English dictionary — definitions & meanings

bloodlet

verb

To bleed; let blood; phlebotomise.

bloodletting

noun

The old medical practice of draining blood from a patient believed to cure illness.

bloodline

noun

A line of descent connecting a person, animal, or family to their ancestors.

bloodlust

noun

A strong desire for violence and killing.

bloodnut

noun

A person with red hair, a redhead.

bloodshed

noun

The killing or wounding of people, especially on a large scale.

bloodshot

adj

Describing eyes that are red and irritated, usually from tiredness or crying.

bloodsoaked

adj

Soaked in blood.

bloodstain

noun

A mark or discoloration left by blood.

bloodstained

adj

Marked or discoloured with blood.

bloodstream

noun

The flow of blood through the body's veins and arteries.

bloodsucker

noun

A creature, such as a leech or mosquito, that feeds by sucking blood.

bloodsucking

adj

Feeding on the blood of another creature.

bloodthirsty

adj

Eager for violence or killing; murderous.

bloody

adj

Covered in or stained with blood.

bloom

noun

A flower, or the state of a plant when its flowers are open.

Bloomberg

name

A surname, notably borne by businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg.

bloomer

noun

(British, informal) An embarrassing mistake; a blunder.

bloomerism

noun

Support for equal rights for women; an early form of feminism, especially in relation to dress.

bloomers

noun

Loose, baggy trousers gathered at the knee, historically worn by women.

bloomery

noun

A forge in which wrought iron is made straight from ore.

blooming

adj

Currently flowering; producing blossoms.

Bloomingdale

name

A surname, and the name of a neighbourhood in Washington, D.C.

bloop

verb

To make a soft, low-pitched popping or beeping sound.

blooper

noun

A blunder, an error.

blore

verb

(archaic) To cry loudly or weep.

blossom

noun

A flower, especially one that grows on a fruit tree.

blossoming

noun

The process of flowering or of developing and flourishing.

blot

noun

A spot or stain, especially of ink or a similar substance.

blotch

noun

An uneven patch of color or discoloration.

blotched

adj

Covered in blotches (“uneven patches of colour or discolouration”).

blotter

noun

A sheet or pad of absorbent paper used to soak up excess ink.

blotto

adj

(Very) drunk or intoxicated.

blouse

noun

A loose-fitting shirt, especially one worn by women, often with buttons and a collar.

bloviator

noun

One who habitually bloviates; a pompous, opinionated, typically voluble commentator.

blow

verb

To produce a current of air, especially by expelling breath through the mouth.

blowback

noun

An unintended and often damaging consequence, especially of a covert or political action.

blowball

noun

The downy seedhead of a dandelion, a dandelion clock.

blowen

noun

A prostitute; a courtesan.

blower

noun

A machine that generates a current of air, such as a fan or supercharger.

blowfish

noun

A fish that can inflate its body into a ball shape when threatened; also called a pufferfish.

blowhard

noun

Someone who talks loudly and boastfully, often exaggerating their own importance or achievements.

blowhole

noun

The nostril-like opening on top of a whale or dolphin's head, used for breathing.

blowing

noun

The act of moving air or gas forcefully, as with the mouth, a machine, or the wind.

blowjob

noun

Oral sex performed on a penis.

blowlamp

noun

A burner that burns a fuel in air to produce a hot flame; a blowtorch

blown

adjective

Swollen or puffed up, as if filled with air.

blowout

noun

A sudden bursting of a vehicle tyre while driving.

blowpipe

noun

A narrow tube through which a jet of air is directed onto a flame; used in the analysis of minerals etc and in jewelry manufacture.

blowsabella

noun

A rural woman; a country wench.

blowtorch

noun

A handheld tool that burns gas to produce a small, very hot, controllable flame.

blub

verb

To cry, whine or blubber (usually carries a connotation of disapproval).

blubber

verb

To cry loudly and messily, often with heavy sobbing.

blubbering

noun

Loud, messy crying.

blud

noun

A casual, informal way to address a close friend, especially in British urban slang (roughly equivalent to "mate" or "bro").

bludge

noun

The act of bludging.

bludgeon

noun

A short, heavy club used as a weapon.

bludger

noun

A pimp, a man living off the earnings of a harlot.

blue

adjective

Having the colour of a clear daytime sky.

blue balls

noun

An aching, heavy feeling in the testicles after prolonged sexual arousal that does not end in orgasm, caused by blood remaining pooled in the genitals. The ache is temporary and harmless, and the skin does not actually turn blue in most cases.

blue chip

noun

A share in a large, long-established company that is widely known, financially solid and has a long record of trading; also the company itself.

blue screen

noun

A blue backdrop used in film and TV production for chroma-key compositing — historically the original chroma-key colour before green became the broadcast standard.

blue-collar

adjective

Relating to manual, industrial or skilled trade work, or to the people who do it.

Bluebeard

noun

A man who marries and kills a series of wives, after the villain of the classic fairy tale.

bluebell

noun

Any of several plants with drooping, bell-shaped blue flowers, especially the common woodland bluebell of Britain.

blueberry

noun

A small, round, sweet berry that is dark blue when ripe.

bluebird

noun

A small North American songbird with bright blue plumage.

Bluebirds

noun

Plural of bluebird; also a nickname for Cardiff City Football Club, whose colours are blue.

blued

adj

Having the property of having been chemically passivated.

bluegrass

noun

A type of grass with a bluish-green colour, common in lawns and pastures.

bluejacket

noun

A seaman of a British warship

blueness

noun

The quality or characteristic of being blue in color.

blueprint

noun

A detailed technical drawing used for building or design, originally printed white-on-blue.

bluer

adjective

Comparative form of "blue" — more blue than something else.

blues

noun

A feeling of sadness or low mood.

bluescreen

verb

To experience a stop error and shut down to prevent damage to system hardware.

bluesy

adjective

Sounding like or reminiscent of blues music.

