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  • r
    r
    the theoretical intrinsic rate of increase of a population, equivalent to the difference between the birth and death rates divided by the number of individuals in the population.
  • R
    R
    noun
    the 18th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
  • r.
    r.
    abbreviation
    rabbi.
  • R.
    R.
    abbreviation
    (in prescriptions) take.

r

1 American  
Ecology.
  1. the theoretical intrinsic rate of increase of a population, equivalent to the difference between the birth and death rates divided by the number of individuals in the population.


r 2 American  

abbreviation

plural

rs
  1. radius.

  2. Commerce. registered.

  3. Electricity. resistance.

  4. Physics. roentgen.

  5. royal.

  6. ruble.

  7. rupee.


R 3 American  
[ahr] / ɑr /
Or r

noun

plural

R's, Rs, r's, rs
  1. the 18th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

  2. any spoken sound represented by the letter R or r, as in ran, carrot, or rhyme.

  3. something having the shape of R .

  4. a written or printed representation of the letter R or r.

  5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter R or r.

  6. three R's.


R 4 American  
[ahr] / ɑr /

verb

  1. Informal. are.

    Oysters R in season.


R 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Trademark. restricted: a rating assigned to a movie by the MPA indicating that children under the age of 17 will not be admitted to a theater showing the film unless accompanied by an adult.


R 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Chemistry. radical.

  2. Mathematics. ratio.

  3. regular: a man's suit or coat size.

  4. Electricity. resistance.

  5. Theater. stage right.

  6. Physics. roentgen.

  7. Chess. rook.


R 7 American  
Symbol.
  1. the 18th in order or in a series.

  2. (sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 80.

  3. Biochemistry. arginine.

  4. Physics. universal gas constant.

  5. registered trademark: written as superscript ® following a name registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.


r. 8 American  

abbreviation

plural

rs
  1. rabbi.

  2. railroad.

  3. railway.

  4. range.

  5. rare.

  6. Commerce. received.

  7. recipe.

  8. replacing.

  9. residence.

  10. right.

  11. rises.

  12. river.

  13. road.

  14. rod.

  15. royal.

  16. rubber.

  17. ruble.

  18. Baseball. run; runs.

  19. rupee.


R. 9 American  
Or R.

abbreviation

  1. (in prescriptions) take.


R. 10 American  

abbreviation

  1. rabbi.

  2. Radical.

  3. radius.

  4. railroad.

  5. railway.

  6. (in South Africa) rand; rands.

  7. Réaumur.

  8. rector.

  9. redactor.

  10. regina.

  11. Republican.

  12. response.

  13. rex.

  14. river.

  15. road.

  16. royal.

  17. ruble.

  18. rupee.

  19. Theater. stage right.


R. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. registered (trademark)

  2. right

  3. river

  4. rouble

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

R. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. rabbi

  2. rector

  3. Regina

  4. Republican

  5. response (in Christian liturgy)

  6. Rex

  7. River

  8. Royal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

r 3 British  
/ ɑː /

noun

  1. the 18th letter and 14th consonant of the modern English alphabet

  2. a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually an alveolar semivowel, as in red

  3. See three Rs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

R 4 British  

symbol

  1. chem radical

  2. currency

    1. rand

    2. rupee

  3. Réaumur temperature (scale)

  4. physics electronics resistance

  5. roentgen or röntgen

  6. chess rook

  7. Royal

  8. chem gas constant

    1. restricted exhibition (used to describe a category of film certified as unsuitable for viewing by anyone under the age of 18)

    2. ( as modifier )

      an R film

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

r. 5 British  

abbreviation

  1. rare

  2. recto

  3. Also: r.  rod (unit of length)

  4. ruled

  5. cricket baseball run(s)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

r Scientific  
  1. Abbreviation of radius


R Idioms  
  1. see three R's.


Etymology

Origin of R5

An American designation established in 1968

Origin of R.9

From the Latin word recipe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“It hasn’t mattered if there was an R or a D after their name,” Roxanne said.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Having worked hard to obtain an R rating, the “Faces of Death” team has more recently run into issues with the MPA regarding the imagery on its posters.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

"During its visit the USS Gerald R Ford will host local officials and key leaders to recognise the strong and enduring alliance between the United States and Croatia," the embassy statement said.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

Shot back-to-back with the first film and released just three months later, the near four-hour-long sequel sees Singh joined by R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

I peered through the dirt at the shelf with the box and its bits of colored paper, and the R for Ryan.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff