📖 B — The English dictionary · page 2

backache — Everyday, meaning 1: A pain in your back.↗ Example: Carrying my heavy bag gave me backache.↗ · Grandma has a backache after gardening.↗ · Lift with your knees to avoid backache.↗ · Sitting badly can cause backache.↗ · Dad's backache got better with rest.↗ · A good chair helps prevent backache.↗

backbite — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: to speak badly of someone when they are not there.↗ Example: With the profanest mockeries of backbiting they gnash at me with their teeth.↗ (Writings PSA.35.16, JPS 1917)↗ · The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.↗ (Writings PRO.25.23, JPS 1917)↗

backbone — Everyday, meaning 1: The backbone is the line of bones down the middle of your back, also called the spine.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The backbone of something is its most important part, which holds the rest up.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Having backbone means being brave and strong enough to do the right thing.↗ Example: Your backbone is made of small bones called vertebrae.↗ · A fish has a backbone, but a worm does not.↗ · Sit up straight to look after your backbone.↗ · Farmers are the backbone of the country.↗ · It takes backbone to stand up to a bully.↗ · The goalkeeper is the backbone of our team.↗ · Insects are animals without a backbone.↗ · Feel the bumps of your backbone down your back.↗

backfire — Everyday, meaning 1: If a plan backfires, it goes wrong and has the opposite result to what you wanted, often hurting you instead.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: If a car or engine backfires, it makes a sudden loud bang because fuel explodes in the wrong place.↗ Example: His plan to scare his sister backfired when he got scared.↗ · The joke backfired, and nobody laughed.↗ · Lying to your parents can backfire.↗ · The old car backfired with a loud bang.↗ · Her trick backfired on her.↗ · Skipping lunch backfired — I felt sick in the afternoon.↗ · The fox's clever plan backfired in the end.↗ · The motorbike backfired and the birds flew off.↗

background — Everyday, meaning 1: The background of a picture or scene is the part behind the main things, furthest from you.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Your background is your family, your culture, where you come from, your education and experience.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Background information is the facts you need to understand something.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: In the background means present but not the centre of attention: background music, background noise.↗ Example: The mountains are in the background of the painting.↗ · Our class photo has the school in the background.↗ · There was a lot of background noise in the café.↗ · The teacher gave us some background on the war.↗ · Children in our class come from many different backgrounds.↗ · Soft music played in the background.↗ · I changed the background on my tablet to a picture of my dog.↗ · The app keeps running in the background.↗ · Fortunately for him the demons did not see him, as the tree was in the background.↗

backhand — Everyday, meaning 1: A backhand is a shot in tennis, badminton, table tennis or squash, where you hit the ball with your arm across your body and the back of your hand facing the ball.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Backhand can describe writing that slopes to the left.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To backhand is to hit with the back of the hand.↗ Example: She hit a great backhand down the line.↗ · Practise your backhand against the wall.↗ · His backhand is weaker than his forehand.↗ · In table tennis, a backhand is played across your body.↗ · The coach showed us how to hold the racket for a backhand.↗ · He caught the frisbee backhand.↗

backlighting — Everyday, meaning 1: Light placed behind something, like the light behind a phone or laptop screen, or behind a person in a photo or play.↗ Example: Turn down the backlighting to save battery.↗ · Backlighting made her hair glow in the photo.↗ · The keyboard has backlighting for the dark.↗ · Stage backlighting showed the dancers' shapes.↗ · Strong backlighting can make faces look dark.↗ · The old e-reader had no backlighting.↗

backlog — Everyday, meaning 1: A pile of work or jobs that should have been done already and are still waiting.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A list of things still to be done in order, such as orders, emails or tasks.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A backlog is a large log placed at the back of a fireplace to burn slowly.↗ Example: After a week off sick, I had a backlog of homework.↗ · The post office has a huge backlog of parcels before Christmas.↗ · The plumbers are busy clearing a backlog of jobs.↗ · Dad spent Sunday working through his backlog of emails.↗ · There is a long backlog of patients waiting at the hospital.↗ · Our game-making team keeps a backlog of ideas.↗ · Snow caused a backlog of trains at the station.↗ · The next thing she did was to rake back the red embers, and make a hollow place among them, just where the backlog had been.↗

backpack — Everyday, meaning 1: A backpack is a bag with two straps that you carry on your back.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To backpack means to travel or hike carrying everything you need in a big backpack.↗ Example: Put your lunch box in your backpack.↗ · Wear both straps of your backpack.↗ · My backpack is too heavy with all these books.↗ · We packed water and snacks in our backpacks for the hike.↗ · Her backpack has reflective strips for the dark walk home.↗ · They went backpacking around New Zealand.↗ · He hung his backpack on the hook.↗ · Check your backpack for letters from school.↗

backside — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) The part of the body you sit on; your bottom.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The back part of something (rare): the backside of the building.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal, phrases) Get off your backside: stop being lazy and do something.↗ Example: He slipped on the ice and landed on his backside.↗ · (informal) Get off your backside and tidy your room!↗ · The donkey kicked the farmer in the backside.↗ · (informal) Doing all this homework is a pain in the backside.↗ · My backside hurt after the long bike ride.↗ · The mud left a brown patch on her backside.↗

backsliding — Everyday, meaning 1: Going back to bad old habits after you had been doing better.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church) Falling away from faith or from living as a Christian after having been committed.↗ Example: After a week of early nights, there was some backsliding at the weekend.↗ · The preacher warned the people against backsliding.↗ · Toad promised to change, but his backsliding began at once.↗ · We must stop backsliding into old bad habits.↗ · Christians believe God forgives the backsliding person who comes back.↗ · My diet lasted two days before the backsliding started.↗ · How long wilt thou turn away coyly, O thou backsliding daughter?↗ (Prophets JER.31.22, JPS 1917)↗ · Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?↗ (Prophets JER.8.5, JPS 1917)↗ · even the LORD said unto me — backsliding Israel hath proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.↗ (Prophets JER.3.11, JPS 1917)↗

backstage — Everyday, meaning 1: Backstage means in the area behind the stage of a theatre, where performers get ready and wait.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Backstage can mean in private, hidden from the public, where the real planning happens.↗ Example: We waited nervously backstage before the school play.↗ · The costumes are kept backstage.↗ · She got a backstage pass at the concert.↗ · Lots of helpers work backstage to make the show run.↗ · Please be quiet backstage during the performance.↗ · Backstage, the actors were laughing and joking.↗

backstroke — Everyday, meaning 1: Backstroke is a way of swimming on your back, moving your arms backwards one after the other over your head and kicking your legs.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A backstroke is one movement of the arm in this style.↗ Example: I swam two lengths of backstroke today.↗ · In backstroke you float on your back and look at the ceiling.↗ · Backstroke races start in the water, not from the blocks.↗ · The flags warn backstroke swimmers that the wall is near.↗ · She won the gold medal in the 200 metres backstroke.↗ · Keep your tummy up when you do backstroke.↗ · Each backstroke pulled him further down the pool.↗

backup — Everyday, meaning 1: An extra copy of computer files kept safe in case the first copy is lost.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Extra help or support, such as more police or players who can join when needed.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Something kept ready in case the first plan fails, like a backup plan.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (US) A traffic jam or a blockage, such as a sink backup.↗ Example: Always make a backup of your homework on a memory stick.↗ · My laptop broke, but I had a backup in the cloud.↗ · If it rains, our backup plan is the cinema.↗ · The officer called for backup.↗ · The backup goalkeeper came on in the second half.↗ · Please back up your files before the update.↗ · My friend backed me up when I told the truth.↗ · There was a backup of cars on the motorway.↗

