Collins Dictionaries - Collins Junior Illustrated Dictionary

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. That’s the best programme I’ve 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. Mum’s just had the electricity bill.

NOUN 2 A bird’s 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

The birth of a baby is when it comes out of its mother’s 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 horse’s 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.