball infield on which a pitcher stands while pitching
  12. condom

rubber -n

  1. a contest consisting of an odd number of games won by the side that takes a majority (as two out of three)
  2. an odd game played to determine the winner of a tie

rubber band -n

  1. a continuous band of rubber used in various ways (as for holding together a sheaf of papers)

rubber bridge -n

  1. a form of contract bridge in which settlement is made at the end of each rubber

rubber cement -n

  1. an adhesive consisting typically of a dispersion of vulcanized rubber in an organic solvent

rubber check -n

  1. a check returned by a bank because of insufficient funds in the payer's account

rub·berchick·en ['rə-bər-'chi-kən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a series of social gatherings (as fund-raising dinners) at which speeches are given
    • the rubberchicken circuit

rub·ber·ized ['rə-bə-,rīzd] -adj

  1. coated or saturated with rubber or a rubber solution

rub·ber·like ['rə-bər-,līk] -adj

  1. resembling rubber esp. in physical properties (as elasticity and toughness)

rub·ber·neck [-,nek] -n

  1. an overly inquisitive person
  2. tourist
  3. one on a guided tour

rubberneck [-,ne-kər] -vi, n

  1. to look about, stare, or listen with exaggerated curiosity
    • drivers passing the accident slowed down to rubberneck
  2. to go on a tour : sightsee

rubber plant -n

  1. a plant that yields rubber
  2. a tall tropical widely cultivated Asian tree ( Ficus elastica) of the mulberry family that is frequently dwarfed as a houseplant

rubberstamp -vt

  1. to approve, endorse, or dispose of as a matter of routine or at the command of another
  2. to mark with a rubber stamp

rubber stamp -n, adj

  1. a stamp of rubber for making imprints
  2. a person who echoes or imitates others
  3. a mostly powerless yet officially recognized body or person that approves or endorses programs and policies initiated usu. by a single specified source
    • the parliament was a rubber stamp for the dictator
  4. a stereotyped copy or expression
    • the usual rubber stamps of criticism -- H. L. Mencken
  5. a routine endorsement or approval

rubber tree -n

  1. a tree that yields rubber
  2. a So. American tree ( Hevea brasiliensis) of the spurge family that is cultivated in plantations and is a chief source of rubber

rub·bery ['rə-b(ə-)rē] -adj

  1. resembling rubber (as in elasticity, consistency, or texture)
    • rubbery legs
    • rubbery cheese

rubbing -n

  1. an image of a raised, incised, or textured surface obtained by placing paper over it and rubbing the paper with a colored substance

rubbing alcohol -n

  1. a cooling and soothing liquid for external application that contains approximately 70 percent denatured ethanol or isopropanol

rub·bish ['rə-bish, dial -bij] -n, adj

  1. useless waste or rejected matter : trash
  2. something that is worthless or nonsensical
    • few real masterpieces are forgotten and not much rubbish survives -- William Bridges-Adams

rub·ble ['rə-bəl] -n

  1. broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building
    • fortifications knocked into rubble -- C. S. Forester
  2. a miscellaneous confused mass or group of usu. broken or worthless things
  3. waterworn or rough broken stones or bricks used in coarse masonry or in filling courses of walls
  4. rough stone as it comes from the quarry

rubble [-b(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to reduce to rubble

rub·down ['rəb-,dau̇n] -n

  1. a brisk rubbing of the body (as to relax fatigued muscles)

rub·board ['rəb-,bȯrd] -n

  1. washboard

rube ['rüb] -n

  1. an awkward unsophisticated person : rustic
  2. a naive or inexperienced person

ru·be·fa·cient [,rü-bə-'fā-shənt] -adj

  1. causing redness (as of the skin)

rubefacient -n

  1. a substance for external application that produces redness of the skin

Rube Gold·berg ['rüb-'gōl(d)-,bərg] -adj

  1. accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply
    • a kind of Rube Goldberg contraption...with five hundred moving parts -- L. T. Grant
  2. characterized by such complex means

ru·bel·la [rü-'be-lə] -n

  1. german measles

ru·bel·lite [rü-'be-,līt, 'rü-bə-,līt] -n

  1. a red tourmaline used as a gem

Ru·ben·esque [,rü-bə-'nesk] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of the painter Rubens or his works
  2. plump or rounded usu. in a pleasing or attractive way
    • a Rubenesque figure

ru·be·o·la [,rü-bē-'ō-lə, rü-'bē-ə-lə] -n

  1. measles

Ru·bi·con ['rü-bi-,kän] -n

  1. a bounding or limiting line
  2. one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably

ru·bi·cund ['rü-bi-(,)kənd] -adj, n

  1. ruddy

ru·bid·i·um [rü-'bi-dē-əm] -n

  1. a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group that reacts violently with water and bursts into flame spontaneously in air

rub in -vt

  1. to harp on (as something unpleasant) : emphasize

ru·bi·ous ['rü-bē-əs] -adj

  1. red, ruby

rub off ['rəb-,ȯf] -vi, n

  1. to become transferred
    • bad habits rubbed off on them
    • carbon rubs off on your hands

rub out ['rəb-,au̇t] -vt, n

  1. to obliterate or extinguish by or as if by rubbing
  2. to destroy completely
  3. kill, murder
    • somebody rubbed him out ...with a twenty-two -- Raymond Chandler

ru·bric ['rü-brik, -,brik] -n, adj, adv

  1. an authoritative rule
  2. a rule for conduct of a liturgical service
  3. name, title
  4. the title of a statute
  5. something under which a thing is classed : category
    • the sensations falling under the general rubric, pressure -- F. A. Geldard
  6. an explanatory or introductory commentary : gloss
  7. an editorial interpolation
  8. a heading of a part of a book or manuscript done or underlined in a color (as red) different from the rest
  9. an established rule, tradition, or custom

ru·bri·cate ['rü-bri-,kāt] -vt, n

  1. to write or print as a rubric
  2. to provide with a rubric

rub up -vt

  1. to revive or refresh knowledge of : recall
  2. to improve the keenness of (a mental faculty)

ru·bus ['rü-bəs] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Rubus) of plants (as a blackberry or a raspberry) of the rose family with leaves that typically have three to seven leaflets or that are simple and lobed, white or pink flowers, usu. prickly stems, and a mass of carpels ripening into an aggregate fruit composed of many drupelets

ru·by ['rü-bē] -n

  1. a precious stone that is a red corundum
  2. something (as a watch bearing) made of ruby
  3. the dark red color of the ruby
  4. something resembling a ruby in color

ruby -adj

  1. of the color ruby

ruby glass -n

  1. glass of a deep red color containing selenium, an oxide of copper, or a chloride of gold

ruby spinel -n

  1. a usu. red spinel used as a gem

ru·by·throat ['rü-bē-,thrōt] -n

  1. ruby-throated hummingbird

ru·bythroat·ed hummingbird ['rü-bē-,thrō-təd-] -n

  1. a hummingbird ( Archilochus colubris) of eastern No. America having a bright metallic green back, whitish underparts, and in the adult male a red throat

