📖 B — The English dictionary

ba — Everyday, meaning 1: (Mandarin, pinyin) «Bā» means «eight» in Mandarin; «ba» with no tone goes at the end of a sentence to make a suggestion: «wǒmen zǒu ba» means «let's go».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (abbreviation) A BA is a Bachelor of Arts, a first university degree.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (abbreviation) BA is short for British Airways, an airline.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (science) «Ba» is the chemical symbol for barium.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: The sound a sheep makes is spelt «baa», not «ba».↗ Everyday, meaning 6: Ba can also be a name, such as the name of a pet reindeer.↗ Example: In Mandarin, «bā» means «eight».↗ · «Wǒmen zǒu ba» means «let's go».↗ · My aunt has a BA in English.↗ · We flew to London with BA.↗ · Ba is the symbol for barium.↗ · Eight is a lucky number in China.↗ · The sheep said «baa».↗

baa — Everyday, meaning 1: The sound a sheep or lamb makes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To make this sound; to bleat.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Baa San is a Japanese term of address meaning "old woman" or "grandmother".↗ Example: «Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?»↗ · The lambs baaed for their mothers.↗ · We heard a loud «baa» from the field.↗ · The sheep went «baa» when the dog barked.↗ · Little Tom can say «baa» like a sheep.↗ · The baaing of sheep woke us early.↗

baba — Everyday, meaning 1: (Ukrainian) «Baba» means grandmother or granny; also an old woman.↗ It sounds like «BAH-bah» and is not an English word.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A baba (rum baba) is a small sweet sponge cake soaked in syrup or rum.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Baba Yaga is a witch in Slavic fairy tales who lives in a hut on chicken legs (a name).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Baby talk: «baba» can mean a baby or a bottle.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: In Turkish, Persian and Arabic, "baba" means father or dad.↗ Example: We visit Baba every Sunday and she makes varenyky.↗ · «Baba» is the Ukrainian word for granny.↗ · Baba Yaga's hut stood on chicken legs.↗ · The bakery sold a rum baba with cream.↗ · My baby brother points at his bottle and says «baba».↗ · Baba told us stories about her village.↗

babble — Everyday, meaning 1: To talk quickly in a way that is hard to understand or silly: «She babbled about her holiday.».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of a baby) To make speech-like sounds before real words: «ba-ba-ba».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (of water) To make a soft, bubbling sound: «a babbling brook».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) A noise of many voices at once, or silly talk.↗ Example: The baby babbled happily in her cot.↗ · Stop babbling and tell me what happened!↗ · We sat by a babbling brook.↗ · A babble of voices filled the canteen.↗ · He babbled on about his new game for ages.↗ · Babies babble before they say their first word.↗ · Then broke forth a rippling, laughing babble among the cone-shaped teepees.↗

babbling — Everyday, meaning 1: Babbling is talking quickly in a silly, excited or confusing way, so it is hard to understand or not very sensible.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Babbling is the sound babies make — «ba-ba-ba, da-da» — before they can say real words.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A babbling brook or stream makes a soft, bubbling, continuous sound as water runs over stones.↗ Example: The baby was babbling happily in her cot.↗ · He was so nervous he started babbling.↗ · We sat beside a babbling brook.↗ · Stop babbling and tell me slowly.↗ · Babbling is how babies practise sounds.↗ · The excited children were babbling about the trip.↗ · I could hear the stream babbling under the bridge.↗

babe — Everyday, meaning 1: (old-fashioned, literary or Bible) A babe is a baby: «a babe in arms», the baby Jesus «the babe in the manger».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) «Babe» is a loving name people call their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or child, like «darling» or «honey».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, can be rude) A «babe» is a word for an attractive person, especially a young woman; many people find this disrespectful.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «A babe in the woods» means someone innocent who does not know how the world works.↗ Example: The shepherds found the babe lying in a manger.↗ · She was only a babe in arms when they moved to Ireland.↗ · «Thanks, babe,» Mum said to Dad.↗ · (informal) «Night night, babe,» said Mum as she switched off the light.↗ · He was a babe in the woods when it came to money.↗ · The carol tells of the babe born in Bethlehem.↗ · (slang) Calling a stranger «babe» can sound rude.↗ · Babe is also the name of a famous film about a pig.↗ · When the morning sun arose, the babe awoke.↗ · As for My people, a babe is their master, and women rule over them.↗ (Prophets ISA.3.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.↗ (Prophets ISA.3.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Their babes also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.↗ (Prophets ISA.13.16, JPS 1917)↗

babel — Everyday, meaning 1: (Bible) The Tower of Babel is a story in Genesis where people tried to build a tower up to heaven; God mixed up their language so they could not understand each other, and they spread over the earth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A babel is a confused noise of many voices talking at once.↗ Example: The people of Babel wanted a tower that reached the sky.↗ · God confused their language, and work on the tower stopped.↗ · The station was a babel of voices in many languages.↗ · Our classroom became a babel when the teacher left.↗ · We built a Tower of Babel from paper cups.↗ · The story of Babel explains why people speak different languages.↗ · And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.↗ (Torah GEN.10.10, JPS 1917)↗ · Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.↗ (Torah GEN.11.9, JPS 1917)↗

baboon — Everyday, meaning 1: A baboon is a large monkey from Africa and Arabia with a dog-like face, long jaws and big teeth, living in large groups called troops.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, insult) Calling someone a baboon means they are acting rough or silly; it is rude.↗ Example: A troop of baboons crossed the road.↗ · Baboons are monkeys, not apes.↗ · The baboon showed its long teeth.↗ · Baboons in Cape Town sometimes steal picnic food.↗ · Baby baboons ride on their mothers' backs.↗ · Ancient Egyptians honoured baboons.↗ · One day, when the sun was hotter even than usual, the rabbit awoke from his midday sleep, and saw Gudu the baboon standing beside him.↗

baby — Everyday, meaning 1: A very young child who cannot yet walk or talk much.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A very young animal.↗ e.g. "a baby bird".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The youngest person in a family.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: As an adjective, very small or young.↗ e.g. "baby teeth".↗ Example: My aunt just had a baby.↗ · The baby is sleeping.↗ · A baby kangaroo is called a joey.↗ · Hold the baby gently.↗ · She is the baby of the family.↗ · Baby teeth fall out.↗ · The bird fed its babies worms.↗ · Our babysitter reads us stories.↗ · "It's only the baby," said John.↗

babyhood — Everyday, meaning 1: Babyhood is the time in your life when you are a baby, usually the first year or two.↗ Example: Most people cannot remember their babyhood.↗ · These photos show my babyhood.↗ · In babyhood we learn to sit, crawl and stand.↗ · Babyhood comes before childhood.↗ · The bear kept his blanket from babyhood.↗ · During babyhood, babies sleep for most of the day.↗

babyish — Everyday, meaning 1: Babyish means like a baby or suitable for a baby, too young for someone older.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Babyish behaviour is acting in a silly or childish way that is not right for your age.↗ Example: My brother thinks that cartoon is babyish.↗ · Stop being babyish and share the toy.↗ · These books are a bit babyish for me now.↗ · It isn't babyish to cuddle a teddy at night.↗ · The wallpaper in her room looked babyish.↗ · He was embarrassed by his babyish haircut.↗ · Throwing a tantrum is babyish.↗ · Some big kids still like babyish games, and that's fine.↗

babylonian — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Having to do with Babylon, an ancient land and city in what is now Iraq, or its people and language.↗ Example: It was apparently originally invented to represent the Assyrian-Babylonian language, which consisted of seventeen or eighteen sounds.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · The earliest known use of this symbol in Babylonian in- scriptions belongs to the third century B. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

babysit — Everyday, meaning 1: To babysit is to look after a baby or a child for a while when their parents are out.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To babysit can also be used jokingly for watching over something, like a pet or a house.↗ Example: My big cousin will babysit us tonight.↗ · Grandma babysits my little brother on Tuesdays.↗ · She babysat for the neighbours last weekend.↗ · Can you babysit my hamster while I'm away?↗ · You must be old enough and trusted to babysit.↗ · When Mum babysits, she reads us a story.↗

