birth births NOUN
The birth of a baby is when it comes out of its mothers body.
birthday birthdays NOUN
Your birthday is a special date that is remembered every year, because it was the day you were born.
biscuit biscuits NOUN
A biscuit is a small, flat, crisp kind of cake.
See Other foods on page 261
bit bits
NOUN 1 A bit of something is a small piece of it.
NOUN 2 A bit is a piece of metal that goes in a horses mouth.
VERB 3 Bit is also the past tense of bite.
bite bites, biting, bit, bitten VERB
If you bite something, you use your teeth to hold, cut or tear it.
bitter
ADJECTIVE 1 If something has a bitter taste, it tastes sharp and unpleasant.
ADJECTIVE 2 Someone who is bitter feels angry and disappointed.
black blacker, blackest ADJECTIVE
If the colour of something is black, it is the colour of these letters.
See Colours and shapes on page 266
blackberry blackberries NOUN
Blackberries are small, soft, dark purple fruits that grow on brambles.
blackbird blackbirds NOUN
A blackbird is a European songbird.
blackboard blackboards NOUN
A blackboard is a dark board that people can write on in chalk.
blackcurrant blackcurrants NOUN
Blackcurrants are very small, dark purple fruits.
blade blades
NOUN 1 A blade is the sharp edge of a knife or sword.
NOUN 2 A single piece of grass is a blade.
blame blames, blaming, blamed VERB
If somebody blames a person for something bad that happened, they say that person made it happen.
blank blanker, blankest ADJECTIVE
If something is blank, it has nothing written or drawn on it.
blanket blankets NOUN
A blanket is a large warm cloth, often used to cover people in bed.
blaze blazes NOUN
A blaze is a strong bright fire.
blazer blazers NOUN
A blazer is a kind of jacket, often in the colours of a school or sports team.
bleed bleeds, bleeding, bled VERB
If part of your body bleeds, blood comes out of it.
blend blends, blending, blended VERB
When you blend two or more things together, they become a smooth mixture.
blew VERB
Blew is the past tense of blow.
blind blinds
NOUN 1 A blind is rolled material that you pull down to cover a window.
ADJECTIVE 2 Someone who is blind cannot see.
blindness NOUN
blindfold blindfolds NOUN
A blindfold is a strip of cloth tied over someones eyes so that they cannot see.
blink blinks, blinking, blinked VERB
When you blink, you shut your eyes and open them again quickly.
blister blisters NOUN
A blister is a small bubble on your skin, containing watery liquid. Blisters are caused by a burn or rubbing.
blizzard blizzards NOUN
A blizzard is a bad snowstorm with strong winds.
block blocks, blocking, blocked
NOUN 1 A block of flats or offices is a large tall building.
NOUN 2 A block of something like stone or wood is a large rectangular piece of it.
VERB 3 To block means to get in the way.
blog blogs NOUN
A blog is a website that describes the daily life of the person who writes it.
blonde or blond ADJECTIVE
Blonde hair is pale yellow in colour. The spelling blond is used when referring to men.
blood NOUN
Blood is the red liquid that your heart pumps round inside your body.
bloom blooms, blooming, bloomed VERB
When a plant blooms, its flowers open.
blossom NOUN
Blossom is the flowers that appear on a tree or bush.
blot blots NOUN
A blot is a mark made by a drop of liquid, especially ink.
blouse blouses NOUN
A blouse is a kind of shirt worn by a girl or a woman.
blow blows, blowing, blew, blown
VERB 1 When the wind blows, the air moves faster.
VERB 2 If you blow, you send out a stream of air from your mouth.
NOUN 3 A blow is a hard hit.
blue bluer, bluest ADJECTIVE
Something that is blue is the colour of the sky on a sunny day.
See Colours and shapes on page 266
bluebell bluebells NOUN
A bluebell is a flower that often grows wild in woods in Europe.
blunt blunter, bluntest
ADJECTIVE 1 A blunt knife is not sharp.