ruche ['rüsh] -n, adj

  1. a pleated, fluted, or gathered strip of fabric used for trimming

ruck ['rək] -n

  1. the usual run of persons or things : generality
    • trying to rise above the ruck -- Richard Holt
  2. an indistinguishable gathering : jumble
  3. the persons or things following the vanguard
    • finished the race in the ruck
  4. pucker, wrinkle

ruck·sack ['rək-,sak, 'ru̇k-] -n

  1. knapsack

ruck·us ['rə-kəs also 'rü- or 'ru̇-] -n

  1. row, disturbance
    • raise a ruckus

ruc·tion ['rək-shən] -n

  1. a noisy fight
  2. disturbance, uproar

rud·beck·ia [,rəd-'be-kē-ə, rüd-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Rudbeckia) of No. American chiefly perennial composite herbs having showy flower heads with mostly yellow ray flowers and a usu. conical scaly receptacle

rudd ['rəd, 'ru̇d] -n

  1. a freshwater Eurasian cyprinid fish ( Scardinius erythrophthalmus) resembling the golden shiner

rud·der ['rə-dər] -n, adj

  1. an underwater blade that is positioned at the stern of a boat or ship and controlled by its helm and that when turned causes the vessel's head to turn in the same direction
  2. a movable auxiliary airfoil on an airplane usu. attached at the rear end that serves to control direction of flight in the horizontal plane
  3. a guiding force or strategy

rud·der·post [-,pōst] -n

  1. the shaft of a rudder
  2. an additional sternpost in a ship with a single screw propeller to which the rudder is attached

rud·dle ['rə-dᵊl] -n

  1. red ocher

ruddle ['rəd-liŋ, 'rə-dᵊl-iŋ] -vt

  1. to color with or as if with red ocher : redden

rud·dock ['rə-dək, 'ru̇-] -n

  1. robin

rud·dy ['rə-dē] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a healthy reddish color
  2. red, reddish
  3. used as an intensive
    • bellowed like a ruddy bull when she wanted food -- Doreen Tovey

ruddy duck -n

  1. an American duck ( Oxyura jamaicensis) with a long tail of stiff feathers, a broad bill, and in the breeding male a brownish-red back and sides and a blue bill

rude ['rüd] -adj, adv

  1. being in a rough or unfinished state : crude
  2. natural, raw
    • rude cotton
  3. primitive, undeveloped
    • peasants use rude wooden plows -- Jack Raymond
  4. simple, elemental
    • landscape done in rude whites, blacks, deep browns -- Richard Harris
  5. : lacking refinement or delicacy:
  6. ignorant, unlearned
  7. inelegant, uncouth
  8. offensive in manner or action : discourteous
  9. uncivilized, savage
  10. coarse, vulgar
  11. marked by or suggestive of lack of training or skill : inexperienced
    • rude workmanship
  12. robust, sturdy
    • in rude health
  13. occurring abruptly and disconcertingly
    • a rude awakening

rude·ness -n

  1. the quality or state of being rude
  2. a rude action

ru·der·al ['rü-də-rəl] -adj

  1. growing where the natural vegetational cover has been disturbed by humans
    • ruderal weeds of old fields and roadsides

ruderal -n

  1. a weedy and commonly introduced plant growing where the vegetational cover has been interrupted

ru·di·ment ['rü-də-mənt] -n, adj

  1. a basic principle or element or a fundamental skill usu. used in pl.
    • teaching themselves the rudiment s of rational government -- G. B. Galanti
  2. something unformed or undeveloped : beginning usu. used in pl.
    • the rudiment s of a plan
  3. a body part so deficient in size or structure as to be entirely unable to perform its normal function
  4. an organ just beginning to develop : anlage

ru·di·men·ta·ry [,rü-də-'men-tə-rē, -'men-trē] -adj, adv, n

  1. consisting in first principles : fundamental
    • had only a rudimentary formal education -- D. J. Boorstin
  2. of a primitive kind
    • the equipment of these past empire-builders was rudimentary -- A. J. Toynbee
  3. very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
    • the rudimentary tail of a hyrax

rue ['rü] -n

  1. regret, sorrow
    • with rue my heart is laden -- A. E. Housman
  2. to feel penitence, remorse, or regret for
  3. to feel sorrow, remorse, or regret
  4. a European strong-scented perennial woody herb ( Ruta graveolensof the family Rutaceae, the rue family) that has bitter leaves used medicinally

rue anemone -n

  1. a delicate vernal No. American herb ( Anemonella thalictroides) of the buttercup family that has white flowers resembling those of the wood anemone and basal leaves

rue·ful ['rü-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. exciting pity or sympathy : pitiable
    • rueful squalid poverty...by every wayside -- John Morley
  2. mournful, regretful
    • troubled her with a rueful disquiet -- W. M. Thackeray

ru·fes·cent [rü-'fe-sᵊnt] -adj

  1. reddish

ruff ['rəf] -n

  1. a small freshwater European perch ( Acerina cernua)
  2. a large round collar of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the late 16th and early 17th centuries
  3. a fringe or frill of long hairs or feathers growing around or on the neck of an animal
  4. a common Eurasian sandpiper ( Philomachus pugnax) whose male during the breeding season has a large ruff of erectile feathers on the neck
  5. to take a trick with a trump
  6. to play a trump on (a card previously led or played)
  7. the act of trumping

ruffed grouse -n

  1. a grouse ( Bonasa umbellus) of U.S. and Canadian forests of which the male erects a ruff of black feathers and fans out a broad black-banded tail during breeding displays

ruf·fi·an ['rə-fē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a brutal person : bully

ruf·fle ['rə-fəl] -vb

  1. roughen, abrade
  2. trouble, vex
    • is not ruffled by such barbs -- Bruce Anderson
  3. to erect (as feathers) in or like a ruff
  4. to flip through (as pages)
  5. shuffle
  6. to make into a ruffle
  7. to become ruffled
    • their dispositions ruffle perceptibly -- Life

ruffle ['rə-f(ə-)lē] -n, adj

  1. commotion, brawl
  2. a state or cause of irritation
  3. a strip of fabric gathered or pleated on one edge
  4. ruff
  5. an unevenness or disturbance of surface : ripple
  6. a low vibrating drumbeat less loud than a roll

RU-486 ['är-,yü-,fȯr-,ā-tē-'siks] -n

  1. a drug C 29H 35NO 2taken orally to induce abortion esp. early in pregnancy by blocking the body's use of progesterone called also mifepristone

ru·fous ['rü-fəs] -adj

  1. reddish

rug ['rəg] -n

  1. lap robe
  2. a piece of thick heavy fabric that usu. has a nap or pile and is used as a floor covering
  3. a floor mat of an animal pelt
    • a bearskin rug
  4. toupee
  5. a blanket for an animal (as a horse or dog)

ru·ga ['rü-gə] -n

  1. an anatomical fold or wrinkle (as of the gastric mucous membranes) usu. used in pl.

