English dictionary — definitions & meanings

batshit

adj

Vulgar slang: completely crazy or irrational, often used for dramatic emphasis.

batsman

noun

In cricket, the player currently batting, or a player chosen mainly for batting skill rather than bowling.

batson

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

batt

noun

Pieces of fabric or fibre used for stuffing; as for batting or insulation

battalion

noun

A large army unit, typically made up of several companies and usually forming part of a brigade or regiment.

batted

verb

Past tense of bat — hit something with a bat, or swung at something as if with one.

batten

noun

A long, narrow strip of wood or metal used to strengthen, fasten, or hold something in place, especially in construction or on a ship.

batter

verb

To hit something or someone repeatedly and violently.

battered

adj

Damaged or worn from repeated use, impact, or abuse.

battering

noun

A severe, repeated beating, whether physical or figurative (such as a heavy defeat or bad publicity).

Battersea

name

A district in south London, England, known for Battersea Park and Battersea Power Station.

battery

noun

A device that stores and supplies electrical power, made of one or more cells.

battey

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

batting

noun

Soft fibrous material (cotton, wool, or synthetic) used to stuff quilts, mattresses, or padding.

Battista

name

An Italian given name and surname, meaning "baptist".

battle

noun

A fight between opposing armed forces, especially as part of a larger war.

battlecruiser

noun

A fast warship with thicker armor and heavier guns than a typical cruiser, but with armor, armament, or both still inferior to that of a dreadnought battleship; designed to act as an advanced scout of the battle fleet and to destroy enemy cruisers.

battled

verb

Past tense of "battle": fought or struggled against something.

battlefield

noun

The area of ground where a battle is or was fought.

battlefront

noun

The region or line along which opposing armies engage in combat.

battleground

noun

A location where a battle may be fought, or has been fought.

battlement

noun

In fortification: an indented parapet, formed by a series of rising members called cops or merlons, separated by openings called crenelles or embrasures, the soldier sheltering himself behind the merlon while he fires through the embrasure or through a loophole in the battlement.

battler

noun

One who wages battle against an enemy; a soldier; a general.

battleship

noun

A large, heavily armoured warship carrying big guns, once the dominant class of naval vessel but now largely retired in favour of missile-armed ships.

battlespace

noun

The conditions and dimensions of battle, including terrain, weather, infrastructure, airspace, seaspace, cyberspace, near space, and outer space, considered in a unified military strategy to integrate and combine armed forces for the military theatre of operations.

battlewagon

noun

A heavily armed combat vehicle; a tank.

battling

adjective

Fighting, or actively engaged in a struggle.

batts

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

battue

noun

A form of hunting in which game is forced into the open by the beating of sticks on bushes, etc.

batty

adj

Crazy, eccentric, or slightly mad.

battye

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

Bau

name

A surname of Chinese or German origin, and an abbreviation used for various institutions.

bauble

noun

A small, showy trinket or decoration with little real value.

Baudelaire

name

A French surname, famously borne by poet Charles Baudelaire.

Bauer

noun

A German word for a farmer, used occasionally in English as a borrowed term or as a surname.

Baum

name

A German surname meaning "tree", notably borne by author L. Frank Baum.

Baumann

name

A German surname, historically an occupational name for a farmer or builder.

Bavaria

name

A state in southeastern Germany, known for its distinct culture and Alpine landscape.

bavarian

adj

Relating to Bavaria, a state in southern Germany.

bavarois

noun

A pudding similar to pastry cream but thickened with gelatin or isinglass instead of flour or cornstarch, and flavoured with liqueur.

bawbag

noun

The scrotum or ballsack.

bawd

noun

One who keeps a brothel, or procures women for prostitution; a procurer or madam.

bawdiness

noun

The characteristic or state of being bawdy.

bawdy

adj

Humorously crude or sexual in a way that is meant to amuse rather than offend.

bawl

verb

To shout loudly, often in anger or to be heard over noise.

bawling

noun

Loud crying or shouting.

Bax

name

A surname, notably borne by English composer Arnold Bax.

