banjos or banjoes
NOUN a musical instrument, like a small guitar with a round body
bank banks, banking, banked
NOUN 1 a business that looks after people’s money
2 the raised ground along the edge of a river or lake
VERB 3 If you bank on something happening, you rely on it. • I know we said we’d go swimming, but don’t bank on it.
banner banners
NOUN 1 a long strip of cloth with a message or slogan on it • We saw banners advertising the fair.
ADJECTIVE 2 A banner headline is a headline printed right across the page of a newspaper.
banquet banquets
NOUN a grand, formal dinner, often followed by speeches
[from Old French banquet, originally meaning little bench]
baptism baptisms
NOUN the ceremony in which someone has water sprinkled on them, or they are immersed in water, as a sign that they have become a Christian
baptize baptizes, baptizing, baptized; also spelt baptise
VERB When a church official baptizes someone, they sprinkle water on them, or immerse them in water, as a sign that they have become a Christian.
bar bars, barring, barred
NOUN 1 a long, straight piece of metal
VERB 2 If you bar someone’s way, you stop them going somewhere by standing in front of them.
NOUN 3 a counter or room where alcoholic drinks are served
4 a piece of something made in a rectangular shape • a bar of soap
barbecue barbecues
NOUN 1 a grill with a charcoal fire on which you cook food, usually outdoors
2 an outdoor party where you eat food cooked on a barbecue
[from a Caribbean word meaning framework]
barber barbers
NOUN a man who cuts men’s hair
bar chart bar charts
NOUN a kind of graph where the information is shown in rows or bars
bar code bar codes
NOUN a pattern of lines and numbers on something that is for sale, so that the price can be read by a machine
bare barer, barest
ADJECTIVE 1 If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing. • bare feet
SYNONYMS: naked, uncovered
2 If something is bare, it is not covered or decorated with anything. • bare wooden floors
3 The bare minimum, or the bare essentials, means the very least that is needed.
barely
ADVERB If you barely manage to do something, you only just succeed in doing it.
bargain bargains, bargaining, bargained
NOUN 1 an agreement in which two people or groups discuss and agree what each will do, pay or receive
2 something that is sold at a low price and that is good value • The apples are a bargain at this price.
VERB 3 When people bargain with each other, they discuss and agree terms about what each will do, pay or receive.
barge barges, barging, barged
NOUN 1 a boat with a flat bottom used for carrying heavy loads, especially on canals
VERB 2 INFORMAL If you barge into a place, you push into it in a rough or rude way.
bark barks, barking, barked
VERB 1 When a dog barks, it makes a short, loud noise, once or several times.
NOUN 2 the tough material that covers the outside of a tree
barley
NOUN a cereal that is grown for food and is also used for making beer and whisky
bar mitzvah
NOUN A Jewish boy’s bar mitzvah is a ceremony that takes place on his 13th birthday, after which he is regarded as an adult.
barn barns
NOUN a large farm building used for storing crops or animal food
[from Old English beren meaning barley room]
barnacle barnacles
NOUN a small shellfish that fixes itself to rocks and to the bottom of boats
barometer barometers
NOUN an instrument that measures air pressure and shows when the weather is changing
barrel barrels
NOUN 1 a wooden container with rounded sides and flat ends
2 The barrel of a gun is the long tube through which the bullet is fired.
barricade barricades, barricading, barricaded
NOUN 1 a temporary barrier put up to stop people getting past
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