reference noun
1 mentioning sb/sth
ADJ. extensive | brief, casual, passing | occasional | frequent, repeated | constant | further They could find no further reference to Mr LaMotte in the records. | general | particular, special, specific She won a grant to study political science with special reference to China. | definite | explicit, express | direct | cryptic, indirect, oblique, obscure, veiled | clear, obvious | ambiguous, confusing | early one of the earliest references to the game of chess | biblical, cultural, historical, literary | written
VERB + REFERENCE contain, have Her diary contains no reference to the alleged appointment. | drop, make He dropped casual references to the legacy of his great work. The article makes no reference to his first marriage. | drop, omit The new constitution dropped all reference to previous wars. | find
PREP. in a/the ~ In an obvious reference to the president, he talked of corruption in high places. | in/with ~ to (written) I am writing with reference to your job application. | ~ (back) to The summary should be comprehensible without reference back to the source work.
2 consulting sb/sth for advice/help/information
ADJ. easy, quick The book is organized alphabetically for easy reference. | further, future
PREP. by ~ to Our charges are calculated by reference to an hourly rate. | for ~ Retain a copy of the form for future reference. | without ~ to The decision was taken without reference to local managers.
PHRASES for reference purposes She needs the book for reference
4 number/note/symbol
ADJ. copious | full For full references of all books cited, see Appendix B. | appropriate Please send a full CV, quoting the appropriate reference. | cross-The cross-references refer you to information in other parts of the dictionary. | bibliographic/bibliographical | grid, map
VERB + REFERENCE quote | cite, give References to original sources are given at the end of each chapter.
REFERENCE + NOUN number
PREP. in a/the ~ The date of publication should be included in the reference. | ~ to a reference to page 17
PHRASES a list of references
5 letter about your character/abilities
ADJ. glowing | character
VERB + REFERENCE ask for | give (sb), provide (sb with), write (sb) | follow up, take up They've taken up my references (= contacted the person who provided the reference), so they must be interested in me.
PREP. ~ from a reference from your current employer
5 standards by which sth is judged
REFERENCE + NOUN point
PHRASES a frame of reference People interpret events within their own frame of reference. | a point of reference Unemployment serves as a useful point of reference in examining social problems. | terms of reference The matter was outside the committee's terms of reference. purposes. | a source of reference The book is an invaluable source of reference for the art historian.
3 book containing facts/information
ADJ. general The book is by far the best general reference on natural history.
REFERENCE + NOUN book, material, source, work | library | section You'll find the information in the reference section of your local library.
You can also check other dicts: reference (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition