of plants
both
ADJECTIVE OR PRONOUN Both is used when saying something about two things or two people. • You can both come to my party.
bother bothers, bothering, bothered
VERB 1 If you don’t bother to do something, you don’t do it because it takes too much effort or it’s not important.
2 If something bothers you, you are worried about it.
3 If you are not bothered about something, you don’t care about it.
4 If you bother someone, you interrupt them when they are busy.
NOUN 5 trouble, fuss or difficulty • Mum’s having a bit of bother with the car.
bottle bottles, bottling, bottled
NOUN 1 a glass or plastic container for keeping liquids in
VERB 2 If you bottle something, you put it in a bottle to store it.
bottom bottoms
NOUN 1 the lowest part of something • It sank to the bottom of the pond.
2 Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on.
bottomless
ADJECTIVE If something is bottomless, it has no bottom or it is very deep.
bough boughs
Rhymes with “cow” NOUN a large branch of a tree
bought
VERB the past tense and past participle of buy
boulder boulders
NOUN a large, rounded rock
bounce bounces, bouncing, bounced
VERB When an object bounces, it springs back from something after hitting it. • The ball bounced high off the ground.
bound bounds, bounding, bounded
ADJECTIVE 1 If you say that something is bound to happen, you mean that it is certain to happen. • He’s bound to find out.
NOUN 2 a large leap
VERB 3 When humans or other animals bound, they move quickly with large leaps.
boundary boundaries
NOUN the limit of an area
bouquet bouquets
NOUN an attractively arranged bunch of flowers
bout bouts
NOUN 1 something that lasts for a short period of time • I had a bout of flu.
2 a boxing or wrestling match
boutique boutiques
NOUN a small shop that sells fashionable clothes
bow bows, bowing, bowed
Rhymes with “now” VERB 1 When you bow, you bend your body or lower your head as a sign of respect or greeting.
NOUN 2 the movement you make when you bow
3 the front part of a ship
Rhymes with “low” NOUN 4 a knot with two loops and two loose ends • The ribbon was tied in a bow.
5 a long, thin piece of wood with horsehair strings stretched along it, used to play some stringed instruments, such as the violin and the cello
6 a long, flexible piece of wood used for shooting arrows
bowel bowels
NOUN the tubes leading from your stomach, through which waste passes before it leaves your body
[from Latin botellus meaning little sausage]
bowl bowls, bowling, bowled
NOUN 1 a round container with a wide, uncovered top, used for holding liquid or for serving food • a bowl of soup
2 the hollow, rounded part of something • a toilet bowl
VERB 3 When you bowl in cricket and rounders, you throw the ball towards the batsman.
bowling
NOUN a game in which you roll a heavy ball down a narrow track towards a set of wooden objects called pins, and try to knock them down
bowls
NOUN a game in which the players try to roll large wooden balls as near as possible to a small ball
box boxes, boxing, boxed
NOUN 1 a container with a firm base and sides, and usually a lid
VERB 2 If someone boxes, they fight according to special rules.
boxer boxers
NOUN 1 a person who boxes
2 a medium-sized, smooth-haired dog with a flat face
Boxing Day
NOUN the day after Christmas Day
boy boys
NOUN a male child
boyfriend boyfriends
NOUN Someone’s boyfriend is the man or boy with whom they are having a romantic relationship.
bra bras
NOUN a piece of underwear worn by a woman to support her breasts
brace braces, bracing, braced
NOUN 1 an object fixed to something to straighten or support it • I wore a brace on my teeth for two years.
PLURAL NOUN 2 Braces are elastic straps worn over the shoulders to hold trousers up.
VERB 3 If you brace yourself, you stiffen your body to steady yourself. • We braced ourselves as the bus went round the corner.
4 If you brace yourself for something unpleasant, you prepare yourself to deal with it.
bracelet bracelets
NOUN a chain or band worn around someone’s wrist as an ornament
[from Old French bracel meaning little arm]
bracken
