English dictionary — definitions & meanings

begettal

noun

Act of begetting; conception of a child.

beggar

noun

A person who lives by asking others for money or food.

beggarly

adj

In the manner of a beggar; poverty-stricken; mean; poor; contemptible.

beggary

noun

The state of a beggar; indigence, extreme poverty.

begging

noun

The act of asking others for money, food, or help.

beghast

verb

To fill with shock, awe, wonder, or amazement; inspire; enthuse.

begin

verb

To start doing something, or for something to start happening.

beginner

noun

A person who is new to a skill, activity, or subject.

beginning

noun

The point or period at which something starts.

beglammer

verb

To bewitch; deceive; hoodwink.

begone

interjection

An old-fashioned way of ordering someone or something to leave immediately.

begotten

adjective

Brought into existence by a parent; fathered.

begrasp

verb

To grasp around or about; grasp firmly, fully, or completely; apprehend.

begrieve

verb

To grieve over or about.

begrime

verb

To ingrain grime or dirt which is difficult to remove into (something); also (more generally), to make (something) dirty; to soil.

begrip

verb

To grip around or about; get a grip on; grasp.

begripe

verb

To lay hold of; apprehend; grip; grasp.

begrudge

verb

To resent someone having or receiving something, or to give something reluctantly.

beguile

verb

To deceive or delude (using guile).

beguilement

noun

The action or process of beguiling; the characteristic of being beguiling.

beguiling

adjective

Charming or attractive in a way that can be deceptive or hard to resist.

begum

noun

A title of respect for a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia.

Begun

verb

The past participle of "begin," used with "have" or "be" to describe something that has started.

behalf

noun

Used in phrases like "on behalf of" to mean acting or speaking for someone else, in their interest.

behallow

verb

To make holy; consecrate; sanctify; hallow completely.

behave

verb

To act in a particular way, or to act properly and politely.

behaved

adjective

Acting in the manner described, usually paired with a word like "well" or "badly."

behaving

verb

The present participle of "behave," describing the act of conducting oneself in a certain way.

behavior

noun

The way a person, animal, or system acts, especially in response to a situation.

behavioral

adjective

Relating to behavior, especially the study or treatment of how people or animals act.

behaviour

noun

The British spelling of "behavior" — the way a person, animal, or system acts.

behavioural

adjective

The British spelling of "behavioral" — relating to behavior.

behead

verb

To cut off someone's head, typically as an execution.

beheaded

adjective

Having had one's head cut off.

beheading

noun

The act or event of cutting off someone's head.

behear

verb

To give ear to; hear (intently); attend (to); pay attention or give heed to; listen to.

behedge

verb

To hedge about; surround with or as with a hedge.

behemoth

noun

Something enormous and powerful, especially a huge organization, machine, or creature.

behemothic

adj

colossal, of enormous size and power.

behest

noun

A command or authoritative request, especially in the phrase "at the behest of."

behind

preposition

At or toward the back of something, or after it in time, position, or progress.

behold

verb

To look at or see something, especially something impressive.

beholden

adjective

Owing gratitude or a debt to someone for what they have done.

beholder

noun

A person who observes or looks at something.

beholding

noun

The act by which something is beheld; regard; contemplation.

behoove

verb

To befit, be appropriate or necessary to somebody. Alternative form of behove.

beige

noun

A pale, sandy brown colour.

Beijing

proper noun

The capital city of China.

bein

adjective

A dialect word (mainly Scots) meaning comfortable, well-off, or cosy.

being

noun

A living creature, especially in phrases like "human being."

beinghood

noun

The state, quality, or condition of being or existing; existence.

beingless

adj

Devoid of being; nonexistent.

beingness

noun

Existence; the condition of a thing that is.

Beirut

proper noun

The capital and largest city of Lebanon.

beka

noun

An ancient Biblical unit of weight equal to half a shekel.

beknow

verb

To know about; have knowledge of; recognise; understand; be aware (of); be knowledgeable about.

bel

noun

A unit for measuring the ratio between two power levels, calculated as the base-10 logarithm of one divided by the other.

Bela

name

A masculine given name common in Hungary, notably borne by actor Bela Lugosi.

Belarus

name

A landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

belated

adj

Happening later than it should have, or after the expected or proper time.

belatedly

adv

In a belated manner; tardily.

belaud

verb

To load with praise; praise greatly; extol.

belave

verb

To lave or wash about; wash all over; wash.

belay

verb

In climbing, to hold and control the rope so that a falling climber is caught safely.

belch

verb

To release gas from the stomach out through the mouth, usually noisily.

belcher

noun

Someone or something that belches.

belching

noun

The act of expelling gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth.

beldame

noun

A grandmother.

Belden

name

An English surname derived from a place name.

beleaguer

verb

To besiege; to surround with troops.

beleaguered

adj

Surrounded by military forces; besieged.

beleave

verb

To leave behind, abandon.

Belen

name

A feminine given name, the Spanish form of Bethlehem, meaning "house of bread".

Belfast

name

The capital and largest city of Northern Ireland.

belfry

noun

A tower or part of a tower, usually attached to a church, that houses bells.

Belgian

noun

A person from Belgium.

Belgium

name

A country in Western Europe, known for its capital Brussels and its chocolate and beer.

