Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary. Collins Dictionaries

If you bind a wound, you wrap bandages round it.

      3 When a book is bound, the pages are joined together and a cover is put on.

      bingo

      NOUN a game in which players aim to match the numbers that someone calls out with the numbers on the card they have been given

      binoculars

      PLURAL NOUN an instrument with lenses for both eyes, which you look through in order to see objects far away • They used binoculars for bird watching.

      biodegradable

      ADJECTIVE Biodegradable materials can be broken down naturally, and so they are not dangerous to the environment.

      biography biographies

      NOUN the history of someone’s life, written by someone else

      biology

      NOUN the study of living things

      [from Greek bios + logos meaning life study]

      birch birches

      NOUN a tall, deciduous tree with thin branches and thin bark

      bird birds

      NOUN an egg-laying animal with feathers, two wings, two legs and a beak

      birth births

      NOUN Your birth was when you were born.

      birthday birthdays

      NOUN Your birthday is the anniversary of the date on which you were born.

      birthmark birthmarks

      NOUN a mark on your skin that has been there since you were born

      biscuit biscuits

      NOUN a small, flat cake that is crisp and usually sweet

      bisect bisects, bisecting, bisected

      VERB to divide a line or an area in half

      bishop bishops

      NOUN a high-ranking clergyman in some Christian Churches

      bison

      NOUN a large, hairy animal, related to cattle, with a large head and shoulders. Bison used to be very common on the prairies in North America, but they are now almost extinct.

      bit bits

      VERB 1 the past tense of bite • She bit into the toast.

      NOUN 2 A bit of something is a small amount of it.

      PHRASE 3 INFORMAL A bit means slightly or to a small extent. • That’s a bit difficult.

      bitch bitches

      NOUN a female dog

      bite bites, biting, bit, bitten

      VERB If you bite something, you cut into it with your teeth.

      bitter bitterest

      ADJECTIVE 1 A bitter taste is sharp and unpleasant.

      2 A bitter wind is extremely cold.

      3 If you are bitter about something, you feel angry and resentful.

      bizarre

      ADJECTIVE very strange and weird

      SYNONYMS: odd, peculiar

      black blacker, blackest

      NOUN OR ADJECTIVE the darkest possible colour, like the sky at night when there is no light

      blackberry blackberries

      NOUN a small, soft black fruit that grows on brambles

      blackbird blackbirds

      NOUN a common European bird, the male of which has black feathers and a yellow beak

      blackboard blackboards

      NOUN a dark-coloured board in a classroom, which teachers write on using chalk

      blackcurrant blackcurrants

      NOUN Blackcurrants are very small, dark, purple fruits that grow in bunches on bushes.

      black hole black holes

      NOUN the empty space made by the collapse of a star

      bladder bladders

      NOUN the part of your body where urine is held until it leaves your body

      blade blades

      NOUN 1 the sharp part of a knife, axe or saw

      2 a single piece of grass

      blame blames, blaming, blamed

      VERB If someone blames a person for something bad that has happened, they believe that person caused it.

      SYNONYM: accuse

      blank blanker, blankest

      ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is blank has nothing on it. • a blank sheet of paper

      2 If you look blank, your face shows no feeling or interest.

      blanket blankets

      NOUN a large rectangle of thick cloth that is put on a bed to keep people warm

      [from Old French blancquete meaning little white thing]

      blare blares, blaring, blared

      VERB to make a loud, unpleasant noise • The radio blared from the flat below.

      blast blasts, blasting, blasted

      VERB 1 When people blast a hole in something, they make a hole with an explosion. • They’re using dynamite to blast away rocks.

      NOUN 2 a big explosion, especially one caused by a bomb

      blaze blazes, blazing, blazed

      NOUN 1 a large, hot fire

      VERB 2 If something blazes, it burns or shines brightly. • The fire blazed in the fireplace.

      blazer blazers

      NOUN a kind of jacket, often in the colours of a school or sports team

      bleach bleaches, bleaching, bleached

      NOUN 1 a chemical that is used to make material white or to clean thoroughly and kill germs

      VERB 2 If you bleach material or hair, you make it white, usually by using a chemical.

      bleak bleaker, bleakest

      ADJECTIVE 1 If a place is bleak, it is cold, bare and exposed to the wind. • a bleak mountain top

      2 If a situation is bleak, it is bad and seems unlikely to improve.

      bleat bleats, bleating, bleated

      VERB When sheep or goats bleat, they make a high-pitched cry.

      bleed bleeds, bleeding, bled

      VERB When you bleed, you lose blood as a result of an injury. • My hand bled a lot after I cut it.

      blend blends, blending, blended

      VERB 1 When you blend substances, you mix them together to form a single substance. • Blend the butter with the sugar.

      2 When colours or sounds blend, they combine in a pleasing way.

      bless blesses, blessing, blessed or blest

      VERB When a priest blesses people or things, he or she asks God to give his protection to them.

      [from Old English bloedsian meaning to sprinkle with sacrificial blood]

      blew

      VERB the past tense of blow

      blind blinds, blinding, blinded