English dictionary — definitions & meanings

bradycardia

noun

The condition of having a slow heartbeat, defined as under 60 beats per minute for an adult.

braeden

name

A male given name transferred from the surname, of somewhat uncommon usage, variant of Braden.

brag

verb

To talk about your own achievements, possessions, or abilities with excessive pride.

Braga

name

A Portuguese surname, and a city and district in northern Portugal.

Bragg

name

An English surname, also the name of small communities in Texas and West Virginia.

braggart

noun

A person who boasts constantly about themselves.

bragget

noun

A liquor made of fermented ale and honey with spices.

bragging

noun

The act of boasting about oneself.

Brahma

noun

A breed of large, heavily feathered domestic chicken originally developed from stock near the Brahmaputra River in India.

brahman

noun

A breed of beef cattle from India with a hump on the shoulder.

brahmin

noun

A member of the priestly, scholarly caste in traditional Hindu society, the highest of the four main social classes.

Brahms

adj

British slang for drunk.

braid

verb

To weave three or more strands of hair, thread, or rope together.

braided

adjective

Woven or plaited into interlacing strands.

braiden

name

A surname from Irish.

braiding

noun

A braided trimming used as decoration on clothes or curtains.

Braille

noun

A writing system of raised dots that blind and partially sighted people read with their fingertips.

brain

noun

The organ inside the skull that controls thought, memory, emotion, and the rest of the nervous system.

brainbox

noun

The cavity of the skull in which the brain is contained.

brainchild

noun

An original idea, invention, or project created by a particular person or group.

braindance

noun

Synonym of intelligent dance music.

brainiac

noun

Informal: a very intelligent, studious person.

brainish

adj

hot-headed; furious

brainless

adjective

Lacking intelligence or common sense; foolish.

brainlet

noun

A subcomponent of a brain or thinking system.

brainpan

noun

The braincase; the skull.

brains

noun

Mental ability or intelligence.

brainstorm

verb

To generate ideas freely, often as a group, without immediately judging them.

brainstorming

noun

A group method of generating ideas by contributing suggestions freely and without immediate criticism.

brainteaser

noun

A problem or puzzle devised to exercise the brain and mind.

brainwash

verb

To forcibly and systematically pressure someone into abandoning their existing beliefs and adopting new ones.

brainwashing

noun

The systematic use of pressure, repetition, or coercion to make someone abandon their beliefs for another set of beliefs.

brainwave

noun

A sudden clever idea or inspiration.

brainy

adjective

Very intelligent.

braise

noun

A dish (usually meat) prepared by braising.

Braithwaite

name

An English surname of Old Norse origin, also the name of several villages in northern England.

brake

noun

A device that slows or stops a vehicle or machine, usually by friction, or the pedal or lever used to apply it.

braking

noun

The action of using a brake to slow or stop a vehicle.

Bram

name

A male given name, short for Abraham.

bramble

noun

Any of many closely related thorny plants in the genus Rubus including the blackberry and likely not including the raspberry proper.

bramley

noun

A cultivar of apple, used especially as a cooking apple.

bran

noun

The tough outer layer of a cereal grain (wheat, rye, oats, etc.), sifted out from the flour and often eaten separately for its fibre.

branch

noun

A woody offshoot growing from the trunk or a larger limb of a tree.

branchia

noun

A gill or other organ having the same function.

branching

noun

The process or pattern of splitting into two or more separate paths or parts.

Branco

name

A Portuguese surname.

brand

noun

A name, symbol, or identity that marks a product or company and distinguishes it from competitors.

branded

adj

Carrying a company's name or logo, as opposed to generic.

Brandeis

name

A surname of German-Jewish origin, notably borne by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.

branden

name

A male given name transferred from the surname, of rather rare usage, variant of Brandon.

Brandenburg

name

A state in northeastern Germany surrounding Berlin, and historically a major territory of Prussia.

Brandi

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Brandy.

branding

noun

The overall design, name, and image a company uses to present itself to the public.

brandish

verb

To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.

brandishing

noun

The act of waving or holding something, usually a weapon, in a threatening or showy way.

brandmark

verb

To name or mark by branding; to give a brandmark to.

Brandon

name

An English surname and male given name, popular in the 1980s and 1990s, also the name of towns in England, France, Ireland, and North America.

Brandt

name

A German surname.

brandy

noun

A strong alcoholic spirit distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice.

Brannan

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Brannigan

noun

A drinking spree or bout of heavy drinking.

branon

noun

A hypothetical weakly interacting massive particle of dark matter.

Branson

name

An English surname and male given name, and a city in Missouri known for its country music shows.

brant

noun

A small dark-bellied wild goose that breeds in the Arctic and winters along temperate coasts.

Brantley

name

An American surname of German origin, also used as a male given name, and a town in Alabama.

brasco

noun

A lavatory: a room for urination and defecation.

brash

adj

Overconfident and tactless, often in a way that ignores how others feel.

brashness

noun

The characteristic of being brash.

