badly ADVERB
If something is done badly, it is done in a way that is not successful or effective.
bag bags NOUN
A bag is a soft container for carrying or holding things.
bait NOUN
Bait is food used to trap animals.
bake bakes, baking, baked VERB
When you bake food, you cook it in an oven.
baker bakers NOUN
A baker makes and sells bread, cakes and pies.
balance balances, balancing, balanced VERB
When you balance, you keep steady. She tried to balance on one leg.
balcony balconies NOUN
A balcony is a platform on the outside of a building. Balconies have a railing or wall around them.
bald balder, baldest ADJECTIVE
People who are bald have no hair on the top of their head.
ball balls NOUN
Anything round can be called a ball. You need a ball for lots of games, like tennis and football.
ballet ballets NOUN
A ballet is a sort of play where the story is told with dancing and music.
balloon balloons NOUN
A balloon is a small rubber bag. If you blow hard into it, it gets bigger and makes a very light toy or decoration.
bamboo NOUN
Bamboo is a kind of grass with strong hollow stems which are useful as garden canes or for making furniture.
ban bans, banning, banned VERB
If someone is banned from doing something, they are told by people in charge that they must not do it.
banana bananas NOUN
A banana is a long yellow fruit which grows on trees in hot countries.
See Fruit on page 260
band bands
NOUN 1 A band is a small number of people, like a gang of robbers or a group of musicians.
NOUN 2 A band can also be a strip of material such as iron, cloth or rubber.
bandage bandages NOUN
A bandage is a strip of cloth used to cover a wound.
bang bangs, banging, banged
NOUN 1 A bang is a sudden loud noise.
VERB 2 If something bangs, or you bang it, it makes a loud noise.
bank banks
NOUN 1 A bank is a business that looks after peoples money.
NOUN 2 The bank of a river is the ground either side of the water.
banner banners NOUN
A banner is a long strip of cloth or paper with a message written on it.
bar bars
NOUN 1 A bar is a long piece of something hard, like metal or wood.
NOUN 2 A bar can also be a counter where people can buy drink.
barbecue barbecues NOUN
A barbecue is a grill on which food is cooked outdoors over hot charcoal.
barber barbers NOUN
A barber is someone who cuts mens hair.
bar code bar codes NOUN
A bar code is a pattern of numbers and lines printed on something that is for sale, so that the price can be read by a machine.
bare barer, barest
ADJECTIVE 1 If part of your body is bare, it is not covered by clothes.
ADJECTIVE 2 If something is bare, it has nothing in it or on it. It was winter and the trees were bare.
bargain bargains NOUN
A bargain is something which is sold at a low price, and which you think is good value.
bark barks, barking, barked
VERB 1 When a dog barks, it makes a sudden rough, loud noise.
NOUN 2 Bark is the outside covering of a tree.
barley NOUN
Barley is a cereal that is grown for food and drink.
bar mitzvah NOUN
A Jewish boys bar mitzvah is a ceremony that takes place on his 13th birthday. After this he is regarded as an adult.
barn barns NOUN
A barn is a large building where a farmer stores hay and other crops.
barrel barrels NOUN
A barrel is a large wooden, metal or plastic container for holding liquids.
barrier barriers NOUN
A barrier is something like a fence or wall, that stops people getting past.
base bases
NOUN 1 The base is the bottom of something.
NOUN 2 Number bases are a whole pattern of counting. A base ten counting system uses units, tens and hundreds.
basement basements NOUN
The basement of a building is a floor below ground level.
basic
ADJECTIVE 1 Basic is used to describe things like the food and equipment that people really need in their lives.
ADJECTIVE 2 Basic also means the simplest things you need to know about a subject. Im not good at this yet, but Ive got the basic idea.
basically ADVERB
basin basins NOUN
A basin is a wide round container which is open at the top.
basket baskets NOUN
A basket is used for holding or carrying things. It is usually made from strips of thin wood or cane.
basketball NOUN
Basketball is a game between two teams of five players. Each team tries to score by throwing a ball through a circular net fixed to a high board.
bat bats, batting, batted
NOUN 1 In some games, like table tennis, you use a wooden bat to hit the ball.
NOUN 2 A bat is also a small animal like a mouse with leathery wings. Bats fly at night, and sleep hanging upside down.
VERB 3 If you are batting, you are having a turn at hitting the ball with a bat in cricket, baseball or rounders.
bath baths NOUN
A bath is a container for water. It is big enough to sit or lie in, so that you can wash yourself all over.
bathroom bathrooms NOUN
The bathroom is the room where the bath or shower is.
battery batteries NOUN
A battery is an object which stores electric power. There are tiny batteries for things like watches, and larger batteries for torches.
battle battles NOUN
A battle is a fight between enemy forces, on land, at sea or in the air.
bawl bawls, bawling, bawled VERB
If a child is bawling, it is crying very loudly and angrily.
bay bays NOUN
A bay is a deep curve in a coastline.
be am, is, are, being, was, were, been
VERB 1 You use be to say what a person or thing is like. She is very young.
VERB 2 You also use be to say that something is there. There is a tree in the garden.
beach beaches NOUN
The beach is the land covered with sand or pebbles that is next to the sea.
bead beads NOUN
A bead is a small piece of glass or plastic with a hole through it. Beads can be threaded together to make a necklace or bracelet.
beak beaks NOUN
A beak is the hard outside part of a birds mouth.
beam beams, beaming, beamed
NOUN 1 A beam is a long thick bar of wood, metal or concrete, used to support part of a building.
