Basic Vocabulary Starts with B, Pronounce, Pronunciation, American English, English Study, Learn English, Talking Dictionary

break

means ... ...

meanings

(n) an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"

(n) any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare; "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match"

(n) a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"

(n) the act of breaking something; "the breakage was unavoidable"

(n) an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"

(n) (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second set"

(n) the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool

(n) a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate"

(n) a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"

(n) an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big break"

(n) the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened the valley"

(n) some abrupt occurrence that interrupts; "the telephone is an annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action when a player was hurt"

(n) (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they built it right over a geological fault"

(n) breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"

(n) a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

(v) weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death"

(v) diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke last night"

(v) fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"

(v) fall sharply; "stock prices broke"

(v) make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough to break"; "I broke in the new intern"

(v) be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add some stress"

(v) of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he should no longer sing in the choir"

(v) render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!"

(v) become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"

(v) destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass plate"; "She broke the match"

(v) become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The glass cracked when it was heated"

(v) happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

(v) prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the negociations"

(v) terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty"

(v) lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"

(v) stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

(v) change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children"

(v) come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"

(v) find the solution or key to; "break the code"

(v) find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"

(v) undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages"

(v) interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"

(v) cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch"

(v) make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring

(v) be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"

(v) surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break a record"

(v) pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"

(v) become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"

(v) break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"

(v) go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"

(v) ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"

(v) separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the boxers"

(v) make the opening shot that scatters the balls

(v) destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The book dealer would not break the set"

(v) exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100 bill just to buy the candy"

(v) force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger"

(v) do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street corner"

(v) curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The surf broke"

(v) break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"

(v) emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales broke"

(v) scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"

(v) make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"

(v) move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break out--this prison is high security"

(v) change directions suddenly

(v) reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him"

(v) assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant"

(v) discontinue an association or relation; go different ways; "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend and I split up"

(v) invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"

(v) interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the traditional patterns"

(v) cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break the playwright"

(v) act in disregard of laws and rules; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"

(v) enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act; "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke into my car and stole my radio!"

(v) happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well for us in the past few months"

(v) come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first winter storm broke over New York"

(v) fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"

(v) give up; "break cigarette smoking"

(v) cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes"

(v) vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat plain was broken by tall mesas"

(v) come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"

budget

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them; "the president submitted the annual budget to Congress"

(n) a sum of money allocated for a particular purpose; "the laboratory runs on a budget of a million a year"

(v) make a budget

beat

means ... ...

meanings

(n) the act of beating to windward; sailing as close as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing

(n) a stroke or blow; "the signal was two beats on the steam pipe"

(n) a regular rate of repetition; "the cox raised the beat"

(n) the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music; "the piece has a fast rhythm"; "the conductor set the beat"

(n) (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

(n) the sound of stroke or blow; "he heard the beat of a drum"

(n) the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries with each beat of the heart; "he could feel the beat of her heart"

(n) a regular route for a sentry or policeman; "in the old days a policeman walked a beat and knew all his people by name"

(n) a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

(n) a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations

(v) wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"

(v) be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me"

(v) come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"

(v) beat through cleverness and wit; "I beat the traffic"; "She outfoxed her competitors"

(v) give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression; "Thugs beat him up when he walked down the street late at night"; "The teacher used to beat the students"

(v) hit repeatedly; "beat on the door"; "beat the table with his shoe"

(v) strike (water or bushes) repeatedly to rouse animals for hunting

(v) strike (a part of one's own body) repeatedly, as in great emotion or in accompaniment to music; "beat one's breast"; "beat one's foot rhythmically"

(v) stir vigorously; "beat the egg whites"; "beat the cream"

(v) shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares"

(v) produce a rhythm by striking repeatedly; "beat the drum"

(v) make by pounding or trampling; "beat a path through the forest"

(v) move with or as if with a regular alternating motion; "the city pulsated with music and excitement"

(v) move rhythmically; "Her heart was beating fast"

(v) indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks; "Beat the rhythm"

(v) sail with much tacking or with difficulty; "The boat beat in the strong wind"