rug·by ['rəg-bē] -n

  1. a football game in which play is continuous without time-outs or substitutions, interference and forward passing are not permitted, and kicking, dribbling, lateral passing, and tackling are featured

rug·e·lach ['rü-gə-lək̲] -n

  1. a pastry made with cream-cheese dough that is rolled around a filling (as nuts, jam, or chocolate) and baked

rug·ged ['rə-gəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. shaggy, hairy
  2. having a rough uneven surface : jagged
    • rugged mountains
  3. turbulent, stormy
    • rugged weather
  4. seamed with wrinkles and furrows : weathered used of a human face
  5. showing facial signs of strength
    • rugged good looks
  6. austere, stern
  7. coarse, rude
  8. rough and strong in character
  9. presenting a severe test of ability, stamina, or resolution
  10. strongly built or constituted : robust
    • those that survive are stalwart, rugged men -- L. D. Stamp

rug·ged·ize ['rə-gə-,dīz] -vt, n

  1. to strengthen (as a machine) for better resistance to wear, stress, and abuse
    • a ruggedized camera

rug·ger ['rə-gər] -n

  1. rugby
  2. a rugby player

ru·go·la ['rü-gə-lə] -n

  1. arugula

ru·go·sa rose [rü-'gō-sə-, -zə-] -n

  1. any of various hardy thorny garden roses descended from a rose ( Rosa rugosa) introduced from China and Japan called also rugosa

ru·gose ['rü-,gōs] -adj, n

  1. full of wrinkles
    • rugose cheeks
  2. having the veinlets sunken and the spaces between elevated
    • rugose leaves of the sage

rug rat -n

  1. a child not yet old enough for school

ru·gu·lose ['rü-gyə-,lōs] -adj

  1. having small rugae : finely wrinkled

ru·in ['rü-ən, -,in; 'rün] -n, adj, vt

  1. a falling down : collapse
    • from age to age...the crash of ruin fitfully resounds -- William Wordsworth
  2. physical, moral, economic, or social collapse
  3. the state of being ruined archaic except in pl.
    • the city lay in ruin s
  4. the remains of something destroyed usu. used in pl.
    • the ruin s of an ancient temple
    • the ruin s of his life
  5. a cause of destruction
  6. the action of destroying, laying waste, or wrecking
  7. damage, injury
  8. a ruined building, person, or object

ruin -vt, n

  1. to reduce to ruins : devastate
  2. to damage irreparably
  3. bankrupt, impoverish
    • ruin ed by stock speculation
  4. to subject to frustration, failure, or disaster
    • will ruin your chances of promotion
  5. to become ruined

ru·in·a·tion [,rü-ə-'nā-shən] -n

  1. ruin, destruction

ru·in·ous ['rü-ə-nəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. dilapidated, ruined
  2. causing or tending to cause ruin

rule ['rül] -n

  1. a prescribed guide for conduct or action
  2. the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members
  3. an accepted procedure, custom, or habit
  4. a usu. written order or direction made by a court regulating court practice or the action of parties
  5. a legal precept or doctrine
  6. a regulation or bylaw governing procedure or controlling conduct
  7. a usu. valid generalization
  8. a generally prevailing quality, state, or mode
    • fair weather was the rule yesterday -- N.Y. Times
  9. a standard of judgment : criterion
  10. a regulating principle
  11. a determinate method for performing a mathematical operation and obtaining a certain result
  12. the exercise of authority or control : dominion
  13. a period during which a specified ruler or government exercises control
  14. a strip of material marked off in units used esp. for measuring : ruler , tape measure
  15. a metal strip with a type-high face that prints a linear design
  16. a linear design produced by or as if by such a strip
  17. to exert control, direction, or influence on
    • the passions that rule our minds
  18. to exercise control over esp. by curbing or restraining
    • rule a fractious horse
    • ruled his appetites firmly
  19. to exercise authority or power over often harshly or arbitrarily
    • the speaker ruled the legislature with an iron hand
  20. to be preeminent in : dominate
  21. to determine and declare authoritatively
  22. to command or determine judicially
  23. to mark with lines drawn along or as if along the straight edge of a ruler
  24. to mark (a line) on a paper with a ruler
  25. to arrange in a line
  26. to exercise supreme authority
  27. to be first in importance or prominence : predominate
    • the physical did not rule in her nature -- Sherwood Anderson
  28. to exist in a specified state or condition
  29. to lay down a legal rule
  30. to be extremely cool or popular used as a generalized term of praise or approval
    • for a little attitude at the right price, sneakers rule -- Tish Hamilton

ruled surface -n

  1. a surface generated by a moving straight line with the result that through every point on the surface a line can be drawn lying wholly in the surface

rule·less ['rül-ləs] -adj

  1. not restrained or regulated by law

rule of the road

  1. a customary practice (as driving always on a particular side of the road or yielding the right of way) developed in the interest of safety and often subsequently reinforced by law
  2. any of the rules making up a code governing ships in matters relating to mutual safety

rule of thumb

  1. a method of procedure based on experience and common sense
  2. a general principle regarded as roughly correct but not intended to be scientifically accurate

rule out -vt

  1. exclude, eliminate
  2. to make impossible : prevent
    • heavy rain ruled out the picnic

rul·er ['rü-lər] -n

  1. one that rules
  2. sovereign
  3. a worker or a machine that rules paper
  4. a smooth-edged strip (as of wood or metal) that is usu. marked off in units (as inches) and is used as a straightedge or for measuring

ruling -n

  1. an official or authoritative decision, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a point of law)
  2. exerting power or authority
    • the ruling party
  3. chief, predominating
    • a ruling passion
  4. generally prevailing

ruly ['rü-lē] -adj

  1. obedient, orderly
    • a ruly crowd

rum ['rəm] -n

  1. an alcoholic beverage distilled from a fermented cane product (as molasses)
  2. alcoholic liquor
    • the demon rum
  3. queer, odd
    • writing is a rum trade -- Angela Thirkell
  4. difficult, dangerous

rum·ba ['rəm-bə, 'ru̇m-, 'rüm-] -n

  1. a ballroom dance of Cuban origin in or time with a basic pattern of step-close-step and marked by a delayed transfer of weight and pronounced hip movements
  2. the music for this dance

rum·ble ['rəm-bəl] -vb, n

  1. to make a low heavy rolling sound
    • thunder rumbling in the distance
  2. to travel with a low reverberating sound
    • wagons rumbled into town
  3. to speak in a low rolling tone
  4. to engage in a rumble
  5. to utter or emit in a low rolling voice
  6. to reveal or discover the true character of

rumble -n

  1. a low heavy continuous reverberating often muffled sound (as of thunder)
  2. low frequency noise in phonographic playback caused by the transmission of mechanical vibrations by the turntable to the pickup
  3. a seat for servants behind the body of a carriage
  4. widespread expression of dissatisfaction or unrest
  5. a street fight esp. among gangs

rumble seat -n

  1. a folding seat in the back of an automobile (as a coupe or roadster) not covered by the top

rumble strip -n

  1. a strip of corrugated pavement (as along the edge of a highway) that causes rumbling and vibration when driven over

rumbling -n

  1. rumble
  2. general but unofficial talk or opinion often of dissatisfaction usu. used in pl.
    • rumbling s of political trouble -- Anthony Burgess

rum·bly ['rəm-b(ə-)lē] -adj

  1. tending to rumble or rattle

rum·bus·tious [,rəm-'bəs-chəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. rambunctious

