Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary. Collins Dictionaries

that makes you ill

      3 a small error in a computer programme that stops it working properly

      VERB 4 If a place is bugged, tiny microphones are hidden there to pick up what people are saying.

      build builds, building, built

      VERB If you build something, you make it from all its parts.

      builder builders

      NOUN a person whose job is to build buildings

      building buildings

      NOUN a structure with walls and a roof

      bulb bulbs

      NOUN 1 the glass part of an electric lamp

      2 an onion-shaped root from which a flower or plant grows. Tulips and daffodils are grown from bulbs.

      [from Greek bolbos meaning onion]

      bulge bulges, bulging, bulged

      VERB 1 If something bulges, it swells out.

      NOUN 2 a lump on a normally flat surface

      bulk bulks

      NOUN 1 a large mass of something

      PHRASE 2 If you buy something in bulk, you buy it in large quantities.

      bulky bulkier, bulkiest

      ADJECTIVE Something that is bulky is large and heavy and sometimes difficult to move.

      bull bulls

      NOUN the male of some animal species including cattle, elephants and whales

      bulldozer bulldozers

      NOUN a powerful tractor with a broad blade in front, which is used for moving earth or knocking things down

      bullet bullets

      NOUN a small piece of metal fired from a gun

      bulletin bulletins

      NOUN a short news report on radio or television

      bullion

      NOUN gold or silver bars

      bullock bullocks

      NOUN a young male bull that is reared for meat

      bully bullies, bullying, bullied

      NOUN 1 someone who uses their strength or power to hurt or frighten other people

      VERB 2 If someone bullies you into doing something, they make you do it by using force or threats.

      [a sixteenth-century word meaning fine fellow or hired ruffian]

      bump bumps, bumping, bumped

      VERB 1 If you bump into something, you knock into it accidentally.

      NOUN 2 a soft noise made by something knocking into something else

      3 a raised, uneven part of a surface

      SYNONYMS: bulge, lump

      bumper bumpers

      NOUN a bar on the front or back of a vehicle that protects it if it bumps into something

      bumpy bumpier, bumpiest

      ADJECTIVE Something that is bumpy has a rough, uneven surface. • a bumpy road

      bun buns

      NOUN a small, round bread roll or cake

      bunch bunches

      NOUN a group of things together • a bunch of flowers

      bundle bundles, bundling, bundled

      NOUN 1 a number of things tied together or wrapped up in a cloth

      VERB 2 If you bundle someone or something somewhere, you push them there quickly and roughly.

      bungalow bungalows

      NOUN a one-storey house

      [from Hindi bangla meaning house]

      bunk bunks

      NOUN a bed fixed to a wall in a ship or caravan

      bunk beds

      PLURAL NOUN two beds fixed together, one above the other

      buoy buoys

      NOUN a floating object anchored to the bottom of the sea, marking a channel or warning of danger

      buoyancy

      NOUN Something that has buoyancy is able to float in liquid or in the air.

      buoyant

      ADJECTIVE 1 Something that is buoyant is able to float.

      2 Someone who is buoyant is lively and cheerful.

      burden burdens

      NOUN a heavy load

      burger burgers

      NOUN a flat fried cake of meat, vegetables or cheese, served in a bread roll

      burglar burglars

      NOUN someone who breaks into buildings and steals things

      burgle VERB

      burn burns, burning, burned or burnt

      VERB 1 If something is burning, it is on fire.

      2 To burn something means to damage or destroy it with fire.

      3 People often burn fuel, such as coal, to keep warm.

      NOUN 4 A burn is an injury caused by fire or by something hot.

       You can write either burned or burnt as the past form of burn.

      burqa burqas; also spelt burka

      Said “bur-ka” NOUN a long garment worn by some Muslim women in public, covering everything except the eyes

      burrow burrows, burrowing, burrowed

      NOUN 1 a tunnel or hole in the ground dug by a small animal

      VERB 2 When an animal burrows, it digs a burrow.

      burst bursts, bursting, burst

      VERB 1 When something bursts, or when you burst it, it splits open suddenly.

      2 When you burst into a room, you enter suddenly and with force.

      NOUN 3 A burst of something is a sudden short period of it. • a burst of applause

      bury buries, burying, buried

      VERB 1 If you bury something, you put it in a hole in the ground and cover it with earth.

      2 If something is buried under something, it is covered by it. • My trainers were buried under a pile of clothes.

      bus buses

      NOUN a large motor vehicle that carries passengers

      [from Latin omnibus meaning for all]

      bush bushes

      NOUN 1 a large plant, smaller than a tree and with a lot of woody branches

      2 In Australia and South Africa, an uncultivated area outside a town or city is called the bush.

      3 In New Zealand, the bush is land covered by rainforest.

      bushy bushier, bushiest

      ADJECTIVE Bushy hair or fur grows very thickly. • My dad has bushy eyebrows.

      business businesses

      NOUN 1 work relating to the buying and selling of goods and services

      2 an organization that produces or sells goods, or provides a service

      SYNONYMS: company, firm, organization

      busker buskers

      NOUN someone who sings