(v) move with a flapping motion; "The bird's wings were flapping"

(v) move with a thrashing motion; "The bird flapped its wings"; "The eagle beat its wings and soared high into the sky"

(v) glare or strike with great intensity; "The sun was beating down on us"

(v) make a rhythmic sound; "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night"

(v) make a sound like a clock or a timer; "the clocks were ticking"; "the grandfather clock beat midnight"

(v) avoid paying; "beat the subway fare"

(v) be superior; "Reading beats watching television"; "This sure beats work!"

beautiful

means ... ...

meanings

(s) aesthetically pleasing

(a) delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration; "a beautiful child"; "beautiful country"; "a beautiful painting"; "a beautiful theory"; "a beautiful party"

(s) (of weather) highly enjoyable; "what a beautiful day"

best

means ... ...

meanings

(n) the supreme effort one can make; "they did their best"

(n) the person who is most outstanding or excellent; someone who tops all others; "he could beat the best of them"

(n) Canadian physiologist (born in the United States) who assisted F. G. Banting in research leading to the discovery of insulin (1899-1978)

(v) get the better of; "the goal was to best the competition"

(a) (superlative of `good') having the most positive qualities; "the best film of the year"; "the best solution"; "the best time for planting"; "wore his best suit"

(r) it would be sensible; "you'd best stay at home"

(r) in a most excellent way or manner; "he played best after a couple of martinis"

(r) from a position of superiority or authority; "father knows best"; "I know better."

base

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a support or foundation; "the base of the lamp"

(n) place that runner must touch before scoring; "he scrambled to get back to the bag"

(n) (electronics) the part of a transistor that separates the emitter from the collector

(n) installation from which a military force initiates operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases"

(n) a flat bottom on which something is intended to sit; "a tub should sit on its own base"

(n) the principal ingredient of a mixture; "glycerinated gelatin is used as a base for many ointments"; "he told the painter that he wanted a yellow base with just a hint of green"; "everything she cooked seemed to have rice as the base"

(n) lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower"

(n) the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial base of Japan"

(n) the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained; "the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture"

(n) (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed; "thematic vowels are part of the stem"

(n) a lower limit; "the government established a wage floor"

(n) an intensely anti-western terrorist network that dispenses money and logistical support and training to a wide variety of radical Islamic terrorist group; has cells in more than 50 countries

(n) the place where you are stationed and from which missions start and end

(n) (anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment; "the base of the skull"

(n) the bottom or lowest part; "the base of the mountain"

(n) (numeration system) the positive integer that is equivalent to one in the next higher counting place; "10 is the radix of the decimal system"

(n) the most important or necessary part of something; "the basis of this drink is orange juice"

(n) the bottom side of a geometric figure from which the altitude can be constructed; "the base of the triangle"

(n) any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water; "bases include oxides and hydroxides of metals and ammonia"

(v) use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some observation"

(v) assign to a station

(v) use (purified cocaine) by burning it and inhaling the fumes

(s) debased; not genuine; "an attempt to eliminate the base coinage"

(s) illegitimate

(s) having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality; "that liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage"; "chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare; "something essentially vulga

(s) of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense); "baseborn wretches with dirty faces"; "of humble (or lowly) birth"

(s) serving as or forming a base; "the painter applied a base coat followed by two finishing coats"

(s) not adhering to ethical or moral principles; "base and unpatriotic motives"; "a base, degrading way of life"; "cheating is dishonorable"; "they considered colonialism immoral"; "unethical practices in handling public funds"

(s) (used of metals) consisting of or alloyed with inferior metal; "base coins of aluminum"; "a base metal"

ball

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a pitch that is not in the strike zone; "he threw nine straight balls before the manager yanked him"

(n) a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of 9 players; teams take turns at bat trying to score run; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empy lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the are

(n) round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games; "the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve"; "the mayor threw out the first ball"; "the ball rolled into the corner pocket"

(n) a spherical object used as a plaything; "he played with his rubber ball in the bathtub"

(n) a solid ball shot by a musket; "they had to carry a ramrod as well as powder and ball"

(n) one of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens; "she kicked him in the balls and got away"