ADJECTIVE 2 Something that is blunt has a rounded, rather than pointed, end.
My pencils blunt.
blur blurs NOUN
A blur is a shape that you cannot see clearly.
The car went past so fast it was just a blur.
blurred ADJECTIVE blurry ADJECTIVE
blush blushes, blushing, blushed VERB
When you blush you become red in the face, usually because you are embarrassed.
board boards NOUN
A board is a flat, thin piece of wood.
boast boasts, boasting, boasted VERB
If you boast, you talk too proudly about something.
boat boats NOUN
A boat is a small vessel for travelling on water.
See ship
body bodies
NOUN 1 Your body is every part of you. Some animals, like elephants, have very large bodies.
See The body on page 256
NOUN 2 You can say body when you mean just the main part of a person, not counting head, arms and legs.
NOUN 3 A body is a dead person.
bog bogs NOUN
A bog is an area of land that is always wet and spongy.
boil boils, boiling, boiled
VERB 1 When liquid boils it gets very hot. It bubbles and steam rises from it.
VERB 2 If you boil food, you cook it in boiling water.
NOUN 3 A boil is a painful red swelling on the skin.
bold bolder, boldest
ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is bold is not afraid of risk or danger.
ADJECTIVE 2 Letters that are in bold type are thicker than ordinary printed letters.
bolt bolts, bolting, bolted
NOUN 1 A bolt is a long round metal pin with a flat end. It screws into a nut to fasten things.
NOUN 2 A bolt is a metal bar that you can slide across to keep a door shut.
VERB 3 If you bolt a door or window, you lock it with a bolt.
VERB 4 When a person or animal bolts, they suddenly run very fast.
bomb bombs NOUN
A bomb is a weapon which explodes and damages a large area.
bone bones NOUN
Your bones are the hard parts inside your body which make up your skeleton.
bonfire bonfires NOUN
A bonfire is a fire lit outdoors, usually to burn garden rubbish.
bonnet bonnets
NOUN 1 A bonnet is the metal cover over a cars engine.
NOUN 2 A bonnet is also a babys or womans hat tied under the chin.
book books, booking, booked
NOUN 1 A book is a number of pages held together inside a cover.
VERB 2 If you book something, you ask someone to keep it for you. We booked seats at the cinema.
boot boots
NOUN 1 Boots are strong shoes that cover your ankle and sometimes your calf.
NOUN 2 The boot of a car is a space for luggage.
border borders
NOUN 1 A border is the line dividing two countries.
NOUN 2 A border is a strip along the edge of something, usually as a decoration.
bore bores, boring, bored
VERB 1 If somebody bores you, you do not find them interesting.
VERB 2 If you bore a hole in something, you make a hole with a drill.
VERB 3 Bore is the past tense of bear.
bored ADJECTIVE
When you are bored, you feel tired and impatient because you have nothing interesting to do.
boredom NOUN
boring ADJECTIVE
Something boring is so dull that you have no interest in it.
born VERB
When a baby is born, it comes out of its mothers body.
borrow borrows, borrowing, borrowed VERB
When you borrow something, someone lets you have it for a while but they expect you to give it back later.
boss bosses NOUN
Someones boss is the head of the place where they work.
bossy ADJECTIVE
A bossy person likes to tell others what to do.
both ADJECTIVE OR PRONOUN
You use both when you are talking about two things or people. He put both books in the drawer.
bother bothers, bothering, bothered
VERB 1 If something bothers you, it annoys you or makes you feel worried.
VERB 2 If you bother about something, you care about it and take trouble over it.
bottle bottles NOUN
A bottle is a container for keeping liquids in. Bottles are usually made of glass or plastic.
bottom bottoms
NOUN 1 The bottom of something is the lowest part of it.
