buffalo buffaloes
NOUN 1 a wild animal like a large cow with long curved horns
2 another word for bison
buffet buffets
NOUN 1 a café at a station or on a train
2 a meal at which people serve themselves
bug bugs, bugging, bugged
NOUN 1 a small insect, especially one that causes damage
2 an infection or virus that makes you ill
3 a small error in a computer programme that stops it working properly
VERB 4 If a place is bugged, tiny microphones are hidden there to pick up what people are saying.
build builds, building, built
VERB If you build something, you make it from all its parts.
builder builders
NOUN a person whose job is to build buildings
building buildings
NOUN a structure with walls and a roof
bulb bulbs
NOUN 1 the glass part of an electric lamp
2 an onion-shaped root from which a flower or plant grows. Tulips and daffodils are grown from bulbs.
[from Greek bolbos meaning onion]
bulge bulges, bulging, bulged
VERB 1 If something bulges, it swells out.
NOUN 2 a lump on a normally flat surface
bulk bulks
NOUN 1 a large mass of something
PHRASE 2 If you buy something in bulk, you buy it in large quantities.
bulky bulkier, bulkiest
ADJECTIVE Something that is bulky is large and heavy and sometimes difficult to move.
bull bulls
NOUN the male of some animal species including cattle, elephants and whales
bulldozer bulldozers
NOUN a powerful tractor with a broad blade in front, which is used for moving earth or knocking things down
bullet bullets
NOUN a small piece of metal fired from a gun
bulletin bulletins
NOUN a short news report on radio or television
bullion
NOUN gold or silver bars
bullock bullocks
NOUN a young male bull that is reared for meat
bully bullies, bullying, bullied
NOUN 1 someone who uses their strength or power to hurt or frighten other people
VERB 2 If someone bullies you into doing something, they make you do it by using force or threats.
[a sixteenth-century word meaning fine fellow or hired ruffian]
bump bumps, bumping, bumped
VERB 1 If you bump into something, you knock into it accidentally.
NOUN 2 a soft noise made by something knocking into something else
3 a raised, uneven part of a surface
SYNONYMS: bulge, lump
bumper bumpers
NOUN a bar on the front or back of a vehicle that protects it if it bumps into something
bumpy bumpier, bumpiest
ADJECTIVE Something that is bumpy has a rough, uneven surface. a bumpy road
bun buns
NOUN a small, round bread roll or cake
bunch bunches
NOUN a group of things together a bunch of flowers
bundle bundles, bundling, bundled
NOUN 1 a number of things tied together or wrapped up in a cloth
VERB 2 If you bundle someone or something somewhere, you push them there quickly and roughly.
bungalow bungalows
NOUN a one-storey house
[from Hindi bangla meaning house]
bunk bunks
NOUN a bed fixed to a wall in a ship or caravan
bunk beds
PLURAL NOUN two beds fixed together, one above the other
buoy buoys
NOUN a floating object anchored to the bottom of the sea, marking a channel or warning of danger
buoyancy
NOUN Something that has buoyancy is able to float in liquid or in the air.
buoyant
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is buoyant is able to float.
2 Someone who is buoyant is lively and cheerful.
burden burdens
NOUN a heavy load
burger burgers
NOUN a flat fried cake of meat, vegetables or cheese, served in a bread roll
burglar burglars
NOUN someone who breaks into buildings and steals things
burgle VERB
burn burns, burning, burned or burnt
VERB 1 If something is burning, it is on fire.
2 To burn something means to damage or destroy it with fire.
3 People often burn fuel, such as coal, to keep warm.
NOUN 4 A burn is an injury caused by fire or by something hot.
You can write either burned or burnt as the past form of burn.
burqa burqas; also spelt burka
Said bur-ka NOUN a long garment worn by some Muslim women in public, covering everything except the eyes
burrow burrows, burrowing, burrowed
NOUN 1 a tunnel or hole in the ground dug by a small animal
VERB 2 When an animal burrows, it digs a burrow.
burst bursts, bursting, burst
VERB 1 When something bursts, or when you burst it, it splits open suddenly.
2 When you burst into a room, you enter suddenly and with force.
NOUN 3 A burst of something is a sudden short period of it. a burst of applause
bury buries, burying, buried
VERB 1 If you bury something, you put it in a hole in the ground and cover it with earth.
2 If something is buried under something, it is covered by it. My trainers were buried under a pile of clothes.
bus buses
NOUN a large motor vehicle that carries passengers
[from Latin omnibus meaning for all]
bush bushes
NOUN 1 a large plant, smaller than a tree and with a lot of woody branches
2 In Australia and South Africa, an uncultivated area outside a town or city is called the bush.
3 In New Zealand, the bush is land covered by rainforest.
bushy bushier, bushiest
ADJECTIVE Bushy hair or fur grows very thickly. My dad has bushy eyebrows.
business businesses
NOUN 1 work relating to the buying and selling of goods and services
2 an organization that produces or sells goods, or provides a service
SYNONYMS: company, firm, organization
busker buskers
NOUN someone who sings or plays music in public places for money
bus stop bus stops
NOUN a place where the bus stops regularly for passengers to get on or off, usually marked with a sign
busy busier, busiest
ADJECTIVE 1 If you are busy, you are doing something and are not free to do anything else. She was too busy to come to the cinema with us.