(n) a more or less rounded anatomical body or mass; ball of the human foot or ball at the base of the thumb; "he stood on the balls of his feet"

(n) a lavish formal dance

(n) a compact mass; "a ball of mud caught him on the shoulder"

(n) the people assembled at a lavish formal dance; "the ball was already emptying out before the fire alarm sounded"

(n) United States comedienne best known as the star of a popular television program (1911-1989)

(n) an object with a spherical shape; "a ball of fire"

(v) form into a ball by winding or rolling; "ball wool"

blue

means ... ...

meanings

(n) any of numerous small chiefly blue butterflies of the family Lycaenidae

(n) the sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnotic

(n) blue clothing; "she was wearing blue"

(n) the color of the clear sky in the daytime; "he had eyes of bright blue"

(n) any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are blue; "the Union army was a vast blue"

(n) the sky as viewed during daylight; "he shot an arrow into the blue"

(n) used to whiten laundry or hair or give it a bluish tinge

(v) turn blue

(s) causing dejection; "a blue day"; "the dark days of the war"; "a week of rainy depressing weather"; "a disconsolate winter landscape"; "the first dismal dispiriting days of November"; "a dark gloomy day"; "grim rainy weather"

(s) having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky; "October's bright blue weather"- Helen Hunt Jackson; "a blue flame"; "blue haze of tobacco smoke"

(s) characterized by profanity or cursing; "foul-mouthed and blasphemous"; "blue language"; "profane words"

(s) low in spirits; "lonely and blue in a strange city"; "depressed by the loss of his job"; "a dispirited and resigned expression on her face"; "downcast after his defeat"; "feeling discouraged and downhearted"

(s) belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy; "an aristocratic family"; "aristocratic Bostonians"; "aristocratic government"; "a blue family"; "blue blood"; "the blue-blooded aristocracy"; "of gentle blood"; "patrician landholders of the

(s) used to signify the Union forces in the Civil War (who wore blue uniforms); "a ragged blue line"

(s) suggestive of sexual impropriety; "a blue movie"; "blue jokes"; "he skips asterisks and gives you the gamy details"; "a juicy scandal"; "a naughty wink"; "naughty words"; "racy anecdotes"; "a risque story"; "spicy gossip"

benefit

means ... ...

meanings

(n) something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the common good"

(n) a performance to raise money for a charitable cause

(n) financial assistance in time of need

(v) derive a benefit from; "She profited from his vast experience"

(v) be beneficial for; "This will do you good"

bill

means ... ...

meanings

(n) the entertainment offered at a public presentation

(n) horny projecting mouth of a bird

(n) a brim that projects to the front to shade the eyes; "he pulled down the bill of his cap and trudged ahead"

(n) a long-handled saw with a curved blade; "he used a bill to prune branches off of the tree"

(n) a list of particulars (as a playbill or bill of fare)

(n) an itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered; "he paid his bill and left"; "send me an account of what I owe"

(n) a statute in draft before it becomes law; "they held a public hearing on the bill"

(n) a sign posted in a public place as an advertisement; "a poster advertised the coming attractions"

(n) an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution; "he mailed the circular to all subscribers"

(n) a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank); "he peeled off five one-thousand-zloty notes"

(v) advertise especially by posters or placards; "He was billed as the greatest tenor since Caruso"

(v) publicize or announce by placards

(v) demand payment; "Will I get charged for this service?"; "We were billed for 4 nights in the hotel, although we stayed only 3 nights"

beyond

means ... ...

meanings

(r) in addition; "agreed to provide essentials but nothing beyond"

(r) farther along in space or time or degree; "through the valley and beyond"; "to the eighth grade but not beyond"; "will be influential in the 1990s and beyond"

(r) on the farther side from the observer; "a pond with a hayfield beyond"

before

means ... ...

meanings

(r) earlier in time; previously; "I had known her before"; "as I said before"; "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier"; "her parents had died four years earlier"; "I mentioned that problem earlier"

(r) at or in the front; "I see the lights of a town ahead"; "the road ahead is foggy"; "staring straight ahead"; "we couldn't see over the heads of the people in front"; "with the cross of Jesus marching on before"

blood

means ... ...

