Confusing Words Clarified: Group R; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc.

1. A groove cut into the surface of an item designed to match another piece so they can be joined: "The joiner cut a rabbet in the piece of cherry wood as he was building the new cabinet."
2. To cut a groove in the surface of an item: "To rabbet the piece of fine mahogany requires patience, care, and the proper tools."

1. Any member of the family of the (Leporidae) mammals characterized by long ears, soft fur and strong rear legs: "We watched the rabbit hop across the lawn."
2. The pelt or skin of such an animal: "My new cloak is made of soft rabbit fur."
3. A member of a track team who sets the running pace for other team mates as part of a long distance run: "My cousin trained to be the rabbit for the cross country racing team."

1. Very violent, going to extremes in terms of expressing one’s emotions and feelings or opinions: "She was a politician with rabid supporters."

"She became almost rabid in her defense of her pet rabbit’s chewing behavior when visiting her friend."

2. Affected with rabies: "We were fearful of a rabid dog that was running around in the neighborhood."

1. A disorderly and unorganized group of people: "The rabble gathered in the town square to demand the end of the monopoly on coal."
2. An iron bar, usually with a bent end, used to rake, to stir, or to puddle melted iron: "At the smelter, the worker using the rabble to rake the melted iron requires extensive training."
3. To stir or to mix something by using an iron bar: "He tried to rabble the melted iron but it was not hot enough."

1. Broken fragments of something which is often useless: "The pile of rubble left over from the building construction project needed to be hauled away."
2. Worn or broken stones, etc. that are used as filling in the construction of walls: "The stone mason saved the rubble from his work to be used later when the wall was built."
3. Unfinished stone from a quarry: "The sculptor used the rough piece of rubble from the quarry to carve a beautiful statue."

A strong substance that stretches and which is made out of chemicals or from the juice of a tropical tree: "He will be wearing rubber gloves and safety goggles while driving a car with rubber tires through the circle of fire during the exhibition."

Useless or rejected material; trash: "The trucks will collect the rubbish on Tuesday."

A Russian coin: "After my vacation in Russia, I saved a ruble as a reminder of the great time I had there."

1. A current of water flowing through a narrow channel, often in an industrial context: "The mill race was created by damming the river and diverting the flow of the water."
2. A contest of speed based on a set course and specific time frame: "The cross country race was set to begin this afternoon and the runners would pass through both flat land and hills before returning to the starting gate."
3. A rivalry or contest between two or more groups with the goal of winning something; such as, a pennant: "The two colleges participated in an annual race for the pennant and the prize money."
4. A track or groove through which something slides or rolls: "The ball bearings rolled down the race and into the gear box for the car."
  5. To run or participate in a competition based on speed and timing: "The team decided to race in spite of the mist and cold weather."
6. To move at maximum speed: "My cousin will race his car around the track in hopes of breaking the speed record."

1. A family or group of people united by common characteristics or interests: "The Nordic race has a history of bravery and seafaring explorations."
2. A grouping of people sharing traits that are passed on through generations and whose traits have become distinctive to that group: "Typically the Aboriginal race in North America has darker hair than Europeans."

1. High clouds that are blown about by the wind: "We could see the rack of clouds moving across the sky."
2. An instrument or tool designed for torture so as to cause extreme pain: "The museum had an example of a rack that was used for torture during the Middle Ages."
3. The manger for holding food for livestock: "The rack was filled with fresh hay for the cattle."
4. A net or framework to be placed in a river to catch fish or floating matter: "The forester installed the rack in the polluted stream in hopes of gathering up the flotsam that was floating in the river."
5. Antlers, typically in sets of two, from such animals as moose: "There was a fine rack of antlers displayed in the museum of wild life from the park."

1. Violent destruction of something: "The storm is so violent tonight I fear it will cause the wrack of the quay in the harbor."
2. Seaweed or kelp: "We watched the people of the seaside village harvest wrack and sell it as a crop."

"Once I had some wrack pie, an experience I never want to repeat."

3. To ruin or to destroy completely: "With the loss of the livestock, the farmer felt he was on the road to wrack and ruin."

1. A clattering noise or excitement: "We could hear quite a racket in the hall and wondered what was going on."
2. An illegal scheme or enterprise involving fraud: "He was a member of a criminal racket."
3. Light weight sports equipment consisting of a handle at one end and a net of thread or gut in an oval shape at the other end which is typically used to bat a tennis ball or a badminton shuttlecock back and forth with an opponent: "I use an aluminum racket which has helped improve my tennis game considerably."

An alternative spelling for racket usually occurring in the plural to refer to a game involving two to four players; including, a racket (racquet), a ball, and played within a walled court: "My sister and I played a game of racquet ball (racketball) every day and were the local champions."