Bluetooth

noun

A short-range wireless technology used to connect devices like phones, headphones, and speakers.

Bluey

adjective

Somewhat blue in colour.

bluff

verb

To pretend to be stronger, more confident, or more prepared than you really are, in order to deceive or intimidate.

bluffing

noun

The act of pretending to be stronger, more confident, or holding a better position than you really do.

bluish

adjective

Somewhat blue in colour.

Blum

name

A German surname meaning "flower," and a town in Texas.

Blume

name

A German or Swedish surname, notably borne by author Judy Blume.

blumpkin

noun

The act of performing fellatio whilst the recipient is defecating on the toilet.

blunder

noun

A careless or embarrassing mistake.

blundering

noun

The act of making careless mistakes.

blunt

adjective

Not sharp; having a thick edge or point.

blunten

verb

To make blunt (take the edge off)

bluntly

adverb

In a direct, plain-spoken way, without softening the message.

bluntness

noun

The characteristic of being blunt.

blur

verb

To make something unclear, hazy, or difficult to make out.

blurb

noun

A short promotional description of a book, film or product, especially the one printed on a cover or posted online.

blurred

adjective

Not in focus; hazy or smudged.

blurriness

noun

The characteristic of being blurry.

blurring

noun

A hazy or indistinct patch or effect.

blurry

adjective

Not clear or in focus; hazy at the edges.

blurt

verb

To say something suddenly and without thinking, often something better left unsaid.

blush

verb

To turn red in the face, usually from embarrassment, shame, or shyness.

blusher

noun

One who blushes.

blushes

noun

A moment of embarrassment (often in the phrase "spare someone's blushes").

blushing

noun

The act of blushing; a rush of red to the face from embarrassment or shyness.

bluster

noun

Loud, blustering talk that is more show than substance; empty bravado.

blustery

adj

Blowing in loud and abrupt bursts.

Bluth

name

A surname, notably the fictional family name in the television series Arrested Development.

bly

noun

A person's look, appearance, or general character (a rare, mostly dialectal word).

Blye

name

A surname.

Blythe

name

A given name (usually female), from an Old English word meaning "merry" or "cheerful."

BMI

noun

A number calculated from a person's weight and height, obtained by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres. It is used to place individuals into broad weight categories and, in research, to compare groups of people.

BMP

noun

An older image format, associated with Windows, that stores a picture as a straightforward grid of pixels, usually with little or no compression, giving large files.

BMS

abbreviation

Broke my scale — an internet and texting expression meaning that someone is so attractive they cannot be rated on the usual one-to-ten scale.

BMW

noun

A car or motorcycle made by the German manufacturer BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke, "Bavarian Motor Works").

BMX

noun

Bicycle motocross — a sport of racing or performing stunts on small, sturdy off-road bicycles.

bo

noun

An informal, old-fashioned way of addressing a man; "buddy" or "fella."

boa

noun

A large, non-venomous snake that kills prey by constriction, such as the boa constrictor.

boar

noun

A wild pig, the ancestor of the domestic pig.

boarback

noun

The back of a boar (for riding upon).

board

verb

To get onto a ship, plane, train, or other vehicle to travel.

boarded

adjective

Made of boards, or covered over with boards.

boarder

noun

A pupil who lives at school during term time.

boarding

noun

The process of getting onto a plane, ship, train, or bus.

boardroom

noun

The room where a company's board of directors or senior managers hold meetings.

boards

noun

A stage, especially in theatre — as in the phrase "to tread the boards."

boardwalk

noun

A raised wooden walkway, especially one running along a beach or waterfront.

boast

noun

A statement that shows off one's own achievements or qualities; a brag.

boaster

noun

One who boasts; a braggart.

boastful

adjective

Given to boasting; excessively proud of oneself in speech.

boasting

noun

Talk that shows excessive pride in oneself; bragging.

boat

noun

A vehicle for travelling on water, generally smaller than a ship.

boatbuilding

noun

The construction of a boat or boats.

boater

noun

Someone who travels by boat.

boathouse

noun

A building at the water's edge used to store boats.

boating

noun

The activity of travelling or spending leisure time on a boat.

boatload

noun

The amount of cargo or number of passengers a boat can carry.

boatman

noun

A person who operates or works on a small boat, often as its captain.

boatswain

noun

A ship's officer or petty officer responsible for the sails, rigging, anchors, and deck crew.

Boaz

name

A masculine given name of Hebrew biblical origin; in the Book of Ruth, the second husband of Ruth and father of Obed.

bob

verb

To move up and down repeatedly, especially near the surface of water.

boba

noun

The chewy tapioca pearls served in the bottom of a sweet tea drink and drunk through a wide straw.

bobbery

noun

A squabble; a tumult; a noisy disturbance.

Bobbi

name

A feminine given name, a diminutive of Roberta.

Bobbie

name

A given name, used as a diminutive of either Robert or Roberta.

bobbin

noun

A spool or cylinder around which wire is coiled.

bobbing

noun

A repeated up-and-down movement.

bobbins

noun

crap, rubbish, something worthless or nonsensical

bobble

noun

A small furry or fabric ball used as decoration, especially on top of a hat.

bobby

noun

British informal term for a police officer.

bobcat

noun

A medium-sized North American wildcat with tufted ears and a short tail.

bobo

noun

Informal: a wealthy person who adopts a bohemian, anti-materialistic style while still living comfortably.

bobwhite

noun

Any one of four species of quail in the genus Colinus, of the bird family Odontophoridae, limited to the Americas.