br -abbr

  1. branch
  2. brass
  3. brown

Br -abbr

  1. Britain; British
  2. bromine

BR -abbr

  1. bedroom
  2. bills receivable

bra ['brä] -n, adj

  1. brassiere

brab·ble ['bra-bəl] -vi, n

  1. squabble

brace ['brās] -vb

  1. to fasten tightly : bind
  2. to prepare for use by making taut
  3. prepare, steel
    • brace yourself for the shock
  4. invigorate, freshen
  5. to turn (a sail yard) by means of a brace
  6. to furnish or support with a brace
    • heavily braced against the wind
  7. to make stronger : reinforce
  8. to put or plant firmly
    • brace s his foot in the stirrup
  9. to waylay esp. with demands or questions
  10. to take heart used with up
  11. to get ready (as for an attack)
  12. something (as a clasp) that connects or fastens
  13. two of a kind : pair
    • several brace of quail
  14. a crank-shaped instrument for turning a bit
  15. : something that transmits, directs, resists, or supports weight or pressure: as
  16. a diagonal piece of structural material that serves to strengthen something (as a framework)
  17. a rope rove through a block at the end of a ship's yard to swing it horizontally
  18. suspenders
  19. an appliance for supporting a body part
  20. an orthodontic appliance usu. of metallic wire that is used esp. to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth
  21. one of two marks used to connect words or items to be considered together
  22. one of these marks connecting two or more musical staffs carrying parts to be performed simultaneously
  23. bracket
  24. a position of rigid attention
  25. something that arouses energy or strengthens morale

brace·let ['brās-lət] -n

  1. an ornamental band or chain worn around the wrist
  2. something (as handcuffs) resembling a bracelet

bra·cer ['brā-sər] -n

  1. an arm or wrist protector esp. for use by an archer

brac·er ['brā-sər] -n

  1. one that braces, binds, or makes firm
  2. a drink (as of liquor) taken as a stimulant

bra·ce·ro [brä-'ser-(,)ō, -'se-(,)rō] -n

  1. a Mexican laborer admitted to the U.S. esp. for seasonal contract labor in agriculture

brace root -n

  1. prop root

brachi- -comb form

  1. arm
    • brachi al
  2. brachial and
    • brachio cephalic

bra·chi·al ['brā-kē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or situated in the arm or an armlike process
    • the brachial artery of the upper arm

brachial plexus -n

  1. a network of nerves lying mostly in the armpit and supplying nerves to the chest, shoulder, and arm

bra·chi·ate ['brā-kē-,āt] -vi, n

  1. to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms
    • a brachiating gibbon

bra·chio·ce·phal·ic artery [,brā-kē-(,)ō-sə-'fa-lik-] -n

  1. a short artery that arises from the arch of the aorta and divides into the carotid and subclavian arteries of the right side called also innominate artery

brachiocephalic vein -n

  1. either of two large veins that occur one on each side of the neck, receive blood from the head and neck, and unite to form the superior vena cava called also innominate vein

bra·chio·pod ['brā-kē-ə-,päd] -n, adj

  1. any of a phylum (Brachiopoda) of marine invertebrates with bivalve shells within which is a pair of arms bearing tentacles by which a current of water is made to bring microscopic food to the mouth called also lampshell

brach·i·o·saur ['bra-kē-ō-,sȯr] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Brachiosaurus) of very large sauropod dinosaurs of the late Jurassic period having a massive body, a very long neck, and forelegs longer than hind legs

brachy- -comb form

  1. short
    • brachy cephalic

brachy·ce·phal·ic [,bra-ki-sə-'fa-lik] -adj, n

  1. short-headed or broad-headed with a cephalic index of over 80

bra·chyp·ter·ous [bra-'kip-tə-rəs] -adj

  1. having rudimentary or abnormally small wings
    • brachypterous insects

brachy·ther·a·py [,bra-ki-'ther-ə-pē, -'the-rə-] -n

  1. radiotherapy in which the source of radiation is placed (as by implantation) in or close to the area being treated

brac·ing ['brā-siŋ] -adj, adv

  1. giving strength, vigor, or freshness
    • a bracing breeze

bra·ci·o·la [,brä-chē-'ō-lə, -'chō-lə] -n

  1. a thin slice of meat wrapped around a seasoned filling and often cooked in wine

brack·en ['bra-kən] -n

  1. a large coarse fern
  2. a nearly cosmopolitan brake ( Pteridium aquilinum) found in most tropical and temperate regions
  3. a growth of brakes

brack·et ['bra-kət] -n

  1. an overhanging member that projects from a structure (as a wall) and is usu. designed to support a vertical load or to strengthen an angle
  2. a fixture (as for holding a lamp) projecting from a wall or column
  3. one of a pair of marks used in writing and printing to enclose matter or in mathematics and logic as signs of aggregation called also square bracket
  4. one of the pair of marks used to enclose matter called also angle bracket
  5. parenthesis
  6. brace
  7. a section of a continuously numbered or graded series (as age ranges or income levels)
  8. a pairing of opponents in an elimination tournament

bracket -vt

  1. to place within or as if within brackets
    • editorial comments are bracket ed
    • news stories bracket ed by commercials
  2. to eliminate from consideration
    • bracket off politics
  3. to extend around so as to encompass : include
    • test pressures...which bracket virtually the entire range of passenger-car tire pressures -- Consumer Reports
  4. to furnish or fasten with brackets
  5. to put in the same category or group
    • bracket ed in a tie for third
  6. to get the range on (a target) by firing over and short
  7. to establish the limits of
    • bracket ed the problem neatly
  8. to take photographs of at more than one exposure in order to ensure that the desired exposure is obtained

bracket creep -n

  1. movement into a higher tax bracket as a result of income rises intended to offset the effects of inflation

brack·et·ed ['bra-kə-təd] -adj

  1. joined to the stroke by a curved line

bracket fungus -n

  1. a basidiomycete that forms shelflike sporophores

brack·ish ['bra-kish] -adj, n

  1. somewhat salty
    • brackish water
  2. not appealing to the taste
    • brackish tea
  3. repulsive

brac·o·nid ['bra-kə-(,)nid] -n, adj

  1. any of a large family (Braconidae) of ichneumon wasps

bract ['brakt] -n, adj

  1. a leaf from the axil of which a flower or floral axis arises
  2. a leaf borne on a floral axis
  3. one subtending a flower or flower cluster

brac·te·ole ['brak-tē-,ōl] -n

  1. a small bract esp. on a floral axis

brad ['brad] -n

  1. a thin nail of the same thickness throughout but tapering in width and having a slight projection at the top of one side instead of a head
  2. a slender wire nail with a small barrel-shaped head
  3. to fasten with brads

brad·awl ['brad-,ȯl] -n

  1. an awl with chisel edge used to make holes for brads or screws

brady- -comb form

  1. slow
    • brady kinin

bra·dy·car·dia [,brā-di-'kär-dē-ə also ,bra-] -n

  1. relatively slow heart action

bra·dy·ki·nin [-'kī-nən] -n

  1. a kinin that is formed locally in injured tissue, acts in vasodilation of small arterioles, is considered to play a part in inflammatory processes, and is composed of a chain of nine amino acid residues

brae ['brā] -n

  1. a hillside esp. along a river

brag ['brag] -n

  1. a pompous or boastful statement
  2. arrogant talk or manner : cockiness
  3. braggart
  4. to talk boastfully
    • always bragging about his success
  5. to assert boastfully
  6. first-rate

brag·ga·do·cio [,bra-gə-'dō-sē-,ō, -shē-, -chē-, -(,)shō, -(,)chō] -n

  1. braggart
  2. empty boasting
  3. arrogant pretension : cockiness

brag·gart ['bra-gərt] -n, adj

  1. a loud arrogant boaster

bragging rights -n

  1. entitlement to boast about something

Brah·ma ['brä-mə] -n

  1. the creator god of the Hindu sacred triad
  2. the ultimate ground of all being in Hinduism
  3. brahman

Brah·man ['brä-mən; 2 is 'brā-, 'brä-, 'bra-] -n, adj

  1. a Hindu of the highest caste traditionally assigned to the priesthood
  2. brahma
  3. any of an Indian breed of humped cattle : zebu
  4. a large vigorous heat- and tick-resistant usu. silvery-gray animal developed in the southern U.S. from the zebu and now used chiefly for crossbreeding
  5. a person of high social standing and cultivated intellect and taste
    • Boston Brahman s

Brah·man·ism ['brä-mə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. orthodox Hinduism adhering to the pantheism of the Vedas and to the ancient sacrifices and family ceremonies

braid ['brād] -vt, n

  1. to make from braids
    • braid a rug
  2. to form (three or more strands) into a braid
  3. to do up (the hair) by interweaving three or more strands
  4. mix, intermingle
    • braid fact with fiction
  5. to ornament esp. with ribbon or braid
  6. a length of braided hair
  7. a cord or ribbon having usu. three or more component strands forming a regular diagonal pattern down its length
  8. a narrow fabric of intertwined threads used esp. for trimming
  9. high-ranking naval officers

braid·ed ['brā-dəd] -adj

  1. made by intertwining three or more strands
  2. ornamented with braid
  3. forming an interlacing network of channels
    • a braided river

braid·ing ['brā-diŋ] -n

  1. something made of braided material

brail ['brāl] -n

  1. a rope fastened to the leech of a sail and used for hauling the sail up or in
  2. a dip net with which fish are hauled aboard a boat from a purse seine or trap
  3. to take in (a sail) by the brails
  4. to hoist (fish) by means of a brail

braille ['brā(ə)l] -n, vt

  1. a system of writing for the blind that uses characters made up of raised dots

braille·writ·er [-,rī-tər] -n

  1. a machine for writing braille

brain ['brān] -n

  1. the portion of the vertebrate central nervous system enclosed in the skull and continuous with the spinal cord through the foramen magnum that is composed of neurons and supporting and nutritive structures (as glia) and that integrates sensory information from inside and outside the body in controlling autonomic function (as heartbeat and respiration), in coordinating and directing correlated motor responses, and in the process of learning
  2. a nervous center in invertebrates comparable in position and function to the vertebrate brain
  3. intellect, mind
    • has a clever brain
  4. intellectual endowment : intelligence often used in pl.
    • plenty of brain s in that family
  5. a very intelligent or intellectual person
  6. the chief planner within a group usu. used in pl.
    • she's the brain s behind their success
  7. something that performs the functions of a brain
  8. an automatic device (as a computer) for control or computation
  9. to kill by smashing the skull
  10. to hit on the head

brain attack -n

  1. stroke

brain·case ['brān-,kās] -n

  1. the cranium enclosing the brain

brain·child [-,chī(-ə)ld] -n

  1. a product of one's creative effort

brain coral -n

  1. a massive reef-building coral (as genus Diploria) having the surface covered by ridges and furrows

braindead ['brān-,ded] -adj

  1. characterized by brain death
  2. lacking intelligence or vitality
    • braindead fools

brain death -n

  1. final cessation of activity in the central nervous system esp. as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram for a predetermined length of time

brain drain -n

  1. the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usu. for better pay or living conditions

brained ['brānd] -adj

  1. having a brain of a specified kind used in combination
    • feather brained

brain freeze -n

  1. a sudden shooting pain in the head caused by ingesting very cold food (as ice cream) or drink

brain hormone -n

  1. a hormone that is secreted by neurosecretory cells of the insect brain and that stimulates the prothoracic glands to secrete ecdysone
  2. any of various hormones (as serotonin) produced in or acting on the vertebrate brain or central nervous system not usu. used technically

brain·i·ac ['brā-nē-,ak] -n

  1. a very intelligent person

brain·ish ['brā-nish] -adj

  1. impetuous, hotheaded
    • and in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen good old man -- Shak.

brain·less ['brān-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. devoid of intelligence : stupid
    • a brainless decision

brain·pan ['brān-,pan] -n

  1. braincase

brainpick·ing [-,pi-kiŋ] -n

  1. the act of gathering information from another's mind

brain·pow·er [-,pau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. intellectual ability
  2. people with developed intellectual ability

brain·sick [-,sik] -adj, adv

  1. mentally disordered
  2. arising from mental disorder
    • a brainsick frenzy

brain stem -n

  1. the part of the brain composed of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata and connecting the spinal cord with the forebrain and cerebrum

brain·storm [-,stȯrm] -n

  1. a violent transient fit of insanity
  2. a sudden bright idea
  3. a harebrained idea

brain·storm·ing [-,stȯr-miŋ] -n, vb

  1. a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group
  2. the mulling over of ideas by one or more individuals in an attempt to devise or find a solution to a problem

brains trust -n

  1. brain trust

brain·teas·er [-,tē-zər] -n

  1. something (as a puzzle) that demands mental effort and acuity for its solution

brain trust [-,trəs-tər] -n

  1. a group of official or unofficial advisers concerned esp. with planning and strategy

brain·wash·ing ['brān-,wȯ-shiŋ, -,wä-] -n, vt

  1. a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas
  2. persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship

brain wave -n

  1. brainstorm
  2. rhythmic fluctuations of voltage between parts of the brain resulting in the flow of an electric current
  3. a current produced by brain waves

brainy ['brā-nē] -adj, n

  1. having or showing a well-developed intellect : intelligent

braise ['brāz] -vt

  1. to cook slowly in fat and little moisture in a closed pot
  2. an item of braised food

brake ['brāk] -vb

(variant of break)

