- the/somebody’s right[singular] the right side or direction
- on the right Take the first street on the right.
- on the right of somebody/something My dad's in the front row, on the extreme right of the picture.
- to the right Keep over to the right.
- to the right of somebody/something There is a cloakroom to the right of the front door.
- on somebody's right She seated me on her right.
- to somebody's right Look to your right.
- from the right Look out for traffic coming from the right.
- Arabic script is read from right to left.
- the top/bottom/far right
- first/second/third, etc. right She is pictured third right (= in the third position from the right) with her students.
Extra Examples- a hallway immediately to the right of the front door
- Ours is the first house on the right.
- The books are numbered from right to left.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + right- hang
- take
- from the right
- on the right
- to the right
- …
- the first, second, etc. right
- from left to right
- from right to left
- …
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [singular] the first, second, etc. right the first, second, etc. road on the right side
- Take the first right, then the second left.
- We took the first left after the second right.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + right- hang
- take
- from the right
- on the right
- to the right
- …
- the first, second, etc. right
- from left to right
- from right to left
- …
- a right[singular] a turn to the right
- Take a right at the traffic lights.
- (North American English also) to make a right
- (informal) to hang a right
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + right- hang
- take
- from the right
- on the right
- to the right
- …
- the first, second, etc. right
- from left to right
- from right to left
- …
- [countable, uncountable] a moral or legal claim to have or get something or to behave in a particular way
- They had fought hard for equal rights.
- right to something Everyone has a right to a fair trial.
- right to do something You have no right to stop me from going in there.
- I reserve the right to leave at any time I choose.
- What gives you the right to do that?
- She had every right to be angry.
- within your rights to do something You're quite within your rights to ask for your money back.
- by rights By rights (= if things were fair) half the money should be mine.
- by right The property belongs to her by right.
- as of right Education is provided by the state as of right (= everyone has a right to it).
- right of something There is no right of appeal against the decision.
- to defend your basic rights
- Women were prevented from exercising their fundamental rights.
- We need to protect the rights of those that would oppressed by the majority
- democratic/constitutional/legal rights
- the gay rights movement
Culture freedom and rightsfreedom and rightsMany of the rights of US citizens are laid down in the constitution and the first ten amendments to it, which are together called the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was written in the late 1700s to explain not only how the US government would work, but also what limits there would be on its power. At that time, people were beginning to believe that the rights of individuals were important, and that the government was the main threat to those rights. Limiting the federal government's power was also seen as necessary to protect the rights of states within the United States.The UK does not have a written constitution or legal document describing the rights of individuals but for British people freedom to live without the government getting involved is important. Proposals to introduce identity cards for everyone are always resisted and people often talk about the nanny state when they feel the government is interfering in their lives.In the UK and the US the most basic rights include freedom of expression (= freedom to say or write what you think), freedom of choice (= freedom to make decisions about your own life) and freedom of worship (= freedom to practise any religion).Freedom of expression does not imply complete freedom for people to say what they like. In the US the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and of the press but the courts, especially the Supreme Court, decide how it should be applied. For instance, a newspaper is not allowed to print something bad about a person that is known not to be true: this is libel. The courts do not practise prior restraint, which means they cannot stop a newspaper from printing something, but they can punish the newspaper afterwards. However, in a few cases, for example when national security is involved, the courts may order newspapers not to print a report.The right to free speech in the US has not always been respected. In the 1950s, when McCarthyism was at its height, people who were suspected of being Communists were called before Congress to answer questions. People who used their right to free speech and said they believed in Communism, or who took the Fifth (= used their right under the Fifth Amendment not to give evidence against themselves) often lost their jobs or went to prison.In the UK until 1968 all plays had to be approved by the Lord Chamberlain before they could be performed in theatres. Censorship of the press ended in the 1960s. In the 2000s, a number of newspaper journalists were caught listening to and reading people's phone messages, a practice known as phone hacking. As a result, in 2011 a commission was set up under a senior judge, Lord Justice Leveson, to investigate this and other aspects of the British press. The commission proposed that an independent organization should replace the Press Complaints Commission and as a result the Independent Press Standards Organisation was established in 2014.The right of equal opportunity (= the right to be treated the same as others, whatever a person's race, sex, etc.) is enforced in the UK through the Equality Act of 2010. In the US the civil rights movement of the 1960s influenced the making of new laws to protect the rights of minority groups, especially African Americans. In 1972 an Equal Rights Amendment, which would have given women the same rights and opportunities as men, failed to get the support of enough states to be passed. Later, however, several laws were passed making it illegal to discriminate against women. In Britain the Human Rights Act was passed in 1998, which stated that public organizations had to follow the principles listed in the European Convention on Human Rights.People in the UK and the US have always had a much valued right to privacy. However, the question of privacy has been called into question with the increasing popularity of social media websites like Facebook and Instagram. These companies gather people's personal information and sell it to other companies or use it for targeted advertising. Many people feel that this use of their personal information should not be allowed. Another worry people have is that government agencies such as the CIA in the US and GCHQ in the UK collect huge amounts of data about people by tracking their internet history, their emails and their text messages. Governments defend these practices by saying that they are necessary to prevent terrorism (= the use of violence to achieve political aims) and other serious crimes. Despite this, many people are still unhappy about such practices because they feel that their right to privacy is gradually being taken away. The US and British Freedom of Information Acts and the British Data Protection Act allow a person access to information held about them and the opportunity to correct it if it is wrong.In the US several amendments to the Constitution deal specifically with the rights of people suspected or accused of a crime. In the UK recent changes to habeas corpus (= the right of a person detained by the police to be released within 24 hours if not charged) and the right to remain silent when arrested, which were introduced as part of the laws against terrorism, met with strong opposition from many people. If a person is suspected of terrorism it is possible for the police to keep them for 14 days before they are charged. In both the UK and the US the police are heavily criticized if people's rights are infringed.In the US people continue to disagree over an individual's right to own weapons. When this right was included in the Second Amendment, America had just finished fighting for independence. Since the US did not want to keep a permanent army, its defence in the case of future attacks depended on ordinary people having weapons. Many people believe that, since the US now has a professional army, individuals do not need guns, and that the understanding of the amendment should take account of the modern situation. But others want to keep the right to have weapons and resist any changes to the law. This view is put forward especially by the National Rifle Association.Extra ExamplesTopics Social issuesb1, Law and justiceb1- A man had a natural right to subsist off the crops he grew on his own land.