NOUN 2 A beam is also a line of light from an object such as a torch or the sun.
VERB 3 If you beam, you give a big smile.
bean beans NOUN
VERB 3 If you beam, you give a big smile.
bean beans NOUN
A bean is a vegetable. Its outer covering is called a pod, and inside it has large seeds, also called beans.
See Vegetables on page 260
bear bears, bearing, bore
NOUN 1 A bear is a large, strong animal with thick fur and sharp claws.
VERB 2 If you bear something, you put up with it. I cant bear all this homework.
beard beards NOUN
A beard is the hair which grows on the lower part of a mans face.
beat beats, beating, beat, beaten
VERB 1 If you beat someone in a race or competition, you do better than they do.
VERB 2 If someone beats another person or an animal, they hit them hard.
VERB 3 If you beat eggs, you stir them very fast.
VERB 4 Your heart beats with a regular rhythm all the time.
beautiful
ADJECTIVE 1 You say something is beautiful if it gives you great pleasure to look at it or listen to it.
ADJECTIVE 2 You say someone is beautiful if they are lovely to look at.
beaver beavers NOUN
A beaver is a furry animal which lives in or near water.
because CONJUNCTION
You say because when you are going to give a reason for something. I left the party because they were playing silly games.
become becomes, becoming, became, become VERB
To become means to start being different in some way. The smell became stronger.
bed beds
NOUN 1 A bed is a piece of furniture to lie down on when you rest or sleep.
NOUN 2 The bed of the sea or of a river is the ground beneath it.
bedroom bedrooms NOUN
Your bedroom is the room where you sleep.
bee bees NOUN
A bee is a flying insect. People keep bees for the honey that they make.
See beehive
See also Insects on page 264
beech beeches NOUN
A beech is a large tree.
beef NOUN
Beef is the meat from a cow.
beehive beehives NOUN
A beehive is a house for bees, where a beekeeper collects the honey.
been VERB
Been is the past participle of be. We have always been good friends.
See be
beer beers NOUN
Beer is a drink made from grain.
beetle beetles NOUN
A beetle is an insect with four wings. The front two act as hard covers to the body when the beetle is not flying.
See Insects on page 264
beetroot beetroots NOUN
Beetroot is a dark red root vegetable.
See Vegetables on page 260
before
PREPOSITION 1 If something happens before something else, it happens earlier. Can I see you before lunch?
ADVERB 2 If you have done something before, it is not the first time.
beg begs, begging, begged VERB
If you beg someone to do something, you ask them very anxiously to do it. Krishna begged his dad to take him to the football match.
begin begins, beginning, began, begun VERB
When you begin, you start. I began school on Thursday.
beginner beginners NOUN
A beginner is someone who has just started to learn something.
beginning beginnings NOUN
The beginning of something is the first part of it.
begun VERB
Begun is the past participle of begin.
behave behaves, behaving, behaved VERB
The way you behave is the way you act.
behaviour NOUN
behind
PREPOSITION 1 Behind means on the other side of something. She was behind the counter.
PREPOSITION 2 If you are behind someone, you are at the back of them.
beige ADJECTIVE
Something that is beige is a pale creamy-brown colour.
See Colours and shapes on page 266
believe believes, believing, believed VERB
If you believe something or someone, you think what is said is true.
bell bells NOUN
A bell is a piece of metal shaped like a cup, which rings when something hits it.
belong belongs, belonging, belonged
VERB 1 If something belongs to you, it is your own.
VERB 2 If you belong to something, like a club, you are a member of it.
below PREPOSITION
If something is below something else, it is underneath it.
belt belts NOUN
A belt is a strip of leather or other material that you put round your waist.
bench benches NOUN
A bench is a long seat, usually made of wood.
bend bends, bending, bent VERB
When something bends, it becomes curved or crooked.
beneath PREPOSITION
If something is beneath something else, it is below it.
bent ADJECTIVE
If something is bent, it has become curved or crooked.
See bend
berry berries NOUN
A berry is a small round soft fruit that grows on a bush or a tree.
beside PREPOSITION
If something is beside something else, it is at the side of it.
best ADJECTIVE
Best means the most good, or better than anything else. Thats the best programme Ive seen.
better
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is better than something else is of a higher standard or quality. Your bicycle is better than mine.
ADJECTIVE 2 Better can also mean more sensible. It would be better to go home.
ADJECTIVE 3 If you are feeling better after an illness, you are not feeling so ill.
between PREPOSITION
If something is between two other things, it is in the space or time that separates them. The toyshop is between the bank and the library.
beware VERB
You tell people to beware if there is danger of some kind. Beware of the bull.
Bible Bibles NOUN
The Bible is the sacred book of the Christian religion.
bicycle bicycles NOUN
A bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels. You sit on it and turn pedals with your feet to make it go.
big bigger, biggest ADJECTIVE
Something or somebody big is large in size or importance.
bike bikes NOUN
Bike is an abbreviation of bicycle.
bill bills
NOUN 1 A bill is a piece of paper saying how much money you owe. Mums just had the electricity bill.
NOUN 2 A birds bill is its beak.
bin bins NOUN
A bin is a container, usually with a lid, for putting rubbish in.
bind binds, binding, bound VERB
If you bind something, you tie something like string or cloth tightly round it so that it is held in place.
biology NOUN
Biology is the study of living things.
bird birds NOUN
A bird is an animal with two legs, two wings and feathers.
birth births NOUN