If you bind a wound, you wrap bandages round it.
3 When a book is bound, the pages are joined together and a cover is put on.
bingo
NOUN a game in which players aim to match the numbers that someone calls out with the numbers on the card they have been given
binoculars
PLURAL NOUN an instrument with lenses for both eyes, which you look through in order to see objects far away • They used binoculars for bird watching.
biodegradable
ADJECTIVE Biodegradable materials can be broken down naturally, and so they are not dangerous to the environment.
biography biographies
NOUN the history of someone’s life, written by someone else
biology
NOUN the study of living things
[from Greek bios + logos meaning life study]
birch birches
NOUN a tall, deciduous tree with thin branches and thin bark
bird birds
NOUN an egg-laying animal with feathers, two wings, two legs and a beak
birth births
NOUN Your birth was when you were born.
birthday birthdays
NOUN Your birthday is the anniversary of the date on which you were born.
birthmark birthmarks
NOUN a mark on your skin that has been there since you were born
biscuit biscuits
NOUN a small, flat cake that is crisp and usually sweet
bisect bisects, bisecting, bisected
VERB to divide a line or an area in half
bishop bishops
NOUN a high-ranking clergyman in some Christian Churches
bison
NOUN a large, hairy animal, related to cattle, with a large head and shoulders. Bison used to be very common on the prairies in North America, but they are now almost extinct.
bit bits
VERB 1 the past tense of bite • She bit into the toast.
NOUN 2 A bit of something is a small amount of it.
PHRASE 3 INFORMAL A bit means slightly or to a small extent. • That’s a bit difficult.
bitch bitches
NOUN a female dog
bite bites, biting, bit, bitten
VERB If you bite something, you cut into it with your teeth.
bitter bitterest
ADJECTIVE 1 A bitter taste is sharp and unpleasant.
2 A bitter wind is extremely cold.
3 If you are bitter about something, you feel angry and resentful.
bizarre
ADJECTIVE very strange and weird
SYNONYMS: odd, peculiar
black blacker, blackest
NOUN OR ADJECTIVE the darkest possible colour, like the sky at night when there is no light
blackberry blackberries
NOUN a small, soft black fruit that grows on brambles
blackbird blackbirds
NOUN a common European bird, the male of which has black feathers and a yellow beak
blackboard blackboards
NOUN a dark-coloured board in a classroom, which teachers write on using chalk
blackcurrant blackcurrants
NOUN Blackcurrants are very small, dark, purple fruits that grow in bunches on bushes.
black hole black holes
NOUN the empty space made by the collapse of a star
bladder bladders
NOUN the part of your body where urine is held until it leaves your body
blade blades
NOUN 1 the sharp part of a knife, axe or saw
2 a single piece of grass
blame blames, blaming, blamed
VERB If someone blames a person for something bad that has happened, they believe that person caused it.
SYNONYM: accuse
blank blanker, blankest
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is blank has nothing on it. • a blank sheet of paper
2 If you look blank, your face shows no feeling or interest.
blanket blankets
NOUN a large rectangle of thick cloth that is put on a bed to keep people warm
[from Old French blancquete meaning little white thing]
blare blares, blaring, blared
VERB to make a loud, unpleasant noise • The radio blared from the flat below.
blast blasts, blasting, blasted
VERB 1 When people blast a hole in something, they make a hole with an explosion. • They’re using dynamite to blast away rocks.
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