regi stration number (also regis tra tion) (both BrE) (,NAmE ‘license (plate) number) noun the series of letters
and numbers that are shown on a number plate at the front and back
of a vehicle to identify it
regis-try /'red3istri/ noun (pi. -ies) a place where
registers are kept
registry office (also register office) noun (in
) : to get married in/at
a registry office ft
rego (also
reggo) /'red30u; NAmE -ou/ noun (pi -os) (AustralE, NZE,
informal) a registration for a car, etc.
()ftfll
regress /ri'gres/
verb [V] ~ (to sth) (formal, usually disapproving) to return to an
earlier or less advanced form or way of behaving fijii; 00; M(t
re-gres-sion /ri'greJTi/
noun [U, C] ~ (to sth) the process of going
back to an earlier or less advanced form or state ffjji; 00; ilffe
re-gres-sive /ri'gresiv/
adj. 1 becoming or making sth
less advanced $|il (ft; il (ft: The policy has
been condemned as a
regressive step.
—ft
IfJ il ffl 3'J
18 m o 2 (technical £ if) (of taxes ft, ift)
having less effect on the rich than on the poor il M (ft ( )
re-gret 0-w /ri'gret/ verb, noun
a verb (tt-) 1 to feel sorry
about sth you have done or about sth that you have not been able to do
]]SfiJiIHi;
1b; Hi : [VN] If
you don’t do it now, you’ll only regret it 1*5$J0 o The
decision could be one he lives
to regret. ftii:ilfe)0t$(ft-'Ho 0 T’ve had a wonderful
life, ’ she said, ‘I don’t regret a thing.’ “ffc — $t7 fttg#id, ” M t$L , “ $ & ft £ if it 1i 0 ” 0 [V -ing] He bitterly
regretted ever having mentioned
it.
^ 0
0 [V wh-] I deeply
regret what I said.
[also V that] 2 (formal) used to say in a
polite or formal way that you are sorry or sad about a situation (): [vn] The airline regrets any
inconvenience.
(ftff0 [V
that] I regret that I am unable to accept your kind invitation. id if &, (ft
o O [V
to
inf] We regret to inform
you that your application has not been successful. 0 Id it M ife it
, It (ft ft if £ ii M o. 0 [VN that] It
is to be regretted that so many young people leave school without
qualifications.
■
noun [U, C] a feeling of sadness or
disappointment that you have because of sth that has happened or sth that you
have done or not done MIt; 1H1§; i!Hi; XU: It is with great regret that
I accept your resignation. ft (ft SI Je,
ffc<8^J##iftWlo 0 she expressed her regret at the decision. itlfe if £ & aeI/T^10
0 a pang/
twinge of regret o I have no regrets about
leaving
re-gret-ful
/ri'gretfl/
adj. feeling or showing sadness or disappointment because of sth that
has happened or sth that you have done or not done Jfj 1§ (ft; X (ft; 4-AUHtlKJ;
itl<® B0G3
rueful: a regretful look X
mmm
re-gret-ful-ly /ri'gretfali/ adv. 1 in a way that shows
you are sad or disappointed about sth iH 'fei ft ; 'If ft; XU; til X ft: ‘I’m afraid not,’he
said regretfully. life it & fife i&: “ 3S '16 Aft o ” 0 Emma shook her
head regretfully. J£lQfiit'&iftl§7 2 used to show
that you are sorry that
sth is the case and you wish the situation were different jfi (ft ^ ; 7ift jfi
M regrettably : Regretfully, mounting
costs have forced
1673 regular
the museum to close. ii1i(ftj§, ft, If
$Jf!
A#A£fTo
WHICH WORD?
regretfully ♦ regrettably
■
Regretfully and regrettably
can both be used as sentence adverbs to show that you are sorry about something
and wish the situation were different. * regretfully
ffl regrettably ftRjfflft®]is], lift HAT)
7, Mm. »lf: Regretfully,
some
jobs will be lost. iMlftjftWieA^XXlfto O Regrettably, some jobs will be lost. ^Aii'fei&tJjiA
A#£X£Ift<>
■
Regretfully can
also be used to mean ‘in a way
that shows you are sad or disappointed about something’. *
regretfully i&i&:
He
sighed regretfully. ft tflllt ft K 7 P %
regrettable /ri'gretabl/ adj. ~ (that ... ) that you are sorry about and
wish had not happened 4 A1^ff (ft; of Hr (ft; 4 A ia M (ft : It is
regrettable that the police were not informed sooner. 0
The loss of jobs is highly regrettable. X£MME#4Aiii fi0 ► re-gret-tably /-abli/ adv.; Regrettably, crime has been
increasing in this area. 4Aft^lft;fli£.—ftElfttfE
re-group /.rir'gruip/ verb 1 - (sth) (for sth) to arrange the way people or
soldiers work together in a new way, especially in order to continue fighting
or attacking sb MM; M ^ : [VN] They regrouped their
forces and renewed the attack, fitf]
0 [V]
After its election defeat,
the party needs to regroup.
fcJs, 2 [VJ (of a person A) to
return
to a normal state after an unpleasant experience or a period of difficulty, and
become ready to make an effort again with new enthusiasm or strength M^M |£; TUffoPH: Summer is a time to
relax, regroup and catch up on all those things you’ve been putting off all
year.
regu lar Ow /'regjala(r)/ adj., noun
■
adj.
►
FOLLOWING PATTERN %LW
1 following a pattern, espe
cially with the same time and space in between each thing and the next Ml'J ;
A MWtf); ^
^ : regular breathing ^ (ft fR o a regular
pulse/heartbeat IE {$ life }f / >i> ©fc o A light flashed at
regular intervals. — iBTWMWifo 0 # ^$7 0 There is a regular bus
service to the airport, f H 7 aE 0 X ft frl %$] 0 o regular
meetings/visits fi] jj £1// if 0 0 The equipment is
checked on a regular basis. i&HrAEfTttfr telEo H33 IRREGULAR
►
FREQUENT W. f. 2 done or happening often g
1£i$. ( ^cXft
) 0: Do
you take regular exercise?
? 0 Domestic violence is a
regular occurrence in some families. H33
irregular 3 [only before noun] (of people A) doing the same thing or going to
the same place often ^ # 1$ ^ our regular customers DcCIlftiftM 0 regular offenders (= against the law) fit IE o He was a regular
visitor to her house.
►
USUAL il it 4 [only before noun] usual
'IS'ft'&xl: I couldn’t see my regular doctor today. 4*A O On Monday he would
have to return to his regular duties. Mf| —, fife ft #0 £IE#±S7o o It’s important to
follow the regular procedure.
►
EVEN 5
having an even shape ^IE6i); ff
^0: a face with regular features
regular geometric pattern IE/MrUII
EGQ irregular
►
PERMANENT f# A 6 lasting or happening over a long
period IS £ M: a regular income @ ^
0
i)jt A o She couldn’t find any regular employment. Mft
STANDARD
SIZE fa m A t 7 (especially NAmE) of a