Dictionary entry details
• REFERENCE (noun)
Meaning:
A remark that calls attention to something or someone
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
mention; reference
Context examples:
she made frequent mention of her promotion / there was no mention of it / the speaker made several references to his wife
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
comment; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reference"):
allusion (passing reference or indirect mention)
retrospection (reference to things past)
name-dropping (the practice of casually mentioning important people in order to impress your listener)
Meaning:
A short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
quotation; cite; reference; acknowledgment; mention; citation; credit
Context examples:
the student's essay failed to list several important citations / the acknowledgments are usually printed at the front of a book / the article includes mention of similar clinical cases
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
annotation; notation; note (a comment or instruction (usually added))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reference"):
cross-index; cross-reference (a reference at one place in a work to information at another place in the same work)
photo credit (a note acknowledging the source of a published photograph)
Meaning:
An indicator that orients you generally
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
point of reference; reference point; reference
Context example:
it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
indicator (a signal for attracting attention)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reference"):
white line (a white stripe in the middle of a road to mark traffic lanes)
mark; target (a reference point to shoot at)
criterion; measure; standard; touchstone (a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated)
lubber line; lubber's line; lubber's mark; lubber's point (a fixed line on a ship's compass indicating its heading)
landmark (a mark showing the boundary of a piece of land)
bench mark; benchmark (a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point)
buoy (bright-colored; a float attached by rope to the seabed to mark channels in a harbor or underwater hazards)
Meaning:
A book to which you can refer for authoritative facts
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
reference work; reference book; book of facts; reference
Context example:
he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
book (a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reference"):
cookbook; cookery book (a book of recipes and cooking directions)
cyclopaedia; cyclopedia; encyclopaedia; encyclopedia (a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty)
atlas; book of maps; map collection (a collection of maps in book form)
annual; yearbook; yearly (a reference book that is published regularly once every year)
directory (an alphabetical list of names and addresses)
enchiridion; handbook; vade mecum (a concise reference book providing specific information about a subject or location)
wordbook (a reference book containing words (usually with their meanings))
source book (a collection of historically important documents published together as a book)
instruction book (a book of directions for using or operating some piece of equipment)
Meaning:
A formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
character reference; reference; character
Context example:
requests for character references are all to often answered evasively
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
good word; recommendation; testimonial (something that recommends (or expresses commendation) of a person or thing as worthy or desirable)
Meaning:
The most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
denotation; reference; extension
Context example:
the extension of 'satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
meaning; substance (the idea that is intended)
Meaning:
The act of referring or consulting
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
consultation; reference
Context example:
reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
action (something done (usually as opposed to something said))
Meaning:
A publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
source; reference
Context examples:
he carried an armful of references back to his desk / he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
publication (a copy of a printed work offered for distribution)
Meaning:
The relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Context example:
he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes
Hypernyms ("reference" is a kind of...):
meaning; substance (the idea that is intended)
• REFERENCE (verb)
Meaning:
Refer to
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
reference; cite
Context example:
he referenced his colleagues' work
Hypernyms (to "reference" is one way to...):
compose; indite; pen; write (produce a literary work)
Domain category:
authorship; composition; penning; writing (the act of creating written works)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
Did he reference his major works over a short period of time?