1. A hostile or surprise attack typically involving a small force: "The children tried to raid the cookie jar but their mother stopped them."
2. A sudden invasion or daring operation typically carried out by officers of the law against suspected criminals or wrong doers: "The police captain led the raid against the river pirates and captured the leader."
3. The recruitment by a company or business of personnel from a competitor: "The personnel officer staged a corporate raid of senior employees from a competing company."
4. To swindle public funds; an attempt to depress the stock market by selling off a lot of stock: "The corrupt town treasurer attempted to raid the treasury and to defraud the townspeople."

"The bank managers were manipulating the stock market by deciding to raid their bank stock."

1. To have emitted radiation: "The laboratory equipment rayed the specimen for a brief period of time."
2. To have extended outward from a central focus: "In her primitive drawing, she drew yellow lines showing how the light rayed from the sun towards the earth."
3. To have been exposed to or placed in the path of radiation: "The scientist was very upset because the box of specimens had accidentally been rayed by an unskilled technician."

1. To use harsh or abusive language: "We could hear the actress rail against the director even though we were not in the room."
2. Any of a number of wading birds (Rallidae) similar to cranes but typically smaller with short round wings and long toes for running in the mud of the swamps where they live: "We went on a bird expedition and saw a rare rail in the swamp."
3. To install fencing: "The project of the day was to rail the corral for the horses that were being delivered next week."
4. The fencing for a racetrack: "The crowd pressed against the rail during the excitement of the race."
5. A pole extending between two posts and whose function is to create a barrier: "The new rail at the gate was painted bright red."

One of the bars of steel that form a train's track: "The workers found a cracked rail on the intercity train track today."

To complain angrily about something: "The old man felt he had to rail at the doctor because as a patient he waited two hours and was still unable see anyone for a medical examination."

1. To give in an abundant manner: "During the holidays, her relatives tend to rain presents on her because she is the only child."
2. Drops of water formed by the condensation of vapor and which falls from the atmosphere: "As we stood by the window, we watched the rain begin to fall on the lawn."

"It started to rain before we could put up our umbrellas."

1. The time during which an individual who is considered royalty holds political influence or control: "The reign of the king lasted over forty years and was believed to be a peaceful time in the country."
2. To possess a position of presumed authority, often without much actual political influence or power: "She will reign as consort until her son is old enough to be the king."
3. To be prevalent or commonly occurring: "At the end of the school year, the reign of confusion was wide spread as the students cleaned their lockers and said goodbye to their friends and teachers."

1. A controlling or restraining influence: "He kept a tight rein on the finances of the town so there would be no wasteful spending."
2. Unhampered opportunity: "She was given free rein in planning the party for the end of the year."
3. The strap which is fastened to the bit in an animal's mouth and by which the animal is controlled or directed: "She held each rein for her horse in her right hand as she mounted it."
4. To stop or to slow oneself or an animal: "He had to rein in his enthusiasm for the new book because he was about to bore all his friends."

1. Giving or distributing in a generous manner: "Every Christmas season good will rains in our community."
2. The downpour of water from clouds: "It rains at least three times a week in the rain forest."

1. Time periods that an individual rules a country often through a hereditary process: "The reigns of the three kings extended for more than 150 years."
2. To exert power or management of an institution or place: "She reigns supreme in her kitchen."

1. Slowing or stopping oneself or an animal: "We noticed that although the horse is very lively, the rider reins him in very well."
2. The straps attached to the bit placed in the mouth of animals for the purpose of guiding or restraining them: "She holds the reins loosely in her hands while she is driving the team and wagon."

1. To lift something or someone to a higher position: "A small box to stand on will raise the speaker so she can speak comfortably into the microphone."
2. To elevate in terms of status or position: "The promotion will raise my colleague to a managerial position at the factory."
3. An increase in the amount of money paid for a task or undertaking: "With her new position, my friend asked for a raise in her salary."
4. To enhance or to invigorate: "Such a sunny day will raise her spirits."
5. The process by which funds are collected for an undertaking: "We hope to raise a large sum of money to contribute to the children's charity."
6. To bring an animal or child to maturity: "There is a saying which indicates that it takes a village to raise a child."
7. To question or to bring forth a topic for discussion or debate: "He said he would raise the question of new prices for bus tickets at the next board meeting."
8. To cause the creation of a blister or sore: "If I do not wear gloves when I rake leaves, the friction will raise blisters on my hands."
9. To increase the bid or offer on something: "At the auction, the auctioneer attempted to raise the bids on the priceless piece of silver."
10. To increase or to cause the elevation of the level or baseline of something: "The heavy rains will raise the level of the river."

"The landlord told her that he was going to raise her rent significantly next year."