backward — Everyday, meaning 1: Backward means toward the back, or in the direction behind you.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Backward means in the opposite order, from end to start.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Backward (adjective) can mean slower to change or grow than others.↗ Example: Count backward from 20 by 2s.↗ · He took 3 steps backward.↗ · Read the number backward.↗ · The frog jumps 5 feet forward and 2 feet backward.↗ · She can say the alphabet backwards.↗ · Walk backward slowly and carefully.↗ · The video played backward.↗ · Count backward from 10 to 1 for the rocket launch.↗ · He fell backward into the pool.↗ · She bent over backwards to help us.↗ · He moved his head backwards and forwards and flew away.↗ · Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that his rider falleth backward.↗ (Torah GEN.49.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.↗ (Torah GEN.9.23, JPS 1917)↗ · Eighth ; He looked backward, and sealed the West (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The sea saw it, and fled; the Jordan turned backward.↗ (Writings PSA.114.3, JPS 1917)↗ · Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all they that hate Zion.↗ (Writings PSA.129.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And He smote His adversaries backward; He put upon them a perpetual reproach.↗ (Writings PSA.78.66, JPS 1917)↗

backwater — Everyday, meaning 1: A part of a river where the water is still or slow, away from the main current, often behind a bend or a weir.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A quiet place, such as a small town, where not much happens and new ideas arrive slowly.↗ Example: Ratty steered the boat into a quiet backwater.↗ · Water lilies grew in the still backwater.↗ · Ducks dabbled in the backwater, away from the strong current.↗ · My uncle says his village is a sleepy backwater.↗ · The backwater was full of reeds and dragonflies.↗ · They tied up the boat in a little backwater for lunch.↗ · Fish rest in backwaters when the river is in flood.↗

backyard — Everyday, meaning 1: A backyard is the yard behind a house, often with grass; in the UK and Australia it is often called the back garden.↗ Example: The backyard is 20 feet long and 15 feet wide.↗ · She planted 6 trees in the backyard.↗ · A fence goes around the backyard.↗ · 9 birds are in the backyard.↗ · We camped in the backyard in a tent.↗ · The dog dug a hole in the backyard.↗ · Dad grills burgers in the backyard.↗ · We grow tomatoes in our backyard.↗ · The kids built a fort in the backyard.↗ · A swing hangs from the tree in the backyard.↗ · The Princess and the gardener's boy were playing in the backyard.↗

bacon — Everyday, meaning 1: Bacon is salty meat from the back or sides of a pig, cut in thin slices and usually fried or grilled.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, idiom) To bring home the bacon means to earn money for your family.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal, idiom) To save someone's bacon means to rescue them from trouble.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To want someone's bacon means to be after them, wanting to catch or harm them.↗ Example: Dad fried bacon and eggs for breakfast.↗ · I'd like a bacon sandwich, please.↗ · Some people do not eat bacon because of their religion.↗ · You saved my bacon by lending me a pen!↗ · Grandad worked hard to bring home the bacon.↗ · Crispy bacon smells delicious.↗ · But he wants my bacon! gree-ee-ee!"↗

bacteria — Everyday, meaning 1: Bacteria are tiny living things, each made of just one cell, too small to see without a microscope.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Some bacteria are harmful and cause illness (germs), but many are helpful, for example in your gut, in soil and in making yoghurt and cheese.↗ Example: Bacteria are so small that you need a microscope to see them.↗ · Wash your hands with soap to get rid of harmful bacteria.↗ · Some bacteria help us digest our food.↗ · Keep milk in the fridge so bacteria grow more slowly.↗ · Yoghurt is made with the help of bacteria.↗ · Brushing your teeth removes bacteria that cause holes.↗ · Bacteria can live in very hot springs and in ice.↗ · Cook chicken all the way through to kill the bacteria.↗

bacterial — Everyday, meaning 1: Bacterial means caused by bacteria or to do with bacteria, the tiny living things too small to see.↗ Example: She had a bacterial infection and needed antibiotics.↗ · Washing your hands reduces bacterial growth.↗ · Leaving food out can lead to bacterial growth.↗ · Scientists grew bacterial colonies on a dish.↗ · Tooth decay is partly bacterial.↗