ru·men ['rü-mən] -n, adj

  1. the large first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant in which cellulose is broken down by the action of symbiotic microorganisms

ru·mi·nant ['rü-mə-nənt] -n

  1. a ruminant mammal

ruminant -adj, adv

  1. chewing the cud
  2. characterized by chewing again what has been swallowed
  3. of or relating to two suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of herbivorous even-toed hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach
  4. given to or engaged in contemplation : meditative
    • stood there...in this attitude of ruminant relish -- Thomas Wolfe

ru·mi·nate ['rü-mə-,nāt] -vb, n, adj, adv

  1. to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly
  2. to chew repeatedly for an extended period
  3. to chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed : chew the cud
  4. to engage in contemplation : reflect

rum·mage ['rə-mij] -vb, n

  1. to make a thorough search or investigation
  2. to engage in an undirected or haphazard search
  3. to make a thorough search through : ransack
    • rummaged the attic
  4. to examine minutely and completely
  5. to discover by searching

rummage -n

  1. a confused miscellaneous collection
  2. items for sale at a rummage sale
  3. a thorough search esp. among a confusion of objects

rummage sale -n

  1. a usu. informal sale of miscellaneous goods
  2. a sale of donated articles conducted by a nonprofit organization (as a church or charity) to help support its programs

rum·mer ['rə-mər] -n

  1. a large-bowled footed drinking glass often elaborately etched or engraved

rum·my ['rə-mē] -adj

  1. queer, odd
    • feeling a little rummy from our trip up the escalator -- New Yorker

rummy -n

  1. drunkard
  2. any of several card games for two or more players in which each player tries to assemble groups of three or more cards of the same rank or suit and to be the first to meld them all

ru·mor ['rü-mər] -n

  1. talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source
  2. a statement or report current without known authority for its truth
  3. talk or report of a notable person or event
  4. a soft low indistinct sound : murmur

rumor -vt

  1. to tell or spread by rumor

ru·mor·mon·ger [-,məŋ-gər, -,mäŋ-] -n

  1. a person who spreads rumors

ru·mour ['rü-mər] -n

(variant of rumor)

  1. talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source
  2. a statement or report current without known authority for its truth
  3. talk or report of a notable person or event
  4. a soft low indistinct sound : murmur

rump ['rəmp] -n

  1. the upper rounded part of the hindquarters of a quadruped mammal
  2. buttocks
  3. the sacral or dorsal part of the posterior end of a bird
  4. a cut of meat (as beef) between the loin and round
  5. a small or inferior remnant or offshoot
  6. a group (as a parliament) carrying on in the name of the original body after the departure or expulsion of a large number of its members

rum·ple ['rəm-pəl] -n

  1. fold, wrinkle

rumple [-p(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. wrinkle, crumple
  2. to make unkempt : tousle
  3. to become rumpled

rum·ply ['rəm-p(ə-)lē] -adj

  1. having rumples

rum·pus ['rəm-pəs] -n

  1. a usu. noisy commotion

rumpus room -n

  1. a room usu. in the basement of a home that is used for games, parties, and recreation

rum·run·ner ['rəm-,rə-nər] -n, adj or n

  1. a person or ship engaged in bringing prohibited liquor ashore or across a border

run ['rən] -vb

  1. to go faster than a walk
  2. to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step
  3. to move at a fast gallop
  4. flee, retreat, escape
    • dropped the gun and ran
  5. to utilize a running play on offense used of a football team
  6. to go without restraint : move freely about at will
    • let chickens run loose
  7. to keep company : consort
    • a ram running with ewes
    • ran with a wild crowd when he was young
  8. to sail before the wind in distinction from reaching or sailing close-hauled
  9. roam, rove
    • running about with no overcoat
  10. to go rapidly or hurriedly : hasten
    • run and fetch the doctor
  11. to go in urgency or distress : resort
    • run s to mother at every little difficulty
  12. to make a quick, easy, or casual trip or visit
    • ran over to borrow some sugar
  13. to contend in a race
  14. to enter into an election contest
    • will run for mayor
  15. to move on or as if on wheels : glide
    • file drawers running on ball bearings
  16. to roll forward rapidly or freely
  17. to pass or slide freely
    • a rope run s through the pulley
  18. to ravel lengthwise
    • stockings guaranteed not to run
  19. to sing or play a musical passage quickly
    • run up the scale
  20. to go back and forth : ply
    • the train run s between New York and Washington
  21. to migrate or move in considerable numbers
  22. to move up or down a river to spawn
  23. turn, rotate
    • a swiftly running grindstone
  24. function, operate
    • the engine run s on gasoline
    • software that run s on her computer
  25. to continue in force, operation, or production
    • the contract has two more years to run
    • the play ran for six months
  26. to have a specified duration, extent, or length
    • the manuscript run s nearly 500 pages
  27. to accompany as a valid obligation or right
    • a right-of-way that run s with the land
  28. to continue to accrue or become payable
    • interest on the loan run s from July 1
  29. to pass from one state to another
    • run into debt
  30. to flow rapidly or under pressure
  31. melt, fuse
  32. spread, dissolve
    • colors guaranteed not to run
  33. to discharge liquid (as pus or serum)
    • a running sore
  34. to develop rapidly in some specific direction
  35. to throw out an elongated shoot of growth
  36. to tend to produce or develop a specified quality or feature
    • they run to big noses in that family
  37. to lie in or take a certain direction
    • the boundary line run s east
  38. to lie or extend in relation to something
  39. to go back : reach
  40. to be in a certain form or expression
    • the letter run s as follows
  41. to be in a certain order of succession
  42. to occur persistently
    • musical talent run s in the family
  43. to remain of a specified size, amount, character, or quality
    • profits were running high
  44. to have or maintain a relative position or condition (as in a race)
    • ran third
    • running late
  45. to exist or occur in a continuous range of variation
    • shades run from white to dark gray
  46. to spread or pass quickly from point to point
    • chills ran up her spine
  47. to be current : circulate
    • speculation ran rife
  48. to cause (an animal) to go rapidly : ride or drive fast
  49. to bring to a specified condition by or as if by running
    • ran himself to death
  50. to go in pursuit of : hunt, chase
    • dogs that run deer
  51. to follow the trail of backward : trace
    • ran the rumor to its source
  52. to enter, register, or enroll as a contestant in a race
  53. to put forward as a candidate for office
  54. to carry (the football) on a running play
  55. to drive (livestock) esp. to a grazing place
  56. to provide pasturage for (livestock)
  57. to keep or maintain (livestock) on or as if on pasturage
  58. to pass over or traverse with speed
  59. to run on or over in athletic competition
    • run s the bases well
    • run the floor
  60. to accomplish or perform by or as if by running
    • ran a great race
    • run errands
  61. to slip or go through or past
    • run a blockade
    • run a red light
  62. to travel on (as a river) in a boat
    • run the rapids
  63. to cause to penetrate or enter : thrust
    • ran a splinter into her toe
  64. stitch
  65. to cause to pass : lead
    • run a wire in from the antenna
  66. to cause to collide
    • ran his head into a post
  67. smuggle
    • run guns
  68. to cause to pass lightly or quickly over, along, or into something
    • ran her eye down the list
  69. to cause or allow (as a vehicle or a vessel) to go in a specified manner or direction
    • ran the car off the road
  70. operate
    • run a lathe
  71. to direct the business or activities of : manage, conduct
    • run a factory
  72. to employ or supervise in espionage
    • run an agent
  73. to be full of or drenched with
    • streets ran blood
  74. contain, assay
  75. to cause to move or flow in a specified way or into a specified position
    • run cards into a file
  76. to cause to produce a flow (as of water)
    • run the faucet
  77. to prepare by running a faucet
    • run a hot bath
  78. to melt and cast in a mold
    • run bullets
  79. treat, process, refine
    • run oil in a still
    • run a problem through a computer
  80. to make oneself liable to : incur
    • ran the risk of discovery
  81. to mark out : draw
    • run a contour line on a map
  82. to permit (as charges) to accumulate before settling
    • run a tab at the bar
    often used with up
    • ran up a large phone bill
  83. cost
    • rooms that run 50 a night
  84. to produce by or as if by printing usu. used with off
    • ran off 10,000 copies of the first edition
  85. to carry in a printed medium : print
    • every newspaper ran the story
  86. to make (a series of counts) without a miss
    • run 19 in an inning in billiards
  87. to lead winning cards of (a suit) successively
  88. to alter by addition
    • ran his record to six wins and four losses
  89. to make (a golf ball) roll forward after alighting
  90. an act or the action of running : continued rapid movement
  91. a quickened gallop
  92. a migration of fish (as up or down a river) esp. to spawn
  93. such fish in the process of migration
  94. a running race
    • a mile run
  95. a score made in baseball by a runner reaching home plate safely
  96. strength or ability to run
  97. a gain of a usu. specified distance made on a running play in football
    • scored on a 25-yard run
  98. a running play
  99. a sustained usu. aggressive effort (as to win or obtain something)
    • making a run at the championship
  100. creek
  101. something that flows in the course of an operation or during a particular time
    • the first run of sap in sugar maples
  102. the stern of the underwater body of a ship from where it begins to curve or slope upward and inward
  103. the direction in which a vein of ore lies
  104. a direction of secondary or minor cleavage : grain
    • the run of a mass of granite
  105. a horizontal distance (as that covered by a flight of steps)
  106. general tendency or direction
  107. : a continuous period or series esp. of things of identical or similar sort
    • a run of bad luck
    : as
  108. a rapid passage up or down a scale in vocal or instrumental music
  109. a number of rapid small dance steps executed in even tempo
  110. the act of making successively a number of successful shots or strokes
  111. the score thus made
    • a run of 20 in billiards
  112. an unbroken course of performances or showings
    • a long run on Broadway
  113. a set of consecutive measurements, readings, or observations
  114. persistent and heavy demands from depositors, creditors, or customers
    • a run on a bank
  115. sequence
  116. the quantity of work turned out in a continuous operation
    • a press run of 10,000 copies
  117. the usual or normal kind, character, type, or group
    • the average run of students
  118. the distance covered in a period of continuous traveling or sailing
  119. a course or trip esp. if mapped out and traveled with regularity
  120. a news reporter's regular territory : beat
  121. freedom of movement in or access to a place or area
    • has the run of the house
  122. the period during which a machine or plant is in continuous operation
  123. the use of machinery for a single set of processing procedures
    • a computer run
  124. a way, track, or path frequented by animals
  125. an enclosure for domestic animals where they may feed or exercise
  126. a large area of land used for grazing
    • a sheep run
  127. ranch, station
    • run -holder
  128. an inclined passageway
  129. an inclined course (as for skiing or bobsledding)
  130. a support (as a track, pipe, or trough) on which something runs
  131. a ravel in a knitted fabric (as in hosiery) caused by the breaking of stitches
  132. a paint defect caused by excessive flow
  133. diarrhea used with the
  134. being in a melted state
    • run butter
  135. made from molten material : cast in a mold
    • run metal
  136. having made a migration or spawning run
    • a fresh run salmon
  137. exhausted or winded from running

run·about ['rə-nə-,bau̇t] -n

  1. one who wanders about : stray
  2. a light usu. open wagon, car, or motorboat

run·a·gate ['rə-nə-,gāt] -n

  1. vagabond
  2. fugitive, runaway

run along -vi

  1. to go away : be on one's way : depart

runandgun -adj

  1. relating to or being a fast, freewheeling style of play in basketball that de-emphasizes set plays and defense

runandshoot -n

  1. a freewheeling style of offense in football that emphasizes passing

run·around ['rə-nə-,rau̇nd] -n

  1. deceptive or delaying action esp. in response to a request
    • tired of getting the runaround
  2. matter typeset in shortened measure to run around something (as a cut)

run·away ['rə-nə-,wā] -n

  1. one that runs away from danger, duty, or restraint : fugitive
  2. the act of running away out of control
  3. something (as a horse) that is running out of control
  4. a one-sided or overwhelming victory

runaway -adj

  1. running away : fugitive
  2. leaving to gain special advantages (as lower wages) or avoid disadvantages (as governmental or union restrictions)
    • runaway shipping firms
    • a runaway shop
  3. accomplished by elopement or during flight
  4. won by or having a long lead
    • a runaway success
  5. extremely successful
    • a runaway best seller
  6. subject to uncontrolled changes
    • runaway inflation
  7. being or operating out of control
    • a runaway oil well
    • a runaway nuclear reactor

run away -vi

  1. to leave quickly in order to avoid or escape something
  2. to leave home
  3. elope
  4. to run out of control : stampede, bolt
  5. to gain a substantial lead : win by a large margin

run·back ['rən-,bak] -n

  1. a run made in football after catching an opponent's kick or intercepting a pass

run·ci·ble spoon ['rən(t)-sə-bəl-] -n

  1. a sharp-edged fork with three broad curved prongs

run·ci·nate ['rən(t)-sə-,nāt] -adj

  1. pinnately cut with the lobes pointing downward
    • runcinate leaves of the dandelion

run·dle ['rən-dᵊl] -n

  1. a step of a ladder : rung
  2. the drum of a windlass or capstan

rund·let ['rən(d)-lət] -n

  1. a small barrel : keg

run·down ['rən-,dau̇n] -n

  1. a play in baseball in which a base runner who is caught off base is chased by two or more opposing players who throw the ball from one to another in an attempt to tag the runner out
  2. an item-by-item report or review : summary

rundown ['rən-'dau̇n] -adj

  1. worn-out, exhausted
  2. completely unwound
  3. being in poor repair : dilapidated

run down -vt

  1. to collide with and knock down
  2. to run against and cause to sink
  3. to chase to exhaustion or until captured
  4. to trace the source of
  5. to tag out (a base runner) between bases on a rundown
  6. disparage
  7. to cease to operate because of the exhaustion of motive power
    • the clock ran down
  8. to decline in physical condition or vigor

rune ['rün] -n, adj

  1. any of the characters of any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3d to the 13th centuries
  2. mystery, magic
  3. a Finnish or Old Norse poem
  4. poem, song

rung ['riŋ] -n, adj

(variant of ring)

