English dictionary — definitions & meanings

bones

noun

Plural of bone; the skeletal parts of a body.

Boney

name

A surname, and a historical nickname for Napoleon Bonaparte.

bonfire

noun

A large outdoor fire, often lit for celebration or to burn unwanted material.

bong

noun

A water pipe used for smoking, often cannabis.

bongo

noun

One of a pair of small hand drums, played by beating with the fingers and palms.

bonham

noun

A young pig; a piglet (dialectal).

bonhomous

adj

Good-natured; full of bonhomie.

boniface

noun

The proprietor of a hotel or restaurant; an innkeeper.

boning

noun

The process of removing bones from meat or fish.

Bonita

name

A census-designated place in San Diego County, California.

bonito

noun

A fast-swimming ocean fish related to tuna, prized in cooking, especially for flakes used in Japanese broths.

bonjour

intj

A French greeting meaning "hello" or "good morning."

bonk

verb

To bump or knock into something with a light thud.

bonkers

adj

Crazy, wild, or absurd.

bonking

noun

A session of sexual intercourse.

Bonn

name

A city in western Germany on the Rhine River, the former capital of West Germany.

bonne

noun

A French term for a nursemaid or housemaid.

Bonner

noun

A native or resident of the German city of Bonn.

bonnet

noun

A soft hat, often tied under the chin, traditionally worn by women or children.

Bonneville

name

A French surname, and the name of several communes in France, meaning "good town."

Bonnie

adj

Attractive, pretty, or pleasing, especially in Scottish usage.

Bonny

adj

Variant spelling of "bonnie"; attractive or pleasing.

Bono

name

A surname, notably the stage name of U2 frontman Paul Hewson.

bonsai

noun

A miniature tree grown and shaped in a small pot through careful pruning and root control.

bontebok

noun

A South African antelope of genus Damaliscus

bonus

noun

An extra payment given on top of regular wages, often as a reward for performance.

bony

adj

Thin, with bones that are noticeably visible or prominent.

boo

intj

An exclamation shouted to scare someone, usually while jumping out unexpectedly.

boob

noun

A silly mistake.

booby

noun

A foolish or dim-witted person.

boodle

noun

Money, especially when acquired or spent illegally or improperly; swag.

boof

interjection

Used to represent a sudden thud, bang, or collision.

boofheaded

adj

having an oversized head.

booger

noun

A piece of dried mucus from inside the nose (informal).

boogie

noun

A lively style of dancing, especially to pop, rock, or swing music.

booing

noun

Loud disapproval shouted by a crowd or audience.

book

noun

A set of printed or written pages bound together, meant to be read.

bookbinding

noun

The art, craft or process of binding books.

bookcase

noun

A piece of furniture with shelves for holding and displaying books.

booker

noun

A person whose job is to arrange bookings, such as for performers, venues, or travel.

bookie

noun

A person or business that takes bets on sports and other events.

booking

noun

A reservation made in advance, such as for travel, a hotel, or a table.

bookish

adj

Fond of reading or studying, especially said of someone lacking social skills as a result.

bookkeeper

noun

A person who keeps track of a business's financial records.

bookkeeping

noun

The task of recording and organising a business's financial transactions.

booklet

noun

A small, thin book, often used for instructions or information.

bookly

adj

Of or pertaining to books; literary.

bookmaker

noun

A person or business that sets odds and accepts bets on events such as horse racing or sports.

bookman

noun

A person deeply devoted to books and reading; a scholar.

bookmark

noun

A strip of card or other material used to mark a place in a book.

bookmarker

noun

A slip of paper, card, etc. used to mark one's place in reading a book; a bookmark.

bookseller

noun

A person or business that sells books.

bookshelf

noun

A shelf, or set of shelves, used to store and display books.

bookshop

noun

A shop that sells books (chiefly British).

bookstall

noun

A table with enclosed sides, for displaying books for sale.

bookstore

noun

A store that sells books (chiefly American).

bookworm

noun

A person who loves reading and reads often.

booky

adj

Treacherous, snitchy, not trustworthy.

bool

noun

A Boolean variable (one whose value is either true or false).

boolean

adjective

Relating to a system of logic in which every statement is either true or false, with nothing in between, and statements are combined using operations such as and, or and not.

boom

verb

To make a loud, deep, resonant sound.

boomer

noun

A member of the "baby boomer" generation, born roughly between 1946 and 1964.

boomerang

noun

A curved throwing stick, traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians, that can be made to fly in a circular path and return to the thrower.

booming

adjective

Growing rapidly or thriving, especially economically.

Booms

name

A Dutch and North German surname.

boon

noun

Something helpful or beneficial; a welcome advantage.

Boone

name

An English surname, notably borne by American frontiersman Daniel Boone, and several towns in the United States.

boonga

noun

A person of Polynesian origin.

boonies

noun

A remote, rural, or unfashionable area, far from any city (informal); short for "boondocks."

boop

noun

A gentle, playful tap, especially on the nose.

boor

noun

A rude, ill-mannered person.

boorish

adjective

Rude, crude, or lacking in manners.

boorishly

adv

In a boorish manner; uncultured.

boorishness

noun

The state or characteristic of being a boor or of being boorish; boorish behaviour.

Boorman

name

An English surname, a variant of Bowerman.

boost

noun

Something that helps increase or improve a person's effort, confidence, or performance.

boosted

adjective

Increased or improved.

booster

noun

An additional dose of a vaccine given to renew or strengthen immunity.

boosting

noun

The act of increasing or improving something.

boot

noun

A sturdy shoe that covers the foot and part of the leg.

booted

adjective

Wearing boots.

bootee

noun

A soft, woolen shoe, usually knitted, for a baby or small pet.

bootful

noun

As much as a boot will hold.

booth

noun

A small stall used for displaying and selling goods.

bootie

noun

A soft, warm shoe or sock made for a baby.

bootleg

verb

To make, transport, or sell something illegally, especially alcohol or unauthorized copies of copyrighted material.

bootlegger

noun

Someone who illegally makes, transports, or sells goods, especially alcohol or pirated copies.

bootlegging

noun

The illegal production, transport, or sale of goods — especially alcohol or pirated copies of copyrighted works.

bootless

adj

Profitless; pointless; unavailing.

bootlick

verb

To seek favor from by fawning, servile behavior.

bootlicker

noun

A person who behaves in a servile or obsequious manner; a toady.

bootlip

noun

The lip at the top end of the shaft of a boot.

boots

noun

Sturdy footwear that covers the foot and ankle, and often part of the lower leg.

bootstrap

verb

To start and grow a business or project using only your own money and revenue, without outside investment.

booty

noun

Valuable goods taken by force, especially loot seized in war or piracy.

booyah

intj

Used to show excitement, triumph, or that you just pulled something off.

booze

noun

Alcoholic drinks in general.

boozer

noun

Someone who drinks alcohol regularly and heavily.

boozing

noun

The act of drinking alcohol heavily.

boozy

adj

Involving a lot of alcohol, or containing alcohol.

bop

noun

A light, playful hit or tap.

bora

noun

A cold, gusty northeasterly wind that blows down from mountains toward the Adriatic Sea (and similar winds elsewhere).

boracic

adj

Relating to, or impregnated with borax.

bord

noun

The coalface parallel to the natural fissures.

Bordeaux

noun

A city in southwestern France, and by extension, the wine produced in the surrounding region.

bordello

noun

A brothel.

Borden

name

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

border

noun

The line separating two countries, states, or regions.

bordering

adj

Sharing a common edge or boundary.

borderland

noun

Land near a border; marches.

borderline

adj

Not clearly on one side or the other; right at the edge of acceptable, safe, or normal.

bore

verb

To make someone feel uninterested and tired through dullness.

boreal

adj

Of, relating to, or coming from the north.

borecole

noun

A form of the kale plant, Brassica oleracea var. acephala, used as the vegetable spring greens / collard greens.

bored

adj

Feeling restless and uninterested from having nothing engaging to do.

boredom

noun

The state of feeling uninterested and restless because there is nothing engaging to do.

borer

noun

A tool used for drilling.

Bores

name

A surname of Czech origin.

borg

noun

Informal shorthand for "cyborg" — a being that is part human, part machine.

Borges

name

A Portuguese and Catalan surname, notably borne by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.

Borgia

name

An Italian surname, famously borne by the House of Borgia, a powerful Renaissance family.

boring

adj

Causing boredom; dull and uninteresting.

Boris

name

A male given name of Slavic origin.

bork

verb

Informal: to break, damage, or misconfigure something, especially a computer or piece of software.

Borman

name

A surname, notably borne by astronaut Frank Borman.

Bormann

name

A German surname, notably borne by Nazi official Martin Bormann.

born

adj

Having a particular quality from birth; natural or innate.

borne

adj

Carried or supported — used especially as a suffix in words like "airborne" or "waterborne."

Borneo

name

A large island in Southeast Asia, shared between Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

borough

noun

A town or district with its own local government, especially one of the administrative divisions of a larger city.

borrow

verb

To take or receive something temporarily, intending to give it back.

borrowed

adj

Taken temporarily from someone else, with the intention of returning it.

borrower

noun

A person or organization that takes something, especially money, on the understanding it will be returned.

borrowing

noun

The act of taking something temporarily, especially taking out a loan.

borscht

noun

A soup made from beetroot, giving it a deep red color, typically served with sour cream and eaten hot or cold.

borstal

noun

A way up a hill in the South Downs.

Bosch

name

A Dutch and Catalan surname, notably borne by painter Hieronymus Bosch.

Bosco

name

An Italian surname and given name.

Bose

verb

To tap or strike the ground with a tool to judge, from the sound, what lies beneath the surface.

bosh

noun

Nonsense; empty or foolish talk.

bosky

adj

Having abundant bushes, shrubs or trees.

Bosley

name

An English surname and given name, also a village in Cheshire, England.

Bosnia

noun

A country in southeastern Europe, officially Bosnia and Herzegovina.

bosniak

noun

A person belonging to an autochthonous South Slavic people living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sandžak region of Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnian

adj

Relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina, or to its people, culture, or language.

bosom

noun

A person's chest, especially a woman's breasts.

boson

noun

A type of subatomic particle with a whole-number spin, unlike particles such as electrons; photons and the Higgs particle are examples.

boss

noun

A person in charge of others at work, such as a manager, supervisor, or business owner.

Bosse

name

A surname of French, German, or Dutch origin.

bossed

adj

Ordered around or controlled by someone acting as a boss.