reflexre‧flex /ˈriːfleks/ noun [countable] 
A tennis player needs to have very quick reflexes. b)a sudden uncontrolled movement that your muscles make as a natural reaction to a physical effect: Doctor Mulholland tested Jennifer’s reflexes (=especially by hitting her knee with a special rubber hammer).2reflex action something that you do without thinking, as a reaction to a situation
WORD ORIGINreflex
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin past participle of reflectere; ➔ REFLECTEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Hawthorne said she fired the gun as a reflex when her husband shouted.
- Though in a coma, the patient shows signs of brain activity, such as reflexes.
- Almost as a reflex, he smiled grimly to himself.
- Are we to infer from the texts that the pupils do not understand the differences between inborn and conditioned reflexes?
- Development proceeds as the infant explores the environment via his or her reflexes.
- Ellen thought that the smile was a reflex.
- It is best to ignore this rather frantic reflex.
- None of the patients was taking any medication known to interfere with cardiovascular reflexes.
- So ingrained is the reflex of contention that even seemingly unobjectionable ideas provoke it.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you do or say something without thinking
· Without thinking, Charlotte hugged the girl to try to comfort her.without thinking about · Most US companies are still spewing out carbon dioxide without thinking about its potential costs.
spoken if you give an answer off the top of your head , you say it without thinking about it for very long and without being sure it is correct: · "How much is the house worth?" "Off the top of my head, I'd say it's worth maybe $160,000."
if you say or do something in the heat of the moment , you do it very suddenly and without thinking when you are feeling angry or excited, so that you feel sorry about it afterwards: · "In the heat of the moment, my emotions took over and I hit him," Harper admitted.· Our children need to know not only how to prevent pregnancies, but also the long-term effects of a decision they make in the heat of the moment.
an automatic response, reaction, or answer is one that happens immediately and without you having to think, especially because you have done it many times before: · A teacher's automatic reaction is to correct mistakes in language.· Elizabeth immediately flew into a rage - her automatic response to any kind of criticism.
if you do something automatically , you do it as a natural reaction and without thinking, because it is what you always do: · His mother continued to talk angrily, and Tim's thoughts automatically switched to more pleasant subjects.· You cannot automatically assume that everything your teacher says is correct.
a reflex action, response, or movement is a physical movement that you make as a natural reaction to something, without having to think about doing it: · a reflex eye movement· At birth, an infant can perform only simple reflex actions and behaviours.
a reaction that someone makes without thinking at all, because it is the way they always react - use this about a reaction that you expect and disapprove of: · Their knee-jerk reaction is to object to everything the management suggests.· If a journalist's judgement is questioned, the knee-jerk reaction is usually, "I have a right to print whatever I want, so I will."
an off-the-cuff remark is one that you make without thinking carefully and without any preparation: · The press officer said that the president's statement was an off-the-cuff remark, not as an official statement of policy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY A tennis player needs to have very quick reflexes. Doctor Mulholland tested Jennifer’s reflexes (=especially by hitting her knee with a special rubber hammer).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
A tennis player needs to have very quick reflexes. Doctor Mulholland tested Jennifer’s reflexes (=especially by hitting her knee with a special rubber hammer).· Are we to infer from the texts that the pupils do not understand the differences between inborn and conditioned reflexes?· He hit the deck, moulding himself into the shadow as a matter of conditioned reflex.· Such a response is a conditioned reflex.· There is an obvious difficulty in explaining all learnt behaviour in terms of conditioned reflexes.· The results are used to help the teacher to diagnose student deficiencies. extinction See also under learning: conditioned reflex.· It was assumed that all learning could be reduced to a series of conditioned reflexes.
· They have quick reflexes and disappear into their tubes when disturbed.
NOUN· By reflex action - a mechanism of the nervous system - the threatened hand is instantly withdrawn and the threatened eye closed.· He caught her arm in mid-air, a deceptively lazy reflex action, his fingers biting into her forearm.· You develop a reflex action of reaching for the bowl.· As the knife entered her she seemed to try to double up, but it was only a reflex action.· His reflex action was to bend and swing round violently, and I was thrown to the ground.· We then moved close and fired from the hip and shoulder in reflex action shooting.· It had been a kind of reflex action.· The fundamental processes of an animal's behaviour include reflex action, orientation, and learning.
VERB· However, too much alcohol slows reflexes and can cause aggression or sleepiness, leading to accidents.
· Lexandro and his companions were simply about to test their reflexes, their accuracy, their control of the power suits.· This can be done quickly in the following manner: Test the corneal reflexes and facial sensation in the usual manner.· He kept banging my leg with his little rubber hammer to test my reflexes, but there was no reaction.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1reflexes [plural] a)the natural ability to react quickly and well to sudden situationshave good/quick/slow reflexes- Computer games require quick reflexes.
- As the knife entered her she seemed to try to double up, but it was only a reflex action.
- By reflex action - a mechanism of the nervous system - the threatened hand is instantly withdrawn and the threatened eye closed.
- He caught her arm in mid-air, a deceptively lazy reflex action, his fingers biting into her forearm.
- His reflex action was to bend and swing round violently, and I was thrown to the ground.
- In a smooth, reflex action honed by years of practice, I say no.
- The reflex action at this point is to descend into cynicism.
- We then moved close and fired from the hip and shoulder in reflex action shooting.
- You develop a reflex action of reaching for the bowl.
A tennis player needs to have very quick reflexes. b)a sudden uncontrolled movement that your muscles make as a natural reaction to a physical effect: Doctor Mulholland tested Jennifer’s reflexes (=especially by hitting her knee with a special rubber hammer).2reflex action something that you do without thinking, as a reaction to a situation