right.
Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north, the side on which the heart is not located in most humans. This arrow points to the reader's right: →
Meaning & usage
Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north, the side on which the heart is not located in most humans. This arrow points to the reader's right: →
After the accident, her right leg was slightly shorter than her left.
Clockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation.
The road up ahead contains a right bend.
Rotate the bolt to the right to tighten it.
Complying with justice, correctness, or reason; correct, just, true. See also the interjection senses below.
That's not the right thing to do.
So I was right all along? C'mon. I want to hear you say it.
Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose.
Is this the right software for my computer?
Healthy, sane, competent.
I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind.
Real; veritable (used emphatically).
You've made a right mess of the kitchen!
Of an angle, measuring 90 degrees, or one quarter of a complete rotation; the angle between two perpendicular lines.
The kitchen counter formed a right angle with the back wall.
Of a geometric figure, incorporating a right angle between edges, faces, axes, etc.
a right triangle a right prism a right cone
Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's right when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the south bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥴ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the right side of the river.
The Louvre Museum is on the right bank of the Seine.
Designed to be placed or worn outward.
the right side of a piece of cloth Begin this stitch on the right side.
Pertaining to the political right; conservative.
All right; not requiring assistance.
Most favourable or convenient; fortunate.
Straight, not bent.
a right line
Of or relating to the right whale.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English reȝt, right, righte, riht, riȝt, riȝte, ryght, ryȝt, from Old English reht, reoht, rieht, riht, ryht (“right,” also the word for “straight” and “direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“right, straight; just, morally upright”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“right, straightened”), from *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten; to righten”). The Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period. Cognates Cognate with Scots richt (“right”), Yola reights, rights (“rights”), North Frisian recht, rocht, rucht (“right”), Saterland Frisian gjucht (“right”), West Frisian rjocht (“straight”), Central Franconian rääch (“right”), Dutch recht (“straight”), German recht, Recht (“right”), Limburgish réët (“right”), Luxembourgish Recht, riets (“right”), riicht (“straight”), Yiddish רעכט (rekht, “right”), Danish ret (“right”), Faroese rættur (“right”), Icelandic réttur (“right”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk rett (“right”), Swedish rät (“straight”), rätt (“right”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts, “straight; correct”). The Indo-European root is also the source of Breton reiñ (“to give”), Cornish ri (“to give; to grant; to present”), Irish reachd, reacht (“law, statute; authority; dispensation”), Scottish Gaelic reachd (“law, right; command, power”), Welsh rhoddi, rhoi (“to give; to put”), Latin rēctus (“led straight along; correct, right; just, lawful”), Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós, “stretched out; longed for”), Latvian redzēt (“to see”), Lithuanian regėti (“to see, view”), Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬎 (ər^əzu, “straight”), Baluchi راست (rást, “right”), Central Kurdish ڕاست (rast, “right; straight”), Northern Kurdish rast (“straight; right; true; erect; direct”), Ossetian раст (rast, “honest, true; correct; exact; straight; fair; direct”), Persian راس (rās / râs), راست (râst, “straight; direct; true; erect”), Zazaki raşt (“right; straight”), Sanskrit ऋजु (ṛju, “straight; honest, sincere”).
On the right side.
Towards the right side.
Exactly, precisely.
The arrow landed right in the middle of the target.
Luckily we arrived right at the start of the film.
Immediately, directly.
Can't you see it? It's right beside you!
Tom was standing right in front of the TV, blocking everyone's view.
Very, extremely, quite.
I made a right stupid mistake there, didn't I?
I stubbed my toe a week ago and it still hurts right much.
Very, extremely, quite. To a great extent or degree.
Sir, I am right glad to meet you …
Members of the Queen's Privy Council are styled The Right Honourable for life.
According to fact or truth; actually; truly; really.
In a correct or proper manner.
Do it right or don't do it at all.
Nothing is going right for me lately.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English right, righte, from Old English rihte, rehte (“right; rightly; due; directly; straight”), from Proto-Germanic *rehta, from *rehtaz (“right; straight”).
Yes, that is correct; I agree.
— United's the best team in the country. — Right. And they'll go all the way for sure. — Damn right they will.
I have listened to what you just said and I acknowledge your assertion or opinion, regardless of whether I agree with it (opinion) or can verify it (assertion).
— United's the best team in the country, so they'll come up with something. — Right. And do you think they'll go all the way?
Signpost word to change the subject in a discussion or discourse.
— After that interview, I don't think we should hire her. — Right. Who wants lunch?
Used to check listener engagement and (especially) agreement at the end of an utterance or each segment thereof.
You're going, right?
I went downstairs, right, and I was going to call her, but I found this note, right, so what am I supposed to do now?
Used to add seriousness or decisiveness before a statement.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English right, righte, from Old English rihte, rehte (“right; rightly; due; directly; straight”), from Proto-Germanic *rehta, from *rehtaz (“right; straight”).
That which complies with justice, law or reason.
We're on the side of right in this contest.
A legal, just or moral entitlement.
You have no right to go through my personal diary.
The right side or direction.
The pharmacy is just on the right past the bookshop.
The right hand or fist.
The authority to perform, publish, film, or televise a particular work, event, etc.; a copyright.
The ensemble of right-wing political parties; political conservatives as a group.
The political right holds too much power.
The outward or most finished surface, as of a coin, piece of cloth, a carpet, etc.
A wave breaking from right to left (viewed from the shore).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English right, from Old English riht, reht, ġeriht (“that which is right, just, or proper”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtą (“a right”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵt- (“to straighten; direct”). Cognate with Dutch recht (“a right; privilege”), German Recht (“a right”), Danish ret (“a right”).
To correct.
Righting all the wrongs of the war immediately will be impossible.
To set upright.
The tow-truck righted what was left of the automobile.
To return to normal upright position.
When the wind died down, the ship righted.
To do justice to; to relieve from wrong; to restore rights to; to assert or regain the rights of.
to right the oppressed
Where this word comes from
From Middle English righten, reghten, riȝten, from Old English rihtan, ġerihtan (“to straighten, judge, set upright, set right”), from Proto-West Germanic *rihtijan, from Proto-Germanic *rihtijaną (“to straighten; rectify; judge”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.