English dictionary — definitions & meanings

bocce

noun

A game, similar to bowls or pétanque, played on a long, narrow, dirt-covered court, or informally, as a lawn game.

Boche

noun

(dated, offensive, derogatory) A term used by the British and French, especially during the World Wars, to refer to a German person.

bock

noun

A strong, dark beer traditionally brewed in autumn and aged over winter.

bockety

adj

unsteady, wobbly, tottering, rickety (likely to fall over)

bod

noun

Informal: a person's body.

bodacious

adjective

Informal, especially American Southern slang: bold and remarkable; impressively excellent.

bode

verb

To be a sign that something (usually bad) will happen; to portend.

bodeful

adj

Portentous; ominous; foreboding.

bodega

noun

A small neighborhood convenience store, especially one common in cities that sells snacks, drinks, and everyday essentials.

Boden

name

An English surname common in Shropshire, and a town in northern Sweden.

bodge

verb

To do a clumsy or inelegant job, usually as a temporary repair; mend, patch up, repair.

bodgie

noun

A member of a 1950s rock subculture; a teddy boy.

bodhi

noun

In Buddhism, the awakened understanding that ends the cycle of rebirth and leads to enlightenment.

bodhisattva

noun

In Buddhism, someone far along the path to enlightenment who chooses to keep helping others reach it rather than leave the cycle of rebirth for themselves.

bodice

noun

The fitted upper part of a dress, covering the torso from the shoulders to the waist.

Bodie

name

A surname and given name, also the name of a famous ghost town in California.

bodily

adj

Relating to or concerning the physical body, rather than the mind or spirit.

Bodine

name

A French surname.

boding

adj

foreboding, ominous, portending.

Bodnar

name

A surname of Slavic origin.

body

noun

The complete physical structure of a person or animal.

bodyguard

noun

A person, often armed and trained, employed to protect someone from physical harm.

bodystyle

noun

A style of vehicle body (such as sedan/saloon versus coupe/coupé, stakebody versus box truck, and so on).

bodysuit

noun

A one-piece, skin-tight garment rather like a leotard.

bodywork

noun

The outer shell or metal panels of a vehicle, distinct from its engine and mechanical parts.

Boeing

noun

An aircraft manufactured by the Boeing Company, or the company itself, a major American aerospace manufacturer.

boeotian

adj

Pertaining to Boeotia.

Boer

noun

A descendant of the Dutch settlers who colonized parts of South Africa, especially a farmer among them.

Boers

name

A Dutch surname.

boffin

noun

British informal: a scientist or technical expert, especially one involved in research.

bog

noun

An area of soft, wet, spongy ground formed from decayed plant matter, especially moss.

bogan

noun

An unsophisticated person from a working class background.

bogart

verb

Informal: to selfishly hog or keep something instead of sharing it.

bogatyr

noun

A medieval heroic warrior in Kievan Rus, akin to the Western European knight-errant.

Bogdan

name

A masculine given name common in Slavic languages, meaning "gift of God."

bogey

noun

In golf, a score of one stroke over par on a hole.

bogeyman

noun

An imaginary monster used to frighten children into good behavior.

boggard

noun

A bogey: a ghost, goblin, or other hostile supernatural creature, especially a small local spirit haunting gloomy places or the scenes of violence.

boggart

noun

A shapeshifting monster that feeds on fear.

bogged

adj

Stuck and unable to make progress, typically in the phrase "bogged down."

bogger

noun

Someone associated with or who works in a bog.

boggle

verb

To overwhelm or bewilder the mind, especially with something surprising or hard to grasp.

Boggs

name

An English surname, and the name of several small townships in the United States.

boghouse

noun

An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.

bogie

noun

A set of wheels and axles mounted as a unit beneath a railway car, locomotive, or aircraft to support and stabilize it.

bogieman

noun

The operator of a bogie or hand-truck.

bogle

noun

A goblin, imp, bogeyman, bugbear or similar a frightful being or phantom.

Bogo

noun

A member of the Blin (Bilen), an ethnic group native to Eritrea.

bogosity

noun

The state or degree of being bogus.

bogue

noun

A species of seabream fish native to the eastern Atlantic (Boops boops).

bogus

adj

Fake or counterfeit; not genuine.

Bohannon

name

A surname of Irish origin, and an unincorporated community in Mathews County, Virginia.

bohdan

name

A village, the administrative center of Bohdan rural hromada, Rakhiv Raion, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine.

Bohemia

noun

A historical region in the west of the present-day Czech Republic.

bohemian

noun

A person, especially an artist or writer, who lives an unconventional lifestyle, often rejecting mainstream norms.

Bohm

name

A German surname, from Bohm/Böhm.

boho

adjective

Describing a relaxed, artistic style of dress or decoration marked by flowing fabrics, earthy colours, folk patterns and layered vintage pieces.

bohr

noun

(physics, informal) Short for "Bohr radius," the typical distance between a hydrogen atom's nucleus and its electron.

bohunk

noun

An immigrant from Central Europe, Eastern Europe, or the Balkans, especially one who is regarded as vain, aggressively masculine, and socially unsophisticated.

Boi

name

A style of Brazilian folk music from the central Amazon region, also known as bumba-meu-boi.

boil

verb

To heat a liquid until it bubbles and turns to vapor.

boiled

adj

Cooked by being immersed in boiling water.

boiler

noun

A closed vessel or appliance used to heat water or produce steam, typically for heating a building or generating power.

boilerplate

noun

A sheet of copper or steel used in the construction of a boiler.

boiling

adj

Extremely hot.

boing

intj

Used to represent the sound of something bouncing, especially a spring.

boink

verb

Informal: to hit or strike something, often producing a light knocking sound.

Bois

name

A French surname meaning "wood," related to Dubois.

Boise

name

The capital and largest city of Idaho, USA.

boisterous

adj

Loud, energetic, and a bit rowdy; full of noisy enthusiasm.

boisterously

adv

In a boisterous manner, energetically and noisily.

bok

adjective

Eager or willing to do something.

boke

verb

To thrust or push out; butt; poke.

boko

noun

A slang or dialect word for the nose.

bola

noun

A throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of a cord.

bold

adj

Willing to take risks; confident and daring.

boldly

adv

In a confident, daring way.

boldness

noun

Courage or confidence in acting or speaking.

bolero

noun

A lively Spanish dance, or the slower, related Cuban dance style.

Boleyn

name

An English surname, most famously borne by Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII.

bolide

noun

An extremely bright meteor.

Bolin

name

A surname, an archaic variant of Bollin.

Bolingbroke

name

An English surname and earldom, also the name of a civil parish in Lincolnshire, England.

Bolivar

name

A surname, and the name of several towns in the United States named after Simon Bolivar, the South American revolutionary leader.

Bolivia

name

A landlocked country in South America, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, with La Paz and Sucre as its capitals.

Bolivian

adj

Relating to Bolivia, its people, or its culture.

bollarding

noun

A defect in which a testpiece is deformed into a bollard-like shape.

Bollinger

name

A German surname, originally denoting someone from a place called Bollingen or Bolling.

bollock

noun

A testicle. (British, vulgar slang)

bollocks

interjection

An exclamation of anger or frustration. (British, vulgar slang)

Bolly

name

An informal short name for Bollinger champagne.

Bollywood

name

The Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India.

bolo

noun

A long, heavy single-edged machete used for cutting or as a weapon.

Bologna

noun

A mild, seasoned sausage made from beef, pork, or veal, often sliced for sandwiches.

bolognese

noun

An Italian meat-and-tomato sauce, typically served with pasta.

Bolshevik

noun

A member of the Russian revolutionary party that seized power in 1917 and later ruled the Soviet Union.

bolshevism

noun

The strategy used by the Bolsheviks in attempting to gain power in Russia.

bolshevist

adj

Adhering or related to Bolshevism.

bolshie

noun

A government leftist, especially a communist, socialist, or labour union leader.

bolster

noun

A long cylindrical pillow or cushion.

bolstering

noun

The act by which something is bolstered; support.

bolt

noun

A metal fastener with a threaded shaft, used with a nut to hold things together.

bolting

noun

The act of suddenly running away.

Bolton

name

An English surname, and a large town and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England.

boltons

name

A civil parish in Cumberland, Cumbria, England, previously in Allerdale borough.

BOLTS

noun

Plural of bolt: threaded metal fasteners used to join parts together.

bolus

noun

A small rounded mass, especially of chewed food or medicine.

bomb

noun

An explosive device designed to cause damage or destruction.

bombard

verb

To attack repeatedly with bombs, shells, or gunfire.

bombardier

noun

A crew member on a military aircraft responsible for aiming and releasing bombs.

bombarding

noun

The act of attacking something repeatedly and heavily, whether with weapons or (figuratively) with things like questions or messages.

bombardment

noun

A sustained attack using bombs or heavy artillery fire.

bombast

noun

Cotton, or cotton wool.

bombastic

adj

showy in speech and given to using flowery or elaborate terms; grandiloquent; pompous

Bombay

name

The former name of Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

bombed

adj

Informal for very drunk or high.

bomber

noun

A military aircraft designed to drop bombs.

bombilation

noun

A humming or booming sound.

bombinate

verb

to buzz or hum; to speak idly, vacuously, or to little effect.

bombing

noun

An attack in which bombs are dropped or detonated.

bombshell

noun

A piece of news that is shocking or sensational.

Bon

name

An indigenous Tibetan religion related to, and predating, Tibetan Buddhism.

bon appétit

interjection

Said to someone who is about to eat, wishing them an enjoyable meal.

bon voyage

interjection

Said to someone setting off on a journey, wishing them a safe and pleasant trip.

bona

adjective

Good. (dated slang)

bona fide

adjective

Genuine and real, and not intended to deceive.

bonable

adj

Able to be or worthy of being boned; sexually attractive.

bonanza

noun

A rich, unexpected source of wealth, luck, or success.

Bonaparte

name

A Corsican surname, most famously borne by Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France.

Bonaventure

name

A masculine given name of Latin origin, also used as a surname.

bonbon

noun

A small sweet, especially a piece of chocolate-covered candy.

bonbonne

noun

A demijohn or carboy.

bonbonniere

noun

A small decorative container (box, dish or pouch) used to hold sweets.

bonce

noun

A large marble of grey stone used in various games, such as bonce about, bonce-eye, and French bonce.

bond

noun

A certificate representing a loan to a government or company, which pays interest and repays the original amount later.

bondage

noun

The state of being enslaved, or forced servitude with no freedom.

bonded

adj

Joined firmly, whether by adhesive, heat, or pressure.

bondholder

noun

The registered owner of a financial bond.

bonding

noun

The process of joining two things securely together.

bondman

noun

A man who is bound in servitude.

bonds

noun

Plural of bond; certificates representing loans that pay interest.

bondsman

noun

A person who provides a bond guaranteeing that someone will appear in court, often for a fee.

bondswoman

noun

The female equivalent of a bondsman.

bone

noun

One of the hard, calcium-rich pieces that make up the skeleton of humans and most animals.

boned

adj

Having had the bones taken out before cooking or serving.

bonehead

noun

An informal, mildly insulting term for someone who acts foolishly or stubbornly.

boneheaded

adj

Resembling or characteristic of a bonehead.

boneheadedness

noun

The state or quality of being boneheaded.

boneless

adj

Having no bones, especially describing meat prepared for cooking.

boner

noun

An embarrassing mistake or blunder.