Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

reefer

/ˈɹiːfɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: reefer
IPA: /ˈɹiːfɚ/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone who reefs sails, especially a midshipman.

noun

A reefer jacket; a close-fitting jacket or short coat of thick cloth.

noun

A refrigerated, insulated trailer, ship or shipping container.

American usage; Colloquial

noun

a refrigerator car (type of boxcar).

American usage

noun

A marijuana cigarette.

Countable; Dated; Slang

noun

Dated; Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Her reefer cap was all on one side and on her cheek there was the print of an anchor button she had pressed on while sleeping."
"The mess table, at which the reefers and mates made merry, was fixed in the middle of the berth."
"Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June In a Kenworth pullin' logs. Cab-over Pete with a reefer on And a Jimmy haulin' hogs."
"Next to the cash register, a bulletin board was thumbtacked with notes from deadheaders who needed loads heading west, and shippers looking for a reefer (refrigerated truck) going down to Florida."
"'Most of the real hep-cats smoke reefers,' explained Leiter. 'Wouldn't be allowed most places.'"
"Daddy I don't want to go to school because the teacher's a jerk, he must think I'm a fool and all the kids smoke reefer, I think it'd be cheaper if I just got a job learned to be a street sweeper."

Etymology

From reef + -er.

Origin

First known use: First attested in the 1920s

Word Breakdown

Root: grifa

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹiːfɚ/
British English: /ˈɹiːfə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

reefers (plural)

Derived Forms

reeferphobia

Phrases

reefer jacket reefer unit

Synonyms

joint marijuana cigarette stick spliff

Homonyms

refer

Rhymes With

kiefer keefer briefer kieffer schieffer sheaffer keifer keiffer liefer schriefer refer griefer

Questions

How do you pronounce reefer?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹiːfɚ/.
What does reefer mean?: Someone who reefs sails, especially a midshipman.
Where does reefer come from?: First known use: First attested in the 1920s.

How to pronounce reefer

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “reefer”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹiːfɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “reefer”.
Repeat and practice — Say “reefer” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.