reef
IPA: rˈif
noun
- A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.
- (Australia, South Africa) A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
- (nautical) A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.
- A reef knot.
- (Now chiefly dialectal) The itch; any eruptive skin disorder.
- (Now chiefly dialectal) Dandruff.
- A surname from German.
verb
- (nautical) To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
- (Australia) To pull or yank strongly, especially in relation to horse riding.
- (nautical, of paddles) To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
- (slang) To manipulate the lining of a person's pocket in order to steal the contents unnoticed.
adjective
- Scabby; scurvy.
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Examples of "reef" in Sentences
- I think better access to this reef is a little north of the hotel.
- Finding we could not weather the reef, and that _it was too late had it been in our power to give any assistance_; and still fearing that we might be embayed or entangled by the supposed chain or patches; all therefore that remained for us to do was either by dint of carrying sail to weather the reef to the southward, (meaning the Cato's Bank,) or, if failing in that, to push to leeward and endeavour to find a passage through the _patches of reef_ to the northward.
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