Baxter

noun

An old word for a baker, originally referring specifically to a female baker.

bay

noun

A body of water partly enclosed by a curve of the coastline.

bayard

noun

A horse with a reddish-brown coat; more loosely, any horse.

bayer

name

A surname from German [in turn originating as an ethnonym].

baying

noun

A long, howling cry, especially one made by hounds.

bayles

name

A surname originating as an occupation.

bayless

adj

Of a coast or shore, without bays.

baylis

name

A surname originating as an occupation.

Bayliss

name

An English surname, a variant of Bayless, historically meaning "son of the bailiff".

Baylor

name

An English surname, also the name of a private university in Texas named after judge R. E. B. Baylor.

Bayon

name

A surname and place name, notably a Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia.

bayonet

noun

A blade attached to the muzzle end of a rifle, used for close combat.

Bayonne

name

A city in southwestern France known for its ham, also a city in New Jersey, USA.

bayou

noun

A slow-moving, marshy stream or channel, especially in the southern United States.

bayram

noun

A festival or public holiday celebrated in Turkic cultures, whether religious or secular.

bays

noun

Plural of bay — coastal inlets, or (older sense) a coarse woollen fabric called baize.

bayside

adj

Situated along the edge of a bay.

baz

noun

A placeholder name used in examples or code, typically following "foo" and "bar."

bazaar

noun

A marketplace made up of many small shops or stalls, especially in the Middle East or South Asia.

baze

verb

To stun, frighten, or bewilder someone.

bazinga

intj

Exclamation indicating a successful trick or prank.

bazoo

noun

A simple wind instrument, such as a kazoo or tin horn.

bazooka

noun

A shoulder-fired weapon that launches rockets, originally developed to destroy tanks.

BBC

noun

The British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly funded national broadcaster of the United Kingdom, which runs television channels, radio stations and a news website.

BBL

noun

Brazilian butt lift: a cosmetic procedure in which fat is removed from elsewhere on the body and injected into the buttocks to reshape them.

bbm

abbreviation

BlackBerry Messenger, the instant messaging service that ran on BlackBerry phones, known for delivered and read receipts and for PIN-based contacts. It was shut down for consumers in 2019.

bbq

noun

Alternative letter-case form of BBQ.

bbs

abbreviation

Be back soon; typed in chat, gaming and messaging to say you are stepping away for a short while.

BBW

noun

A fat woman, especially when described admiringly or presented as sexually attractive; also used as a category label in pornography and on dating sites.

BCC

abbreviation

Blind carbon copy: an email field that sends a copy of the message to the addresses listed in it without revealing those addresses to any other recipient.

BCE

abbreviation

Before Common Era; used after a year to show that it falls in the era before the traditional date of the start of the Christian calendar, counting backwards.

BDE

noun

Quiet, unforced confidence: the relaxed self-assurance of someone who does not need attention or approval and is not trying to prove anything.

bdsm

noun

A variety of often erotic practices involving bondage, discipline, sadomasochism, dominance and submission, and other related interpersonal dynamics.

be

verb

To exist or to have a certain identity, quality, or state.

Bea

name

A feminine given name, a short form of Beatrice.

beach

noun

A sandy or pebbly shore along the sea or a lake.

beacham

name

A surname, variant of Beauchamp

beached

adj

Stuck or stranded on a beach, especially unable to move.

beachem

name

A surname, variant of Beauchamp

beachhead

noun

A secured area on an enemy shoreline used to bring in more troops and supplies during an invasion.

beacon

noun

A light, fire, or signal used to guide, warn, or mark a location.

bead

noun

A small, often round piece of glass, wood, or plastic with a hole through it, used for jewellery or decoration.

beading

noun

A decorative, ornamental molding often used to conceal a joint.

beads

noun

A necklace or string made of small beads.

beadwork

noun

Decorative work involving beads.

beady

adj

Small, round, and shiny, like a bead.

beagle

noun

A small, short-legged hound with a smooth coat, often tricolored, traditionally used for hunting hares and now popular as a friendly family pet.

beak

noun

The hard, pointed structure at the front of a bird's face, used for eating, grooming, and carrying things.

beaker

noun

A flat-bottomed, straight-sided glass container with a small pouring lip, used to hold and measure liquids in a lab.

beal

noun

A small, inflamed swelling on the skin, such as a boil or pustule.

Beale

name

An English surname, also the name of the famous Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.

beam

noun

A long, sturdy length of wood, steel, or concrete used to support a structure such as a floor, roof, or ship deck.

beamed

adj

Fitted or reinforced with beams.

beamer

noun

A device that projects images or video onto a screen; a projector.

beamful

adj

Beamy; radiant; luminous.

beaming

adj

Smiling broadly; radiating happiness.

beamsome

adj

Shedding or emitting beams (of light, etc.); radiant.

beamy

adj

Resembling a beam in size and weight; massy.

bean

noun

The edible seed of various pod-bearing plants, or the pod itself, eaten as a vegetable.

beanbag

noun

A large, soft seat made of a fabric shell stuffed with small pellets or beans.

beanbrain

noun

A stupid person; an idiot

beaner

noun

Any Hispanic or Latino person.

beanie

noun

A snug, close-fitting cap, typically knitted from wool, without a brim.

beano

noun

A beanfeast; any noisy celebration, a party.

beanpole

noun

A tall stake used to support climbing bean plants.

beans

noun

Informal way of saying an amount doesn't matter or is worthless.

beanstalk

noun

The tall, fast-growing stem of a bean plant.

beantown

name

A nickname for the city of Boston, Massachusetts.

bear

noun

A large, heavily built mammal with thick fur, found across much of the world, ranging from mostly plant-eating to fully carnivorous species.

bear market

noun

A period in which the prices of shares or other investments fall substantially and stay down, commonly counted from the point where prices have dropped about twenty per cent below a recent peak.

bearable

adj

Able to be tolerated or endured, even if unpleasant.

beard

noun

The hair that grows on the chin, cheeks, and jaw of a man's face.

bearded

adj

Having a beard.

beardfish

noun

Any of various deep-sea fish, of the family Polymixiidae, that have a pair of long hyoid barbels.

beardless

adj

Lacking a beard.

bearer

noun

A person or thing that carries or holds something.

bearing

noun

A mechanical part that supports a moving component and reduces friction between surfaces.

bearish

adj

Resembling or likened to a bear, typically in being rough, surly, or clumsy.

bearskin

noun

The pelt of a bear, especially when used as a rug.

Beasley

name

An English surname, derived from a place name meaning "clearing frequented by wild animals or pea field".

beast

noun

A large or dangerous four-footed animal.

beastie

noun

An informal, often affectionate word for an animal or creature.

beastliness

noun

The state of being beastly.

beastly

adj

Extremely unpleasant, cruel, or disgusting.

beastmaster

noun

In games and fiction, a character who commands, tames, or draws power from wild creatures.

beat

verb

To hit repeatedly, or to defeat someone in a contest.

beatable

adj

Able to be beaten or bettered.

beatboxing

noun

Producing drum beats, rhythms, and musical sounds using only the mouth, lips, and voice.

beatdown

noun

A severe physical beating or one-sided defeat.

beaten

adj

Defeated or overcome.

beater

noun

A kitchen tool used for mixing or whipping ingredients.

beatific

adj

Blessed, blissful, heavenly.

beating

noun

The act of repeatedly striking someone or something.

beatitude

noun

Supreme, utmost bliss and happiness.

Beatle

noun

One of the four members of the British rock band The Beatles, or (loosely) someone associated with them.

Beatles

name

The name of the influential English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

beatnik

noun

A member of the nonconformist Beat Generation of the 1950s and 60s, known for rejecting mainstream values in dress, art, and lifestyle.

Beatrice

name

A female given name derived from Latin, meaning roughly "she who brings happiness."

Beatrix

name

A female given name, a Latinate variant of Beatrice.

Beatriz

name

A female given name from Portuguese and Spanish, equivalent to English Beatrice.

beats

noun

Regular pulses of rhythm in music, or repeated blows/strikes.

beatson

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

Beatty

name

A surname of Irish and Scottish origin, also a masculine given name.