babysitter — Everyday, meaning 1: A babysitter is a person who looks after children in their home while the parents are out, usually for a few hours and often for money.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Something that keeps children busy so adults can rest, like a TV used as «a babysitter».↗ Example: Our babysitter reads us stories before bed.↗ · Mum and Dad hired a babysitter for Saturday night.↗ · The babysitter has the emergency phone numbers.↗ · My cousin earns money as a babysitter.↗ · The babysitter said bedtime was eight o'clock.↗ · Be polite to the babysitter.↗ · Can you be our babysitter on Friday?↗ · The TV shouldn't be your babysitter all day.↗

babysitting — Everyday, meaning 1: Babysitting is the -ing form of «babysit»: looking after a child while their parents are out.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Babysitting is also the job or activity of doing that, often for pay.↗ Example: She earns pocket money from babysitting.↗ · I'm babysitting my little sister tonight.↗ · He did a babysitting course to learn first aid.↗ · Mia was paid £8 an hour for babysitting, so 3 hours earned her £24.↗ · Babysitting twins is hard work!↗ · Thanks for babysitting, we'll be home by ten.↗

baccy — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK) Baccy is short for tobacco, the dried leaves people smoke in pipes and cigarettes.↗ Example: Grandad kept his baccy in a tin.↗ · The old sailor filled his pipe with baccy.↗ · «Got any baccy?» asked the tramp.↗ · The shop sold sweets and baccy.↗ · He ran out of baccy and grumbled.↗ · Baccy is slang for tobacco.↗

bach — Everyday, meaning 1: Bach is the surname of Johann Sebastian Bach, a famous German composer of classical and church music who lived long ago (a name).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (New Zealand) A bach is a small, simple holiday house, often by the beach or a lake.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal, US, old) To bach it means to live alone as a bachelor (rare).↗ Example: We listened to a piece by Bach in music class.↗ · Bach wrote a lot of music for church organs.↗ · Every summer we stay at our bach in the Coromandel.↗ · The bach has no TV, just a deck and the beach.↗ · Johann Sebastian Bach came from a family of musicians.↗ · Gran's bach is by the lake.↗

bachelor — Everyday, meaning 1: A man who is not married and never has been.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (school) A first university degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) A bachelor pad is a flat where an unmarried man lives.↗ Example: My uncle is a bachelor who lives with three cats.↗ · My sister is studying for a bachelor's degree in science.↗ · She has a Bachelor of Arts in history.↗ · The prince was the most famous bachelor in the land.↗ · The bachelor finally married at fifty.↗ · Dad's friends threw him a bachelor party before the wedding.↗ · A bachelor's degree usually takes three or four years.↗ · And the butterfly became what is called an old bachelor.↗

back — Everyday, meaning 1: The back is the part that is last or farthest from the front: the back of the line.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Your back is the part of your body from your neck to your bottom.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Back as an adverb means to where someone or something was before: «come back», «give it back».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To back someone is to help or support them; to back up is to move backwards.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Back means earlier in time: «three years back», «back then».↗ Everyday, meaning 6: In football and rugby a back is a player near your own goal.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (casual) «Got your back» means I'll protect you; «back in a sec» means I'll return soon.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (rude) «Back off!», «get off my back!» mean stop bothering me; «talk behind someone's back» is gossip they do not hear.↗ Everyday, meaning 9: (formal) Exams say «return», «reimburse», «refund», «the rear» and «previously».↗ Example: Anna is the 6th from the front and the 11th from the back.↗ · Tom stands at the back of the line.↗ · Sam gave 2 cards back to Ben.↗ · Write your name on the back of the page.↗ · Lie on your back and look at the stars.↗ · Come back before it gets dark.↗ · Dad backed the car out of the garage.↗ · back in 5 mins, save me a seat↗ · Give it back or else, that's my 10 bucks!↗ · She talks about everyone behind their back.↗ · A refund of 4 dollars is subsequently remitted to the purchaser.↗ Determine the net expenditure.↗ · Count the 4th seat from the rear of the bus.↗ · He went back to his work.↗ · But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.↗ (Torah GEN.19.26, JPS 1917)↗ · And Abraham said unto him: 'Beware thou that thou bring not my son back thither.↗ (Torah GEN.24.6, JPS 1917)↗ · Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back.↗ (Torah NUM.23.20, JPS 1917)↗ · Wherefore they came back, and told him.↗ (Prophets 2KI.9.36, JPS 1917)↗ · The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.↗ (Writings PSA.129.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.↗ (Writings PRO.19.29, JPS 1917)↗