Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary. Collins Dictionaries

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 ballerinas

      NOUN a female ballet dancer

      ballet

      NOUN a type of artistic dancing based on precise steps

      [from Italian balletto meaning little dance]

      balloon balloons

      NOUN 1 a small bag made of thin rubber that you blow into until it becomes larger. Balloons are often used as party decorations.

      2 a large, strong bag filled with gas or hot air, that travels through the air carrying passengers in a basket underneath it • They went on a hot air balloon flight over the city.

      ballpoint ballpoints

      NOUN a pen with a small, metal ball at the writing point

      bamboo

      NOUN a tall tropical grass with hard, hollow stems used for making furniture

      ban bans, banning, banned

      VERB 1 If you ban something, you forbid it to be done.

      SYNONYMS: forbid, prohibit

      NOUN 2 If there is a ban on something, it is not allowed.

      banana bananas

      NOUN a long, curved fruit with a yellow skin

      band bands

      NOUN 1 a group of musicians who play jazz or pop music together

      2 a group of people who share a common purpose

      3 a narrow strip of something used to hold things together • She tied her hair back with an elastic band.

      bandage bandages

      NOUN a strip of cloth wrapped round a wound to protect it

      bang bangs, banging, banged

      NOUN 1 a sudden, short, loud noise

      2 a hard, painful bump against something

      VERB 3 If you bang something, you hit it or put it down violently so that it makes a loud noise.

      4 If you bang a part of your body against something, you accidentally bump it.

      banish banishes, banishing, banished

      VERB 1 If someone is banished, they are sent away and never allowed to return.

      2 If you banish something from your thoughts, you try not to think about it.

      banishment NOUN

      banister banisters

      NOUN a rail supported by posts up the side of a staircase

      banjo