Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

3 When your heart beats, it pumps blood with a regular rhythm.

NOUN 4 the main rhythm of a piece of music or poetry

beautiful

ADJECTIVE very attractive or pleasing

SYNONYM: lovely

beauty beauties

NOUN 1 the quality of being beautiful • the beauty of the stars on a clear night

2 The beauty of an idea or a plan is what makes it attractive or worth doing. • The beauty of going in September is that the sea will be warmer for swimming.

beaver beavers

NOUN a mammal with a big, flat tail and webbed hind feet. Beavers build dams.

because

CONJUNCTION 1 Because is used with other words to give the reason for something. • I went home because I was tired.

PHRASE 2 Because of is used with a noun that gives the reason for something. • I had to stay late because of detention.

beckon beckons, beckoning, beckoned

VERB If you beckon to someone, you make a sign to them with your hand, asking them to come to you.

become becomes, becoming, became, become

VERB If someone or something becomes something else, they start feeling or being that thing. • I became more and more angry.

[from Old English becuman meaning to happen]

bed beds

NOUN 1 a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep

2 an area of ground in a garden which has been dug and prepared for planting

3 The bed of the sea or a river is the bottom of it.

bedraggled

ADJECTIVE If a person or animal is bedraggled, they are wet, dirty and messy.

bedroom bedrooms

NOUN a room for sleeping in

bedtime bedtimes

NOUN the time when you go to bed

bee bees

NOUN a winged insect that makes honey. Many types of bee live in large groups.

beech beeches

NOUN a tree with a smooth, grey trunk and shiny leaves

beef

NOUN the meat of a cow, bull or ox

beehive beehives

NOUN a specially designed structure in which bees are kept so that their honey can be collected

been

VERB the past participle of be

beer beers

NOUN an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavoured with hops

beetle beetles

NOUN a flying insect with hard wings that cover its body when it is not flying

[from Old English bitan meaning to bite]

beetroot beetroots

NOUN a round, dark red root vegetable

before

ADVERB, PREPOSITION OR CONJUNCTION If something happens before, it happens earlier than something else. • Can I see you before you go?

ANTONYM: after

beg begs, begging, begged

VERB 1 When people beg, they ask for food or money, because they are very poor.

2 If you beg someone to do something, you ask them very anxiously to do it. • David begged his dad to take him to the cinema.

began

VERB the past tense of begin

begin begins, beginning, began, begun

VERB If you begin something, you start it.

beginner beginners

NOUN someone who has just started to learn something

SYNONYM: learner

beginning beginnings

NOUN The beginning of something is when or where it starts.

begun

VERB the past participle of begin

behalf

PHRASE If you do something on behalf of someone or something, you do it for them or in their name. • We did the sponsored swim on behalf of various charities.

behave behaves, behaving, behaved

VERB 1 If you behave in a particular way, you act in that way. • He knew that he’d behaved badly.

2 If you behave yourself, you act correctly or properly.

behind

PREPOSITION 1 at the back of • The moon disappeared behind a cloud.

2 supporting someone • The whole school was behind him in the competition.

ADVERB 3 If you stay behind, you remain after other people have gone.

4 If you leave something behind, you do not take it with you.

beige

ADJECTIVE a cream-brown colour

being

VERB the present participle of be

belch belches, belching, belched

VERB 1 If you belch, you make a sudden noise in your throat because air has risen up from your stomach.

2 If something belches smoke or fire, it sends it out in large amounts. • Smoke belched from the factory chimneys.

NOUN 3 the noise you make when you belch

belief beliefs

NOUN If you have a belief in something, you are certain that it is right or true.

believe believes, believing, believed

VERB 1 If you believe that something is true, you think that it is true.

2 If you believe someone, you accept that they are telling the truth.

bell bells

NOUN 1 a cup-shaped metal object with a piece inside it called a clapper that hits the side and makes a ringing sound

2 an electrical device that you can ring or buzz to get attention

bellow bellows, bellowing, bellowed

VERB If a human or other animal bellows, they shout very loudly or make a very loud, deep noise like a roar.

belly bellies

NOUN the part of your body, especially your stomach, that holds and digests food

belong belongs, belonging, belonged

VERB 1 If something belongs to you, it is yours and you own it.

2 If you belong to a group, you are a member of it.

3 If something belongs in a particular place, that is where it should be. • That book belongs on the top shelf.

belongings

PLURAL NOUN Your belongings are all the things that you own.

below

PREPOSITION OR ADVERB 1 If something is below something else, it is in a lower position. • We could hear music coming up from the flat two floors below.

ANTONYM: above

2 If something is below a particular amount or level, it is less than it. • below average rainfall

ANTONYM: above

belt belts

NOUN a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist to hold your trousers or skirt up

bench benches

NOUN a long seat that two or more people can sit on

bend bends, bending, bent

VERB 1 When you bend something, you use force to make it curved or angular.

2 When you bend, you move your head and shoulders forwards and downwards. • I bent over to pick up my glasses.

NOUN 3 a curved part of something • a bend in the road

beneath

PREPOSITION OR ADVERB FORMAL underneath

benefit benefits, benefiting, benefited

NOUN 1 the advantage that something brings to people • the benefit of a good education

VERB 2 If you benefit from something, it helps you. • He’ll benefit from some extra tuition.

[from Latin benefactum meaning good deed]

bent

ADJECTIVE curved or twisted out of shape

bereaved

ADJECTIVE FORMAL You say that someone is bereaved when a close relative of theirs has recently died.

bereavement NOUN

berry berries

NOUN a small, round fruit that grows on bushes or trees

berserk

ADVERB If somebody goes berserk, they lose control of themselves and become extremely violent.

[from Icelandic berserkr meaning a Viking who wore a shirt made from the skin of a bear and who worked himself into a mad frenzy before going into battle]

berth berths

NOUN 1 a space in a harbour where a ship stays when it is being loaded or unloaded

2 In a boat or caravan, a berth is a bed.

PHRASE 3 If you give someone or something a wide berth, you avoid them because they are unpleasant or dangerous.

beside

PREPOSITION If one thing is beside another thing, it is next to it.