To reduce the extent of (as a sail) by roiling or folding a certain portion of it and making it fast to the yard or spar
To reduce the area of sail exposed to the wind The portion of sail taken in, as in "we took in a reef when the wind rose" Small lines called reef points are used to tie up a potion of the sail in a bundle to reduce its area
a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese
He must take in a reef or so He must reduce his expenses; he must retrench A reef is that part of a sail which is between two rows of eyelet-holes The object of these eyelet-holes is to reduce the sail reef by reef as it is required
A metallic mineral deposit, especially gold-bearing, commonly in a sedimentary rock
1) To partially lower a sail so that it is not as large This helps prevent too much sail from being in use when the wind gets stronger 2) A line of rock and coral near the surface of the water
To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind
The part of a sail which is rolled up and made fast to reduce the area exposed to the wind during a storm
a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area lower and bring partially inboard; "reef the sailboat's mast
A reef is a long line of rocks or sand, the top of which is just above or just below the surface of the sea. An unspoilt coral reef encloses the bay. a line of sharp rocks, often made of coral, or a raised area of sand near the surface of the sea (rif). reef in to tie up part of a sail in order to make it smaller. Capitol Reef National Park coral reef Great Barrier Reef