📖 B — The English dictionary · page 3

bacteriophage — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) A virus that infects and kills bacteria; often shortened to «phage».↗ Example: A bacteriophage attacks only bacteria.↗ · The bacteriophage looks like a tiny lunar lander.↗ · Phages could help when antibiotics fail.↗ · Scientists found bacteriophages in river water.↗ · A bacteriophage injects its DNA into a bacterium.↗ · Our science poster showed a bacteriophage.↗

bacterium — Everyday, meaning 1: A bacterium is one tiny living thing made of a single cell, so small you need a microscope to see it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Bacteria (plural) live almost everywhere: in soil, water, air and inside our bodies; some are helpful and some cause illness.↗ Example: A bacterium is too small to see without a microscope.↗ · Washing your hands with soap removes bacteria.↗ · Some bacteria help us digest our food.↗ · Bacteria in milk turn it into yoghurt.↗ · Harmful bacteria can grow on raw chicken.↗ · Keep food in the fridge so bacteria grow more slowly.↗ · One bacterium can split into two, then four, then eight.↗ · Antibiotics can kill bacteria but not viruses.↗

bad — Everyday, meaning 1: Not good; of low quality.↗ e.g. "bad weather".↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Wrong or naughty.↗ e.g. "bad behaviour".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Harmful.↗ e.g. "Smoking is bad for you."↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Serious or severe.↗ e.g. "a bad cut".↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Rotten, spoiled.↗ e.g. "The milk has gone bad."↗ Everyday, meaning 6: Feeling ill or sorry.↗ e.g. "I feel bad about it."↗ Example: Sugar is bad for your teeth.↗ · We stayed in because of bad weather.↗ · The milk smells bad.↗ · I feel bad that I broke your pencil.↗ · He is bad at catching.↗ · That was a bad cut.↗ · Hitting is bad behaviour.↗ · Not bad for a first try!↗ · Geppetto had a very bad temper.↗ · And Jacob said unto his father: 'I am Esau thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me.↗ (Torah GEN.27.19, JPS 1917)↗ · Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said: 'The thing proceedeth from the LORD; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.↗ (Torah GEN.24.50, JPS 1917)↗ · And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad; as thou the priest valuest it, so shall it be.↗ (Torah LEV.27.12, JPS 1917)↗ · 'It is bad, it is bad', saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.↗ (Writings PRO.20.14, JPS 1917)↗ · And Absalom spoke unto Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.↗ (Prophets 2SA.13.22, JPS 1917)↗ · One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.↗ (Prophets JER.24.2, JPS 1917)↗

baddie — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) A baddie is a bad person or villain in a story, film or game.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) A baddie can be any person or thing seen as the cause of trouble.↗ Example: The baddie in the film had a secret lair.↗ · We played goodies and baddies in the playground.↗ · In fairy tales, the wolf is often the baddie.↗ · The baddies got caught at the end.↗ · Sugar is sometimes made the baddie of healthy eating.↗

bade — Everyday, meaning 1: Bade means told or ordered someone to do something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Bade also means said goodbye: bade them farewell.↗ This is an old use, found in fairy tales.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: Ordered or asked someone to do something.↗ Example: But the Fairy bade her take courage.↗ · Then they bade each other farewell and separated.↗ · And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.↗ (Torah GEN.43.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm therein.↗ (Torah EXO.16.24, JPS 1917)↗ · But all the congregation bade stone them with stones, when the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.↗ (Torah NUM.14.10, JPS 1917)↗ · Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai: (Writings EST.4.15, JPS 1917)↗ · And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.↗ (Writings RUT.3.6, JPS 1917)↗ · And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him; he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.↗ (Prophets JOS.11.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.↗ (Torah GEN.43.17, JPS 1917) · But the Fairy bade her take courage.↗ (The Red Fairy Book) · And Jacob said unto his father: 'I am Esau thy first-born; I have done according as thou badest me.↗ (Torah GEN.27.19, JPS 1917)

