English dictionary — definitions & meanings

birdcall

noun

Any vocalization of a bird.

birder

noun

A birdwatcher.

birdhouse

noun

A small box or structure built to shelter and attract wild birds, often for nesting.

birdie

noun

A golf score of one stroke under par on a hole.

birdling

noun

A little bird; especially, a baby bird.

birdman

noun

Someone whose job or hobby centres on birds, such as a keeper, trainer, or breeder.

birdseed

noun

A mix of seeds sold as food for pet or wild birds.

birdsong

noun

The sounds birds make, especially their musical calls, thought of as a whole.

birdwoman

noun

A woman who works with birds.

Birgit

name

A feminine given name common in Scandinavia and Germany, related to Bridget.

Birgitte

name

A feminine given name from Danish or Norwegian, equivalent to the English name Bridget.

birk

noun

A dialect word (chiefly Scots/Northern English) for a birch tree.

birl

verb

To cause (a floating log) to rotate by treading on it.

biro

noun

A ballpoint pen, especially in British English, from the original brand name.

biromantic

adj

Romantically attracted to both males and females.

birr

noun

Strength, vigor, energy.

birth

noun

The event of being born; the moment a baby or animal comes into the world.

birthday

noun

The yearly anniversary of the day someone was born.

birthmark

noun

A mark or discoloration on the skin that a person is born with.

birthplace

noun

The place where a person was born.

birthright

noun

A privilege, possession, or status someone is entitled to simply because of the family or place they were born into.

birthstead

noun

The place of one's birth, birthplace.

biryani

noun

A South Asian rice dish cooked with spices and layered with meat, fish, or vegetables.

bis

adv

Used to mark that something should be repeated, especially in music or numbered lists.

Bisbee

name

A historic mining city and county seat in Cochise County, Arizona.

Biscayne

adjective

Relating to the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France and Spain, or to Biscayne Bay in Florida.

biscotti

noun

A hard, twice-baked biscuit, usually flavoured with nuts, often served with coffee.

biscuit

noun

A small, flat baked snack, either crisp (British sense, like a cookie) or soft and flaky (American sense, like a scone).

bisect

verb

To cut or divide into two parts.

bisexual

adj

Romantically or sexually attracted to both men and women.

bish

noun

A softened, informal substitute for "bitch", used as a mild oath or insult.

bishop

noun

A senior clergy member who oversees churches and priests within a district (a diocese).

bishopric

noun

A diocese: a region in which a bishop of a church governs.

bismarck

noun

A doughnut filled with cream or jam, sometimes topped with icing.

Bismillah

intj

An Arabic phrase meaning "in the name of God", said before an action such as eating, to invoke a blessing.

Bison

noun

A large, shaggy, wild ox-like mammal native to North America and parts of Europe.

bisque

noun

A rich, creamy soup, traditionally made from shellfish.

bistro

noun

A small, casual restaurant, often serving simple French-style food.

bit

noun

A small piece or amount of something.

bitch

noun

A female dog.

bitching

adj

Slang for excellent or impressive.

bitchy

adj

Spiteful, catty, or unkindly critical.

bitcoin

noun

A decentralized digital currency that runs on blockchain technology, not controlled by any government or bank.

bite

verb

To use the teeth to cut into, grip, or wound something.

bite me

interjection

A rude, dismissive retort used to tell someone to go away or to stop annoying you, roughly equivalent to 'get lost' or 'shut up'.

biter

noun

Someone or something that bites.

biting

adj

Sharply cold or stinging, as of wind or weather.

bitmap

noun

A series of bits that represents a rasterized graphic image, each pixel being represented as a group of bits.

bits

noun

Informal British slang for genitals.

bitsy

adj

Very small or tiny, often used affectionately (as in "itty-bitsy").

bitten

adj

Having been bitten; marked or wounded by a bite.

bitter

adj

Having a sharp, unpleasant taste, the opposite of sweet.

bitterly

adv

In a bitter, resentful manner.

Bitterman

name

A German surname.

bittern

noun

Several bird species in the Botaurinae subfamily of the heron family Ardeidae.

bitterness

noun

A sharp, unpleasant taste, the opposite of sweetness.

bitters

noun

A strong, bitter-tasting liquid made from herbs and roots, added in small amounts to cocktails or taken as a tonic.

bittersweet

adj

Tasting of both bitterness and sweetness at once.

bitterweed

noun

Any plant in the genus Ambrosia, especially Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed).

bitty

adj

Made up of small, disconnected pieces; lacking a sense of wholeness.

bitumen

noun

A sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum, burning with a bright flame. It occurs as an abundant natural product in many places, as on the shores of the Dead and Caspian Seas. It is used in cements, in the construction of pavements, etc.; Mineral pitch.

bitzer

noun

A mongrel dog.

bivalve

noun

Any mollusc belonging to the taxonomic class Bivalvia, characterized by a shell consisting of two hinged sections, such as a scallop, clam, mussel or oyster.

bivouac

noun

A temporary outdoor camp made with little or no shelter, especially for a night or two.

bix

noun

Informal short form of "biscuits".

Bixby

name

An English surname, originally denoting someone from a place named for a box tree farm.

biz

noun

Informal short form of "business", often used for the entertainment industry.

bizarre

adj

Strikingly odd or unconventional, well outside normal experience.

bizarrely

adv

In a strange or highly unusual way.

bizarro

noun

An odd or eccentric person; a misfit.

bizzo

noun

Business; a matter or matters of personal concern; a course of action.

blab

verb

To talk carelessly about something that should be kept private.

blabber

verb

To talk on and on without much sense; to ramble.

blabbering

noun

Foolish, rambling, or nonstop talk.

blabbermouth

noun

Someone who talks too much, especially someone who can't keep a secret.

blabbing

noun

The act of talking about something private; gossiping.

blabtale

adj

Revealing something, especially something not intended to be known.

black

adj

Having the darkest possible color; reflecting no light.

black sheep

noun

A member of a family or group who is thought of as a disgrace, an embarrassment or simply the odd one out.