  1. to separate into parts with suddenness or violence
  2. fracture
    • break an arm
  3. rupture
    • break the skin
  4. to cut into and turn over the surface of
    • break the soil
  5. to render inoperable
    • broke his watch
  6. violate, transgress
    • break the law
    • break a promise
  7. to invalidate (a will) by action at law
  8. to force entry into
  9. to burst and force a way through
    • break the sound barrier
    • break a racial barrier
  10. to escape by force from
    • break jail
  11. to make or effect by cutting, forcing, or pressing through
    • break a trail through the woods
  12. to disrupt the order or compactness of
    • break formation
  13. to make ineffective as a binding force
    • break the spell
  14. to defeat utterly and end as an effective force : destroy
    • used starvation to break the enemy
  15. to crush the spirit of
    • brutal methods broke the prisoner
  16. : to make tractable or submissive: as
  17. to train (an animal) to adjust to the service or convenience of humans
    • a halter- broke horse
  18. inure, accustom
  19. to exhaust in health, strength, or capacity
    • broken by his struggle for power
  20. to stop or bring to an end suddenly : halt
    • break a deadlock
  21. interrupt, suspend
    • break the silence with a cry
  22. to open and bring about suspension of operation
    • break an electric circuit
  23. to destroy unity or completeness of
    • break a dining room set by buying a chair
  24. to change the appearance of uniformity of
    • a dormer break s the level roof
  25. to split the surface of
    • fish break ing water
  26. to cause to discontinue a habit
    • tried to break him of smoking
  27. to make known : tell
    • break the bad news gently
  28. to bring to attention or prominence initially
    • radio stations break ing new musicians
    • break a news story
  29. to ruin financially
    • break the bank
  30. to reduce in rank
    • broken from sergeant to private
  31. to split into smaller units, parts, or processes : divide
  32. to give or get the equivalent of (a bill) in smaller denominations
  33. to use as the denomination in paying a bill
    • didn't want to break a 20 bill
    often used with into, up, or down
  34. to check the speed, force, or intensity of
    • the bushes will break his fall
    • without break ing her stride
  35. to cause failure and discontinuance of (a strike) by measures outside bargaining processes
  36. to cause a sudden significant decrease in the price, value, or volume of
    • news likely to break the market sharply
  37. exceed, surpass
    • break the record
  38. to score less than (a specified total)
    • a golfer trying to break 90
  39. to win against (an opponent's service) in tennis
  40. to make (a run) in football by getting past defenders
    • broke a 20-yard run
  41. to open the action of (a breechloader)
  42. to find an explanation or solution for : solve
    • the detective broke the case
  43. to discover the essentials of (a code or cipher system)
  44. to demonstrate the falsity of
    • break an alibi
  45. to ruin the prospects of
    • could make or break her career
  46. to produce visibly
    • barely break s a sweat
  47. to escape with sudden forceful effort
    • the attacker broke from the throng
  48. to come into being by or as if by bursting forth
    • day was break ing
  49. to effect a penetration
    • break through security lines
  50. to emerge through the surface of the water
  51. to start abruptly
    • when the storm broke
  52. to become known or published
    • when the news broke
  53. to make a sudden dash
    • break for cover
  54. to separate after a clinch in boxing
  55. to achieve initial success in usu. a sudden or striking way
    • her song broke nationally
  56. to begin a race
    • the horse broke poorly
  57. to come apart or split into pieces : fragment, shatter
    • the cup broke when it fell
  58. to open spontaneously or by pressure from within
    • the blister broke
  59. to curl over and fall apart in surf or foam
  60. to interrupt one's activity or occupation for a brief period
    • break for lunch
  61. to alter sharply in tone, pitch, or intensity
    • a voice break ing with emotion
  62. to become fair : clear
    • when the weather break s
  63. to make the opening shot of a game of pool
  64. to end a relationship, connection, or agreement usu. used with with or from
  65. to give way in disorderly retreat
  66. to swerve suddenly
  67. to curve from a straight path
    • a pitch that break s away from the batter
    • a putt that break s left
  68. to fail in health, strength, vitality, resolve, or control
    • may break under questioning
  69. to become inoperative because of damage, wear, or strain
    • the pump broke
  70. to fail to keep a prescribed gait used of a horse
  71. to undergo a sudden significant decrease in price, value, or volume
    • transportation stocks may break sharply
  72. happen, develop
    • for the team to succeed, everything has to break right
  73. to win against an opponent's service in tennis
  74. to divide into classes, categories, or types usu. used with into
    • the rose is broken into several varieties
  75. to fold, bend, lift, or come apart at a seam, groove, or joint
  76. to separate during churning into liquid and fat
  77. an act or action of breaking
  78. the opening shot in a game of pool or billiards
  79. a condition produced by or as if by breaking : gap
    • a break in the clouds
  80. a gap in an otherwise continuous electric circuit
  81. the action or act of breaking in, out, or forth
    • at break of day
    • a jail break
  82. : a place or situation at which a break occurs: as
  83. the place at which a word is divided esp. at the end of a line of print or writing
  84. the point or location at which waves break for surfing
  85. : an interruption in continuity
    • a break in the weather
    : as
  86. a notable change of subject matter, attitude, or treatment
  87. an abrupt, significant, or noteworthy change or interruption in a continuous process, trend, or surface
  88. a respite from work, school, or duty
    • coffee break
    • spring break
  89. relief from annoyance often used to express exasperation or irritation in phrases like give me a break
  90. a planned interruption in a radio or television program
    • a break for the commercial
  91. deviation of a pitched baseball from a straight line
  92. fault, dislocation
  93. failure of a horse to maintain the prescribed gait
  94. an abrupt change in musical or vocal pitch or quality
  95. the action or an instance of breaking service in tennis
  96. a usu. solo instrumental passage in jazz, folk, or popular music
  97. dash, rush
    • a base runner making a break for home
  98. fast break
  99. a sudden and abrupt decline of prices or values
  100. the start of a race
  101. the act of separating after a clinch in boxing
  102. a stroke of luck and esp. of good luck
    • a bad break
    • got the break s
  103. a favorable or opportune situation : chance
    • waiting for a big break in show business
  104. favorable consideration or treatment
    • a tax break
    • a break on the price
  105. a rupture in previously agreeable relations
    • a break between the two countries
  106. an abrupt split or difference with something previously adhered to or followed
    • a sharp break with tradition
  107. breakdown
    • suffered a mental break

brake·man ['brāk-mən] -n

  1. a freight or passenger train crew member who inspects the train and assists the conductor
  2. the member of a bobsled team who operates the brake

bram·ble ['bram-bəl] -n, adj

  1. any of a genus ( Rubus) of usu. prickly shrubs of the rose family including the raspberries and blackberries
  2. the fruit of a bramble
  3. a rough prickly shrub or vine

bran ['bran] -n

  1. the edible broken seed coats of cereal grain separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting

branch ['branch] -n, adj

  1. a natural subdivision of a plant stem
  2. a secondary shoot or stem (as a bough) arising from a main axis (as of a tree)
  3. : something that extends from or enters into a main body or source: as
  4. a stream that flows into another usu. larger stream : tributary
  5. creek
  6. a side road or way
  7. a slender projection (as the tine of an antler)
  8. a distinctive part of a mathematical curve
  9. a part of a computer program executed as a result of a program decision
  10. : a part of a complex body: as
  11. a division of a family descending from a particular ancestor
  12. an area of knowledge that may be considered apart from related areas
    • pathology is a branch of medicine
  13. a division of an organization
  14. a separate but dependent part of a central organization
    • the neighborhood branch of the city library
  15. a language group less inclusive than a family
    • the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family
  16. to put forth branches : ramify
  17. to spring out (as from a main stem) : diverge
  18. to be an outgrowth used with from
    • poetry that branch ed from religious prose
  19. to extend activities usu. used with out
    • the business is branch ing out
  20. to follow one of two or more branches (as in a computer program)
  21. to ornament with designs of branches
  22. to divide up : section

bran·chi·al ['braŋ-kē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or supplying the gills or associated structures or their embryonic precursors

bran·chio·pod ['braŋ-kē-ə-,päd] -n, adj

  1. any of a group (Branchiopoda) of small usu. freshwater crustaceans (as fairy shrimp or water fleas) with usu. many pairs of setae-bearing appendages

branch·let ['branch-lət] -n

  1. a small usu. terminal branch

branch·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a secondary line usu. of a railroad

branch water -n

  1. plain water
    • bourbon and branch water

brand ['brand] -n

  1. a charred piece of wood
  2. firebrand
  3. something (as lightning) that resembles a firebrand
  4. sword
  5. a mark made by burning with a hot iron to attest manufacture or quality or to designate ownership
  6. a printed mark made for similar purposes : trademark
  7. a mark put on criminals with a hot iron
  8. a mark of disgrace : stigma
    • the brand of poverty
  9. a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer : make
  10. a characteristic or distinctive kind
    • a lively brand of theater
  11. brand name
  12. a tool used to produce a brand
  13. to mark with a brand
  14. to mark with disapproval : stigmatize
    • he was brand ed a coward
  15. to impress indelibly
    • brand the lesson on his mind

brand·ed ['bran-dəd] -adj

  1. having a brand name
    • branded products

brand·ing ['bran-diŋ] -n

  1. the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand

bran·dish ['bran-dish] -vt

  1. to shake or wave (as a weapon) menacingly
  2. to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner

brandish -n

  1. an act or instance of brandishing

brandname ['bran(d)-'nām] -adj

  1. of or relating to a brand name
    • brandname products
  2. having a well-known and usu. highly regarded or marketable name
    • brandname authors
    • the...party lacks brandname guests or good food -- Ryan Lizza

brand name -n

  1. an arbitrarily adopted name that is given by a manufacturer or merchant to an article or service to distinguish it as produced or sold by that manufacturer or merchant and that may be used and protected as a trademark
  2. one having a well-known and usu. highly regarded or marketable name

brandnew [-'nü, -'nyü] -adj

  1. conspicuously new and unused
  2. recently introduced
    • a brandnew executive officer

bran·dy ['bran-dē] -n

  1. an alcoholic beverage distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice

brandy -vt

  1. to flavor, blend, or preserve with brandy

bran·ni·gan ['bra-ni-gən] -n

  1. a drinking spree
  2. squabble

brant ['brant] -n

  1. a small goose ( Branta bernicla) about the size of a mallard having a black head, neck, and chest

brash ['brash] -adj, adv, n

  1. brittle
    • brash wood
  2. heedless of the consequences : audacious
    • a brash adventurer
  3. done in haste without regard for consequences : rash
    • brash acts
  4. full of fresh raw vitality
    • a brash frontier town
  5. uninhibitedly energetic or demonstrative : bumptious
    • a brash comedian
  6. lacking restraint and discernment : tactless
    • brash remarks
  7. aggressively self-assertive : impudent
    • brash to the point of arrogance
  8. piercingly sharp : harsh
    • a brash squeal of brakes
  9. marked by vivid contrast : bold
    • brash colors
  10. a mass of fragments (as of ice)

brass ['bras] -n, adj

  1. an alloy consisting essentially of copper and zinc in variable proportions
  2. the brass instruments of an orchestra or band often used in pl.
  3. a usu. brass memorial tablet
  4. bright metal fittings, utensils, or ornaments
  5. empty cartridge shells
  6. brazen self-assurance : gall
  7. high-ranking members of the military
  8. persons in high positions (as in a business or the government)

bras·sard [brə-'särd, 'bra-,] -n

  1. armor for protecting the arm
  2. a cloth band worn around the upper arm usu. bearing an identifying mark

brass band -n

  1. a band consisting chiefly or solely of brass and percussion instruments

brass·bound ['bras-,bau̇nd, -'bau̇nd] -adj

  1. having trim made of brass or a metal resembling brass
  2. tradition-bound and opinionated
  3. making no concessions : inflexible
  4. brazen, presumptuous

brass collar Democrat -n

  1. a conservative Democrat esp. in the south who votes the straight Democratic ticket

bras·se·rie [,bras-'rē, ,bra-sə-] -n

  1. an informal usu. French restaurant serving simple hearty food

brass hat -n

  1. a member of the brass

bras·si·ca ['bra-si-kə] -n

  1. any of a large genus ( Brassica) of Old World temperate-zone herbs (as broccoli and cabbage) of the mustard family with cylindrical pods

bras·siere [brə-'zir also ,bra-sē-'er] -n

  1. a woman's undergarment to cover and support the breasts

brass instrument -n

  1. any of a group of wind instruments (as a French horn, trombone, trumpet, or tuba) that is usu. characterized by a long cylindrical or conical metal tube commonly curved two or more times and ending in a flared bell, that produces tones by the vibrations of the player's lips against a usu. cup-shaped mouthpiece, and that usu. has valves or a slide by which the player may produce all the tones within the instrument's range

brass knuckles -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. knuckle

brass ring -n

  1. a rich opportunity : prize

brass tacks -n pl

  1. details of immediate practical importance usu. used in the phrase get down to brass tacks

brassy ['bra-sē] -adj, adv, n

  1. shamelessly bold
    • a brassy reporter
  2. obstreperous
  3. resembling brass esp. in color
  4. resembling the sound of a brass instrument

brat ['brat] -n, adj

  1. child
  2. an ill-mannered annoying child
    • a spoiled brat
  3. an ill-mannered immature person
  4. the child of a career military person
    • army brat s
  5. the child of a person whose career is in a specified and typically unusual field
    • Hollywood brat s

brat·tice ['bra-təs, 'bra-tish] -n, vt

  1. an often temporary partition of planks or cloth used esp. to control mine ventilation

brat·tle ['bra-tᵊl] -n

  1. clatter, scamper

brattle -vi

  1. to make a clattering or rattling sound

brat·wurst ['brät-(,)wərst also 'brat- also -,vu̇(r)st; sometimes -,vu̇sht] -n

  1. fresh pork sausage for frying

braun·schweig·er ['brau̇n-,shwī-gər, -,shvī- also 'brän-] -n

  1. smoked liverwurst

bra·va ['brä-(,)vä, brä-'vä] -n

  1. bravo used interjectionally in applauding a woman

bra·va·do [brə-'vä-(,)dō] -n

  1. blustering swaggering conduct
  2. a pretense of bravery
  3. the quality or state of being foolhardy

brave ['brāv] -adj, adv

  1. having or showing courage
    • a brave soldier
    • a brave smile
  2. making a fine show : colorful
    • brave banners flying in the wind
  3. excellent, splendid
    • the brave fire I soon had going -- J. F. Dobie
  4. to face or endure with courage
  5. to make showy
  6. to make a brave show
  7. bravado
  8. one who is brave
  9. an American Indian warrior
  10. bully, assassin

brave new world -n

  1. a future world, situation, or development
  2. a recent development or recently changed situation

brav·ery ['brāv-rē, 'brā-və-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being brave : courage
  2. fine clothes
  3. showy display

bra·vo ['brä-(,)vō] -n

  1. villain, desperado
  2. a hired assassin
  3. a shout of approval often used interjectionally in applauding a performance
  4. to applaud by shouts of bravo

Bra·vo ['brä-(,)vō]

  1. a communications code word for the letter b

bra·vu·ra [brə-'vyu̇r-ə, brä-, -'vu̇r-] -n

  1. a musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution
  2. a florid brilliant style
  3. a show of daring or brilliance

bravura -adj

  1. marked by a dazzling display of skill
    • a bravura performance
  2. ornate, showy

braw ['brȯ, 'brä] -adj

  1. good, fine
  2. well dressed

brawl ['brȯl] -vi, n

  1. to quarrel or fight noisily : wrangle
  2. to make a loud confused noise
  3. a noisy quarrel or fight
  4. a loud tumultuous noise

brawly ['brȯ-lē] -adj

  1. inclined to brawl
  2. characterized by brawls or brawling

brawn ['brȯn] -n

  1. the flesh of a boar
  2. headcheese
  3. full strong muscles
  4. muscular strength

brawny ['brȯ-nē] -adj, adv, n

  1. muscular
  2. strong, powerful
  3. being swollen and hard
    • a brawny infected foot

bray ['brā] -vb, n

  1. to utter the characteristic loud harsh cry of a donkey
  2. to utter a sound like a donkey's
  3. to utter or play loudly or harshly
  4. to crush or grind fine
    • bray seeds in a mortar
  5. to spread thin
    • bray printing ink

bray·er ['brā-ər] -n

  1. a printer's hand inking roller

Braz -abbr

  1. Brazil; Brazilian

braze ['brāz] -vt

  1. harden
  2. to solder with a nonferrous alloy having a lower melting point than the metals being joined

bra·zen ['brā-zᵊn] -adj, adv, n

  1. made of brass
  2. sounding harsh and loud like struck brass
  3. of the color of polished brass
  4. marked by contemptuous boldness
    • a brazen disregard for the rules

brazen ['brāz-niŋ, 'brā-zᵊn-iŋ] -vt

  1. to face with defiance or impudence usu. used in the phrase brazen it out

bra·zenfaced ['brā-zᵊn-,fāst] -adj

  1. marked by insolence and bold disrespect
    • brazenfaced assertions

bra·zier ['brā-zhər] -n

  1. one who works in brass

brazier -n

  1. a pan for holding burning coals
  2. a utensil in which food is exposed to heat through a wire grill