1. Any of a number of fish (Hypotremata) with flattened bodies and their eyes appearing on the flat upper surfaces: "We could see a colony of rays drifting in the bay from our boat."
2. Beams of light: "The sun rays shined through the window illuminating the room and making it feel warm and comfortable."
3. Lines drawn from a common center: "She depicted the sun by drawing several rays emanating from the round yellow circle in the corner of her picture."

To demolish, tear down, or to reduce something: "The bull dozers will raze the grove this afternoon to make way for new buildings."

"The carver used a small knife to raze the surface of the block of wood he was working on so he could make an ornament."

1. To have lifted or elevated something or someone to a position higher than originally indicated: "Her election as mayor raised her status among her colleagues and included a raise in salary."

"The crane raised the box from the floor to the shipping dock."

2. To have collected funds in support of an undertaking: "She was surprised to realize that she had raised enough money for her trip by selling her homemade cookies at the Farmers' Market."
3. To have cultivated, to have influenced, or to have brought an individual to a point of maturity: "She raised her son to love books and to use the library regularly."

"Listening to the radio broadcasts of opera every weekend raised her interest in this style of singing and she bought tickets often to attend her favorite presentations."
4. To have created a sore or blister: "I raised a blister on my foot because my shoes were too tight."
5. To have caused an increase in the cost of something: "The merchant raised the price of the carpet when he realized that the tourist was interested in buying it."
6. To have caused the elevation or base level of something: "She raised her test performance scores significantly by studying every day after school."

To have torn down or destroyed something: "When he returned from his vacation, he was surprised to see that his favorite building had been razed and a golf course was being built in its place."

A long-handled implement with a row of projecting teeth at its head, used especially to gather leaves or to loosen or smooth earth: "In the fall, the gardener used a rake to tidy the yard before the snows came."

1. To slant or cause to incline from the perpendicular: "The stage designer decided to rake the stage for the opera in such a manner that it made it difficult for the singers to walk easily."
2. The angle between the cutting edge of a tool and a plane perpendicular to the working surface to which the tool is applied: "The blacksmith repaired the broken rake so the farmer could complete his chores."

A man who leads an immoral life and is mainly interested in physical pleasure: "Our handsome neighbor became a selfish rake when he grew older and was not welcome in our family home."

1. An inclined surface or roadway connecting different levels: "She increased her speed as she entered the ramp leading onto the highway."
2. A mobile staircase by which passengers board and leave an aircraft: "The airline steward stood at the base of the ramp, assisting the passengers as they departed from the plane."
3. A concave bend of a handrail where a sharp change in level or direction occurs; such as, at a stair landing: "She held onto the ramp as she descended the stairs to ensure she did not fall."

1. To increase or to cause something to increase in speed, size, etc.: "The work started slowly, but now they will ramp it up to full speed."

"The company will simply have to ramp up production in order to complete the orders."

1. To talk loudly and in a way that shows anger: "You can rant and rave all you want, but it's not going to change anything."
2. To complain in a way that is unreasonable: "Just about every day we had to listen to his rant about the evils of the auto industry."

1. A sharp blow or criticism: "The critic wrote a powerful rap about the new play, describing it as slow paced and boring."

"The teacher delivered a rap on his knuckles because he tried to blame his friend for the broken window."

2. A criminal charge or adverse consequence for an action: "He took the rap for having been involved in the hold up at the gas station."
3. To make a short, abrupt sound: "He would often rap his baton on the music stand so he could get the attention of the orchestra players."
4. The least or minimum interest: "He does not care a rap about the rock concert that is coming to town next week."

1. A type of music that has words that are spoken with rhythm instead of being sung: "They listen mostly to rap these days."
2. To perform rap music or a rap song: "He plans to rap with the band tonight."

1. A piece of clothing, typically worn as a coat or covering: "She has a new wrap to wear to the concert next week."
2. To embrace or to encircle: "She tried to wrap her little cousin in a big hug but the child ran away to play."
3. To put on a piece of clothing: "She would wrap herself in the heavy jacket before going outside into the cold."
4. To enfold, to bundle, or to conceal: "They will wrap the delicate china in many layers of paper before putting it in a box."

To have caused a short, sharp blow or hit: "The highway man rapped on the window with his crop to get the attention of the beautiful girl who was waiting for him."

Uplifted, completely absorbed, or carried away with emotion: "She listened to the singer with rapt attention, scarcely breathing."

"He felt rapt and tearful when he listened to the dirge being played on bag pipes."

1. To have put on clothing, typically to be warm: "She wrapped herself in a voluminous cloak against the strong wind."
2. To have packaged something carefully: "The large painting was wrapped in several layers of canvas to protect it during transit."
3. To have complete control over someone: "She has him wrapped around her little finger; that is, she controls him completely and he always does what she wants him to do."