- Voting rights have been restricted in some places.
- Any employee who is fired has an automatic right to appeal.
- Do I have any right to compensation?
- He claimed full rights over the discovery.
- He renounced his right to the throne.
- I have a perfect right to park here if I want to.
- I suppose you think you have some God-given right to tell me what to do?
- Many prisoners lost visitation rights and had their mail confiscated.
- She has every right to feel bitter.
- The Normans ruled England by right of conquest.
- The company was granted offshore oil-drilling rights.
- The government extended voting rights to everyone over the age of 18.
- The landlord enforced his right to enter the property.
- The local authority exercises parental rights over the children until foster homes are found.
- The new president undertook to establish full rights for all minorities.
- The property belongs to her as of right.
- The teenagers claimed squatters' rights and were allowed to remain in the building.
- These additional guarantees do not affect your statutory rights.
- They acquired her patent rights.
- They gave me my uncle's money, on condition that I waived all rights to his property.
- They have no right to come onto my land.
- We have a sovereign right to conduct scientific research on our soil.
- We promote the rights of communities.
- You can't do that to me—I know my rights.
- You have a moral right to that money.
- You should stand up for your rights and insist that he pays you.
- You're acting entirely within your rights.
- equal rights for all
- laws covering privacy rights
- the basic rights of all citizens
- the individual rights of its constituents
- the right of assembly/asylum/citizenship/free speech/ownership
- At that time, the gay rights movement had hardly been heard of.
- Before the late 19th century, little attention was paid to women's rights.
- People should understand that they have responsibilities as well as rights.
- They had forfeited the right to return to their country.
- They think they have a god-given right to park wherever they like.
- We're calling on all oppressed peoples to stand up for their rights.
- You have a statutory right to your money back if goods are faulty.
- You have absolutely no rights over the child.
- The team earned the bragging rights by taking first place in all three events.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- basic
- fundamental
- inalienable
- …
- enjoy
- have
- retain
- …
- as of right
- by right
- by right of
- …
- have every right
- right of way
- [uncountable, countable] what is morally good or correct
- She doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong.
- They both had some right on their side.
- in the right He wouldn't apologize. He knew he was in the right (= had justice on his side).
- It was difficult to establish the rights and wrongs (= the true facts) of the matter.
Extra Examples- Children of that age don't know right from wrong.
- I appealed against the decision because I knew I had right on my side.
- There's no doubt that he's in the right on this.
- We sat discussing the rights and wrongs of the prison system.
- They both knew he was in the right.
Oxford Collocations Dictionarypreposition- in the right
- have right on your side
- know right from wrong
- right and wrong
- …
- rights[plural] the authority to perform, publish, film, etc. a particular work, event, etc.
- He sold the rights for $2 million.
- all rights reserved (= protected or kept for the owners of the book, film, etc.)
- the protection of intellectual property rights
- rights to something She got $1.5 million for the film rights to her book.
Extra ExamplesTopics Law and justiceb2- He has reserved the movie rights.
- Lucas owned the marketing rights.
- We were granted the exclusive rights to produce the software in Malaysia.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- film
- movie
- television
- …
- acquire
- buy
- get
- …
- all rights reserved
- the right, the Right[singular + singular or plural verb] political groups that most strongly support the capitalist system; part of a political party whose members are most conservative compare right wing
- The Right made great gains in the recent elections.
- the far/extreme right
- The Right is/are not united on this issue.
- on the right If he is not on the right, I am not sure who is.
- on the right of something He's on the extreme right of the party.
- to the right (of somebody) She is well to the right of most people on social issues.
Extra Examples- parties of the right and centre
- The Right in British politics is represented by the Conservative Party.
- I am to the right of many Democrats.
- He's on the right of the Labour Party.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- extreme
- far
- radical
- …
- on the right
- [countable] a hard hit that is made with your right hand opposite left
not left side
moral/legal claim
something morally good
for book/movie, etc.
politics
in boxing
Word OriginOld English riht (adjective and noun), rihtan (verb), rihte (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Latin rectus ‘ruled’, from an Indo-European root denoting movement in a straight line.
Idioms
See right in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee right in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbang to rights (British English)
(North American English dead to rights)
- (informal) with definite proof that you have committed a crime, so that you cannot claim to be innocent
- We've got you bang to rights handling stolen property.
do right by somebody
- (old-fashioned) to treat somebody fairly
in your own right
- because of your personal qualifications or efforts, not because of your connection with somebody else
- She sings with a rock band, but she's also a jazz musician in her own right.
put/set somebody/something to rights
- to correct somebody/something; to put things in their right places or right order
- It took me ages to put things to rights after the workmen had left.
set/put the world to rights
- to talk about how the world could be changed to be a better place
- We stayed up all night, setting the world to rights.
two wrongs don’t make a right
- (saying) used to say that if somebody does something bad to you, the situation will not be improved by doing something bad to them
Check pronunciation:
right