Belgrade

name

The capital and largest city of Serbia, situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.

belibel

verb

To libel, slander, calumniate.

belie

verb

To lie around; encompass.

belief

noun

The mental acceptance that something is true, even without complete proof.

believability

noun

The state or quality of being believable.

believable

adj

Able to be believed; credible.

believably

adv

In a believable way.

believe

verb

To accept something as true without being completely certain.

believer

noun

A person who believes something, especially someone with religious faith.

Believers

noun

People who hold a shared faith or conviction.

believing

noun

The act of having faith or confidence in something.

belike

verb

To make like; simulate.

Belinda

name

A female given name popularised by Alexander Pope's 1714 poem "The Rape of the Lock."

belisama

name

A goddess worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain.

belittle

verb

To speak of someone or something as less important or impressive than it really is, often to show contempt.

belittling

adj

Making someone or something seem less important or capable than they are; condescending.

belive

adverb

Soon, shortly, or before long (archaic).

Belize

name

An English-speaking country on the Caribbean coast of Central America, formerly called British Honduras.

bell

noun

A hollow metal instrument, often shaped like a cup, that rings when struck.

Bella

name

A female given name, from Italian, often short for Isabella or Arabella.

belladonna

noun

A poisonous plant with purple, bell-shaped flowers and glossy black berries, also called deadly nightshade.

Bellagio

name

A town in the Lombardy region of Italy, on Lake Como.

Bellamy

name

A surname of Anglo-Norman origin.

bellboy

noun

A hotel employee who carries guests' luggage and runs errands.

belle

noun

An attractive and much-admired woman, especially the most admired one in a particular group or place.

bellerophon

noun

Any member of the genus †Bellerophon of fossil gastropod shells, believed to belong to the Heteropoda, and peculiar to the Paleozoic age.

Belles

name

A surname of French origin, and the plural of "belle", meaning a beautiful woman.

belletristic

adj

Of, pertaining to, or having the characteristics of belles-lettres.

Belleville

name

A place name of French origin meaning "beautiful town", shared by cities in France, Canada, and the United States.

Bellevue

name

A place name of French origin meaning "beautiful view", shared by several cities in the United States.

bellhop

noun

A hotel employee who carries luggage and assists guests, especially in American usage.

Belli

name

An Italian surname, notably borne by American lawyer Melvin Belli.

bellicose

adj

Warlike or combative in nature; aggressively hostile.

belligerence

noun

The state of being belligerent; aggressive inclination to war or violence.

belligerent

adjective

Hostile and aggressive; eager to fight or argue.

Bellini

noun

A cocktail made from Prosecco and peach juice or puree.

bellman

noun

A hotel employee who carries guests’ luggage; a bellhop.

bello

noun

A term of affection for a young man; sweetheart.

bellow

verb

To shout in a deep, loud voice.

bellower

noun

One who bellows.

bellowing

noun

The act or sound of shouting or roaring loudly.

bellows

noun

A hand-operated device that pumps a blast of air when squeezed, used to fan a fire or power an instrument like an accordion.

bellowser

noun

A sentence of transportation for life.

Bells

name

A surname, and the plural of "bell", also used in place names such as Bells, Texas.

bellwether

noun

Something or someone that signals which way a trend, market or opinion is about to move.

belly

noun

The front part of the body between the chest and the hips; the stomach area.

bellyache

noun

A pain in the stomach.

bellyacher

noun

One who bellyaches; a complainer.

bellyaching

noun

Persistent complaining, often over minor issues.

bellybutton

noun

The navel; the small scar left where the umbilical cord was attached.

bellyful

noun

As much food as fills the stomach; a large helping.

bellyload

noun

The amount that will fit in one's belly.

Belmont

name

A place name of French origin meaning "beautiful mountain", shared by several towns in the United States and a famous horse racetrack.

belock

verb

To lock up or lock in place; hold tight; fasten.

belong

verb

To be rightfully owned by someone.

belonging

noun

The feeling of being accepted and comfortable within a group or place.

beloved

adjective

Dearly loved.

below

preposition

At a lower position than; underneath.

below the belt

idiom

Unfair, cruel or dishonourable, especially of a remark that attacks something personal or painful that has nothing to do with the argument.

belowground

adj

Beneath the surface of the ground; underground.

Belphegor

noun

In demonology, one of the traditional princes of Hell, said to tempt people with clever inventions that promise wealth.

belshazzar

noun

An early kind of overhead projector.

Belson

name

An English surname, likely a patronymic meaning "son of Bell".

belt

noun

A strip of leather or fabric worn around the waist to hold up clothing or carry items.

belted

adjective

Fitted with, or wearing, a belt.

belter

noun

Informal: something excellent of its kind, especially a great song or performance.

belting

noun

A beating, or a heavy defeat.

Beltran

name

A Spanish surname and given name, derived from a Germanic name meaning "shining raven".

Beltway

noun

A highway that loops around a city.

beluga

noun

A small white whale found in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters.

belvedere

noun

A raised structure, tower, or gallery built to enjoy a scenic view.

BEM

noun

In science fiction, a stock grotesque alien creature that threatens the heroes.

bemoan

verb

To moan or complain about (something).