Bra·zil nut [brə-'zil-] -n

  1. a tall So. American tree ( Bertholletia excelsaof the family Lecythidaceae) that bears large globular capsules each containing several closely packed roughly triangular oily edible nuts
  2. its nut

bra·zil·wood [brə-'zil-,wu̇d] -n

  1. the heavy wood of any of various tropical leguminous trees (esp. genus Caesalpinia) that is used esp. as red and purple dyewood and in violin bows, gun stocks, and cabinetwork

BRE -abbr

  1. bachelor of religious education
  2. business reply envelope

breach ['brēch] -n

  1. infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard
  2. a broken, ruptured, or torn condition or area
  3. a gap (as in a wall) made by battering
  4. a break in accustomed friendly relations
  5. a temporary gap in continuity : hiatus
  6. a leap esp. of a whale out of water
  7. to make a breach in
    • breach a wall
  8. break, violate
    • breach an agreement
  9. to leap out of water
    • a whale breach ing

breach of promise

  1. violation of a promise esp. to marry

bread ['bred] -n, adj

  1. a usu. baked and leavened food made of a mixture whose basic constituent is flour or meal
  2. food, sustenance
    • our daily bread
  3. livelihood
    • earns his bread as a laborer
  4. money
  5. to cover with bread crumbs
    • a bread ed pork chop

breadandbutter -adj

  1. being as basic as the earning of one's livelihood
    • breadandbutter issues
  2. reliable
    • our breadandbutter repertoire
  3. dependable as a source of income
    • a company's breadandbutter products
  4. sent or given as thanks for hospitality
    • a breadandbutter letter

bread and butter -n

  1. a means of sustenance or livelihood

bread and circuses -n pl

  1. a palliative offered esp. to avert potential discontent

bread·bas·ket ['bred-,bas-kət] -n

  1. stomach
  2. a major cereal-producing region

bread·board ['bred-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a board on which dough is kneaded or bread cut
  2. a board on which mounted components are breadboarded

breadboard -vt

  1. to make an experimental arrangement of (as an electronic circuit or a mechanical system) to test feasibility

bread·fruit ['bred-,früt] -n

  1. a round starchy usu. seedless fruit that resembles bread in color and texture when baked
  2. a tall tropical evergreen tree ( Artocarpus altilis) of the mulberry family that bears this fruit

bread·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a line of people waiting to receive free food

bread mold -n

  1. any of various molds found esp. on bread
  2. a rhizopus ( Rhizopus nigricanssyn. R. stolonifer)

bread·stuff [-,stəf] -n

  1. a cereal product (as grain or flour)
  2. bread

breadth ['bretth, 'bredth, ÷'breth] -n, adv or adj

  1. distance from side to side : width
  2. something of full width
  3. comprehensive quality : scope
    • the breadth of his learning
  4. liberality of views or taste
    • breadth of mind

bread·win·ner ['bred-,wi-nər] -n

  1. a means (as a tool or craft) of livelihood
  2. a member of a family whose wages supply its livelihood

break ['brāk] -vb

  1. to separate into parts with suddenness or violence
  2. fracture
    • break an arm
  3. rupture
    • break the skin
  4. to cut into and turn over the surface of
    • break the soil
  5. to render inoperable
    • broke his watch
  6. violate, transgress
    • break the law
    • break a promise
  7. to invalidate (a will) by action at law
  8. to force entry into
  9. to burst and force a way through
    • break the sound barrier
    • break a racial barrier
  10. to escape by force from
    • break jail
  11. to make or effect by cutting, forcing, or pressing through
    • break a trail through the woods
  12. to disrupt the order or compactness of
    • break formation
  13. to make ineffective as a binding force
    • break the spell
  14. to defeat utterly and end as an effective force : destroy
    • used starvation to break the enemy
  15. to crush the spirit of
    • brutal methods broke the prisoner
  16. : to make tractable or submissive: as
  17. to train (an animal) to adjust to the service or convenience of humans
    • a halter- broke horse
  18. inure, accustom
  19. to exhaust in health, strength, or capacity
    • broken by his struggle for power
  20. to stop or bring to an end suddenly : halt
    • break a deadlock
  21. interrupt, suspend
    • break the silence with a cry
  22. to open and bring about suspension of operation
    • break an electric circuit
  23. to destroy unity or completeness of
    • break a dining room set by buying a chair
  24. to change the appearance of uniformity of
    • a dormer break s the level roof
  25. to split the surface of
    • fish break ing water
  26. to cause to discontinue a habit
    • tried to break him of smoking
  27. to make known : tell
    • break the bad news gently
  28. to bring to attention or prominence initially
    • radio stations break ing new musicians
    • break a news story
  29. to ruin financially
    • break the bank
  30. to reduce in rank
    • broken from sergeant to private
  31. to split into smaller units, parts, or processes : divide
  32. to give or get the equivalent of (a bill) in smaller denominations
  33. to use as the denomination in paying a bill
    • didn't want to break a 20 bill
    often used with into, up, or down
  34. to check the speed, force, or intensity of
    • the bushes will break his fall
    • without break ing her stride
  35. to cause failure and discontinuance of (a strike) by measures outside bargaining processes
  36. to cause a sudden significant decrease in the price, value, or volume of
    • news likely to break the market sharply
  37. exceed, surpass
    • break the record
  38. to score less than (a specified total)
    • a golfer trying to break 90
  39. to win against (an opponent's service) in tennis
  40. to make (a run) in football by getting past defenders
    • broke a 20-yard run
  41. to open the action of (a breechloader)
  42. to find an explanation or solution for : solve
    • the detective broke the case
  43. to discover the essentials of (a code or cipher system)
  44. to demonstrate the falsity of
    • break an alibi
  45. to ruin the prospects of
    • could make or break her career
  46. to produce visibly
    • barely break s a sweat
  47. to escape with sudden forceful effort
    • the attacker broke from the throng
  48. to come into being by or as if by bursting forth
    • day was break ing
  49. to effect a penetration
    • break through security lines
  50. to emerge through the surface of the water
  51. to start abruptly
    • when the storm broke
  52. to become known or published
    • when the news broke
  53. to make a sudden dash
    • break for cover
  54. to separate after a clinch in boxing
  55. to achieve initial success in usu. a sudden or striking way
    • her song broke nationally
  56. to begin a race
    • the horse broke poorly
  57. to come apart or split into pieces : fragment, shatter
    • the cup broke when it fell
  58. to open spontaneously or by pressure from within
    • the blister broke
  59. to curl over and fall apart in surf or foam
  60. to interrupt one's activity or occupation for a brief period
    • break for lunch
  61. to alter sharply in tone, pitch, or intensity
    • a voice break ing with emotion
  62. to become fair : clear
    • when the weather break s
  63. to make the opening shot of a game of pool
  64. to end a relationship, connection, or agreement usu. used with with or from
  65. to give way in disorderly retreat
  66. to swerve suddenly
  67. to curve from a straight path
    • a pitch that break s away from the batter
    • a putt that break s left
  68. to fail in health, strength, vitality, resolve, or control
    • may break under questioning
  69. to become inoperative because of damage, wear, or strain
    • the pump broke
  70. to fail to keep a prescribed gait used of a horse
  71. to undergo a sudden significant decrease in price, value, or volume
    • transportation stocks may break sharply
  72. happen, develop
    • for the team to succeed, everything has to break right
  73. to win against an opponent's service in tennis
  74. to divide into classes, categories, or types usu. used with into
    • the rose is broken into several varieties
  75. to fold, bend, lift, or come apart at a seam, groove, or joint
  76. to separate during churning into liquid and fat
  77. an act or action of breaking
  78. the opening shot in a game of pool or billiards
  79. a condition produced by or as if by breaking : gap
    • a break in the clouds
  80. a gap in an otherwise continuous electric circuit
  81. the action or act of breaking in, out, or forth
    • at break of day
    • a jail break
  82. : a place or situation at which a break occurs: as
  83. the place at which a word is divided esp. at the end of a line of print or writing
  84. the point or location at which waves break for surfing
  85. : an interruption in continuity
    • a break in the weather
    : as
  86. a notable change of subject matter, attitude, or treatment
  87. an abrupt, significant, or noteworthy change or interruption in a continuous process, trend, or surface
  88. a respite from work, school, or duty
    • coffee break
    • spring break
  89. relief from annoyance often used to express exasperation or irritation in phrases like give me a break
  90. a planned interruption in a radio or television program
    • a break for the commercial
  91. deviation of a pitched baseball from a straight line
  92. fault, dislocation
  93. failure of a horse to maintain the prescribed gait
  94. an abrupt change in musical or vocal pitch or quality
  95. the action or an instance of breaking service in tennis
  96. a usu. solo instrumental passage in jazz, folk, or popular music
  97. dash, rush
    • a base runner making a break for home
  98. fast break
  99. a sudden and abrupt decline of prices or values
  100. the start of a race
  101. the act of separating after a clinch in boxing
  102. a stroke of luck and esp. of good luck
    • a bad break
    • got the break s
  103. a favorable or opportune situation : chance
    • waiting for a big break in show business
  104. favorable consideration or treatment
    • a tax break
    • a break on the price
  105. a rupture in previously agreeable relations
    • a break between the two countries
  106. an abrupt split or difference with something previously adhered to or followed
    • a sharp break with tradition
  107. breakdown
    • suffered a mental break

break·able ['brā-kə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being broken

break·age ['brā-kij] -n

  1. loss due to things broken
  2. the action or an instance of breaking
  3. a quantity broken

break·away ['brā-kə-,wā] -n

  1. one that breaks away
  2. a departure from or rejection of (as a group or tradition)
  3. a play (as in hockey) in which an offensive player breaks free of the defenders and rushes toward the goal
  4. a sudden acceleration by one or more bicyclists pulling away from the pack in a race
  5. an object made to shatter or collapse under pressure or impact

breakaway -adj

  1. favoring independence from an affiliation : seceding
    • a breakaway faction formed a new party
  2. made to break, shatter, or bend easily
    • breakaway road signs for highway safety
  3. of, relating to, or resulting from a breakaway
    • a breakaway goal
  4. allowing or having an ability to execute a breakaway
    • breakaway speed

break away -vi

  1. to detach oneself esp. from a group : get away
  2. to depart from former or accustomed ways
  3. to pull away with a burst of speed

break beat -n

  1. a repetitive drum pattern in hip-hop and dance music
  2. music based on break beats

break·bone fever ['brāk-'bōn-] -n

  1. dengue

break dancing ['brāk-,dan(t)s] -n, vb

  1. dancing in which solo dancers perform acrobatics that involve touching various parts of the body (as the back or head) to the ground

break·down ['brāk-,dau̇n] -n

  1. : the action or result of breaking down: as
  2. a failure to function
  3. failure to progress or have effect : disintegration
    • a breakdown of negotiations
  4. a physical, mental, or nervous collapse
  5. the process of decomposing
  6. division into categories : classification
  7. an account analyzed into categories
  8. a fast shuffling dance
  9. music for such a dance

break down -vt

  1. to cause to fall or collapse by breaking or shattering
  2. to make ineffective
    • break down legal barriers
  3. to divide into parts or categories
  4. to separate (as a chemical compound) into simpler substances : decompose
  5. to take apart esp. for storage or shipment and for later reassembling
  6. to stop functioning because of breakage or wear
  7. to become inoperative or ineffective : fail
    • negotiations broke down
  8. to fail in strength or vitality
    • her health broke down
  9. to succumb to mental or emotional stress
    • broke down and cried
  10. to lose one's resolve : give in
    • finally broke down and bought a computer
  11. to severely injure the supporting ligament or bones of the fetlock joint
  12. to be susceptible to or undergo analysis or subdivision
    • the statistics break down like this
  13. to undergo decomposition

break·er ['brā-kər] -n

  1. one that breaks
  2. a machine or plant for breaking rocks or coal
  3. one who breaks up ships or cars for salvage
  4. a device for opening a circuit
  5. circuit breaker
  6. a wave breaking into foam (as against the shore)

brea·ker ['brā-kər] -n

  1. a small water cask

break·even ['brāk-'ē-vən] -n

  1. the point at which cost and income are equal and there is neither profit nor loss
  2. a financial result reflecting neither profit nor loss

breakeven ['brāk-'ē-vən] -adj

  1. having equal cost and income

break·fast ['brek-fəst] -n, vb

  1. the first meal of the day esp. when taken in the morning
  2. the food prepared for a breakfast
    • eat your breakfast

break·front ['brāk-,frənt] -n

  1. a large cabinet or bookcase whose center section projects beyond the flanking end sections

breakin ['brāk-,in] -n

  1. the act or action of breaking in
    • a rash of breakin s at the new apartment house
  2. a performance or a series of performances serving as a trial run
  3. an initial period of operation during which working parts begin to function efficiently

break in -vi

  1. to enter something (as a building or computer system) without consent or by force
  2. intrude
    • break in upon his privacy
  3. to interrupt a conversation
  4. to start in an activity or enterprise
    • breaking in as a cub reporter
  5. to accustom to a certain activity or occurrence
    • break in the new clerk
  6. to overcome the stiffness or newness of
    • break in a pair of shoes

breaking and entering -n

  1. the act of forcing or otherwise gaining unlawful passage into and entering another's building

breaking point -n

  1. the point at which a person gives way under stress
  2. the point at which a situation becomes critical
  3. the point at which something loses force or validity
    • stretch the rules to the breaking point

break·neck ['brāk-'nek] -adj

  1. very fast or dangerous
    • breakneck speed

break off -vi

  1. to stop abruptly
    • break off in the middle of a sentence
  2. to become detached
    • branches that broke off in the storm
  3. to end a relationship
    • broke off with his business partner
  4. discontinue
    • break off diplomatic relations
  5. to remove by or as if by breaking
    • broke off a chunk of bread

break·out ['brāk-,au̇t] -n

  1. a violent or forceful break from a restraining condition or situation
  2. a military attack to break from encirclement