  1. a circular band for holding, connecting, hanging, pulling, packing, or sealing
    • a key ring
    • a towel ring
  2. a circlet usu. of precious metal worn esp. on the finger
  3. a circular line, figure, or object
    • smoke ring
  4. an encircling arrangement
    • a ring of suburbs
  5. a circular or spiral course often used figuratively in pl. in the phrase run rings around to describe surpassing an opponent decisively
  6. an often circular space esp. for exhibitions or competitions
  7. such a space at a circus
  8. a structure containing such a ring
  9. a square enclosure in which a fighting contest (as a boxing or wrestling match) takes place
  10. a band of small objects revolving around a planet (as Saturn) and composed of dust and icy or rocky fragments
  11. annual ring
  12. an exclusive combination of persons for a selfish and often corrupt purpose (as to control a market)
    • a wheat ring
  13. gang
  14. the field of a political contest : race
  15. food in the shape of a circle
  16. an arrangement of atoms represented in formulas or models in a cyclic manner called also cycle
  17. a set of mathematical elements that is closed under two binary operations of which the first forms a commutative group with the set and the second is associative over the set and is distributive with respect to the first operation
  18. a pair of usu. rubber-covered metal rings suspended from a ceiling or crossbar to a height of approximately eight feet above the floor and used for hanging, swinging, and balancing feats in gymnastics
  19. an event in gymnastics competition in which the rings are used
  20. boxing
    • ended his ring career
  21. to provide with a ring
  22. to place or form a ring around : encircle
    • police ring ed the building
  23. girdle
  24. to throw a ringer over (the peg) in a game (as horseshoes or quoits)
  25. to move in a ring
  26. to rise in the air spirally
  27. to form or take the shape of a ring
  28. to sound resonantly or sonorously
    • the doorbell rang
    • cheers rang out
  29. to be filled with a reverberating sound : resound
    • the halls rang with laughter
  30. to have the sensation of being filled with a humming sound
    • his ears rang
  31. to cause something to ring
    • ring for the butler
  32. to be filled with talk or report
    • the whole land rang with her fame
  33. to have great renown
  34. to sound repetitiously
    • their praise rang in his ears
  35. to have a sound or character expressive of some quality
    • a story that ring s true
  36. to make a telephone call usu. used with up
  37. to cause to sound esp. by striking
  38. to make (a sound) by or as if by ringing a bell
  39. to announce by or as if by ringing
  40. to repeat often, loudly, or earnestly
  41. to summon esp. by bell
  42. telephone usu. used with up
  43. a set of bells
  44. a clear resonant sound made by or resembling that made by vibrating metal
  45. resonant tone : sonority
  46. a loud sound continued, repeated, or reverberated
  47. a sound or character expressive of some particular quality
    • the story had a familiar ring
  48. the act or an instance of ringing
  49. a telephone call

runin ['rən-,in] -n

  1. the final part of a race or racetrack
  2. altercation, quarrel
  3. something inserted as a substantial addition in copy or typeset matter

run in -vt

  1. to insert as additional matter
  2. to make (typeset matter) continuous without a paragraph or other break
  3. to arrest for a usu. minor offense
  4. to break in (a new machine) gradually by careful operation
  5. to pay a casual visit

run·let ['rən-lət] -n

  1. rivulet, streamlet

run·nel ['rə-nᵊl] -n

  1. rivulet, streamlet

run·ner ['rə-nər] -n

  1. one that runs : racer
  2. base runner
  3. ballcarrier
  4. messenger
  5. one that smuggles or distributes illicit or contraband goods (as drugs, liquor, or guns)
  6. any of several large vigorous carangid fishes
  7. either of the longitudinal pieces on which a sled or sleigh slides
  8. the part of a skate that slides on the ice : blade
  9. the support of a drawer or a sliding door
  10. an elongated horizontal stem arising from the base of a plant
  11. stolon
  12. a plant (as a strawberry) that forms or spreads by means of runners
  13. a twining vine (as a scarlet runner bean)
  14. a long narrow carpet for a hall or staircase
  15. a narrow decorative cloth cover for a table or dresser top
  16. an adjustable backstay running from mast to rail on a sail boat or ship
  17. a running shot in basketball

runner bean -n

  1. scarlet runner bean

runner's high -n

  1. a feeling of euphoria that is experienced by some individuals engaged in strenuous running and that is held to be associated with a release of endorphins by the brain

run·nerup ['rə-nə-,rəp, ,rə-nə-'] -n

  1. the competitor that does not win first place in a contest
  2. one that finishes in second place

running -n

  1. the action of running
  2. race
  3. physical condition for running
  4. management, care
  5. cursive, flowing
  6. fluid, runny
  7. incessant, continuous
    • a running battle
  8. made during the course of a process or activity
    • a running commentary on the game
  9. measured in a straight line
    • cost of lumber per running foot
  10. initiated or performed while running or with a running start
    • a running catch
    • a running jump
  11. of, relating to, or being a football play in which the ball is advanced by running rather than by passing
    • their running game was off
  12. designed for use by runners
    • a running track
    • running shoes
  13. fitted or trained for running rather than walking, trotting, or jumping
    • a running horse
  14. in succession : consecutively
    • three days running

running back -n

  1. a football back (as a halfback or fullback) who carries the ball on running plays

running board -n

  1. a footboard esp. at the side of an automobile

running dog -n

  1. one who blindly follows someone else's orders : lackey

running gear -n

  1. the working and carrying parts of a machine (as a locomotive)
  2. the parts of an automobile chassis not used in developing, transmitting, and controlling power

running hand -n

  1. handwriting in which the letters are usu. slanted and the words formed without lifting the pen

running head -n

  1. a headline repeated on consecutive pages (as of a book) called also running headline

running knot -n

  1. slipknot

running light -n

  1. any of the lights carried by a vehicle (as a ship or automobile) that indicate size, position, or course

running mate -n

  1. companion
  2. a horse entered in a race to set the pace for a horse of the same owner or stable
  3. a candidate running for a subordinate place on a ticket
  4. the candidate for vice-president

running start -n

  1. flying start

running stitch -n

  1. a small even stitch run in and out in cloth

running time -n

  1. the duration of a motion picture, a theatrical performance, or a recording

running title -n

  1. the title or abbreviated title of a volume printed at the top of left-hand text pages or sometimes of all text pages

running water -n

  1. water distributed through pipes and fixtures
    • a cabin with hot and cold running water

run·ny ['rə-nē] -adj

  1. : having a tendency to run: as
  2. extremely or excessively soft and liquid
    • a runny dough
  3. secreting a thin flow of mucus
    • a runny nose

run·off ['rən-,ȯf] -n

  1. a final race, contest, or election to decide an earlier one that has not resulted in a decision in favor of any one competitor
  2. the portion of precipitation on land that ultimately reaches streams often with dissolved or suspended material

run off -vt

  1. to recite, compose, or produce rapidly
  2. to cause to be run or played to a finish
  3. to decide (as a race) by a runoff
  4. carry out
  5. to drain off : draw off
  6. to drive off (as trespassers)
  7. to steal (as cattle) by driving away
  8. run away

