Definitions for reference

Definitions for (noun) reference

Main entry: reference, consultation

Definition: the act of referring or consulting

Usage: reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer


Main entry: denotation, reference, extension

Definition: the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to

Usage: the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos


Main entry: reference

Definition: the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to

Usage: he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes


Main entry: address, computer address, reference

Definition: (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored


Main entry: book of facts, reference, reference book, reference work

Definition: a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts

Usage: he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic


Main entry: character, character reference, reference

Definition: a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

Usage: requests for character references are all too often answered evasively


Main entry: mention, quotation, reference, citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit

Definition: a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage

Usage: 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


Main entry: mention, reference

Definition: a remark that calls attention to something or someone

Usage: she made frequent mention of her promotion; there was no mention of it; the speaker made several references to his wife


Main entry: point of reference, reference, reference point

Definition: an indicator that orients you generally

Usage: it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved


Main entry: reference, source

Definition: a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to

Usage: he carried an armful of references back to his desk; he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation


Definitions for (verb) reference

Main entry: cite, reference

Definition: refer to

Usage: he referenced his colleagues' work


Visual thesaurus for reference