badge — Everyday, meaning 1: A small piece of metal, plastic or cloth with a picture or words on it, worn to show who you are, what you belong to or what you have done.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sign of something.↗ e.g. "a badge of honour".↗ Example: I earned my swimming badge today.↗ · Mum sewed the badge on my uniform.↗ · The police officer showed her badge.↗ · Everyone at the meeting wore a name badge.↗ · Scouts collect badges for new skills.↗ · He wears his captain's badge proudly.↗ · Obliged to dismount, Hako was about to rush at his antagonist, when Eiko, as quick as lightning, tore from his breast the badge of commandership and galloped away.↗

badger — Everyday, meaning 1: A badger is a wild animal with grey fur, short legs and a black and white striped face that lives in tunnels underground and comes out at night.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To badger someone means to keep asking them again and again for something until they get annoyed.↗ Example: A badger dug a hole under our fence.↗ · Badgers come out at night to look for worms.↗ · A badger's home is called a sett.↗ · We saw a badger's black and white face in the torchlight.↗ · Stop badgering me about the ice cream!↗ · My little brother badgered Mum until she said yes.↗ · The American badger lives in open grasslands.↗ · Old father badger was a great hunter.↗ · And the rock-badger, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.↗ (Torah LEV.11.5, JPS 1917)↗ · The rock-badgers are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the crags; (Writings PRO.30.26, JPS 1917)↗

badly — Everyday, meaning 1: Badly means in a bad, poor or wrong way: «He played badly».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Badly means seriously or very much: «badly hurt», «I badly want a dog».↗ Example: I slept badly last night.↗ · He was badly hurt in the fall.↗ · We played badly in the first half.↗ · She badly wanted to win.↗ · The window was badly broken.↗ · Don't treat animals badly.↗ · The party went badly because of the rain.↗ · They behaved badly at the cinema.↗ · “Oh, my brother, I have indeed done badly.”↗

badminton — Everyday, meaning 1: A game in which players use light rackets to hit a shuttlecock over a high net.↗ Example: We played badminton in PE today.↗ · You hit a shuttlecock, not a ball, in badminton.↗ · My dad and I play doubles badminton on Saturdays.↗ · A badminton game is to 21 points.↗ · The badminton net is higher than a tennis net.↗ · She keeps her badminton racket in her locker.↗

badness — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The state of being bad; poor quality or evil.↗ Example: And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.↗ (Torah GEN.41.19, JPS 1917)↗

baffle — Everyday, meaning 1: To baffle someone is to puzzle them so they cannot understand or work out what to do.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To baffle a plan is to stop it working, to foil it.↗ Example: Medea at once took measures to baffle them.↗ · The riddle baffled all the clever men.↗ · The puzzle baffled me for an hour.↗

baffled — Everyday, meaning 1: Completely confused, not able to understand or explain something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (past form of baffle) Made someone confused.↗ Example: I was baffled by the last maths question.↗ · The detective was baffled by the missing key.↗ · Scientists were baffled by the strange light in the sky.↗ · The magic trick left everyone baffled.↗ · Grandad looked baffled when I explained the video game.↗ · Her answer baffled the whole class.↗ · The puzzle baffled us for an hour.↗

bag — Everyday, meaning 1: A bag is a soft container you carry things in, made of paper, plastic, cloth or leather.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A bag is the amount a bag holds: a bag of sweets.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To bag something is to put it in a bag, or to grab it for yourself.↗ e.g. I bagged the front seat.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (casual) «Bags» (UK, Ireland, Australia) or «dibs» (US) claims something first: «Bags the window seat!».↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (casual) «Bags of» means lots of: bags of time.↗ «Not my bag» means not what I like.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (casual, Australia, NZ) To bag someone is to criticise them or make fun of them.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (rude) «Old bag» is a nasty name for an older woman; do not use it.↗ Everyday, meaning 8: (formal) The exam voice says «receptacle», «container», «sack», «parcel».↗ Example: There are 3 bags.↗ Each bag has 4 stamps.↗ · A box has 20 balloons and a bag has 19 balloons.↗ · Rita puts 18 sweets equally into 3 bags.↗ · Each bag holds 5 oranges.↗ How many oranges are in 6 bags?↗ · Don't forget your school bag!↗ · We packed the groceries into bags.↗ · I bought a bag of chips for the trip.↗ · Plastic bags can hurt sea turtles, so we reuse them.↗ · Bags the front seat!↗ · relax, we've got bags of time, bus is at 9↗ · We're 3 goals up, the game's in the bag.↗ · A total of 18 confectionery items is distributed equally among 3 receptacles; determine the contents of each receptacle.↗ · These are magic bags which never grow empty.↗ · Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small.↗ (Torah DEU.25.13, JPS 1917)↗ · My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and Thou heapest up mine iniquity.↗ (Writings JOB.14.17, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?'↗ (Prophets MIC.6.11, JPS 1917)↗ · My beloved is unto me as a bag of myrrh, that lieth betwixt my breasts.↗ (Writings SNG.1.13, JPS 1917)↗