NOUN 2 Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on.
bought VERB
Bought is the past tense of buy.
boulder boulders NOUN
A boulder is a big rounded rock.
bounce bounces, bouncing, bounced VERB
When something bounces, it springs back in the opposite direction as soon as it hits something hard.
bound bounds, bounding, bounded
VERB 1 When animals or people bound, they move quickly with large leaps.
ADJECTIVE 2 If something is bound to happen, it is sure to happen.
boundary boundaries NOUN
The boundary of an area of land is its outer limit.
bow bows, bowing, bowed
(rhymes with low) NOUN 1 A bow is a kind of knot with two loops used to tie laces and ribbons.
NOUN 2 A bow is also a weapon used for shooting arrows.
NOUN 3 The bow for a stringed musical instrument is a long piece of wood with horsehair stretched along it.
(rhymes with now) VERB 4 When you bow, you bend your body forward.
bowl bowls NOUN
A bowl is an open container used for holding liquid or serving food.
box boxes NOUN
A box is a container with straight sides, made from something stiff, like cardboard, wood or plastic.
boy boys NOUN
A boy is a male child.
bracelet bracelets NOUN
A bracelet is a band or chain which is worn round the wrist or arm as an ornament.
bracket brackets NOUN
Brackets are a pair of written marks ( ) placed round words that are not part of the main text.
See Punctuation on page 270
Braille NOUN
Braille is a form of writing using raised dots that blind people can read by touching the dots with their fingers.
brain brains NOUN
Your brain is inside your head and controls your whole body. It lets you think, feel and remember.
brainy brainier, brainiest ADJECTIVE
Someone who is brainy is clever and good at learning things.
brake brakes NOUN
The brake is the part of a vehicle that slows it down or stops it.
bramble brambles NOUN
A bramble is a wild bush with thorns.
The fruit are called blackberries.
branch branches NOUN
A branch is part of a tree that grows out from the trunk.
brass NOUN
Brass is a yellow metal made from copper and zinc. It is used for making things like ornaments and some musical instruments.
brave braver, bravest ADJECTIVE
If you are brave, you show you can do something even if it is frightening.
bravely ADVERB bravery NOUN
bread NOUN
Bread is a very common food, made with flour and baked in an oven.
See Other foods on page 261
breadth NOUN
The breadth of something is the distance that it measures from one side to the other.
break breaks, breaking, broke, broken
VERB 1 If you break something, it splits into pieces or stops working.
VERB 2 If you break a rule or a promise, you fail to keep it.
breakdown breakdowns NOUN
If someones car has a breakdown, it stops working during a journey.
breakfast breakfasts NOUN
Breakfast is the first meal of the day.
breast breasts NOUN
Breasts are the two round parts on the front of a womans body, which can produce milk to feed a baby.
breath NOUN
Your breath is the air that you take into and let out of your lungs.
breathe breathes, breathing, breathed VERB
When you breathe, you take air into your lungs through your nose or mouth, and then let it out again.
breed breeds NOUN
A breed of an animal is a particular kind. For example, a labrador is a breed of dog.
breeze breezes NOUN
A breeze is a gentle wind.
brick bricks NOUN
A brick is a block used for building. It is made of baked clay.
bride brides NOUN
A bride is a woman on or near her wedding day.
bridge bridges NOUN
A bridge is something built over things like rivers, railways or roads, so that people or vehicles can get across.
brief briefer, briefest ADJECTIVE
Something that is brief lasts only a short time.
briefly ADVERB
briefcase briefcases NOUN
A briefcase is a flat case used for carrying papers.
bright brighter, brightest
ADJECTIVE 1 Bright colours are clear and easy to see.
ADJECTIVE 2 A light that is bright shines strongly.
ADJECTIVE 3 Someone who is bright is quick at learning or noticing things.
brilliant
ADJECTIVE 1 A brilliant colour or light is extremely bright.
ADJECTIVE 2 Someone who is brilliant is extremely clever or skilful.
brim brims
NOUN 1 If you fill a cup to the brim, you fill it right up to the top.