breakout -adj

  1. being or relating to a sudden or smashing success esp. in comparison to previous efforts
    • a breakout book

break out -vi

  1. to develop or emerge with suddenness or force
    • fire broke out
    • a riot broke out
  2. to become covered
    • break out in a sweat
  3. to become affected with a skin eruption
  4. to make a break from a restraining condition or situation
    • broke out of a slump
    • broke out of jail
  5. to make ready for action or use
    • break out the tents and make camp
  6. to produce for consumption
    • break out a bottle of champagne
  7. to display flying and unfurled
  8. to separate from a mass of data
    • break out newsstand sales

break point -n

  1. a situation in tennis in which the receiving player can win the game by scoring the next point
  2. the point so scored

break·through ['brāk-,thrü] -n

  1. an offensive thrust that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare
  2. an act or instance of breaking through an obstacle
    • a breakthrough agreement
  3. a sudden advance esp. in knowledge or technique
    • a medical breakthrough
  4. a person's first notable success
    • a breakthrough novel

break through -vi

  1. to make a breakthrough

break·up ['brāk-,əp] -n

  1. an act or instance of breaking up
  2. the breaking, melting, and loosening of ice in the spring

break up -vi

  1. to cease to exist as a unified whole : disperse
    • their partnership broke up
  2. to end a romance
  3. to lose morale, composure, or resolution
  4. to become abandoned to laughter
    • breaks up completely, laughing himself into a coughing fit -- Gene Williams
  5. to break into pieces
  6. to bring to an end
    • broke up the fight
  7. to do away with : destroy
    • break up a monopoly
  8. to disrupt the continuity or flow of
    • break up a dull routine
  9. decompose
    • break up a chemical
  10. to cause to laugh heartily

breakup value -n

  1. the value esp. of shares of stock of a corporation liquidating its assets

break·wa·ter ['brāk-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n

  1. an offshore structure (as a wall) protecting a harbor or beach from the force of waves

bream ['brim, 'brēm] -n

  1. a bronze-colored European freshwater cyprinid fish ( Abramis brama)
  2. any of various related fishes
  3. any of various marine fish (family Sparidae) related to the porgy called also sea bream
  4. any of various freshwater sunfishes ( Lepomisand related genera)
  5. bluegill
  6. to clean (a ship's bottom) by heating and scraping

breast ['brest] -n, adj

  1. either of the pair of mammary glands extending from the front of the chest in pubescent and adult human females and some other mammals
  2. either of the analogous but rudimentary organs of the male chest esp. when enlarged
  3. the fore or ventral part of the body between the neck and the abdomen
  4. the part of an article of clothing covering the breast
  5. the seat of emotion and thought : bosom
  6. something (as a front, swelling, or curving part) resembling a breast
  7. face
  8. to contend with resolutely : confront
    • breast ing the waves
  9. climb, ascend
  10. to thrust the chest against
    • the sprinter breast ed the tape

breastbeat·ing ['bres(t)-,bē-tiŋ] -n

  1. noisy demonstrative protestation (as of grief, anger, or self-recrimination)

breast·bone ['bres(t)-,bōn] -n

  1. sternum

breast drill -n

  1. a portable drill with a plate that is pressed by the breast in forcing the drill against the work

breastfeed ['brest-,fēd] -vt

  1. to feed (a baby) from a mother's breast
  2. to breast-feed a baby

breast·plate ['bres(t)-,plāt] -n

  1. a usu. metal plate worn as defensive armor for the breast
  2. a vestment worn in ancient times by a Jewish high priest and set with 12 gems bearing the names of the tribes of Israel
  3. a piece against which a worker's breast is pressed in operating a tool (as a breast drill)

breast·stroke ['bres(t)-,strōk] -n

  1. a swimming stroke executed in a prone position by coordinating a kick in which the legs are brought forward with the knees together and the feet are turned outward and whipped back with a glide and a backward sweeping movement of the arms

breast·work ['brest-,wərk] -n

  1. a temporary fortification

breath ['breth] -n

  1. air filled with a fragrance or odor
  2. a slight indication : suggestion
    • the faintest breath of scandal
  3. the faculty of breathing
    • recovering his breath after the race
  4. an act of breathing
    • fought to the last breath
  5. opportunity or time to breathe : respite
  6. a slight breeze
  7. air inhaled and exhaled in breathing
    • bad breath
  8. something (as moisture on a cold surface) produced by breath or breathing
  9. inhalation
  10. a spoken sound : utterance
  11. spirit, animation

breath·able ['brē-thə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. suitable for breathing
    • breathable air
  2. allowing air to pass through : porous
    • a breathable synthetic fabric

Breath·a·ly·zer ['bre-thə-,lī-zər] -trademark

  1. used for a device that is used to determine the alcohol content of a breath sample

breathe ['brēth] -vb

  1. to draw air into and expel it from the lungs : respire
  2. to take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide through natural processes
  3. to inhale and exhale freely
  4. live
  5. to emit a fragrance or aura
  6. to become perceptible : be expressed
    • a personality that breathe s and that distinguishes his work -- Bennett Schiff
  7. to pause and rest before continuing
  8. to blow softly
  9. to feel free of restraint
    • needs room to breathe
  10. to develop flavor and bouquet by exposure to air
  11. to permit passage of air or vapor
    • a fabric that breathe s
  12. to use air to support combustion
  13. to send out by exhaling
  14. to instill by or as if by breathing
    • breathe new life into the movement
  15. to give rest from exertion to
  16. to take in in breathing
    • breathe the scent of pines
  17. to inhale and exhale
    • breathe air
  18. utter, express
    • don't breathe a word of it to anyone
  19. to make manifest : evince
    • the novel breathe s despair

breathed ['bretht] -adj

  1. having breath esp. of a specified kind usu. used in combination
    • sweet- breathed
  2. voiceless

breath·er ['brē-thər] -n

  1. one that breathes
  2. a break in activity for rest or relief
  3. a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

breath·ing ['brē-th] -n

  1. either of the marks and used in writing Greek to indicate aspiration or its absence

breathing space -n

  1. some time in which to recover, get organized, or get going called also breathing room breathing spell

breathing tube -n

  1. a tube inserted (as through the nose or mouth) into the trachea to maintain an unobstructed passageway esp. to deliver oxygen or anesthesia to the lungs

breath·less ['breth-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. not breathing
  2. dead
  3. panting or gasping for breath
  4. gripped with emotion
    • breathless in anticipation
  5. intense, gripping
    • breathless eagerness
    • breathless prose
  6. very rapid or strenuous
    • go at a breathless pace
  7. marked by intense or unremitting activity
    • a breathless schedule
  8. oppressive because of no fresh air or breeze

breath·tak·ing ['breth-,tā-kiŋ] -adj, adv

  1. making one out of breath
  2. exciting, thrilling
    • a breathtaking race
  3. very great : astonishing
    • his breathtaking ignorance

breathy ['bre-thē] -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized or accompanied by or as if by the audible passage of breath

brec·cia ['bre-ch(ē-)ə] -n

  1. a rock composed of sharp fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix (as sand or clay)

brec·ci·ate ['bre-chē-,āt] -vt, n

  1. to form (rock) into breccia
  2. to break (rock) into fragments

brede ['brēd] -n

  1. embroidery

bredinthebone ['bre-dᵊn-thə-,bōn] -adj

  1. deep-rooted
    • bredinthebone honesty
  2. inveterate
    • a bredinthebone gambler

breech ['brēch] -n

  1. short pants covering the hips and thighs and fitting snugly at the lower edges at or just below the knee
  2. pants
  3. the hind end of the body : buttocks
  4. breech presentation
  5. a fetus that is presented breech first
  6. the part of a firearm at the rear of the barrel

breech·block ['brēch-,bläk] -n

  1. the block in breech-loading firearms that closes the rear of the barrel against the force of the charge and prevents gases from escaping

breech·cloth ['brēch-,klȯth, 'brich-] -n

  1. loincloth

breech·clout [-,klau̇t] -n

  1. loincloth

breech delivery -n

  1. delivery of a fetus by breech presentation called also breech birth

breech·es buoy ['brē-chəz- also 'bri-] -n

  1. a canvas seat in the form of breeches hung from a life buoy running on a hawser and used to haul persons from one ship to another or from ship to shore esp. in rescue operations

breech·ing ['brē-chiŋ, 'bri-] -n

  1. the part of a harness that passes around the rump of a draft animal
  2. the short coarse wool on the rump and hind legs of a sheep or goat
  3. the hair on the corresponding part of a dog

breech·load·er ['brēch-'lō-dər] -n, adj

  1. a firearm that loads at the breech

breech presentation -n

  1. presentation of the fetus in which the breech is the first part to appear at the uterine cervix

breed ['brēd] -vb

  1. to produce (offspring) by hatching or gestation
  2. beget
  3. produce, engender
    • despair often breed s violence
  4. to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usu. under controlled conditions
    • bred several strains of corn together to produce a superior variety
  5. bring up, nurture
    • born and bred in the country
  6. to inculcate by training
    • breed good manners into one's children
  7. mate
  8. to mate with : inseminate
  9. impregnate
  10. to produce (a fissionable element) by bombarding a nonfissionable element with neutrons from a radioactive element
  11. to produce offspring by sexual union
  12. copulate, mate
  13. to propagate animals or plants
  14. a group of usu. domesticated animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters
  15. a number of persons of the same stock
  16. class, kind
    • a new breed of athlete

breed·er ['brē-dər] -n

  1. : one that breeds: as
  2. an animal or plant kept for propagation
  3. one engaged in the breeding of a specified organism
  4. a nuclear reactor designed to produce more fissionable material than it uses as fuel called also breeder reactor

breed·ing -n

  1. the action or process of bearing or generating
  2. ancestry
  3. education
    • she had her breeding at my father's charge -- Shak.
  4. training in or observance of the proprieties
  5. the sexual propagation of plants or animals

breeding ground -n

  1. the place to which animals go to breed
  2. a place or set of circumstances suitable for or favorable to growth and development
    • hurricane breeding grounds

breeks ['brēks, 'briks] -n pl

  1. breeches

breeze ['brēz] -n, adj

  1. a light gentle wind
  2. a wind of from 4 to 31 miles (6 to 50 kilometers) an hour
  3. something easily done : cinch
  4. to move swiftly and airily
    • breezed past the protesters
  5. to make progress quickly and easily
    • breezed through the exam
    • breezed to victory
  6. residue from the making of coke or charcoal

breeze·way ['brēz-,wā] -n

  1. a roofed often open passage connecting two buildings (as a house and garage) or halves of a building

breezy ['brē-zē] -adj, adv, n

  1. swept by breezes
    • breezy beaches
    • a breezy day
  2. briskly informal
    • a breezy essay
  3. airy, nonchalant
    • breezy indifference

breg·ma ['breg-mə] -n

  1. the point of junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures of the skull

brems·strah·lung ['brem(p)-,shträ-ləŋ] -n

  1. the electromagnetic radiation produced by the sudden retardation of a charged particle in an intense electric field (as of an atomic nucleus)
  2. the process that produces such radiation

brent goose ['brent-] -n

  1. brant

breth·ren ['breth-rən; 'bre-thə-, -thərn]

  1. used chiefly in formal or solemn address or in referring to the members of a profession, society, or sect

Brethren -n pl

  1. members of various sects originating chiefly in 18th century German Pietism
  2. dunkers

Bret·on ['bre-tᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Brittany
  2. the Celtic language of the Breton people

breve ['brēv, 'brev] -n

  1. a note equivalent to two whole notes
  2. a curved mark used to indicate a short vowel or a short or unstressed syllable

bre·vet [bri-'vet, chiefly Brit 'bre-vit] -n

  1. a commission giving a military officer higher nominal rank than that for which pay is received

brevet -vt

  1. to confer rank upon by brevet

bre·via·ry ['brē-və-rē, -vyə-, -vē-,er-ē, -,e-rē also 'bre-] -n

  1. a book of the prayers, hymns, psalms, and readings for the canonical hours
  2. divine office
  3. a brief summary

brev·i·ty ['bre-və-tē] -n

  1. shortness of duration
  2. shortness or conciseness of expression

brew ['brü] -vb, n

  1. to prepare (as beer or ale) by steeping, boiling, and fermentation or by infusion and fermentation
  2. to bring about : foment
    • brew trouble
  3. contrive
  4. to prepare (as tea) by infusion in hot water
  5. to brew beer or ale
  6. to be in the process of forming
    • a storm is brew ing
  7. a brewed beverage (as beer)
  8. a serving of a brewed beverage
    • quaff a few brew s
  9. something produced by or as if by brewing
  10. the process of brewing

brew·age ['brü-ij] -n

  1. brew
  2. brew

brewer's yeast -n

  1. a yeast used or suitable for use in brewing
  2. the dried pulverized cells of such a yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used esp. as a source of B-complex vitamins

brew·ery ['brü-ə-rē, 'bru̇(-ə)r-ē] -n

  1. a plant where malt liquors are produced

brew·mas·ter ['brü-,mas-tər] -n

  1. a person who supervises the brewing process of malt liquors

brew·pub ['brü-,pəb] -n

  1. a restaurant that sells beverages brewed on the premises

brew·ski ['brü-skē] -n

  1. beer

bri·ar ['brī(-ə)r] -n, adj

  1. a plant (as a rose, blackberry, or greenbrier) having a usu. woody and thorny or prickly stem
  2. a mass or twig of these

briar -n

  1. a tobacco pipe made from the root or stem of a European heath ( Erica arborea)

bri·ard [brē-'är(d)] -n

  1. any of an old French breed of large long-coated sheepdogs

bribe ['brīb] -n

  1. money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
  2. something that serves to induce or influence
  3. to induce or influence by or as if by bribery
  4. to practice bribery

brib·ery ['brī-b(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the act or practice of giving or taking a bribe

bricabrac ['bri-kə-,brak] -n

  1. a miscellaneous collection of small articles commonly of ornamental or sentimental value : curios
  2. something suggesting bric-a-brac esp. in extraneous decorative quality

brick ['brik] -n

  1. a handy-sized unit of building or paving material typically being rectangular and about 2 3 8 inches (57 95 203 millimeters) and of moist clay hardened by heat
  2. a good-hearted person
  3. a rectangular compressed mass (as of ice cream)
  4. a semisoft cheese with numerous small holes, smooth texture, and often mild flavor
  5. gaffe, blunder used esp. in the phrase drop a brick
  6. a badly missed shot in basketball
    • he threw up a brick
  7. to close, face, or pave with bricks usu. used with up, in, or over

brickandmortar -adj

  1. relating to or being a traditional business serving customers in a building as contrasted to an online business
    • a brickandmortar store

brick·bat ['brik-,bat] -n

  1. a fragment of a hard material (as a brick)
  2. one used as a missile
  3. an uncomplimentary remark