bagel — Everyday, meaning 1: A ring-shaped bread roll with a hole in the middle, boiled before it is baked, so it is chewy.↗ Example: I had a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast.↗ · The bakery sells bagels for 1 dollar each.↗ · Dad toasted two bagels.↗ · A bag of 6 bagels costs 4 dollars.↗ · She cut the bagel in half.↗ · Sesame bagels are my favourite.↗

bagful — Everyday, meaning 1: A bagful is as much as a bag will hold.↗ Example: Take this bagful of bread-crumbs.↗ · She took a bagful of jewels and set out alone.↗

baggage — Everyday, meaning 1: The bags and suitcases you take when you travel.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Worries, bad memories or old problems that a person carries with them from the past (said as a picture).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Bag and baggage means taking everything you own and leaving a place completely.↗ Example: We collected our baggage from the moving belt.↗ · Each passenger may bring one piece of baggage.↗ · Do not leave your baggage alone at the station.↗ · The baggage was too heavy, so we paid extra.↗ · Go to baggage reclaim after you land.↗ · He carried a lot of baggage from his old school, like worry about being teased.↗ · Our baggage arrived on the wrong plane!↗ · He takes bag and baggage, and, presto! is gone like a letter into the post.↗ · He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Michmas he layeth up his baggage; (Prophets ISA.10.28, JPS 1917)↗ · And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brethren.↗ (Prophets 1SA.17.22, JPS 1917)↗ · Therefore they asked of the LORD further: 'Is there yet a man come hither?'↗ And the LORD answered: 'Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage.'↗ (Prophets 1SA.10.22, JPS 1917)↗

bagging — Everyday, meaning 1: Putting things into bags: «bagging groceries».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Catching, getting or winning something: «bagging a goal», «bagging the best seat».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, US) «Bagging on someone» means making fun of or criticising them.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) Rough cloth used for making sacks.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (UK, hiking) Climbing a list of hills: «Munro bagging».↗ Example: He's been bagging groceries at the supermarket after school.↗ · We spent Saturday bagging up autumn leaves.↗ · She ended up bagging two goals in the match.↗ · I'm bagging the front seat!↗ · They were bagging on my new haircut.↗ · Uncle Rory is bagging all the Munros in Scotland.↗

baggy — Everyday, meaning 1: Baggy clothes are big and loose, not tight on your body.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Baggy skin under the eyes hangs loosely, often because someone is tired or old.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Baggy writing or a baggy plan is too long and loose, not tight and clear.↗ Example: He likes wearing baggy jeans.↗ · My dad's T-shirt is baggy on me.↗ · These trousers are too baggy — I need a belt.↗ · Grandpa had baggy eyes after the long flight.↗ · Baggy clothes are comfortable for sleeping.↗ · Tuck in baggy trousers when you ride your bike.↗ · The clown wore a baggy suit with big buttons.↗ · Her jumper got baggy after she washed it.↗

bagpipe — Everyday, meaning 1: The bagpipes are a musical instrument with a bag that the player fills with air and squeezes, and pipes that make a loud, buzzing sound.↗ Example: The piper played the bagpipes at the wedding.↗ · You can hear bagpipes from a long way away.↗ · Bagpipes are famous in Scotland.↗ · The bagpipe player wore a kilt.↗ · Ireland and Spain have their own kinds of bagpipe.↗ · There they found the ratcatcher playing his bagpipes at the same spot as the evening before.↗ · that at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up; (Writings DAN.3.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image; (Writings DAN.3.10, JPS 1917)↗