Blackadder

name

A river and surname from the Scottish Borders, also the title of a British television comedy.

blackamoor

noun

A person with dark black skin, especially one from north Africa.

blackball

noun

A rejection; a vote against admitting someone.

Blackbeard

name

The nickname of Edward Teach, the notorious English pirate of the early 18th century.

blackberry

noun

A thorny shrub that produces small, dark, edible berries made up of tiny clustered segments.

blackbird

noun

A common European songbird (Turdus merula) with all-black plumage in the male and a yellow-orange beak.

blackboard

noun

A hard, dark writing surface that can be written on with chalk and wiped clean; a chalkboard.

Blackburn

name

An English surname, and a large town in Lancashire, England from which it derives.

blacked

adj

Made or turned black.

blacken

verb

To make something black or turn black.

blackened

adj

Turned black, especially through burning or charring.

blackenedness

noun

The quality, state, or condition of being blackened, as

blackening

noun

The act or process of turning (becoming) black in colour.

blacker

adj

More black; deeper or darker in color or shade.

blackey

name

An unincorporated community in Letcher County, Kentucky, United States.

blackfly

noun

A black or dark green aphid (Aphis fabae) that is a common pest of agricultural crops.

blackguard

noun

A dishonest or thoroughly unpleasant person; a scoundrel.

blackheart

noun

A heart-shaped cherry with a very dark skin.

Blackie

name

A surname, and a common nickname for someone surnamed Black.

blacking

noun

A dark polish or coating, especially one used to shine shoes or boots.

blackishness

noun

The quality of being blackish, somewhat black.

blackjack

noun

A short, heavy club with a flexible handle, used as a weapon.

blackleg

noun

A fatal cattle disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Clostridium chauvoei; symptomatic anthrax.

blacklessness

noun

Absence of the colour black.

blacklist

noun

A list of people or things considered unacceptable and to be avoided or banned.

blacklisted

adj

Placed on a blacklist; banned or shunned because of past behavior or accusations.

blackmail

noun

The crime of demanding money or favors by threatening to reveal damaging information.

blackmailer

noun

Someone who blackmails another person.

blackmailing

noun

The act of extorting someone through threats of exposure.

blackness

noun

The quality or state of being black in color.

blackout

noun

A sudden, temporary loss of consciousness or memory.

blackouts

noun

Plural of blackout: instances of lost power, lost consciousness, or suppressed information.

Blackpool

name

A seaside town and resort in Lancashire, England, known for its promenade, tower, and illuminations.

blacksmith

noun

A person who forges and shapes iron by heating it and hammering it, traditionally making tools, horseshoes, and fittings.

Blacksmiths

name

A small suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.

Blackstone

name

An English surname, and the name of several towns and places in England and the United States.

blacktop

noun

Asphalt concrete or similar bituminous black paving material used for the surface of roads (e.g., tarmacadam, tarmac).

blackwash

noun

A whitewash victory for any New Zealand national sporting team.

blackwater

noun

Water that looks naturally dark because it carries dissolved organic matter such as decaying leaves or tannins.

Blackwell

name

An English surname, and the name of several villages and towns in England and the United States.

blackwood

noun

Any of several trees, especially certain acacias, that produce a very dark, dense timber.

blacky

noun

(dated, often offensive) A term historically used to refer to a Black person; now widely considered derogatory and avoided.

bladder

noun

The urinary bladder, the sac in the body that stores urine before it is passed.

bladdered

adj

Having a specified kind of bladder.

blade

noun

The flat, sharp-edged cutting part of a knife, sword, or similar tool.

Blades

name

An English surname.

blagger

noun

A smooth talker, a persuasive person.

blah

noun

Meaningless or empty talk, especially when repeated to show it isn't worth listening to closely.

blain

noun

skin swelling or sore; blister; blotch.

blair

name

A unisex given name.

Blaire

name

A feminine given name from Scottish Gaelic, a variant spelling of Blair.

Blaise

name

A masculine given name of French origin, ultimately from Latin.

blake

adj

(archaic, dialectal) Pale yellow, like butter or aged cheese.

blakeley

name

A surname from Old English.

Blakely

name

An English surname, also used as a feminine given name, and a city in Georgia named after it.

blam

noun

A sudden loud bang, like a gunshot or explosion.

blame

noun

Responsibility for something bad, or the act of holding someone responsible for it.

blamed

adj

A mild, old-fashioned swear-word substitute meaning "damned," used to express annoyance.

blameless

adj

Free of any fault or wrongdoing; innocent.

blamelessness

noun

The characteristic of being blameless.

blameworthiness

noun

The characteristic of being blameworthy.

blameworthy

adj

Deserving blame or censure; reprehensible.

blaming

noun

The act of holding someone responsible or at fault for something.

blanc

noun

A white sauce made from fat, broth, and vegetables, used especially with braised meats.

blanch

verb

To grow or become white.

Blanchard

name

A French surname, and the name of several towns in the United States.

Blanche

name

A feminine given name and surname of French origin, meaning "white."

blanco

verb

To whiten or polish equipment (such as military webbing or belts) using a chalky whitening compound.

bland

adj

Lacking strong flavour; mild or tasteless.

blandish

verb

To persuade someone by using flattery; to cajole.

blandishment

noun

Often in the plural form blandishments: a flattering speech or action designed to influence or persuade.