2 A busy place is full of people doing things or moving about.
but
CONJUNCTION 1 used to introduce an idea that is opposite to what has gone before I love cooking, but I hate washing up afterwards.
2 used when you apologize for something Sorry, but I cant come to play tomorrow.
PREPOSITION 3 except There was nothing to eat but potatoes.
butcher butchers
NOUN a shopkeeper who prepares and sells meat
butter
NOUN a soft, fatty food made from cream, which is spread on bread and used in cooking
buttercup buttercups
NOUN a wild plant with bright yellow flowers
butterfly butterflies
NOUN a type of insect with large, colourful wings. Butterflies develop from caterpillars.
buttocks
PLURAL NOUN Your buttocks are the part of your body that you sit on.
[from Old English buttuc meaning rounded slope]
button buttons, buttoning, buttoned
NOUN 1 a small, hard round object sewn on to clothing such as shirts My new jeans fasten with buttons instead of a zip.
NOUN 1 a small, hard round object sewn on to clothing such as shirts My new jeans fasten with buttons instead of a zip.
2 a small object on a piece of equipment that you press to make it work You must push the button down to switch the video on.
VERB 3 If you button a garment, you fasten it using its buttons.
buy buys, buying, bought
VERB If you buy something, you get it by paying money for it.
buzz buzzes, buzzing, buzzed
VERB If something buzzes, it makes a humming sound, like a bee.
buzzer buzzers
NOUN a device that makes a buzzing sound. Buzzers are used to attract attention. I pressed the door buzzer but nobody was home.
by
PREPOSITION 1 used to show who or what has done something The announcement was made by the head teacher.
2 used to show how something is done He cheered us up by taking us to the cinema.
3 next to or near to They live by the park.
4 before a particular time We should finish by tea time.
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB 5 going past We drove by her house.
bypass bypasses
NOUN a road that takes traffic around the edge of a town instead of through the middle The centre of town is much quieter since they built the bypass.
byte bytes
NOUN a unit of storage in a computer
Cc
cab cabs
NOUN 1 a taxi
2 The cab is where the driver sits in a lorry, bus or train.
cabbage cabbages
NOUN a large, green, leafy vegetable
cabin cabins
NOUN 1 a room in a ship where a passenger sleeps
2 a small wooden house, usually in the country
cabinet cabinets
NOUN 1 a small cupboard a medicine cabinet
2 The cabinet in a government is a group of ministers who advise the leader and decide policies.
cable cables
NOUN 1 a strong, thick rope or chain
2 a bundle of wires with a rubber covering, which carries electricity
cable television
NOUN a television service that comes through underground wires
cactus cacti or cactuses
NOUN a thick, fleshy plant that grows in deserts. Cactuses are usually covered in spikes.
cadet cadets
NOUN a young person being trained in the armed forces or police
café cafés
NOUN a place where you can buy light meals and drinks
[from the French café meaning coffee or coffee house]
caffeine; also spelt caffein
NOUN a chemical in coffee and tea that makes you more active
cage cages
NOUN a box or room made with bars, in which birds or animals are kept
caged ADJECTIVE
cake cakes, caking, caked
NOUN 1 a sweet food made from eggs, flour, butter and sugar
2 a block of a hard substance such as soap
VERB 3 If something is caked, it becomes covered with a solid layer of something else. My shoes were caked in mud.
calamity calamities
NOUN something terrible that happens, causing destruction and misery The earthquake was a terrible calamity.
SYNONYMS: disaster, catastrophe
calcium
Said kal-see-um NOUN a soft white mineral found in bones and teeth and in some foods. Milk and cheese are good sources of calcium.
calculate calculates, calculating, calculated
VERB If you calculate something, you work it out, usually by doing some arithmetic. We calculated how much money we had raised from the sponsored walk.
[from Latin calculus meaning stone or pebble, which the Romans used for counting]
calculation calculations
NOUN something that you think about carefully and work out mathematically, or that you do on a machine such as a calculator
calculator calculators
NOUN a small electronic machine used for doing mathematical calculations
calendar calendars
NOUN a chart, usually organized month by month, showing the date of each day in a particular year We marked the end of term on the calendar in red.
calf calves
NOUN 1 a young cow
2 Your calves are the backs of your legs between your knees and ankles.
call calls, calling, called
VERB 1 If you call someone or something a particular name, that is their name. I will call my dog Spot. That type of machine is called a combine harvester.