brick·field [-,fēld] -n

  1. brickyard

brick·lay·er ['brik-,lā-ər, -,ler] -n

  1. a person who lays brick

brick·le ['bri-kəl] -adj

  1. brittle

brick red -n

  1. a moderate reddish brown

brick wall -n

  1. a wall made of brick
  2. an immovable block or obstruction
    • the plan ran into a brick wall

brick·work ['brik-,wərk] -n

  1. work of or with bricks and mortar

brick·yard [-,yärd] -n

  1. a place where bricks are made

bri·co·lage [,brē-kō-'läzh, ,bri-] -n

  1. construction (as of a sculpture or a structure of ideas) achieved by using whatever comes to hand
  2. something constructed in this way

brid·al ['brī-dᵊl] -n

  1. a marriage festival or ceremony

bridal -adj

  1. of or relating to a bride or a wedding : nuptial
  2. intended for a newly married couple
    • a bridal suite

bridal wreath -n

  1. a spirea ( Spiraea prunifolia) widely grown for its umbels of small white flowers borne in spring

bride ['brīd] -n

  1. a woman just married or about to be married

bride·groom ['brīd-,grüm, -,gru̇m] -n

  1. a man just married or about to be married

brideprice ['brīd-,prīs] -n

  1. a payment given by or in behalf of a prospective husband to the bride's family in many cultures

brides·maid ['brīdz-,mād] -n

  1. a woman who is an attendant of a bride
  2. one that finishes just behind the winner

bride·well ['brīd-,wel, -wəl] -n

  1. prison

bridge ['brij] -n, adj

  1. a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle
  2. a time, place, or means of connection or transition
  3. : something resembling a bridge in form or function: as
  4. the upper bony part of the nose
  5. the part of a pair of glasses that rests upon it
  6. a piece raising the strings of a musical instrument
  7. the forward part of a ship's superstructure from which the ship is navigated
  8. gantry
  9. the hand as a rest for a billiards or pool cue
  10. a device used as a cue rest
  11. a musical passage linking two sections of a composition
  12. a partial denture anchored to adjacent teeth
  13. a connection (as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (as opposite sides of a ring)
  14. an electrical instrument or network for measuring or comparing resistances, inductances, capacitances, or impedances by comparing the ratio of two opposing voltages to a known ratio
  15. to make a bridge over or across
    • bridge the gap
  16. to join by a bridge
  17. to provide with a bridge
  18. any of various card games for usu. four players in two partnerships that bid for the right to declare a trump suit, seek to win tricks equal to the final bid, and play with the hand of declarer's partner exposed and played by declarer
  19. contract bridge

bridge·head [-,hed] -n

  1. a fortification protecting the end of a bridge nearest an enemy
  2. an area around the end of a bridge
  3. an advanced position seized in hostile territory

bridge loan -n

  1. a short-term loan used to finance an enterprise, investment, or government pending the receipt of other funds

bridge·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. dental bridges

bri·dle ['brī-dᵊl] -n

  1. the headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries a bit and reins
  2. a length of line or cable attached to two parts of something to spread the force of a pull
  3. rigging on a kite for attaching line
  4. curb, restraint
    • set a bridle on his power

bridle ['brīd-liŋ, 'brī-dᵊl-iŋ] -vb

  1. to put a bridle on
  2. to restrain, check, or control with or as if with a bridle
    • bridle your tongue
  3. to show hostility or resentment (as to an affront to one's pride or dignity) esp. by drawing back the head and chin

bridle path -n

  1. a trail suitable for horseback riding

Brie ['brē] -n

  1. a soft surface-ripened cheese with a whitish rind and a pale yellow interior

brief ['brēf] -adj, n

  1. short in duration, extent, or length
  2. concise
  3. curt, abrupt
  4. an official letter or mandate
  5. a papal letter less formal than a bull
  6. a specific instruction or responsibility
    • his brief was to strengthen the army
  7. a concise article
  8. synopsis, summary
  9. a concise statement of a client's case made out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law
  10. an outline of an argument
  11. a formal outline esp. in law that sets forth the main contentions with supporting statements or evidence
  12. short snug pants or underpants
  13. to make an abstract or abridgment of
  14. to give final precise instructions to
  15. to coach thoroughly in advance
  16. to give essential information to
  17. to discuss (as a military operation) in a briefing
    • brief ed the mission

brief·case ['brēf-,kās] -n

  1. a flat flexible case for carrying papers or books

brief·ing ['brē-fiŋ] -n

  1. an act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information

brief·ly ['brē-flē] -adv

  1. in a brief way
    • briefly mentioned
  2. in brief
    • the food, briefly, was awful
  3. for a short time
    • briefly married

brier ['brī(-ə)r] -n, adj

(variant of briar)

  1. a plant (as a rose, blackberry, or greenbrier) having a usu. woody and thorny or prickly stem
  2. a mass or twig of these

brig ['brig] -n

  1. a 2-masted square-rigged ship
  2. a place (as on a ship) for temporary confinement of offenders in the U.S. Navy
  3. guardhouse, prison
  4. brigade; brigadier

bri·gade [bri-'gād] -n

  1. a large body of troops
  2. a tactical and administrative unit composed of a headquarters, one or more units of infantry or armor, and supporting units
  3. a group of people organized for special activity

brigade -vt

  1. to form or unite into a brigade

brig·a·dier [,bri-gə-'dir] -n

  1. an officer in the British army commanding a brigade and ranking immediately below a major general
  2. brigadier general

brigadier general -n

  1. a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps who ranks above a colonel and whose insignia is one star

Brig·a·doon [,bri-gə-'dün] -n

  1. a place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality

brig·and ['bri-gənd] -n

  1. one who lives by plunder usu. as a member of a band : bandit

brig·an·dine ['bri-gən-,dēn] -n

  1. medieval body armor of scales or plates

brig·an·tine ['bri-gən-,tēn] -n

  1. a 2-masted sailing ship that is square-rigged except for a fore-and-aft mainsail

Brig Gen -abbr

  1. brigadier general

bright ['brīt] -adj, adv

  1. radiating or reflecting light : shining, sparkling
    • bright lights
    • bright eyes
  2. sunny
    • a bright day
  3. radiant with happiness
    • bright smiling faces
    • bright moments
  4. illustrious, glorious
    • bright est star of the opera
  5. beautiful
  6. of high saturation or lightness
    • bright colors
  7. lively, cheerful
    • be bright and jovial among your guests -- Shak.
  8. intelligent, clever
    • a bright idea
    • bright children
  9. auspicious, promising
    • bright prospects for the future
  10. a bright color usu. used in pl.
    • rich earth tones and crisp bright s -- Patricia Peterson

bright·en ['brī-tᵊn] -vb, n

  1. to become bright or brighter
    • her mood brighten ed
  2. to make bright or brighter
    • the gift brighten ed my day

brightline ['brīt-,līn] -adj

  1. providing an unambiguous criterion or guideline esp. in law
    • a brightline distinction

bright·ness -n

  1. the quality or state of being bright
  2. an instance of such a quality or state
  3. luminance
  4. the attribute of light-source colors by which emitted light is ordered continuously from light to dark in correlation with its intensity

Bright's disease ['brīts-] -n

  1. any of several kidney diseases marked esp. by albumin in the urine

bright·work ['brīt-,wərk] -n

  1. polished or plated metalwork
  2. varnished woodwork on a boat

brill ['bril] -n

  1. a European flatfish ( Scophthalmus rhombussyn. Bothus rhombusof the family Bothidae)
  2. turbot

bril·liance ['bril-yən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being brilliant

bril·lian·cy [-yən(t)-sē] -n

  1. brilliance
  2. an instance of brilliance

bril·liant ['bril-yənt] -adj, adv

  1. very bright : glittering
    • a brilliant light
  2. striking, distinctive
    • a brilliant example
  3. distinguished by unusual mental keenness or alertness

brilliant -n

  1. a gem (as a diamond) cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to have special brilliance

bril·lian·tine ['bril-yən-,tēn] -n

  1. a light lustrous fabric that is similar to alpaca and is woven usu. with a cotton warp and mohair or worsted filling
  2. a preparation for making hair glossy

brim ['brim] -n, adj

  1. an upper or outer margin : verge
  2. the upper surface of a body of water
  3. the edge or rim of a hollow vessel, a natural depression, or a cavity
  4. the projecting rim of a hat
  5. to fill to the brim
  6. to be or become full often to overflowing
    • eyes brimming with tears
  7. to reach or overflow a brim

brim·ful ['brim-'fu̇l, -,fu̇l] -adj

  1. full to the brim : ready to overflow

brimmed ['brimd] -adj

  1. having a brim of a specified nature used in combination
    • a wide- brimmed hat

brim·mer ['bri-mər] -n

  1. a brimming cup or glass

brim·stone ['brim-,stōn] -n

  1. sulfur

brind·ed ['brin-dəd] -adj

  1. brindled

brin·dle ['brin-dᵊl] -n

  1. a brindled color
  2. a brindled animal

brin·dled [-dᵊld] -adj

  1. having obscure dark streaks or flecks on a usu. gray or tawny ground
    • a brindled cow

brine ['brīn] -n

  1. water saturated or strongly impregnated with common salt
  2. a strong saline solution (as of calcium chloride)
  3. the water of a sea or salt lake
  4. to treat (as by steeping) with brine

Bri·nell hardness [brə-'nel-] -n

  1. the hardness of a metal or alloy measured by hydraulically pressing a hard ball under a standard load into the specimen

Brinell hardness number -n

  1. a number expressing Brinell hardness and denoting the load applied in testing in kilograms divided by the spherical area of indentation produced in the specimen in square millimeters called also Brinell number

brine shrimp -n

  1. any of a genus ( Artemia) of branchiopod crustaceans that can exist in strongly saline environments

bring ['briŋ] -vb, n

  1. to convey, lead, carry, or cause to come along with one toward the place from which the action is being regarded
  2. : to cause to be, act, or move in a special way: as
  3. attract
    • her screams brought the neighbors
  4. persuade, induce
  5. force, compel
  6. to cause to come into a particular state or condition
    • bring water to a boil
  7. escort, accompany
  8. to bear as an attribute or characteristic
    • bring s years of experience to the position
  9. : to cause to exist or occur: as
  10. to be the occasion of
    • winter bring s snow
  11. to result in
    • the drug brought immediate relief
  12. institute
    • bring legal action
  13. adduce
    • bring an argument
  14. prefer
    • bring charges
  15. to procure in exchange : sell for
  16. yield, produce

bring about -vt

  1. to cause to take place : effect

bring around -vt

  1. to restore to consciousness : revive
  2. persuade

bring·down ['briŋ-,dau̇n] -n

  1. comedown, letdown

bring down -vt

  1. to cause to fall by or as if by shooting
  2. to carry (a total) forward

bring in -vt

  1. include, introduce
  2. to produce as profit or return
    • each sale brought in 5
  3. to enable (a base runner) to reach home plate by hitting the ball
  4. to report to a court
    • the jury brought in a verdict
  5. to cause (as an oil well) to be productive
  6. to win tricks with the cards of (a long suit) in bridge
  7. earn
    • brings in a good salary

bring off -vt

  1. to cause to escape : rescue
  2. to carry to a successful conclusion : achieve, accomplish

bring on -vt

  1. to cause to appear or occur

bring out -vt

  1. to make apparent
  2. to effectively develop (as a quality)
  3. to present to the public
  4. to introduce formally to society
  5. utter

bring to -vt

  1. to cause (a boat) to lie to or come to a standstill
  2. to restore to consciousness : revive

bring up -vt

  1. to bring (a person) to maturity through nurturing care and education
  2. to cause to stop suddenly
  3. to bring to attention : introduce
  4. vomit
  5. to stop suddenly

brink ['briŋk] -n

  1. edge
  2. the edge at the top of a steep place
  3. a bank esp. of a river
  4. the point of onset : verge
    • on the brink of war
  5. the threshold of danger

brink·man·ship ['briŋk-mən-,ship] -n

  1. the art or practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety esp. to force a desired outcome

briny ['brī-nē] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or resembling brine or the sea : salty

brio ['brē-(,)ō] -n

  1. enthusiastic vigor : vivacity, verve

bri·oche [brē-'ōsh, -'ȯsh] -n

  1. light slightly sweet bread made with a rich yeast dough

bri·o·lette [,brē-ə-'let] -n

  1. an oval or pear-shaped gemstone cut in triangular facets

bri·quette [bri-'ket] -n, vt

  1. a compacted often brick-shaped mass of usu. fine material
    • a charcoal briquette

bris ['bris] -n

  1. the Jewish rite of circumcision

brisk ['brisk] -adj, adv, n

  1. keenly alert : lively
  2. pleasingly tangy
    • brisk tea
  3. fresh, invigorating
    • brisk weather
  4. sharp in tone or manner
  5. energetic, quick
    • a brisk pace
  6. marked by much activity
    • business was brisk
  7. to make brisk
  8. to become brisk usu. used with up
    • business brisk ed up

bris·ket ['bris-kət] -n

  1. the breast or lower chest of a quadruped animal
  2. a cut of beef from the brisket

bris·ling ['briz-liŋ, 'bris-] -n

  1. sprat

bris·tle ['bri-səl] -n, adj

  1. a short stiff coarse hair or filament

bristle ['bris-liŋ, 'bri-sə-] -vb

  1. to furnish with bristles
  2. to make bristly : ruffle
  3. to rise and stand stiffly erect
    • quills bristling
  4. to raise the bristles (as in anger)
  5. to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism)
    • he bristled at the accusations of corruption
  6. to be full of or covered with esp. something suggestive of bristles
    • roofs bristled with chimneys
  7. to be full of something specified
    • book bristle s with detail and irony -- W. J. Broad

bris·tle·cone pine ['bri-səl-,kōn-] -n

  1. either of two pines ( Pinus longaevaand P. aristata) of the western U.S. that include the oldest living trees called also bristlecone

bris·tle·tail [-,tāl] -n

  1. any of various primitive wingless insects (order Thysanura syn. Archaeognatha) with three slender caudal bristles

bris·tly ['bris-lē, 'bri-sə-] -adj

  1. thickly set with bristles
    • a bristly shrub
  2. consisting of or resembling bristles
    • a bristly mustache
  3. inclined to or showing aggressiveness or anger
    • a bristly temperament

bris·tol board ['bris-tᵊl-] -n

  1. a cardboard with a smooth surface suitable esp. for artwork called also bristol

Bristol fashion -adj

  1. being in good order : shipshape

brit ['brit] -n

  1. minute marine animals (as crustaceans and pteropods) on which right whales feed

Brit ['brit] -n

  1. briton
  2. Britain; British

Bri·tan·nia metal [bri-'tan-yə-, -'ta-nē-ə-] -n

  1. a silver-white alloy largely of tin, antimony, and copper that is similar to pewter

