that makes you ill
3 a small error in a computer programme that stops it working properly
VERB 4 If a place is bugged, tiny microphones are hidden there to pick up what people are saying.
build builds, building, built
VERB If you build something, you make it from all its parts.
builder builders
NOUN a person whose job is to build buildings
building buildings
NOUN a structure with walls and a roof
bulb bulbs
NOUN 1 the glass part of an electric lamp
2 an onion-shaped root from which a flower or plant grows. Tulips and daffodils are grown from bulbs.
[from Greek bolbos meaning onion]
bulge bulges, bulging, bulged
VERB 1 If something bulges, it swells out.
NOUN 2 a lump on a normally flat surface
bulk bulks
NOUN 1 a large mass of something
PHRASE 2 If you buy something in bulk, you buy it in large quantities.
bulky bulkier, bulkiest
ADJECTIVE Something that is bulky is large and heavy and sometimes difficult to move.
bull bulls
NOUN the male of some animal species including cattle, elephants and whales
bulldozer bulldozers
NOUN a powerful tractor with a broad blade in front, which is used for moving earth or knocking things down
bullet bullets
NOUN a small piece of metal fired from a gun
bulletin bulletins
NOUN a short news report on radio or television
bullion
NOUN gold or silver bars
bullock bullocks
NOUN a young male bull that is reared for meat
bully bullies, bullying, bullied
NOUN 1 someone who uses their strength or power to hurt or frighten other people
VERB 2 If someone bullies you into doing something, they make you do it by using force or threats.
[a sixteenth-century word meaning fine fellow or hired ruffian]
bump bumps, bumping, bumped
VERB 1 If you bump into something, you knock into it accidentally.
NOUN 2 a soft noise made by something knocking into something else
3 a raised, uneven part of a surface
SYNONYMS: bulge, lump
bumper bumpers
NOUN a bar on the front or back of a vehicle that protects it if it bumps into something
bumpy bumpier, bumpiest
ADJECTIVE Something that is bumpy has a rough, uneven surface. • a bumpy road
bun buns
NOUN a small, round bread roll or cake
bunch bunches
NOUN a group of things together • a bunch of flowers
bundle bundles, bundling, bundled
NOUN 1 a number of things tied together or wrapped up in a cloth
VERB 2 If you bundle someone or something somewhere, you push them there quickly and roughly.
bungalow bungalows
NOUN a one-storey house
[from Hindi bangla meaning house]
bunk bunks
NOUN a bed fixed to a wall in a ship or caravan
bunk beds
PLURAL NOUN two beds fixed together, one above the other
buoy buoys
NOUN a floating object anchored to the bottom of the sea, marking a channel or warning of danger
buoyancy
NOUN Something that has buoyancy is able to float in liquid or in the air.
buoyant
ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is buoyant is able to float.
2 Someone who is buoyant is lively and cheerful.
burden burdens
NOUN a heavy load
burger burgers
NOUN a flat fried cake of meat, vegetables or cheese, served in a bread roll
burglar burglars
NOUN someone who breaks into buildings and steals things
burgle VERB
burn burns, burning, burned or burnt
VERB 1 If something is burning, it is on fire.
2 To burn something means to damage or destroy it with fire.
3 People often burn fuel, such as coal, to keep warm.
NOUN 4 A burn is an injury caused by fire or by something hot.
burqa burqas; also spelt burka
Said “bur-ka” NOUN a long garment worn by some Muslim women in public, covering everything except the eyes
burrow burrows, burrowing, burrowed
NOUN 1 a tunnel or hole in the ground dug by a small animal
VERB 2 When an animal burrows, it digs a burrow.
burst bursts, bursting, burst
VERB 1 When something bursts, or when you burst it, it splits open suddenly.
2 When you burst into a room, you enter suddenly and with force.
NOUN 3 A burst of something is a sudden short period of it. • a burst of applause
bury buries, burying, buried
VERB 1 If you bury something, you put it in a hole in the ground and cover it with earth.
2 If something is buried under something, it is covered by it. • My trainers were buried under a pile of clothes.
bus buses
NOUN a large motor vehicle that carries passengers
[from Latin omnibus meaning for all]
bush bushes
NOUN 1 a large plant, smaller than a tree and with a lot of woody branches
2 In Australia and South Africa, an uncultivated area outside a town or city is called the bush.
3 In New Zealand, the bush is land covered by rainforest.
bushy bushier, bushiest
ADJECTIVE Bushy hair or fur grows very thickly. • My dad has bushy eyebrows.
business businesses
NOUN 1 work relating to the buying and selling of goods and services
2 an organization that produces or sells goods, or provides a service
SYNONYMS: company, firm, organization
busker buskers
NOUN someone who sings