Brasil

name

A mythical island once said to lie off the western coast of Ireland.

brass

noun

A yellowish metal alloy made from copper and zinc, used for fittings, instruments, and ornaments.

brassica

noun

Any of many plants of the genus Brassica, including cabbage, mustard and rapes

brassiere

noun

A women's undergarment that supports the breasts; a bra.

brassy

adj

Resembling brass.

brat

noun

A child, especially one seen as spoiled, unruly, or badly behaved.

Bratislava

name

The capital city of Slovakia, on the Danube river.

brattle

verb

To rattle; to make a scampering noise.

Bratton

name

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

bratty

adj

Characteristic of a brat; unruly and impolite.

bratva

noun

A Russian organised-crime network or gang, or Russian organised crime in general.

bratwurst

noun

A type of German sausage, usually made from pork, typically fried or grilled.

Braun

name

A German surname meaning "brown."

braunschweig

name

A city in Lower Saxony, Germany; Brunswick

brava

noun

A shout of approval or praise directed at a female performer.

bravado

noun

A bold, showy display of courage that is often not entirely genuine.

brave

adj

Willing to face danger, pain, or difficulty without giving in to fear.

braveheart

noun

A person of great courage, or courage itself personified.

bravehood

noun

The state, quality, or condition of being brave; bravery; braveness.

bravely

adv

In a way that shows courage in the face of fear or danger.

braveness

noun

The characteristic of being brave.

braver

adj

Comparative of brave; showing more courage than another.

Braverman

name

A surname of Jewish origin.

bravery

noun

The quality of facing danger, pain, or difficulty without giving in to fear.

bravest

adj

Superlative of brave; showing the most courage.

bravo

intj

Used to express approval or praise, especially for a performer.

brawl

noun

A rough, disorderly fight or argument, usually involving several people.

brawler

noun

One who brawls, engages in noisy, unseemly fights.

brawling

adj

Prone to fighting; rowdy or quarrelsome.

brawn

noun

Physical muscle and strength, especially as opposed to intelligence or skill.

brawniness

noun

The state of being brawny or having brawn.

brawny

adj

Characterized by brawn; muscular, thewy; strong.

Braxton

name

A surname, and a male first name derived from it, used in modern times.

bray

verb

Of a donkey (or similar animal): to make its loud, harsh cry.

Brayden

name

A modern male given name, a variant spelling of Braden.

braying

noun

The act or sound of braying.

braze

verb

To cover with brass, or as with brass.

brazen

adj

Shockingly bold or shameless, without any embarrassment.

brazenness

noun

The characteristic of being brazen.

Brazil

name

A large Portuguese-speaking country in South America; capital Brasília.

Brazilian

adj

Relating to Brazil or its people.

brazing

noun

A method of joining metals by using heat and a filler

brb

abbreviation

Used in chat and messaging to say you are stepping away for a moment and will return shortly.

bre

name

A diminutive of the female given name Breanna.

Brea

name

A city in Orange County, California.

breach

noun

A failure to follow a law, agreement, or rule.

breaching

noun

The act of breaking through or violating something.

breachy

adj

Liable to break fences or to break out of pasture

bread

noun

A food made by baking a mixture of flour, water, and usually yeast.

breadbasket

noun

A basket used for storing or carrying bread.

breadth

noun

The measurement of something from side to side; width.

breadwinner

noun

The person in a family or household who earns most or all of the money.

break

verb

To separate something into pieces by force, often suddenly.

break off

verb

To end something suddenly, especially a relationship, discussion or agreement.

breakability

noun

The state or property of being breakable.

breakable

adj

Able to break or be broken.

breakage

noun

The act of breaking.

breakaway

adj

Having split off from a larger group or organization.

breakdown

noun

A failure, especially of a machine or vehicle.

breaker

noun

A large wave that crashes into foam as it reaches shallow water or shore.

breakers

noun

Plural of breaker; large waves crashing near shore, or a set of electrical safety switches.

breakfast

noun

The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning.

breaking

noun

The act of something being broken.

breakneck

adj

Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather.

breakout

noun

An escape, especially from prison.

breakthrough

noun

A sudden, important advance or discovery that overcomes a major obstacle.

breakup

noun

The end of a romantic relationship.

breakwater

noun

A construction in or around a harbour designed to break the force of the sea and to provide shelter for vessels lying inside.

bream

noun

A freshwater or marine fish with a flattened, silvery body, popular with anglers.

breanna

name

A female given name from the Celtic languages, of American usage, variant of Brianna.

breast

noun

Either of the two organs on the front of a woman's chest that can produce milk.

breastbone

noun

The central narrow bone in the front of the chest, connecting the collarbone and the top ribs.

breastfeed

verb

To feed a baby milk directly from the breast.

breastfeeding

noun

The act of feeding a baby milk from the breast.

breastpin

noun

An ornamental pin attached to clothing in a person's upper chest area; a brooch.

breastplate

noun

A piece of armor that protects the chest.

breastshot

adj

Vertically mounted, and rotated by falling water striking buckets near the center of the wheel's edge, or just above it.

breastwork

noun

A fortification consisting of a breast-high bulwark; a parapet.

breath

noun

The air drawn into or expelled from the lungs; a single instance of breathing.

breathable

adj

Suitable or safe to breathe.

breathalyzer

noun

A device used to measure the amount of alcohol in a person's breath.

breathe

verb

To draw air into the lungs and expel it.