Bri·tan·nic [bri-'ta-nik] -adj

  1. british

britch·es ['bri-chəz] -n pl

  1. breeches, trousers

Brit·i·cism ['bri-tə-,si-zəm] -n

  1. a characteristic feature of British English

Brit·ish ['bri-tish] -n, adj

  1. the Celtic language of the ancient Britons
  2. british english
  3. the people of Great Britain or the Commonwealth of Nations

British English -n

  1. the native language of most inhabitants of England
  2. English characteristic of England and clearly distinguishable from that used elsewhere (as in the U.S. or Australia)

Brit·ish·er ['bri-ti-shər] -n

  1. briton

British thermal unit -n

  1. the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at a specified temperature (as 39F)

Brit Mi·lah ['brit-mē-'lä, -'mē-(,)lä] -n

  1. bris

Brit·on ['bri-tᵊn] -n

  1. a member of one of the peoples inhabiting Britain prior to the Anglo-Saxon invasions
  2. a native or subject of Great Britain
  3. englishman

Brit·ta·ny ['bri-tə-nē] -n

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized pointers of French origin that resemble the spaniels in appearance called also Brittany spaniel

brit·tle ['bri-tᵊl] -adj, adv, n

  1. easily broken, cracked, or snapped
    • brittle clay
    • brittle glass
  2. easily disrupted, overthrown, or damaged : frail
    • a brittle friendship
  3. perishable, mortal
  4. transitory, evanescent
  5. easily hurt or offended : sensitive
    • a brittle personality
  6. sharp
    • the brittle staccato of snare drums
  7. lacking warmth, depth, or generosity of spirit : cold
    • a brittle selfish person
  8. affected with or being a form of type 1 diabetes characterized by large and unpredictable fluctuations in blood glucose level

brittle -n

  1. a candy made with caramelized sugar and nuts spread in thin sheets
    • peanut brittle

brit·tle·bush ['bri-tᵊl-,bu̇sh] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Encelia) of composite plants having brittle stems
  2. a perennial desert shrub ( E. farinosa) of the southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico with yellow flowers blooming above dense usu. grayish-green foliage

brittle star -n

  1. any of a class or subclass (Ophiuroidea) of echinoderms that have slender flexible arms distinct from the central disk

Brit·ton·ic [bri-'tä-nik] -adj

  1. brythonic

Brix ['briks] -adj

  1. of or relating to a Brix scale

Brix scale -n

  1. a hydrometer scale for sugar solutions so graduated that its readings at a specified temperature represent percentages by weight of sugar in the solution called also Brix

brl -abbr

  1. barrel

bro ['brō] -n

  1. brother
  2. soul brother often used informally as a term of address

broach ['brōch] -n

  1. brooch
  2. : any of various pointed or tapered tools, implements, or parts: as
  3. a spit for roasting meat
  4. a tool for tapping casks
  5. a cutting tool for removing material from metal or plastic to shape an outside surface or a hole
  6. to pierce (as a cask) in order to draw the contents
  7. to open for the first time
  8. to open up or break into (as a mine or stores)
  9. to shape or enlarge (a hole) with a broach
  10. to make known for the first time
  11. to open up (a subject) for discussion
  12. to break the surface from below
  13. to veer or yaw dangerously so as to lie broadside to the waves often used with to

broad ['brȯd] -adj, adv, n

  1. having ample extent from side to side or between limits
    • broad shoulders
  2. having a specified extension from side to side
    • made the path 10 feet broad
  3. extending far and wide : spacious
    • the broad plains
  4. open, full
    • broad daylight
  5. plain, obvious
    • a broad hint
  6. dialectal esp. in pronunciation
  7. : marked by lack of restraint, delicacy, or subtlety:
  8. outspoken
  9. coarse, risque
    • broad humor
  10. open used specif. of a pronounced as in father
  11. liberal, tolerant
    • broad views
  12. widely applicable or applied : general
    • a broad rule
  13. relating to the main or essential points
    • broad outlines
  14. in a broad manner : fully
    • broad awake
  15. an expansion of a river often used in pl.
  16. woman

broad arrow -n

  1. an arrow with a flat barbed head
  2. a mark shaped like a broad arrow that identifies government property including clothing formerly worn by convicts

broad·ax ['brȯd-,aks] -n

  1. a large ax with a broad blade

broad·band ['brȯd-,band] -adj, n

  1. operating at, responsive to, or comprising a wide band of frequencies
    • a broadband radio antenna
  2. of, relating to, or being a high-speed communications network and esp. one in which a frequency range is divided into multiple independent channels for simultaneous transmission of signals (as voice, data, or video)

broad bean -n

  1. the large flat edible seed of an Old World upright vetch ( Vicia faba)
  2. this plant widely grown for its seeds and as fodder called also fava bean

broadbrush ['brȯd-,brəsh] -adj

  1. general, nonspecific

broad·cast ['brȯd-,kast] -adj

  1. cast or scattered in all directions
  2. made public by means of radio or television
  3. of or relating to radio or television broadcasting

broadcast -vb, n

  1. to scatter or sow (as seed) over a broad area
  2. to make widely known
  3. to transmit or make public by means of radio or television
  4. to transmit a broadcast
  5. to speak or perform on a broadcast program
  6. to or over a broad area
  7. the act of transmitting sound or images by radio or television
  8. a single radio or television program

Broad Church -adj

  1. of or relating to a liberal party in the Anglican communion esp. in the later 19th century

broad·cloth ['brȯd-,klȯth] -n

  1. a twilled napped woolen or worsted fabric with smooth lustrous face and dense texture
  2. a fabric usu. of cotton, silk, or rayon made in plain and rib weaves with soft semigloss finish

broad·en ['brȯ-dᵊn] -vb

  1. to make broader
  2. to become broad

broadgauge ['brȯd-'gāj] -adj

  1. wide in area or scope
    • a broadgauge effort
  2. comprehensive in outlook, range, or capability
    • a broadgauge statesman

broad jump -n

  1. long jump

broadleaved [-'lēvd] -adj

  1. having broad leaves
  2. having leaves that are not needles
  3. composed of broad-leaved plants
    • broadleaved forests

broad·loom [-,lüm] -adj

  1. woven on a wide loom
  2. so woven in solid color

broadloom -n

  1. a broadloom carpet

broadmind·ed ['brȯd-'mīn-dəd, -,mīn-] -adj, adv, n

  1. tolerant of varied views
  2. inclined to condone minor departures from conventional behavior

broad·scale [-,skāl] -adj

  1. broad in extent, range, or effect

broad·sheet [-,shēt] -n

  1. broadside
  2. a newspaper with pages of a size larger than those of a tabloid

broad·side [-,sīd] -n

  1. a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side
  2. a sheet printed on one or both sides and folded
  3. something (as a ballad) printed on a broadside
  4. the side of a ship above the waterline
  5. all the guns on one side of a ship
  6. their simultaneous discharge
  7. a volley of abuse or denunciation
  8. a broad or unbroken surface

broadside -adj

  1. directed or placed broadside
    • a broadside attack
  2. with the side forward or toward a given point : sideways
    • turned broadside
  3. directly from the side
    • the car was hit broadside
  4. in one volley
  5. at random
  6. to hit broadside
    • the car was broadsided

broadspectrum -adj

  1. effective against a wide range of organisms (as insects or bacteria)
    • a broadspectrum antibiotic

broad·sword ['brȯd-,sȯrd] -n

  1. a large heavy sword with a broad blade for cutting rather than thrusting

broad·tail [-,tāl] -n

  1. karakul
  2. the pelt of a premature or newborn Karakul lamb having a flat and wavy appearance resembling moire silk

Broad·way ['brȯd-,wā, -'wā] -n, adj

  1. the New York commercial theater and amusement world
  2. playhouses located in the area between the Avenue of the Americas and Ninth Avenue and from W. 41st Street to W. 53d Street

Brob·ding·nag·ian [,bräb-diŋ-'na-gē-ən, -dig-'na-] -adj, n

  1. marked by tremendous size

bro·cade [brō-'kād] -n, vt, adj

  1. a rich silk fabric with raised patterns in gold and silver
  2. a fabric characterized by raised designs

Bro·ca's area ['brō-kəz-] -n

  1. a brain center associated with the motor control of speech and usu. located in the left side of the frontal lobe

broc·a·telle [,brä-kə-'tel] -n

  1. a stiff decorating fabric with patterns in high relief

broc·co·li ['brä-kə-lē, 'brä-klē] -n

  1. a large hardy cauliflower
  2. : either of two garden vegetable plants closely related to the cabbage:
  3. one with a thick central stem and a compact head of dense usu. green florets that is classified with the cauliflower
  4. one ( Brassica oleracea italica) with slender stems and usu. green or purple florets not arranged in a central head
  5. the stems and immature florets of broccoli used as food

broccoli rabe [-,räb] -n

  1. a garden brassica ( Brassica rapa ruvo) that is related to the turnip and produces edible leafy branching stalks and compact clusters of yellow florets called also broccoli raab -rab, -rab rapini

bro·chette [brō-'shet] -n

  1. skewer
  2. food broiled on a skewer

bro·chure [brō-'shu̇r, Brit esp 'brō-,] -n

  1. pamphlet, booklet
  2. one containing descriptive or advertising material

brock ['bräk] -n

  1. badger

brock·age ['brä-kij] -n

  1. an imperfectly minted coin

brock·et ['brä-kət] -n

  1. any of several small deer (genus Mazama) of Central and So. America with unbranched antlers

bro·gan ['brō-gən, -,gan; brō-'gan] -n

  1. a heavy shoe
  2. a coarse work shoe reaching to the ankle

brogue ['brōg] -n

  1. a stout coarse shoe worn formerly in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands
  2. a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole : brogan
  3. a stout oxford shoe with perforations and usu. a wing tip
  4. a dialect or regional pronunciation
  5. an Irish accent

broi·der ['brȯi-dər] -vt, n

  1. embroider

broil ['brȯi(-ə)l] -vb

  1. to cook by direct exposure to radiant heat : grill
  2. to be subjected to great or oppressive heat
    • broil ing in the sun
  3. the act or state of broiling
  4. brawl
  5. embroil
  6. a noisy disturbance : tumult
  7. brawl
    • a tavern row...widens into a general broil -- J. R. Green

broil·er ['brȯi-lər] -n

  1. one that broils
  2. a bird fit for broiling
  3. a chicken that is younger and smaller than a roaster

broil·ing ['brȯi(-ə)-liŋ] -adj

  1. extremely hot
    • a broiling sun

broke ['brāk] -vb

(variant of break)

  1. to separate into parts with suddenness or violence
  2. fracture
    • break an arm
  3. rupture
    • break the skin
  4. to cut into and turn over the surface of
    • break the soil
  5. to render inoperable
    • broke his watch
  6. violate, transgress
    • break the law
    • break a promise
  7. to invalidate (a will) by action at law
  8. to force entry into
  9. to burst and force a way through
    • break the sound barrier
    • break a racial barrier
  10. to escape by force from
    • break jail
  11. to make or effect by cutting, forcing, or pressing through
    • break a trail through the woods
  12. to disrupt the order or compactness of
    • break formation
  13. to make ineffective as a binding force
    • break the spell
  14. to defeat utterly and end as an effective force : destroy
    • used starvation to break the enemy
  15. to crush the spirit of
    • brutal methods broke the prisoner
  16. : to make tractable or submissive: as
  17. to train (an animal) to adjust to the service or convenience of humans
    • a halter- broke horse
  18. inure, accustom
  19. to exhaust in health, strength, or capacity
    • broken by his struggle for power
  20. to stop or bring to an end suddenly : halt
    • break a deadlock
  21. interrupt, suspend
    • break the silence with a cry
  22. to open and bring about suspension of operation
    • break an electric circuit
  23. to destroy unity or completeness of
    • break a dining room set by buying a chair
  24. to change the appearance of uniformity of
    • a dormer break s the level roof
  25. to split the surface of
    • fish break ing water
  26. to cause to discontinue a habit
    • tried to break him of smoking
  27. to make known : tell
    • break the bad news gently
  28. to bring to attention or prominence initially
    • radio stations break ing new musicians
    • break a news story
  29. to ruin financially
    • break the bank
  30. to reduce in rank
    • broken from sergeant to private
  31. to split into smaller units, parts, or processes : divide
  32. to give or get the equivalent of (a bill) in smaller denominations
  33. to use as the denomination in paying a bill
    • didn't want to break a 20 bill
    often used with into, up, or down
  34. to check the speed, force, or intensity of
    • the bushes will break his fall
    • without break ing her stride
  35. to cause failure and discontinuance of (a strike) by measures outside bargaining processes
  36. to cause a sudden significant decrease in the price, value, or volume of
    • news likely to break the market sharply
  37. exceed, surpass
    • break the record
  38. to score less than (a specified total)
    • a golfer trying to break 90
  39. to win against (an opponent's service) in tennis
  40. to make (a run) in football by getting past defenders
    • broke a 20-yard run
  41. to open the action of (a breechloader)
  42. to find an explanation or solution for : solve
    • the detective broke the case
  43. to discover the essentials of (a code or cipher system)
  44. to demonstrate the falsity of
    • break an alibi
  45. to ruin the prospects of
    • could make or break her career
  46. to produce visibly
    • barely break s a sweat
  47. to escape with sudden forceful effort
    • the attacker broke from the throng
  48. to come into being by or as if by bursting forth
    • day was break ing
  49. to effect a penetration
    • break through security lines
  50. to emerge through the surface of the water
  51. to start abruptly
    • when the storm broke
  52. to become known or published
    • when the news broke
  53. to make a sudden dash
    • break for cover
  54. to separate after a clinch in boxing
  55. to achieve initial success in usu. a sudden or striking way
    • her song broke nationally
  56. to begin a race
    • the horse broke poorly
  57. to come apart or split into pieces : fragment, shatter
    • the cup broke when it fell
  58. to open spontaneously or by pressure from within
    • the blister broke
  59. to curl over and fall apart in surf or foam
  60. to interrupt one's activity or occupation for a brief period
    • break for lunch
  61. to alter sharply in tone, pitch, or intensity
    • a voice break ing with emotion
  62. to become fair : clear
    • when the weather break s
  63. to make the opening shot of a game of pool
  64. to end a relationship, connection, or agreement usu. used with with or from
  65. to give way in disorderly retreat
  66. to swerve suddenly
  67. to curve from a straight path
    • a pitch that break s away from the batter
    • a putt that break s left
  68. to fail in health, strength, vitality, resolve, or control
    • may break under questioning
  69. to become inoperative because of damage, wear, or strain
    • the pump broke
  70. to fail to keep a prescribed gait used of a horse
  71. to undergo a sudden significant decrease in price, value, or volume
    • transportation stocks may break sharply
  72. happen, develop
    • for the team to succeed, everything has to break right
  73. to win against an opponent's service in tennis
  74. to divide into classes, categories, or types usu. used with into
    • the rose is broken into several varieties
  75. to fold, bend, lift, or come apart at a seam, groove, or joint
  76. to separate during churning into liquid and fat
  77. an act or action of breaking
  78. the opening shot in a game of pool or billiards
  79. a condition produced by or as if by breaking : gap
    • a break in the clouds
  80. a gap in an otherwise continuous electric circuit
  81. the action or act of breaking in, out, or forth
    • at break of day
    • a jail break
  82. : a place or situation at which a break occurs: as
  83. the place at which a word is divided esp. at the end of a line of print or writing
  84. the point or location at which waves break for surfing
  85. : an interruption in continuity
    • a break in the weather
    : as
  86. a notable change of subject matter, attitude, or treatment
  87. an abrupt, significant, or noteworthy change or interruption in a continuous process, trend, or surface
  88. a respite from work, school, or duty
    • coffee break
    • spring break
  89. relief from annoyance often used to express exasperation or irritation in phrases like give me a break
  90. a planned interruption in a radio or television program
    • a break for the commercial
  91. deviation of a pitched baseball from a straight line
  92. fault, dislocation
  93. failure of a horse to maintain the prescribed gait
  94. an abrupt change in musical or vocal pitch or quality
  95. the action or an instance of breaking service in tennis
  96. a usu. solo instrumental passage in jazz, folk, or popular music
  97. dash, rush
    • a base runner making a break for home
  98. fast break
  99. a sudden and abrupt decline of prices or values
  100. the start of a race
  101. the act of separating after a clinch in boxing
  102. a stroke of luck and esp. of good luck
    • a bad break
    • got the break s
  103. a favorable or opportune situation : chance
    • waiting for a big break in show business
  104. favorable consideration or treatment
    • a tax break
    • a break on the price
  105. a rupture in previously agreeable relations
    • a break between the two countries
  106. an abrupt split or difference with something previously adhered to or followed
    • a sharp break with tradition
  107. breakdown
    • suffered a mental break

