backs, backing, backed
ADVERB 1 When people or things move back, they move in the opposite direction to the one they are facing.
2 When you go back to a place or situation, you return to it. • She went back to sleep.
NOUN 3 the rear part of your body
ADJECTIVE 4 The back parts of something are the ones at the rear. • the dog’s back legs
VERB 5 If a building backs on to something, the back of it faces in that direction.
backbone backbones
NOUN the column of linked bones along the middle of the back of a human and other vertebrates
background backgrounds
NOUN 1 the things in a picture or scene that are less noticeable than the main things
2 the kind of home you come from, and your education and experience
backstroke
NOUN a style of swimming movement on your back
backward
ADJECTIVE If you take a backward look, you look behind you.
backwards
ADVERB 1 If you move backwards, you move to a place behind you.
2 If you do something backwards, you do it opposite to the usual way. • He told them to count backwards from 20 to 5.
bacon
NOUN meat from the back or sides of a pig, which has been salted or smoked
bacteria
PLURAL NOUN very tiny organisms that can cause disease
[from Greek bakterion meaning little rod; some bacteria are rod-shaped]
bacterial ADJECTIVE
bad worse, worst
ADJECTIVE 1 Bad things are harmful or upsetting. • I have some bad news.
SYNONYMS: distressing, grave, terrible
2 not enough or of poor quality • We thought the film was very bad.
3 Bad food is not fresh.
SYNONYMS: rotten, decayed
badge badges
NOUN a piece of plastic or metal with a design or message on it that you can pin to your clothes
badger badgers, badgering, badgered
NOUN 1 a nocturnal mammal that has a white head with two black stripes on it
VERB 2 If you badger someone, you keep asking them questions or pestering them to do something.
badly worse, worst
ADVERB 1 not well, poorly • The script was badly written.
2 seriously • She was badly hurt in the accident.
badminton
NOUN a game in which two or four players use rackets to hit a feathered object, called a shuttlecock, over a high net
bag bags
NOUN a container for carrying things in
[From Old Norse baggi meaning bundle]
baggage
NOUN Your baggage is all the suitcases, holdalls and bags that you take with you when you travel.
bagpipes
PLURAL NOUN a musical instrument played by squeezing air out of a leather bag and through pipes
baguette baguettes
NOUN a long, thin French loaf of bread
bail bails
NOUN 1 In cricket, the bails are the two small pieces of wood placed on top of the stumps to form the wicket.
2 a sum of money paid to a court to allow an accused person to go free until the time of the trial • The accused man was released on bail.
bait baits, baiting, baited
NOUN 1 a small amount of food placed on a hook, or in a trap, to attract and catch a fish or wild animal
VERB 2 If you bait a hook or a trap, you put some food on it to catch a fish or wild animal.
bake bakes, baking, baked
VERB 1 When you bake food, you cook it in an oven without using extra liquid or fat.
2 If you bake earth or clay, you heat it until it becomes hard.
baker bakers
NOUN a person who makes and sells bread and cakes
balance balances, balancing, balanced
VERB 1 When someone or something balances, they remain steady and do not fall over.
2 used in mathematics when weighing and comparing two weights. If two weights are equal, they balance.
NOUN 3 the state of being upright and steady • She lost her balance and fell.
4 the amount of money in someone’s bank account
balcony balconies
NOUN 1 a platform on the outside of a building, with a wall or railing round it
2 an area of upstairs seats in a theatre or cinema
bald balder, baldest
ADJECTIVE A bald person has little or no hair on their head.
[from Middle English ballede meaning having a white patch]
bale bales, baling, baled
NOUN 1 a large bundle of something, such as paper or hay, tied tightly
VERB 2 If you bale water from a boat, you remove it using a container; also spelt bail.
ball balls
NOUN 1 a round object used in games such as tennis, soccer, and hockey
2 The ball of your foot or thumb is the rounded part where your toes join your foot or your thumb joins your hand.
ballad ballads
NOUN 1 a long song or poem that tells a story
2 a slow, romantic pop song
ballerina
