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# reflex

«reflex» in Mova's school dictionary: **something your body does by itself, very quickly, without…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (reflex, reflexes); adjective use (a reflex action)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A reflex is something your body does by itself, very quickly, without you deciding to, such as blinking when something flies at your eye or pulling your hand off a hot pan. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#m1)

2) Reflexes are how quickly you can react: a goalkeeper with fast reflexes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#m2)

3) In maths, a reflex angle is an angle bigger than 180 degrees but smaller than 360 degrees. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science (the body), reflexes protect you: the message goes from the nerves to the spinal cord and straight back to the muscles, faster than thinking; the doctor taps your knee to test the knee-jerk reflex. In maths, angles are named acute (less than 90°), right (90°), obtuse (between 90° and 180°), straight (180°) and reflex (between 180° and 360°). In sports and stories it shows quick reactions. Phrases: quick reflexes, a reflex action, reflex angle.

### examples

- I blinked as a reflex when the ball flew at my face. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x1)
- Pulling your hand away from a hot plate is a reflex. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x2)
- The doctor tapped my knee and my leg kicked by itself. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x3)
- Our goalkeeper has amazing reflexes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x4)
- A reflex angle is bigger than a straight line. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x5)
- An angle of 270 degrees is a reflex angle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x6)
- Sneezing and coughing are reflexes that clear your nose and throat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/#x7)

### note

Plural: reflexes. A reflex is not chosen, so you cannot easily stop it. Maths trap: a reflex angle is more than 180° but less than 360°; 180° exactly is a straight angle, 360° a full turn. To find a reflex angle from the small angle on the other side, subtract from 360: if the small angle is 60°, the reflex angle is 300°.

### In the corpora

- [A sneeze is a reflex that blasts air out of the nose and mouth to clear something irritating, like dust or pepper.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/66-lungs-and-breathing/13/)
- [The story that your eyes pop out if you sneeze with them open is not true; closing them is just a reflex.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/364-the-body-s-rough-side-burps-farts-snot-sneezes-hiccups-and-poo/12/)
- [A snake that looks dead can still bite by reflex, so it must never be touched.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/25-snakes-spiders-and-scorpions/10/)
- [Some people faint at the sight of blood because their heart slows and blood pressure drops; it is a reflex, not weakness.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/4-cuts-grazes-stitches-and-splinters/16/)
- [People sometimes laugh by reflex when someone falls; a real friend stops and helps when they see you are hurt.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/reflection/28-reading-people-in-hard-times-whats-really-behind-the-mean-face/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «reflex» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflex/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.