bro·ken ['brō-kən] -adj, adv, n

  1. violently separated into parts : shattered
  2. : damaged or altered by breaking: as
  3. having undergone or been subjected to fracture
    • a broken leg
  4. being irregular, interrupted, or full of obstacles
  5. violated by transgression
    • a broken promise
  6. discontinuous, interrupted
  7. disrupted by change
  8. having an irregular, streaked, or blotched pattern esp. from virus infection
  9. made weak or infirm
  10. subdued completely : crushed, sorrowful
    • a broken heart
    • a broken spirit
  11. bankrupt
  12. reduced in rank
  13. cut off : disconnected
  14. imperfectly spoken or written
    • broken English
  15. not complete or full
    • a broken bale of hay
  16. disunited by divorce, separation, or desertion of one parent
    • children from broken homes
    • a broken family

brokendown -adj

  1. worn-out, debilitated
    • a brokendown old car

bro·kenfield [-,fēld] -adj

  1. characterized by or making quick changes in direction to avoid widely scattered tacklers
    • a halfback known for brokenfield running
    • a brokenfield runner

bro·ken·heart·ed [-'här-təd] -adj

  1. overcome by grief or despair

bro·kenwind·ed [-'win-dəd] -adj

  1. affected with or as if with heaves
    • a brokenwinded horse

bro·ker ['brō-kər] -n, vb

  1. : one who acts as an intermediary: as
  2. an agent who arranges marriages
  3. an agent who negotiates contracts of purchase and sale (as of real estate, commodities, or securities)
  4. power broker
  5. one who sells or distributes something
    • an information broker

bro·ker·age ['brō-k(ə-)rij] -n

  1. the business or establishment of a broker
  2. a broker's fee or commission

bro·kered [-kərd] -adj

  1. arranged or controlled by brokers and esp. power brokers
    • a brokered political convention

bro·king [-kiŋ] -n

  1. the business of a broker : brokerage

brol·ly ['brä-lē] -n

  1. umbrella

brom- -comb form

  1. bromine
    • brom ide

bro·mate ['brō-,māt] -n

  1. a salt of bromic acid

brome·grass ['brōm-,gras] -n

  1. any of a large genus ( Bromus) of tall grasses often having drooping spikelets called also brome

bro·me·lain ['brō-mə-lən, -,lān] -n

  1. a protease obtained esp. from the pineapple

bro·me·li·ad [brō-'mē-lē-,ad] -n

  1. any of the chiefly tropical American usu. epiphytic plants comprising the pineapple family and including Spanish moss and various ornamentals

bro·mic acid ['brō-mik-] -n

  1. an unstable strongly oxidizing acid HBrO 3known only in solution or in the form of its salts

bro·mide ['brō-,mīd] -n

  1. a binary compound of bromine with another element or a radical including some (as potassium bromide) used as sedatives
  2. a commonplace or tiresome person : bore
  3. a commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion

bro·mid·ic [brō-'mi-dik] -adj

  1. lacking in originality : trite

bro·mi·nate ['brō-mə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. to treat or cause to combine with bromine or a compound of bromine

bro·mine ['brō-,mēn] -n

  1. a nonmetallic halogen element that is isolated as a deep red corrosive toxic volatile liquid of disagreeable odor

bro·mo ['brō-(,)mō] -n

  1. a dose of a proprietary effervescent headache remedy and antacid

bro·mo·crip·tine [,brō-mō-'krip-,tēn, -tən] -n

  1. a polypeptide ergot derivative C 32H 40BrN 5O 5that mimics the activity of dopamine in inhibiting prolactin secretion

bro·mo·ura·cil [,brō-mō-'yu̇r-ə-,sil, -səl] -n

  1. a mutagenic uracil derivative C 4H 3N 2O 2Br that is an analog of thymine and pairs readily with adenine and sometimes with guanine

brom·thy·mol blue [,brōm-'thī-,mȯl-] -n

  1. a dye derived from thymol that is an acid-base indicator called also bro*mo*thy*mol blue bro-mo-thi-ml-

bronc ['bräŋk] -n

  1. an unbroken or imperfectly broken range horse of western No. America
  2. mustang

bronch- -comb form

  1. bronchial tube : bronchial
    • bronch itis

bronchi- -comb form

  1. bronchial tubes
    • bronchi ectasis

bron·chi·al ['bräŋ-kē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the bronchi or their ramifications in the lungs

bronchial asthma -n

  1. asthma resulting from spasmodic contraction of bronchial muscles

bronchial tube -n

  1. a primary bronchus or any of its branches

bron·chi·ec·ta·sis [,bräŋ-kē-'ek-tə-səs] -n

  1. a chronic dilatation of bronchi or bronchioles

bron·chi·ole ['bräŋ-kē-,ōl] -n, adj

  1. a minute thin-walled branch of a bronchus

bron·chi·ol·i·tis [,bräŋ-kē-ō-'lī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the bronchioles

bron·chi·tis [brän-'kī-təs, bräŋ-] -n, adj

  1. acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes
  2. a disease marked by this

bron·cho·di·la·tor [,bräŋ-(,)kō-dī-'lā-tər, -'dī-,] -n, adj

  1. a drug that relaxes bronchial muscle resulting in expansion of the bronchial air passages

bron·cho·gen·ic [,bräŋ-kə-'je-nik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or arising in or by way of the air passages of the lungs
    • bronchogenic carcinoma

bron·cho·pneu·mo·nia [,bräŋ-(,)kō-n(y)u̇-'mō-nyə, -n(y)ü] -n

  1. pneumonia involving many relatively small areas of lung tissue

bron·cho·scope ['bräŋ-kə-,skōp] -n, adj

  1. a usu. flexible endoscope for inspecting or passing instruments into the bronchi (as to obtain tissue for biopsy)

bron·cho·spasm ['bräŋ-kə-,spa-zəm] -n, adj

  1. constriction of the air passages of the lung (as in asthma) by spasmodic contraction of the bronchial muscles

bron·chus ['bräŋ-kəs] -n

  1. either of the two primary divisions of the trachea that lead respectively into the right and the left lung
  2. bronchial tube

bron·co ['bräŋ-(,)kō] -n

  1. bronc

bron·co·bust·er [-,bəs-tər] -n

  1. one who breaks wild horses to the saddle

bron·to·sau·rus [,brän-tə-'sȯr-əs] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Apatosaurussyn. Brontosaurus) of large sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic called also apatosaurus

Bronx cheer ['bräŋ(k)s-] -n

  1. raspberry

bronze ['bränz] -vt, n

  1. to give the appearance of bronze to
    • a bronzed sculpture
  2. tan
  3. an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements
  4. any of various copper-base alloys with little or no tin
  5. a sculpture or artifact of bronze
  6. a moderate yellowish brown
  7. a bronze medal awarded as the third prize in a competition

Bronze Age -n

  1. the period of ancient human culture characterized by the use of bronze that began between 4000 and 3000 b.c.and ended with the advent of the Iron Age

Bronze Star -n

  1. a U.S. military decoration awarded for valor or for meritorious service not involving aerial flights called also Bronze Star Medal

bronz·ing -n

  1. a bronze coloring or discoloration (as of leaves)

brooch ['brōch also 'brüch] -n

  1. an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck

brood ['brüd] -n

  1. the young of an animal or a family of young
  2. the young (as of a bird or insect) hatched or cared for at one time
  3. a group having a common nature or origin
  4. the children of a family
  5. kept for breeding
    • a brood flock
  6. to sit on or incubate (eggs)
  7. to produce by or as if by incubation : hatch
  8. to cover (young) with the wings
  9. to think anxiously or gloomily about : ponder
  10. to brood eggs or young
  11. to sit quietly and thoughtfully : meditate
  12. hover, loom
  13. to dwell gloomily on a subject
  14. to be in a state of depression

brood·er ['brü-dər] -n

  1. one that broods
  2. a heated structure used for raising young fowl

brood·mare ['brüd-,mer] -n

  1. a mare kept for breeding

broody ['brü-dē] -adj, n

  1. being in a state of readiness to brood eggs that is characterized by cessation of laying and by marked changes in behavior and physiology
    • a broody hen
  2. given or conducive to introspection : contemplative, moody

brook ['bru̇k] -n

  1. creek
  2. to stand for : tolerate
    • he would brook no interference with his plans

brook·ie ['bru̇-kē] -n

  1. brook trout

brook·ite ['bru̇-,kīt] -n

  1. titanium dioxide TiO 2occurring as a mineral in orthorhombic crystals commonly translucent brown or opaque brown to black

brook·let ['bru̇-klət] -n

  1. a small brook

Brook·lyn·ese [,bru̇-klə-'nēz, -'nēs] -n

  1. the vernacular speech of greater New York City and environs

brook trout -n

  1. the common speckled cold-water char ( Salvelinus fontinalis) of No. America

broom ['brüm, 'bru̇m] -n

  1. any of various leguminous shrubs (esp. genera Cytisusand Genista) with long slender branches, small leaves, and usu. showy yellow flowers
  2. scotch broom
  3. a bundle of firm stiff twigs or fibers bound together on a long handle esp. for sweeping
  4. to sweep with or as if with a broom
  5. to finish (as a concrete surface) by means of a broom

broom·ball [-,bȯl] -n

  1. a variation of ice hockey played on ice without skates and with brooms and a soccer ball used instead of sticks and a puck

broom·corn [-,kȯrn] -n

  1. any of several tall cultivated sorghums having stiff-branched panicles used in brooms and brushes

broom·rape [-,rāp] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Orobancheof the family Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family) of herbs that have leaves modified to scales and that grow as parasites on the roots of other plants

broom·stick [-,stik] -n

  1. the long thin handle of a broom

bros ['brō] -n

(variant of bro)

  1. brother
  2. soul brother often used informally as a term of address

brose ['brōz] -n

  1. a chiefly Scottish dish made with a boiling liquid and meal

broth ['brȯth] -n

  1. liquid in which meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been cooked : stock
    • chicken broth
  2. a fluid culture medium

broth·el ['brä-thəl, 'brȯ- also -thəl] -n

  1. bordello

broth·er ['brə-thər] -n

  1. a male who has the same parents as another or one parent in common with another
  2. one related to another by common ties or interests
  3. a fellow member used as a title for ministers in some evangelical denominations
  4. one of a type similar to another
  5. kinsman
  6. one who shares with another a common national or racial origin
  7. soul brother
  8. a member of a congregation of men not in holy orders and usu. in hospital or school work
  9. a member of a men's religious order who is not preparing for or is not ready for holy orders
    • a lay brother

broth·er·hood ['brə-thər-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the quality or state of being brothers
  2. fellowship, alliance
  3. an association (as a labor union or monastic society) for a particular purpose
  4. the whole body of persons engaged in a business or profession

broth·erinlaw ['brə-thər-ən-,lȯ, 'brəth-rən-, 'brə-thərn-] -n

  1. the brother of one's spouse
  2. the husband of one's sister
  3. the husband of one's spouse's sister

broth·er·ly ['brə-thər-lē] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to brothers
  2. natural or becoming to brothers : affectionate
    • brotherly love

brougham ['brü(-ə)m, 'brō(-ə)m] -n

  1. a light closed horse-drawn carriage with the driver outside in front

brought ['briŋ] -vb, n

(variant of bring)