runofpaper [,rən-əv-'pā-pər] -adj

  1. to be placed anywhere in a newspaper at the option of the editor
    • runofpaper advertisement

runofthemill [,rən-ə(v)-thə-'mil] -adj

  1. not outstanding in quality or rarity : average, ordinary

runofthemine [-'mīn] -adj

  1. not graded
    • runofthemine coal
  2. run-of-the-mill

runon ['rən-'ȯn, -'än] -adj

  1. continuing without rhetorical pause from one line of verse into another
  2. something (as a dictionary entry) that is run on
  3. run-on sentence

run on -vi

  1. to talk or narrate at length
  2. to keep going : continue
  3. to continue (matter in type) without a break or a new paragraph : run in
  4. to place or add (as an entry in a dictionary) at the end of a paragraphed item

runon sentence -n

  1. a sentence containing two or more clauses not connected by the correct conjunction or punctuation

run out -vi

  1. to come to an end : expire
    • time ran out
  2. to become exhausted or used up
    • the gasoline ran out
  3. to jut out
  4. to finish out (as a course, series, or contest) : complete
  5. to run hard to first base after hitting (a batted ball)
    • ran out the grounder
  6. to fill out (a typeset line) with quads, leaders, or ornaments
  7. to set (as the first line of a paragraph) with a hanging indention
  8. to exhaust (oneself) in running
  9. to cause to leave by force or coercion : expel

run·over ['rən-,ō-vər] -n

  1. matter for publication that exceeds the space allotted

runover ['rən-'ō-vər] -adj

  1. extending beyond the allotted space

run over -vi

  1. to exceed a limit
  2. overflow
  3. to go over, examine, repeat, or rehearse quickly
  4. to collide with, knock down, and often drive over
    • ran over a dog

runt ['rənt] -n, adj

  1. a hardened stalk or stem of a plant
  2. an animal unusually small of its kind
  3. the smallest of a litter of pigs
  4. a person of small stature

runthrough ['rən-,thrü] -n

  1. a usu. cursory reading, summary, or rehearsal

run through -vt

  1. pierce
  2. to spend or consume wastefully and rapidly
  3. to read or rehearse without pausing
  4. carry out, do
  5. to subject to a process

runup ['rən-,əp] -n

  1. the act of running up something
  2. a usu. sudden increase in volume or price
  3. a period immediately preceding an action or event

run up -vi

  1. to grow rapidly : shoot up
  2. bid up
  3. to stitch together quickly
  4. to erect hastily
  5. to achieve by accumulating
    • ran up a big lead

run·way ['rən-,wā] -n

  1. a beaten path made by animals
  2. a passageway for animals
  3. a paved strip of ground on a landing field for the landing and takeoff of aircraft
  4. a narrow platform from a stage into an auditorium
  5. a platform along which models walk in a fashion show
  6. run
  7. the area or path along which a jumper, pole vaulter, or javelin thrower runs

rup·ture ['rəp(t)-shər] -n

  1. breach of peace or concord
  2. open hostility or war between nations
  3. the tearing apart of a tissue
    • rupture of the heart muscle
    • rupture of an intervertebral disk
  4. hernia
  5. a breaking apart or the state of being broken apart

rupture [-sh(ə-)riŋ] -vb

  1. to part by violence : break, burst
  2. to create or induce a breach of
  3. to produce a rupture in
  4. to have or undergo a rupture

ru·ral ['ru̇r-əl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

rural dean -n

  1. dean

rural free delivery -n

  1. free delivery of mail to a rural area called also rural delivery

ru·ral·ist ['ru̇r-ə-list] -n

  1. one who lives in a rural area

rural route -n

  1. a mail-delivery route in a rural free delivery area

rur·ban ['rər-bən, 'ru̇r-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting an area which is chiefly residential but where some farming is carried on

Ru·ri·tan ['ru̇r-ə-tən] -n

  1. a member of a major national service club

Ru·ri·ta·ni·an ['ru̇r-ə-,tā-nē-ən, ,ru̇r-ə-'] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an imaginary place of high romance

ruse ['rüs, 'rüz] -n

  1. a wily subterfuge

rush ['rəsh] -n, adj

  1. any of various monocotyledonous often tufted marsh plants (as of the genera Juncusand Luzulaof the family Juncaceae, the rush family) with cylindrical often hollow stems which are used in bottoming chairs and plaiting mats
  2. to move forward, progress, or act with haste or eagerness or without preparation
  3. to advance a football by running plays
    • rush ed for a total of 150 yards
  4. to push or impel on or forward with speed, impetuosity, or violence
  5. to perform in a short time or at high speed
  6. to urge to an unnatural or extreme speed
    • don't rush me
  7. to run toward or against in attack : charge
  8. to carry (a ball) forward in a running play
  9. to move in quickly on (a kicker or passer) to hinder, prevent, or block a kick or pass used esp. of defensive linemen
  10. to lavish attention on : court
  11. to try to secure a pledge of membership (as in a fraternity) from
  12. a violent forward motion
  13. attack, onset
  14. a surging of emotion
  15. a burst of activity, productivity, or speed
  16. a sudden insistent demand
  17. a thronging of people usu. to a new place in search of wealth
    • a gold rush
  18. the act of carrying a football during a game : running play
  19. the action or an instance of rushing a passer or kicker in football
    • a pass rush
  20. a round of attention usu. involving extensive social activity
  21. a drive by a fraternity or sorority to recruit new members
  22. a print of a motion-picture scene processed directly after the shooting for review by the director or producer usu. used in pl.
  23. the immediate pleasurable feeling produced by a drug (as heroin or amphetamine) called also flash
  24. a sudden feeling of intense pleasure or euphoria : thrill
  25. requiring or marked by special speed or urgency
    • rush orders
    • the rush season
    • a rush job

rush candle -n

  1. rushlight

rush·ee [,rə-'shē] -n

  1. a college or university student who is being rushed by a fraternity or sorority

rush·er ['rə-shər] -n

  1. one that rushes
  2. ballcarrier

rush hour -n

  1. a period of the day when the demands esp. of traffic or business are at a peak

rush·ing ['rə-shiŋ] -n

  1. the act of advancing a football by running plays : the use of running plays
  2. yardage gained by running plays

rush·light ['rəsh-,līt] -n

  1. a candle that consists of the pith of a rush dipped in grease

rusk ['rəsk] -n

  1. hard crisp bread orig. used as ship's stores
  2. a sweet or plain bread baked, sliced, and baked again until dry and crisp

Russ ['rəs, 'rüs, 'ru̇s] -n, adj

  1. russian

rus·set ['rə-sət] -n

  1. coarse homespun usu. reddish-brown cloth
  2. a reddish brown
  3. any of various apples having rough russet-colored skins
  4. a usu. large elongated potato esp. suited for baking

russet -adj

  1. of the color russet

rus·set·ing ['rə-sə-tiŋ] -n

  1. a brownish roughened area on the skin of fruit (as apples) caused by injury

Rus·sia leather ['rə-shə-] -n

  1. leather made by tanning various skins with willow, birch, or oak and then rubbing the flesh side with a phenolic oil distilled from a European birch called also Russia calf

