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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | ryfe |
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rife
1 [not before noun] if something bad or unpleasant is rife, it is very common : Violent crime is rife in our inner cities.
Violent crime is rife in our inner cities.2 full of something bad or unpleasant : The crowded factories are rife with disease.
rife with something
The crowded factories are rife with disease.3 to spread quickly in an uncontrolled way : No one knew exactly what he had done, but speculation ran rife.
run rife
No one knew exactly what he had done, but speculation ran rife.
