reefer
1 Americannoun
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Nautical. a person who reefs.
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a short, close-fitting coat or jacket of thick cloth, similar to a pea jacket.
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a woman's tailored, fitted, single- or double-breasted coat of durable material with a collar.
noun
noun
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a refrigerator, especially one large enough to be walked into.
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a refrigerator car, ship, truck, etc.
noun
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nautical a person who reefs, such as a midshipman
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another name for reefing jacket
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slang a hand-rolled cigarette, esp one containing cannabis
noun
Etymology
Origin of reefer1
First recorded in 1800–10; reef 2 + -er 1
Origin of reefer2
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain; possibly from Mexican Spanish slang grifo, grifa “under the influence of marijuana”; see origin at griefo
Origin of reefer3
An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; alteration and shortening of refrigerator
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.
Chinese fishing practices first caught the attention of Ecuador in 2017 when its navy seized the Chinese reefer Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 within the Galápagos marine reserve.
From The Guardian • Aug. 6, 2020
The Portland case from 2012 began as a labor dispute over a pair of reefer jobs at the port’s Terminal 6.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2019
“For the growing middle class, basic food like rice is no longer enough,” said Eric Legros, head of reefer operations at French shipping giant CMA CGM.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2018
Pelayo suspects the vessel is a “mothership,” or reefer, which collects fish from smaller fishing boats, allowing them to stay out at sea longer.
From National Geographic • Aug. 15, 2017
Less than a minute later, Esmé came back into the tearoom, dragging Charles behind her by the sleeve of his reefer.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
