reef

[ reef ]

/ rif /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reef ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water.

Mining. a lode or vein.

Nearby words

Origin of reef

1575–85; earlier riff(e) < Dutch rif

reef

[ reef ]

/ rif /

Nautical

noun

a part of a sail that is rolled and tied down to reduce the area exposed to the wind.

verb (used with object)

to shorten (sail) by tying in one or more reefs.

to reduce the length of (a topmast, a bowsprit, etc.), as by lowering, sliding inboard, or the like.

to pull (old oakum) out of seams, as with a rave hook (often followed by out).

Origin of reef

1350–1400; Middle English refe (noun) < Dutch reef

Related formsun·reefed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reef

And this in turn affects the fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and seabirds that live within the Reef.
Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping|Kirsten Alexander|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, with two-thirds of the loss occurring after 1998.
Australia Wants to Open the Great Barrier Reef to Dumping|Kirsten Alexander|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also takes place near a minefield of rocks, is a hangout spot for sharks, and breaks on a reef.
Now That Everest Is Closed, Check Out These Other Extreme Adventures|Nina Strochlic|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before the war I was a short-order cook in Zabadani, which is a beautiful tourist valley in Reef Damashq, near Lebanon.
Former Syrian Soldier Describes Life in the Army at the Start of War|Andrew Slater|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But Searle and other native Gibraltarians say the move to build the reef was about much more than the fishing population.
Between Gibraltar and a Hard Place|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
All the sects of the philosophers have stranded on the reef of moral and physical ill.
Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary|Voltaire
At high water the reef was overflowed excepting at its north-west end where a patch of sand not larger than the boat was left dry.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia|Phillip Parker King
The reef opposite, was entirely under water, and its position was indicated only by a line of breakers.
The Island Home|Richard Archer
The openings in the reef are few and narrow, so that no ship can anchor near the coral-girt isle.
The Cruise of the Mary Rose|William H. G. Kingston
The first of the little fleet of trawlers swung round the end of the reef into the sheltered water of the bay.
The Island Mystery|George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for reef

reef

/ (riːf) /

noun

a ridge of rock, sand, coral, etc, the top of which lies close to the surface of the sea

a ridge- or mound-like structure built by sedentary calcareous organisms (esp corals) and consisting mainly of their remains

a vein of ore, esp one of gold-bearing quartz

Word Origin for reef

C16: from Middle Dutch ref, from Old Norse rif rib 1, reef ²

noun

the part gathered in when sail area is reduced, as in a high wind

verb

to reduce the area of (sail) by taking in a reef

(tr) to shorten or bring inboard (a spar)

Word Origin for reef

C14: from Middle Dutch rif; related to Old Norse rif reef, rib 1, German reffen to reef; see reef 1

Reef

/ (riːf) /

noun the Reef

another name for the Great Barrier Reef

another name for the Witwatersrand

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

Word Origin and History for reef

reef

n.1

"rock ridge underwater," 1580s, riffe, probably via Dutch riffe, from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse rif "ridge in the sea; reef in a sail," literally "rib" (see rib (n.)).

reef

n.2

"horizontal section of sail," late 14c. (mid-14c. in rif-rope), from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge under the sea; rib" (see rib (n.) and cf. reef (n.1)). German reff, Swedish ref, Norwegian riv, Danish reb likely all are from the Old Norse word.

1660s, "take in, roll up" (as a sail on a ship), from reef (n.2). Related: Reefed; reefing.

Science definitions for reef