Collins Dictionaries - Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary

NOUN 2 a big explosion, especially one caused by a bomb

blaze blazes, blazing, blazed

NOUN 1 a large, hot fire

VERB 2 If something blazes, it burns or shines brightly. • The fire blazed in the fireplace.

blazer blazers

NOUN a kind of jacket, often in the colours of a school or sports team

bleach bleaches, bleaching, bleached

NOUN 1 a chemical that is used to make material white or to clean thoroughly and kill germs

VERB 2 If you bleach material or hair, you make it white, usually by using a chemical.

bleak bleaker, bleakest

ADJECTIVE 1 If a place is bleak, it is cold, bare and exposed to the wind. • a bleak mountain top

2 If a situation is bleak, it is bad and seems unlikely to improve.

bleat bleats, bleating, bleated

VERB When sheep or goats bleat, they make a high-pitched cry.

bleed bleeds, bleeding, bled

VERB When you bleed, you lose blood as a result of an injury. • My hand bled a lot after I cut it.

blend blends, blending, blended

VERB 1 When you blend substances, you mix them together to form a single substance. • Blend the butter with the sugar.

2 When colours or sounds blend, they combine in a pleasing way.

bless blesses, blessing, blessed or blest

VERB When a priest blesses people or things, he or she asks God to give his protection to them.

[from Old English bloedsian meaning to sprinkle with sacrificial blood]

blew

VERB the past tense of blow

blind blinds, blinding, blinded

ADJECTIVE 1 Someone who is blind cannot see.

VERB 2 If something blinds you, it stops you seeing, either for a short time or permanently.

NOUN 3 a roll of cloth or paper that you pull down over a window to keep out the light

blindfold blindfolds

NOUN a strip of cloth tied over someone’s eyes to stop them seeing

blink blinks, blinking, blinked

VERB When you blink, you close your eyes quickly for a moment.

bliss

NOUN a state of complete happiness

blissful ADJECTIVE blissfully ADVERB

blister blisters

NOUN a small bubble on your skin containing watery liquid, caused by a burn or rubbing

blizzard blizzards

NOUN a heavy snowstorm with strong winds

bloated

ADJECTIVE Something that is bloated is much larger than normal, often because there is a lot of liquid or gas inside it.

block blocks, blocking, blocked

NOUN 1 a large building containing flats or offices

2 In a town, a block is an area of land with streets on all its sides.

3 a large, rectangular, three-dimensional piece of something

VERB 4 If someone or something blocks a road or channel, they put something across it so that nothing can get through.

SYNONYM: obstruct

block capitals

PLURAL NOUN large upper-case letters. THESE ARE BLOCK CAPITALS.

block graph block graphs

NOUN another name for bar chart

blog blogs, blogging, blogged

NOUN 1 a person’s online diary that they put on the internet so that other people can read it

VERB 2 If you blog about something, you write about it in a blog. • He blogs about cooking and restaurants.

blonde blondes

ADJECTIVE 1 Blonde hair is pale yellow in colour. The spelling blond is used when referring to men.

NOUN 2 A blonde or blond is a person with pale yellow hair.

blood

NOUN the red liquid that is pumped by the heart round the bodies of human beings and other vertebrates

bloodstream

NOUN the flow of blood through your body

bloodthirsty

ADJECTIVE Someone who is bloodthirsty enjoys using or watching violence.

bloom blooms, blooming, bloomed

NOUN 1 a flower on a plant

VERB 2 When a plant blooms, it produces flowers.

blossom blossoms, blossoming, blossomed

NOUN 1 all the flowers that appear on a tree before the fruit

VERB 2 When a tree blossoms, it produces flowers.

blot blots

NOUN a mark made by a drop of liquid, especially ink

blouse blouses

NOUN a light shirt, worn by a girl or a woman

blow blows, blowing, blew, blown

VERB 1 When the wind blows, the air moves.

2 If you blow, you send a stream of air from your mouth.

3 If you blow your nose, you force air out of it through your nostrils in order to clear it.

NOUN 4 If you receive a blow, someone or something hits you.

blow up

VERB 1 If something blows up, it is destroyed by an explosion.

2 If you blow up a balloon or a tyre, you fill it with air.

blubber

NOUN the layer of fat beneath the skin of animals such as whales and seals that protects them from the cold

blue bluer, bluest

ADJECTIVE OR NOUN the colour of the sky on a clear, sunny day

bluebell bluebells

NOUN a woodland plant with blue, bell-shaped flowers

bluff bluffs, bluffing, bluffed

NOUN 1 an attempt to make someone believe that you will do something when you do not really intend to do it

VERB 2 If you are bluffing, you are trying to make someone believe that you are in a strong position when you are not.

[from Dutch bluffen meaning to boast]

blunder blunders, blundering, blundered

NOUN 1 a silly mistake

VERB 2 If you blunder, you make a silly mistake.

blunt blunter, bluntest

ADJECTIVE 1 A blunt object has a rounded point or edge, rather than a sharp one. • My pencil was blunt so I could not write with it.

2 If you are blunt, you say exactly what you think, without trying to be polite.

SYNONYMS: outspoken, straightforward

blur

NOUN If something is a blur, you can’t see it clearly. • The mountain was a blur through the mist.

blurb blurbs

NOUN the description of a book printed on the back cover

blurt out blurts out, blurting out, blurted out

VERB If you blurt out something, you say it suddenly, after trying to keep it a secret.

blush blushes, blushing, blushed

VERB If you blush, your face becomes red, because you are embarrassed or ashamed.

[from Old English blyscan meaning to glow]

boa boas

NOUN a large snake that kills its prey by coiling round it and crushing it

boar boars

NOUN 1 a male wild pig

2 a male domestic pig used for breeding

board boards, boarding, boarded

NOUN 1 a long, flat piece of wood

2 a flat piece of wood, plastic or cardboard, which is used for a particular purpose • a chessboard • a surfboard

3 the group of people who control a company or organization • My mum is on the board of governors.

4 the meals provided when you stay in a hotel or guesthouse • The price includes full board.

VERB 5 If you board a ship or aircraft, you get on it or in it.

PHRASE 6 If you are on board a ship or aircraft, you are on it or in it.

Do not confuse board with bored.

boarder boarders

NOUN 1 a pupil who lives at school during term

2 a lodger

boast boasts, boasting, boasted

VERB If you boast, you talk proudly about what you have or what you can do.

SYNONYM: brag

boat boats

NOUN a small vehicle for travelling across water

body bodies

NOUN 1 Your body is all of you, from your head to your feet.

2 You can say body when you mean just the main part of a human or other animal, not counting head, arms and legs.

bodyguard bodyguards

NOUN a person employed to protect someone

bog bogs

NOUN an area of wet, spongy ground

boil boils, boiling, boiled

VERB 1 When a hot liquid boils, or when you boil it, it starts to bubble and to give off steam.

2 When you boil food, you cook it in boiling water.

boiler boilers

NOUN a piece of equipment that burns fuel to provide hot water