Rus·sian ['rə-shən] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Russia
  2. a member of the dominant Slavic-speaking ethnic group of Russia
  3. a person of Russian descent
  4. a Slavic language of the Russian people spoken as a second language by many non-Russian ethnic groups of the Soviet Union and its successor states

Russian blue -n

  1. any of a breed of slender long-bodied large-eared domestic cats with short silky bluish-gray fur

Russian dressing -n

  1. a dressing (as of mayonnaise or oil and vinegar) with added chili sauce, chopped pickles, or pimientos

Rus·sian·ize ['rə-shə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to make Russian

Russian olive -n

  1. a Eurasian large shrub or small tree ( Elaeagnus angustifolia) of the oleaster family that has silvery foliage and is widely cultivated esp. as an ornamental or as a shelterbelt plant

Russian roulette -n

  1. an act of bravado consisting of spinning the cylinder of a revolver loaded with one cartridge, pointing the muzzle at one's own head, and pulling the trigger
  2. something resembling Russian roulette in its potential for disaster
    • taking cocaine is playing Russian roulette -- Jonathan Nicholas

Russian sage -n

  1. an upright Asian subshrub ( Perovskia atriplicifolia) of the mint family that is grown as an ornamental for its long narrow panicles of violet-blue flowers and grayish-green stems and leaves

Russian thistle -n

  1. a prickly European saltwort ( Salsola kali) that is a serious weed in No. America called also Russian tumbleweed

Russian wolfhound -n

  1. borzoi

Rus·si·fy ['rə-sə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. russianize

Russ·ki ['rəs-kē, 'ru̇s-, 'rüs-] -n

  1. russian

Rus·so- ['rə-(,)sō, 'rü-, -(,)shō] -comb form

  1. Russian and
    • the Russo- Japanese war

rust ['rəst] -n

  1. the reddish brittle coating formed on iron esp. when chemically attacked by moist air and composed essentially of hydrated ferric oxide
  2. a comparable coating produced on a metal other than iron by corrosion
  3. something resembling rust : accretion
  4. corrosive or injurious influence or effect
  5. any of numerous destructive diseases of plants produced by fungi (order Uredinales) and characterized by usu. reddish-brown pustular lesions
  6. a fungus causing this
  7. a strong reddish brown
  8. to form rust : become oxidized
    • iron rust s
  9. to degenerate esp. from inaction, lack of use, or passage of time
    • most men would...have allowed their faculties to rust -- T. B. Macaulay
  10. to become reddish brown as if with rust
    • the leaves slowly rust ed
  11. to be affected with a rust fungus
  12. to cause (a metal) to form rust
    • keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them -- Shak.
  13. to impair or corrode by or as if by time, inactivity, or deleterious use
  14. to cause to become reddish brown : turn the color of rust

rust belt -n

  1. the northeastern and midwestern states of the U.S. in which heavy industry has declined called also rust bowl

rust bucket -n

  1. an old and dilapidated ship

rus·tic ['rəs-tik] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or suitable for the country : rural
    • rustic rolling farmland
  2. made of the rough limbs of trees
    • rustic furniture
  3. finished by rusticating
    • a rustic joint in masonry
  4. characteristic of or resembling country people
  5. lacking in social graces or polish
  6. appropriate to the country (as in plainness or sturdiness)
    • heavy rustic boots

rustic -n

  1. an inhabitant of a rural area
  2. an awkward coarse person
  3. an unsophisticated rural person

rus·ti·cate ['rəs-ti-,kāt] -vb, n

  1. to go into or reside in the country : follow a rustic life
  2. to suspend from school or college
  3. to build or face with usu. rough-surfaced masonry blocks having beveled or rebated edges producing pronounced joints
    • a rusticated facade
  4. to compel to reside in the country
  5. to cause to become rustic : implant rustic mannerisms in

rus·tle ['rə-səl] -vb, n

  1. to make or cause a rustle
  2. to act or move with energy or speed
  3. to forage food
  4. to steal cattle
  5. to cause to rustle
  6. to obtain by one's own exertions often used with up
    • able to rustle up 5,000 bail -- Jack McCallum
  7. forage
  8. to steal (as livestock) esp. from a farm or ranch

rustle -n

  1. a quick succession or confusion of small sounds

rust mite -n

  1. any of various small eriophyid mites that burrow in the surface of leaves or fruits usu. producing brown or reddish patches

rust·proof ['rəst-,prüf] -adj

  1. incapable of rusting

rusty ['rəs-tē] -adj, adv, n

  1. affected by or as if by rust
  2. stiff with or as if with rust
  3. inept and slow through lack of practice or old age
  4. of the color rust
  5. dulled in color or appearance by age and use
    • rusty old boots
  6. outmoded
  7. hoarse, grating

rus·ty ['rəs-tē] -adj

  1. ill-natured, surly

rut ['rət] -n

  1. an annually recurrent state of sexual excitement in the male deer
  2. sexual excitement in a mammal esp. when periodic
  3. the period during which rut normally occurs often used with the
  4. to be in or enter into a state of rut
  5. a track worn by a wheel or by habitual passage
  6. a groove in which something runs
  7. channel, furrow
  8. a usual or fixed practice
  9. a monotonous routine
    • fall easily into a conversational rut
  10. to make a rut in : furrow

ru·ta·ba·ga [,rü-tə-'bā-gə, ,ru̇-, -'be-; 'rü-tə-,, 'ru̇-] -n

  1. a turnip ( Brassica napus napobrassica) that usu. produces a large yellowish root that is eaten as a vegetable
  2. the root

ruth ['rüth] -n

  1. compassion for the misery of another
  2. sorrow for one's own faults : remorse

Ruth ['rüth] -n

  1. a Moabite woman who accompanied Naomi to Bethlehem and became the ancestress of David
  2. a short narrative book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scriptures

ru·the·ni·um [rü-'thē-nē-əm] -n

  1. a rare hard silvery-white metallic element occurring in platinum ores and used esp. as a catalyst and to harden alloys

ruth·er·ford·ium [,rə-thə(r)-'fȯr-dē-əm] -n

  1. a short-lived radioactive element that is produced artificially

ruth·ful ['rüth-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. full of ruth : tender
  2. full of sorrow : woeful
  3. causing sorrow

ruth·less ['rüth-ləs also 'ru̇th-] -adj, adv, n

  1. having no pity : merciless, cruel
    • a ruthless tyrant

ru·ti·lant ['rü-tə-lənt] -adj

  1. having a reddish glow

ru·tile ['rü-,tēl] -n

  1. a reddish-brown to black mineral that consists of titanium dioxide usu. with a little iron and has a brilliant metallic or adamantine luster

ru·tin ['rü-tᵊn] -n

  1. a yellow crystalline flavonol glycoside C 27H 30O 16that occurs in various plants (as buckwheat and tobacco) and is used in medicine chiefly for strengthening capillary walls

rut·tish ['rə-tish] -adj, adv, n

  1. inclined to rut : lustful

rut·ty ['rə-tē] -adj

  1. full of ruts