  1. to convey, lead, carry, or cause to come along with one toward the place from which the action is being regarded
  2. : to cause to be, act, or move in a special way: as
  3. attract
    • her screams brought the neighbors
  4. persuade, induce
  5. force, compel
  6. to cause to come into a particular state or condition
    • bring water to a boil
  7. escort, accompany
  8. to bear as an attribute or characteristic
    • bring s years of experience to the position
  9. : to cause to exist or occur: as
  10. to be the occasion of
    • winter bring s snow
  11. to result in
    • the drug brought immediate relief
  12. institute
    • bring legal action
  13. adduce
    • bring an argument
  14. prefer
    • bring charges
  15. to procure in exchange : sell for
  16. yield, produce

brou·ha·ha ['brü-,hä-,hä, ,brü-,hä-'hä, brü-'hä-,hä] -n

  1. hubbub, uproar

brow ['brau̇] -n

  1. eyebrow
  2. forehead
  3. the projecting upper part or margin of a steep place
  4. expression, mien
  5. gangplank

bro·wal·lia [brə-'wä-lē-ə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Browallia) of tropical American herbs of the nightshade family cultivated for their blue, violet, or white flowers

brow·beat ['brau̇-,bēt] -vt

  1. to intimidate or disconcert by a stern manner or arrogant speech : bully

browed ['brau̇d] -adj

  1. having brows of a specified nature used in combination
    • smooth- browed

brown ['brau̇n] -adj

  1. of the color brown
  2. of dark or tanned complexion
  3. any of a group of colors between red and yellow in hue, of medium to low lightness, and of moderate to low saturation
  4. a brown-skinned person
  5. brown trout
  6. to become brown
  7. to make brown

brown alga -n

  1. any of a division (Phaeophyta) of variable mostly marine algae with chlorophyll masked by brown pigment

brown bagging ['brau̇n-,bag] -n, vb or adj

  1. the practice of carrying (as to work) one's lunch usu. in a brown paper bag
  2. the practice of carrying a bottle of liquor into a restaurant or club where setups are available

brown bear -n

  1. any of several bears predominantly brown in color that are usu. considered a single species ( Ursus arctos) including the grizzly bear and that formerly inhabited western No. America from the barrens of Alaska to northern Mexico and much of Europe and Asia but are now much restricted in range

brown Bet·ty [-'be-tē] -n

  1. a baked pudding of apples, bread crumbs, and spices

brown bread [-,bred] -n

  1. bread made of whole wheat flour
  2. a dark brown steamed bread made usu. of cornmeal, white or whole wheat flours, molasses, soda, and milk or water

brown coal -n

  1. lignite

brown dwarf -n

  1. a celestial object that is much smaller than a normal star and has insufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion but that is hot enough to radiate energy esp. at infrared wavelengths

brown earth -n

  1. any of a group of intrazonal soils developed in temperate humid regions under deciduous forests and characterized by a dark brown mull horizon that grades through lighter colored soil

browneyed Su·san ['brau̇-,nīd-'sü-zᵊn] -n

  1. a dark-centered coneflower ( Rudbeckia triloba) of eastern No. America often having tripartite lower leaves

brown fat -n

  1. a mammalian heat-producing tissue occurring esp. in human fetuses and newborn infants and in hibernating animals called also brown adipose tissue

brown·field ['brau̇n-,fē(ə)ld] -n

  1. a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned

brownheaded cowbird ['brau̇n-,he-dəd-] -n

  1. cowbird

Brown·ian motion ['brau̇-nē-ən-] -n

  1. a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the surrounding medium called also Brownian movement

brown·ie ['brau̇-nē] -n

  1. a legendary good-natured elf that performs helpful services at night
  2. a member of a program of the Girl Scouts for girls in the first through third grades in school
  3. a small square or rectangle of rich usu. chocolate cake often containing nuts

brownie point -n

  1. a credit regarded as earned esp. by currying favor (as with a superior)

Brow·ning automatic rifle ['brau̇-niŋ-] -n

  1. a .30 caliber gas-operated air-cooled magazine-fed automatic rifle often provided with a rest for the barrel

Browning machine gun -n

  1. a .30 or .50 caliber recoil-operated air- or water-cooled machine gun fed by a cartridge belt

brown lung -n

  1. byssinosis

brown·nose ['brau̇(n)-,nōz] -vt, n

  1. to ingratiate oneself with : curry favor with

brown·out ['brau̇-,nau̇t] -n

  1. a period of reduced voltage of electricity caused esp. by high demand and resulting in reduced illumination

brown pelican -n

  1. a pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis) of American coasts that has a brownish body and a chiefly white or white with yellow head

brown rat -n

  1. a common domestic rat ( Rattus norvegicus) that has been introduced worldwide called also Norway rat

brown recluse spider -n

  1. a venomous spider ( Loxosceles reclusa) esp. of the southern and central U.S. that has a violin-shaped mark on the cephalothorax and produces a dangerous cytotoxin which can cause necrotic lesions

brown rice -n

  1. hulled but unpolished rice that retains most of the bran layers, endosperm, and germ

brown rot -n

  1. a disease of stone fruits (as peaches) caused by a fungus (genus Moniliniaand esp. M. fructicola)

brown sauce -n

  1. a sauce consisting typically of stock thickened with flour browned in fat

brown·shirt ['brau̇n-,shərt] -n

  1. nazi
  2. storm trooper

brown·stone [-,stōn] -n

  1. a reddish-brown sandstone used for building
  2. a dwelling faced with brownstone

brown study -n

  1. a state of serious absorption or abstraction

brown sugar -n

  1. soft sugar whose crystals are covered by a film of refined dark syrup

Brown Swiss -n

  1. any of a breed of large hardy brown dairy cattle originating in Switzerland

browntail moth ['brau̇n-,tāl-] -n

  1. a European tussock moth ( Euproctis chrysorrhoea) introduced in the U.S. and having larvae which feed on foliage and have hairs irritating to the skin

brown tree snake -n

  1. a large venomous arboreal colubrid snake ( Boiga irregularis) of northern Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands that has been accidentally introduced into other areas (as Guam)

brown trout -n

  1. a speckled European trout ( Salmo trutta) widely introduced as a game fish

brow·ridge ['brau̇-,rij] -n

  1. a prominence of the frontal bone above the eye caused by the projection of the frontal air sinuses

browse ['brau̇z] -vb, adj

  1. to consume as browse
  2. graze
  3. to look over casually : skim
  4. to access (a network) by means of a browser
  5. to feed on or as if on browse
  6. graze
  7. to skim through a book reading passages that catch the eye
  8. to look over or through an aggregate of things casually esp. in search of something of interest
  9. tender shoots, twigs, and leaves of trees and shrubs used by animals for food
  10. an act or instance of browsing

brows·er ['brau̇-zər] -n

  1. one that browses
  2. a computer program used for accessing sites or information on a network (as the World Wide Web)

bru·cel·la [brü-'se-lə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Brucella) of nonmotile pleomorphic bacteria that cause disease in humans and domestic animals

bru·cel·lo·sis [,brü-sə-'lō-səs] -n

  1. infection with or disease caused by brucellae

bru·cine ['brü-,sēn] -n

  1. a poisonous alkaloid C 23H 26N 2O 4found with strychnine esp. in nux vomica

bru·in ['brü-ən] -n

  1. bear

bruise ['brüz] -vb

  1. disable
  2. batter, dent
  3. to inflict a bruise on : contuse
  4. to break down (as leaves or berries) by pounding : crush
  5. wound, injure
  6. to inflict psychological hurt on
    • a bruised ego
  7. to inflict a bruise
  8. to undergo bruising
    • her skin bruise s easily
  9. an injury involving rupture of small blood vessels and discoloration without a break in the overlying skin : contusion
  10. a similar injury to plant tissue
  11. abrasion, scratch
  12. an injury esp. to the feelings

bruis·er ['brü-zər] -n

  1. a big husky man

bruising -adj

  1. arduous, taxing
    • a long and bruising courtroom battle

bruit -n

  1. noise, din
  2. report, rumor
  3. any of several generally abnormal sounds heard on auscultation
  4. report, rumor usu. used with about
    • word of his imminent dismissal was bruit ed about

bru·mal ['brü-məl] -adj

  1. indicative of or occurring in the winter

brum·by ['brəm-bē] -n

  1. a wild or unbroken horse

brume ['brüm] -n, adj

  1. mist, fog

brum·ma·gem ['brə-mi-jəm] -adj, n

  1. spurious
  2. cheaply showy : tawdry

brunch ['brənch] -n

  1. a meal usu. taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch

bru·net [brü-'net] -n

  1. a person having brown or black hair and often a relatively dark complexion spelled brunet when used of a boy or man and usu. brunette when used of a girl or woman

brunet -adj

  1. of a dark brown or black color
    • brunet hair
  2. having brunet hair
    • a brunet woman
    spelled brunet when used of a boy or man and usu. brunette when used of a girl or woman

brung ['briŋ] -vb, n

(variant of bring)

  1. to convey, lead, carry, or cause to come along with one toward the place from which the action is being regarded
  2. : to cause to be, act, or move in a special way: as
  3. attract
    • her screams brought the neighbors
  4. persuade, induce
  5. force, compel
  6. to cause to come into a particular state or condition
    • bring water to a boil
  7. escort, accompany
  8. to bear as an attribute or characteristic
    • bring s years of experience to the position
  9. : to cause to exist or occur: as
  10. to be the occasion of
    • winter bring s snow
  11. to result in
    • the drug brought immediate relief
  12. institute
    • bring legal action
  13. adduce
    • bring an argument
  14. prefer
    • bring charges
  15. to procure in exchange : sell for
  16. yield, produce

Brun·hild ['brün-,hilt] -n

  1. a queen in Germanic legend won by Siegfried for Gunther

Bruns·wick stew ['brənz-(,)wik-] -n

  1. a stew made of vegetables and usu. two meats (as chicken and squirrel)

brunt ['brənt] -n

  1. the principal force, shock, or stress (as of an attack)
  2. the greater part : burden

bru·schet·ta [brü-'she-tə, -'ske-] -n

  1. thick slices of bread grilled, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, often topped with tomatoes and herbs, and usu. served as an appetizer

brush ['brəsh] -n

  1. brushwood
  2. scrub vegetation
  3. land covered with scrub vegetation
  4. a device composed of bristles typically set into a handle and used esp. for sweeping, smoothing, scrubbing, or painting
  5. : something resembling a brush: as
  6. a bushy tail
  7. a feather tuft worn on a hat
  8. an electrical conductor that makes sliding contact between a stationary and a moving part (as of a generator or a motor)
  9. an act of brushing
  10. a quick light touch or momentary contact in passing
  11. to apply a brush to
  12. to apply with a brush
  13. to remove with passing strokes (as of a brush)
  14. to dispose of in an offhand way : dismiss
    • brush ed him off
  15. to pass lightly over or across : touch gently against in passing
  16. a brief encounter or skirmish
    • a brush with disaster
    • a brush with the law
  17. to move lightly or heedlessly
    • brush ed past the well-wishers waiting to greet him

brush·abil·i·ty [,brə-shə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. ease of application with a brush
    • brushability of a paint

brush·back ['brəsh-,bak] -n, vt

  1. a pitch intentionally thrown near the batter's head or body in baseball

brush border -n

  1. a stria of microvilli on the plasma membrane of an epithelial cell (as in a kidney tubule) that is specialized for absorption

brush cut -n

  1. crew cut

brush discharge -n

  1. a faintly luminous relatively slow electrical discharge having no spark

brushed ['brəsht] -adj

  1. finished with a nap
    • a brushed fabric
  2. polished but not shiny
    • brushed aluminum

brush·fire ['brəsh-,fī(-ə)r] -adj

  1. involving mobilization only on a small and local scale
    • brushfire border wars

brush fire -n

  1. a fire involving low-growing plants (as scrub and brush)
  2. a minor conflict or crisis
    • putting out political brush fires

brush·land [-,land] -n

  1. an area covered with brush growth

brushoff [-,ȯf] -n

  1. a quietly curt or disdainful dismissal

brush·stroke [-,strōk] -n

  1. the configuration given to paint by contact with the bristles of a brush
  2. the paint left on a surface by a single application of a brush or palette knife often used figuratively to describe the quality esp. of a narrative or description
    • a story told in broad brushstroke s

brush up ['brəsh-,əp] -vt, n

  1. to improve or polish as if by brushing
  2. to renew one's skill in
    • brush up your Spanish
  3. to refresh one's memory : renew one's skill
    • brush up on math

brush·wood ['brəsh-,wu̇d] -n

  1. wood of small branches esp. when cut or broken
  2. a thicket of shrubs and small trees

brush·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. work done with a brush (as in painting)
  2. the characteristic work of an artist using a brush

brushy ['brə-shē] -adj

  1. covered with or abounding in brush or brushwood
    • brushy hills
    • a brushy habitat
  2. shaggy, rough
    • a brushy moustache

brusque ['brəsk] -adj, adv, n

  1. markedly short and abrupt
  2. blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness

brus·que·rie [,brəs-kə-'rē] -n

  1. abruptness of manner

Brus·sels carpet ['brə-səlz-] -n

  1. a carpet made of colored worsted yarns first fixed in a foundation web of strong linen thread and then drawn up in loops to form the pattern

Brussels griffon -n

  1. any of a breed of short-faced compact rough- or smooth-coated toy dogs of Belgian origin called also griffon

Brussels lace -n

  1. any of various fine needlepoint or bobbin laces with floral designs made orig. in or near Brussels
  2. a machine-made net of hexagonal mesh

brus·sels sprout ['brə-səl-] -n

  1. a plant ( Brassica oleracea gemmifera) of the mustard family that bears small edible green heads on its stem
  2. any of the edible green heads borne on brussels sprouts usu. used in pl.

brut ['brüt, 'brᵫt] -adj, n

  1. very dry
  2. being the driest made by the producer

bru·tal ['brü-tᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. typical of beasts : animal
  2. : befitting a brute: as
  3. grossly ruthless or unfeeling
    • a brutal slander
  4. cruel, cold-blooded
    • a brutal attack
  5. harsh, severe
    • brutal weather
  6. unpleasantly accurate and incisive
    • the brutal truth
  7. very bad or unpleasant
    • a brutal mistake

bru·tal·ise ['brü-tᵊl-,īz] -vt, n

(variant of brutalize)

  1. to make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
    • temperaments brutalized by poverty and disease
  2. to treat brutally
    • an accord not to brutalize prisoners of war

bru·tal·i·ty [brü-'ta-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being brutal
  2. a brutal act or course of action

bru·tal·ize ['brü-tᵊl-,īz] -vt, n

  1. to make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
    • temperaments brutalized by poverty and disease
  2. to treat brutally
    • an accord not to brutalize prisoners of war

brute ['brüt] -adj

  1. of or relating to beasts
    • the ways of the brute world
  2. inanimate
  3. : characteristic of an animal in quality, action, or instinct: as
  4. cruel, savage
    • brute violence
  5. not working by reason
    • brute instinct
  6. purely physical
    • brute strength
    • brute force
  7. unrelievedly harsh
    • brute facts
    • brute necessity
  8. beast
  9. a brutal person

brut·ish ['brü-tish] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast
    • lived a short and brutish life as a slave
  2. strongly and grossly sensual
    • brutish gluttony
  3. showing little intelligence or sensibility
    • a brutish lack of understanding

brux·ism ['brək-,si-zəm] -n

  1. the habit of unconsciously gritting or grinding the teeth esp. in situations of stress or during sleep

Bryn·hild ['brin-,hild] -n

  1. a Valkyrie who is waked from an enchanted sleep by Sigurd and later has him killed when he forgets her

bry·ol·o·gy [brī-'ä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. moss life or biology
  2. a branch of botany that deals with the bryophytes

bry·o·ny ['brī-ə-nē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Bryonia) of tendril-bearing vines of the gourd family with large leaves and red or black fruit

bryo·phyl·lum [,brī-ə-'fi-ləm] -n

  1. kalanchoe

bryo·phyte ['brī-ə-,fīt] -n, adj

  1. any of a division (Bryophyta) of nonflowering plants comprising the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts

bryo·zo·an [,brī-ə-'zō-ən] -n, adj

  1. any of a phylum (Bryozoa) of aquatic mostly marine invertebrate animals that reproduce by budding and usu. form permanently attached branched or mossy colonies

Bry·thon·ic [bri-'thä-nik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the division of the Celtic languages that includes Welsh, Cornish, and Breton

Brythonic -n

  1. the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages