nounπShareA chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water."The divers carefully navigated around the coral reef. "geologyoceanenvironmentnaturegeographyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore."The gold miners found a rich reef, promising a large harvest of valuable ore. "geologymaterialmineralChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind."To reduce the strain on the sailboat's rigging during the strong winds, the sailor reefed the mainsail. "nauticalsailingChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareA reef knot."To tie the shoelaces, she used a reef knot. "nauticalsailingChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind."To make sure the sailboat didn't capsize, the sailor reeled in part of the sail, reefing it. "nauticalsailingChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShareTo pull or yank strongly, especially in relation to horse riding."The horse rider reeled in the reins, reefing them tight to stop the runaway horse. "actionsportanimalChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verbπShare(of paddles) To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply."Reef the paddles."nauticalsailingvehiclemachinetechnologyChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareThe itch; any eruptive skin disorder."My son had a bad skin reef on his arm, so we took him to the doctor. "medicinediseasebodysensationChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
nounπShareDandruff."My little sister has a bad case of reef; she needs to use a medicated shampoo. "appearancebodymedicineChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
adjectiveπShareScabby; scurvy."The old man's skin was reefy and cracked from years of sun exposure. "appearanceconditionChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading