English dictionary — definitions & meanings

bossing

noun

The act of ordering people around, or a decorative raised knob or stud.

bossy

adj

Fond of giving orders to others, often more than is welcome or necessary.

Boston

noun

The capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

Boswell

noun

A person who closely follows someone and faithfully records everything they say and do.

Bosworth

name

An English surname, and a city in Carroll County, Missouri; also the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field.

bot

noun

A computer program that automatically performs a task, especially a repetitive one, sometimes appearing to be a real user online.

botanic

adj

Of or pertaining to botany.

botanical

adj

Relating to botany or to plants in general.

botanist

noun

A scientist who studies plants.

botany

noun

The scientific study of plants.

botch

verb

To do something badly or carelessly, ruining the result.

botched

adj

Done badly or incompetently, so that the result fails or falls apart.

botcher

noun

A person who mends things, especially such a cobbler or tailor.

bote

noun

Atonement, compensation, amends, satisfaction; as, manbote, a compensation for a man slain.

both

det

Referring to two people or things together, rather than just one.

bother

verb

To annoy or disturb someone, or to cause them trouble.

botheration

intj

A mild expression of annoyance or exasperation: bother!

bothered

adj

Annoyed, troubled, or made anxious by something.

bothering

noun

The act of annoying or troubling someone.

bothersome

adj

Causing annoyance, trouble, or inconvenience.

Bothwell

name

A habitational surname, and a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Botox

noun

A brand name for a purified form of botulinum toxin, injected in small amounts to temporarily smooth wrinkles or relax overactive muscles.

Botswana

noun

A landlocked country in Southern Africa, with Gaborone as its capital.

Botticelli

noun

A guessing game in which players try to identify a famous person, having been told only the first letter of their name, by asking yes-or-no questions.

bottle

noun

A container, usually glass or plastic, with a narrow neck, used for holding liquids.

bottled

adj

Packaged and sold in a bottle.

bottlefeeding

noun

The act or process of feeding a (human) baby with a bottle, as:

bottleneck

noun

A point where a process, road, or system narrows and slows everything passing through it.

bottling

noun

The process of putting a liquid, such as wine or beer, into bottles.

bottom

noun

The lowest part of something.

bottomless

adj

Having no bottom, or seeming impossibly deep.

bottoms

noun

The lower half of a two-piece outfit, such as pajama bottoms or bikini bottoms.

botulism

noun

A severe, often life-threatening form of food poisoning caused by a toxin from bacteria that grow in improperly canned or preserved food.

Bouchard

name

A French surname.

Boucher

name

A French surname, an occupational name for a butcher.

boudoir

noun

A woman's private sitting room, dressing room, or bedroom.

bough

noun

A tree branch, especially one of the larger branches growing directly from the trunk.

bought

verb

Past tense and past participle of buy: to have paid money for something.

bougie

adjective

Fancy, expensive and a bit self-consciously upmarket, especially in a way that shows someone is trying to seem better off than they are.

bouillabaisse

noun

A hearty fish stew from the south of France, traditionally made with several kinds of fish and shellfish, herbs, and saffron.

bouillon

noun

A clear broth made by simmering meat, or a concentrated version of it sold as cubes or powder.

boujee

adjective

Luxurious and high-end in an enjoyable, aspirational way, especially of tastes, style or a lifestyle funded by real money.

boulder

noun

A large rock, especially one that has broken off and lies separate from the surrounding land.

Boulet

name

A French surname.

boulevard

noun

A wide, tree-lined street, often with a landscaped strip down the middle or along the sides.

bounce

verb

To spring back after hitting a surface, or to move up and down repeatedly.

bounced

adj

Describing a cheque that a bank refused to pay out because of insufficient funds.

bouncer

noun

A person or thing that bounces something, such as a ball.

bouncing

adj

Full of health and energy, especially describing a baby.

bouncy

adj

Able to bounce easily, or full of lively energy.

bound

adj

Obliged to do something, often by law, duty, or promise.

boundaries

noun

The limits a person sets on what they will accept from others, in order to protect their time, energy and wellbeing.

boundary

noun

A line or edge that marks where one area ends and another begins.

bounded

adj

Kept within limits; having a defined edge or range rather than going on forever.

bounden

adj

Now chiefly in "bounden duty": made obligatory; binding.

bounder

noun

Something that bounds or jumps.

bounding

noun

The use of fire protection products within limits determined by scientific tests.

boundless

adj

Having no limit; seemingly endless.

boundlessness

noun

The property of being boundless, of being without limits or ends.

Bounds

noun

The limits or edges within which something is contained or allowed.

bountiful

adj

Existing in generous or plentiful amounts.

bounty

noun

A reward offered, often by an authority, for capturing a person or completing a specific task.

bouquet

noun

A bunch of flowers, especially one arranged decoratively.

bourbon

noun

A type of American whiskey made mostly from corn and aged in charred new oak barrels.

bourgeois

adj

Relating to the middle class, often used to criticise conventional, materialistic, or overly comfortable values.

bourgeoise

noun

A female member of the bourgeoisie; a wealthy woman

bourgeoisie

noun

The property-owning middle class, especially as contrasted with the working class.

bourn

name

A village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL3256).

bourne

noun

A boundary or limit, or a destination one is heading toward.

Bournemouth

name

A large coastal town in Dorset, England, known for its beaches.

bout

noun

A short period of an activity, especially something difficult like an illness or a fight.

boutade

noun

A sudden outbreak or outburst; a caprice, a whim.

boutique

noun

A small shop, especially one selling fashionable clothes or specialist goods.

Bouvier

noun

Short for "Bouvier des Flandres," a large, shaggy-coated herding dog breed from Belgium and France.

bovicide

noun

The killing of a cow.

boviculture

noun

The rearing and care of cattle.

bovid

noun

An animal of the family Bovidae (such as the antelope, cattle, goat, and sheep).

bovine

adj

Relating to cattle or animals in the same family, such as buffalo and bison.

bovril

name

A brand of beef extract made in the UK.

bow

noun

A weapon made from a curved piece of flexible material strung with a cord, used to shoot arrows.

bow out

verb

To withdraw from a contest, role or commitment, especially gracefully and by your own choice.

Bowden

name

An English and Scottish surname, and the name of several villages in England, Scotland, and North America.

bowed

adj

Bent or curved, often under weight or pressure.

bowel

noun

Part of the intestines, especially the large intestine.

bowels

noun

The intestines, especially in medical or bodily contexts.

Bowen

name

A Welsh surname and male given name, also the name of towns in Australia and the United States.

bower

noun

A shady shelter in a garden or wood, made from branches, vines, or leaves.

Bowers

name

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

bowery

noun

A roofed shelter with open sides used for outdoor gatherings; a pavilion.

Bowie

noun

A thick, single-edged fixed-blade knife, traditionally with a clipped point, used for hunting and self-defense.

bowing

noun

The act of bending forward at the waist as a gesture of respect or greeting.

bowl

noun

A round, open container used to hold or serve food such as soup, salad, or cereal.

bowled

adjective

In cricket, describing a batsman dismissed when a bowled ball strikes and breaks the wicket.

bowler

noun

A person who bowls, especially in cricket or tenpin bowling.

Bowles

name

An English surname.

bowlful

noun

The amount that a bowl will hold.

bowling

noun

A game in which a ball is rolled down a lane to knock over a set of standing pins.

bowls

noun

A precision outdoor sport in which players roll weighted balls to land as close as possible to a smaller target ball.

bowman

noun

A person who shoots a bow; an archer.

box

noun

A rigid container, typically rectangular, with a lid or flaps, used to hold or transport things.

boxberry

noun

A teaberry bush (Gaultheria procumbens).

boxcar

noun

An enclosed railway freight car, usually with sliding side doors.

boxed

adjective

Packaged inside a box or boxes.

boxer

noun

A person who fights in the sport of boxing.

boxers

noun

Loose-fitting men's underwear with legs, as opposed to close-fitting briefs.

boxful

noun

As much as a box will hold.

boxing

noun

A combat sport in which two competitors wearing padded gloves punch each other, scoring points or winning by knockout.

boxwood

noun

The box tree, Buxus sempervirens.

boy

noun

A male child or young man.

boyar

noun

A member of the highest rank of nobility below royalty in medieval Russia and other Slavic and Balkan states.

Boyce

name

An English surname originally given to someone living near woods, also used as a male given name.

boycott

verb

To refuse to buy from, deal with, or take part in something, as a form of protest.

boycotting

noun

The act of refusing to deal with or support something as a form of protest.

Boyd

name

A Scottish and Irish surname, also used as a male given name, from a Gaelic word meaning "fair" or "blond."

boyer

noun

A small Flemish sailing vessel with a raised deck structure at each end.

boyes

name

An unincorporated community in Carter County, Montana, United States.

boyfriend

noun

A man or boy in an ongoing romantic relationship with someone, without being married.

boyhood

noun

The period of a male's life when he is a boy; childhood.

boyish

adjective

Resembling or characteristic of a boy in appearance or manner.

Boylan

name

An Irish surname.

Boyle

name

An Irish surname, also the name of a town in County Roscommon, Ireland.

Boynton

name

An English surname, also the name of a village in Yorkshire, England, and several small communities in the United States.

boyo

noun

An informal, chiefly Welsh way of addressing a man or boy, often younger than the speaker.

boys

noun

Plural of "boy"; male children or young men.

Boz

name

A male given name or surname, a diminutive of Bosley.

bozo

noun

An informal, mildly insulting term for a foolish or ridiculous person.

Br

adj

(informal abbreviation) Belarusian.

bra

noun

An undergarment worn by women to support the breasts.

brace

noun

A device or support that holds something firmly in place or steadies it.

braced

adjective

Fitted or reinforced with a brace or supporting structure.

bracelet

noun

A band or chain worn around the wrist as jewelry.

bracelets

noun

Informal term for handcuffs.

braces

noun

A dental device of wires and brackets used to straighten teeth over time.

bracing

adjective

Making you feel refreshed and full of energy, especially through cold, fresh air.

brack

noun

Water that is salty or brackish.

bracken

noun

A tough, fast-spreading fern that grows in dense patches on hillsides and moorland; toxic to grazing animals if eaten in quantity.

bracket

noun

A support fixed to a wall or frame that holds up a shelf or other object.

Brackett

name

An English surname of Anglo-Norman origin.

brackish

adj

Of water, salty or slightly salty, as a mixture of fresh and sea water, such as that found in estuaries.

Bracknell

name

A town in Berkshire, England, part of the Bracknell Forest district.

brad

noun

A small, slender nail with a barely-there head, used in fine woodworking so the nail can be sunk flush and hidden.

Bradbury

noun

(historical, British) A one-pound or ten-shilling banknote issued in the United Kingdom during the First World War, named after the Treasury official whose signature appeared on it.

Braddock

name

An English surname, and the name of towns in Cornwall, England, and Pennsylvania, United States.

Braden

name

An Irish-derived surname, also a male given name popular from the 1990s onward.

Bradfield

name

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

Bradford

name

A city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, along with numerous smaller towns of the same name across England, the US, Canada, and elsewhere.

Bradley

name

An English surname and male given name, also the name of many villages and towns in England and the United States.

bradly

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Bradshaw

noun

(historical, British) A well-known railway timetable and travel guide, published under the name George Bradshaw until it ceased in 1961.

Brady

noun

Informal short form of bradycardia, an abnormally slow heart rate.