meanings

(n) the shedding of blood resulting in murder; "he avenged the blood of his kinsmen"

(n) temperament or disposition; "a person of hot blood"

(n) the fluid (red in vertebrates) that is pumped by the heart; "blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and carries waste products away"; "the ancients believed that blood was the seat of the emotions"

(n) people viewed as members of a group; "we need more young blood in this organization"

(n) the descendants of one individual; "his entire lineage has been warriors"

(n) a dissolute man in fashionable society

(v) smear with blood, as in a hunting initiation rite, where the face of a person is smeared with the blood of the kill

behavior

means ... ...

meanings

(n) manner of acting or conducting yourself

(n) (psychology) the aggregate of the responses or reactions or movements made by an organism in any situation

(n) (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people

(n) the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances; "the behavior of small particles can be studied in experiments"

board

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a flat piece of material designed for a special purpose; "he nailed boards across the windows"

(n) a flat portable surface (usually rectangular) designed for board games; "he got out the board and set up the pieces"

(n) a printed circuit that can be inserted into expansion slots in a computer to increase the computer's capabilities

(n) electrical device consisting of an insulated panel containing switches and dials and meters for controlling other electrical devices; "he checked the instrument panel"; "suddenly the board lit up like a Christmas tree"

(n) a table at which meals are served; "he helped her clear the dining table"; "a feast was spread upon the board"

(n) a board on which information can be displayed to public view

(n) food or meals in general; "she sets a fine table"; "room and board"

(n) a committee having supervisory powers; "the board has seven members"

(n) a stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes

(v) provide food and lodging (for); "The old lady is boarding three men"

(v) lodge and take meals (at)

(v) get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.)

(v) live and take one's meals at or in; "she rooms in an old boarding house"

bank

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a flight maneuver; aircraft tips laterally about its longitudinal axis (especially in turning); "the plane went into a steep bank"

(n) a building in which commercial banking is transacted; "the bank is on the corner of Nassau and Witherspoon"

(n) a container (usually with a slot in the top) for keeping money at home; "the coin bank was empty"

(n) a financial institution that accepts deposits and channels the money into lending activities; "he cashed a check at the bank"; "that bank holds the mortgage on my home"

(n) an arrangement of similar objects in a row or in tiers; "he operated a bank of switches"

(n) a long ridge or pile; "a huge bank of earth"

(n) sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water); "they pulled the canoe up on the bank"; "he sat on the bank of the river and watched the currents"

(n) a slope in the turn of a road or track; the outside is higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force

(n) the funds held by a gambling house or the dealer in some gambling games; "he tried to break the bank at Monte Carlo"

(n) a supply or stock held in reserve for future use (especially in emergencies)

(v) have confidence or faith in; "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes"

(v) cover with ashes so to control the rate of burning; "bank a fire"

(v) enclose with a bank; "bank roads"

(v) tip laterally; "the pilot had to bank the aircraft"

(v) put into a bank account; "She deposites her paycheck every month"

(v) be in the banking business

(v) act as the banker in a game or in gambling

(v) do business with a bank or keep an account at a bank; "Where do you bank in this town?"

brother

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a male with the same parents as someone else; "my brother still lives with our parents"

(n) (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as form of address; "a Benedictine Brother"

(n) a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion of other group); "none of his brothers would betray him"

(n) used as a term of address for those male persons engaged in the same movement; "Greetings, comrade!"

(n) a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities

billion

means ... ...

meanings

(n) the number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros

(n) the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen

(s) denoting a quantity consisting of one thousand million items or units in the United States

(s) denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain

baby

means ... ...

meanings

(n) a project of personal concern to someone; "this project is his baby"

(n) a very young mammal; "baby rabbits"

(n) sometimes used as a term of address for attractive young women

(n) the youngest member of a group (not necessarily young); "the baby of the family"; "the baby of the Supreme Court"

(n) a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk; "isn't she too young to have a baby?"

(n) an immature childish person; "he remained a child in practical matters as long as he lived"; "stop being a baby!"

(v) treat with excessive indulgence; "grandparents often pamper the children"; "Let's not mollycoddle our students!"