Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

VERB 2 If you barricade yourself inside a room or building, you put something heavy against the door to stop people getting in.

[from Old French barriquer meaning to block with barrels]

barrier barriers

NOUN a fence or wall that prevents people or animals getting from one area to another

barrister barristers

NOUN a lawyer who is qualified to represent people in the higher courts

barrow barrows

NOUN 1 another word for wheelbarrow

2 a large cart from which fruit or other goods are sold in the street

base bases, basing, based

NOUN 1 the lowest part of something • The waves crashed at the base of the cliffs.

2 The base of a triangle or a square-shaped pyramid is the bottom.

3 a place where part of an army, navy or air force works from

VERB 4 If you base one thing on another, you develop from it. • She based the film on a true story.

5 If you are based somewhere, you live there or work from there. • My dad is based in Cardiff, but spends a lot of time abroad.

baseball

NOUN a team game played with a bat and a ball. It is popular in the USA.

basement basements

NOUN a room or set of rooms below the level of the street • My aunt lives in the basement of our house.

basic

ADJECTIVE 1 The basic aspects of something are the most necessary ones. • The basic ingredients of bread are flour, yeast and water.

2 having only the essentials, and no extras or luxuries

basically ADVERB

basin basins

NOUN 1 a round, wide container which is open at the top

2 A river basin is a bowl of land from which water runs into the river.

basis bases

NOUN If something is the basis of something else, it is the main principle on which it is based, and from which other points and ideas can be developed.

bask basks, basking, basked

VERB If you bask in hot weather, you lie in the sun and enjoy the warmth.

basket baskets

NOUN a container made of thin strips of wood or metal woven together • a shopping basket

basketball

NOUN a game in which two teams try to score goals by throwing a large ball through one of two circular nets that are suspended high up at each end of the basketball court

bass basses

NOUN 1 a man with a very deep singing voice

ADJECTIVE 2 In music, a bass instrument produces a very deep sound. • a bass guitar

bassoon bassoons

NOUN a large woodwind instrument

bat bats, batting, batted

NOUN 1 a specially shaped piece of wood with a handle, used for hitting a ball in games such as table tennis or cricket

2 a small animal like a mouse with leathery wings. Bats fly at night and sleep hanging upside down.

VERB 3 If you are batting in cricket, baseball or rounders, it is your turn to hit the ball.

batch batches

NOUN A batch of things is a group of things that are all the same or are being dealt with at the same time. • They delivered the first batch of books at the start of term.

bath baths

NOUN a long container that you fill with water and sit in to wash yourself

bathe bathes, bathing, bathed

VERB When you bathe in a sea, river or lake, you swim or play there.

bathroom bathrooms

NOUN a room with a bath or shower, a washbasin and often a toilet in it

baton batons

NOUN 1 a light, thin stick that a conductor uses to direct an orchestra or choir

2 a short stick passed from one runner to another at the changeover in a relay race

battalion battalions

NOUN an army unit consisting of three or more companies

batter batters, battering, battered

NOUN 1 a mixture of flour, eggs and milk, used to make pancakes, or to coat food before frying it

VERB 2 When someone or something batters someone or something, they hit them many times. • The waves battered the sides of the ship.

battery batteries

NOUN a device for storing energy and producing electricity, for example in a torch or a car

battle battles

NOUN a fight between armed forces, or a struggle between two people or groups with different aims

battlefield battlefields

NOUN a place where a battle has been fought or is being fought

battlements

PLURAL NOUN the top part of a castle where there are openings through which arrows or guns could be fired

battleship battleships

NOUN a large fighting ship carrying powerful guns

bawl bawls, bawling, bawled

VERB If someone bawls, they shout or cry loudly.

bay bays, baying, bayed

NOUN 1 part of the coastline where the land curves

2 a space or an area used for a particular purpose • a loading bay

3 a tree with dark green leaves. The leaves are used for flavouring food.

VERB 4 When a dog or a wolf bays, it makes a deep, howling sound.

PHRASE 5 If you keep something at bay, you stop it hurting you. • Try eating an orange to keep a cold at bay.

bayonet bayonets

NOUN a sharp blade that can be fixed to the end of a rifle

bazaar bazaars

NOUN 1 an area with many small shops and stalls, especially in Eastern countries

2 a sale to raise money for charity • a Christmas bazaar

[from Persian bazar meaning market]

BC

ADJECTIVE You use BC to show the dates before the birth of Jesus Christ. It is an abbreviation for before Christ.

be am, is, are; being; was, were; been

VERB 1 You can use be with the present participle of other verbs. • Look! I am riding on my own!

2 You can also use be to say that something will happen. • I will be nine in November.

3 You use be to say more about something or somebody. • His name is Tom.

beach beaches

NOUN an area of sand or pebbles beside the sea

beacon beacons

NOUN In the past, a beacon was a light or fire on a hill, which acted as a signal or warning.

bead beads

NOUN 1 a small, shaped piece of glass, stone or wood with a hole through the middle. Beads are strung together with others to make necklaces or bracelets.

2 a drop of liquid • beads of perspiration

beak beaks

NOUN the hard part of a bird’s mouth that sticks out. It is used for pecking up food and for carrying things such as twigs.

beam beams, beaming, beamed

NOUN 1 a long, thick bar of wood or metal, especially one that supports a roof

2 a band of light that shines from something such as a torch or the sun

VERB 3 If you beam, you smile broadly.

bean beans

NOUN the seed or pod of a plant, eaten as a vegetable or used for other purposes • runner beans • coffee beans • soya beans

bear bears, bearing, bore, borne

NOUN 1 a large, strong, wild mammal with thick fur and sharp claws • polar bear • grizzly bear

VERB 2 If someone or something bears something, they carry it or support its weight. • The ice wasn’t thick enough to bear their weight.

3 If something bears a mark or typical feature, it has it. • The room bore all the signs of a violent struggle.

4 If you bear something difficult, you accept it and are able to deal with it. • The loneliness was hard to bear.

beard beards

NOUN the hair that grows on the lower part of a man’s face

beast beasts

NOUN 1 an old-fashioned word for a large, wild animal

2 INFORMAL If you call someone a beast, you mean that they are cruel or spiteful.

beat beats, beating, beat, beaten

VERB 1 If someone or something beats someone or something else, they hit them hard and repeatedly. • The rain was beating against the window.

2 If you beat someone in a race or game, you defeat them or do better than them.