REEF

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Reef mean? 

• REEF (noun)
  The noun REEF has 3 senses:

1. a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water

2. a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese

3. one of several strips across a sail that can be taken in or rolled up to lessen the area of the sail that is exposed to the wind

  Familiarity information: REEF used as a noun is uncommon.

• REEF (verb)
  The verb REEF has 3 senses:

1. lower and bring partially inboard

2. roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area

3. reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef

  Familiarity information: REEF used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REEF (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("reef" is a kind of...):

ridge (a long narrow natural elevation or striation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reef"):

coral reef (a reef consisting of coral consolidated into limestone)

Derivation:

reefy (full of submerged reefs or sandbanks or shoals)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

Rand; Reef; Witwatersrand

Instance hypernyms:

part; region (the extended spatial location of something)

Holonyms ("Reef" is a part of...):

Transvaal (a province of northeastern South Africa originally inhabited by Africans who spoke Bantu; colonized by the Boers)

Sense 3

Meaning:

One of several strips across a sail that can be taken in or rolled up to lessen the area of the sail that is exposed to the wind

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("reef" is a kind of...):

slip; strip (artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material)

Holonyms ("reef" is a part of...):

canvas; canvass; sail; sheet (a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel)

• REEF (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they reef    ... he / she / it reefs   
Past simple: reefed   
Past participle: reefed   
-ing form: reefing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lower and bring partially inboard

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

reef the sailboat's mast

Hypernyms (to "reef" is one way to...):

bring down; get down; let down; lower; take down (move something or somebody to a lower position)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "reef" is one way to...):

furl; roll up (form into a cylinder by rolling)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "reef" is one way to...):

reduce; shrink (reduce in size; reduce physically)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

Those acoustic cues arise from many sources, not least the animals living on reefs.

(Loudspeakers used to attract fish back to dying coral reefs, SciDev.Net)

To obtain comprehensive geomorphic, sedimentological, biological and dating information, scientists deployed underwater sonar to map the sea floor and extracted fossil reef cores at 16 locations.

(Major study reveals Great Barrier Reef’s 30,000-year fight for survival, University of Granada)

"We know warming oceans pose a threat to coral reefs around the world," said Allison Tracy, who conducted the work with marine scientist Drew Harvell.

(Sea fan corals face new threat in warming ocean: copper, National Science Foundation)

I had burst open the ends of my fingers at the very first, and during the reefing I had worked with tears of pain running down my cheeks.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

There are at least 7,000 islands, islets, reefs and cayes in the region.

(Caribbean, NCI Thesaurus)

"Removal of algae grazers such as herbivorous fish and sea urchins leads to increases in macroalgae, which then leads to increased organic carbon, contributing to the degradation of coral reefs," Weber adds.

(Microbes reflect the health of coral reefs, National Science Foundation)

He was waiting for the rush of a big breaker whereon to jump the reef.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I never wasted good money of mine, nor lost it neither; and I'll trick 'em again. I'm not afraid on 'em. I'll shake out another reef, matey, and daddle 'em again.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Loud rang the swift charger's hoofs over rock and reef, while the fire flew from the stroke of iron, and the loose stones showered up behind him.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Protecting marine life could help the oceans to function better, soaking up more carbon and providing barriers against sea level rises and storm surges, in the form of coral reefs and mangrove swamps.

(Oceans running out of oxygen at unprecedented rate, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)