bl -abbr

  1. bale
  2. barrel
  3. black
  4. block
  5. blue

BL -abbr

  1. bachelor of letters
  2. baseline
  3. bill of lading
  4. breadth-length

blab ['blab] -n, adj

  1. one that blabs : tattletale
  2. idle or excessive talk : chatter
  3. to talk idly or thoughtlessly
  4. to reveal a secret esp. by indiscreet chatter
  5. to reveal esp. without reserve or discretion
    • blabbed the whole affair to the press

blab·ber ['bla-bər] -vb

  1. to talk foolishly or excessively
  2. to say indiscreetly

blabber -n

  1. idle talk : babble
  2. a person who blabs

blab·ber·mouth ['bla-bər-,mau̇th] -n

  1. a person who talks too much
  2. tattletale

black ['blak] -adj, adv, n

  1. of the color black
  2. very dark in color
    • his face was black with rage
  3. having a very deep or low register
    • a bass with a black voice
  4. heavy, serious
    • the play was a black intrigue
  5. having dark skin, hair, and eyes : swarthy
    • the black Irish
  6. of or relating to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin
    • black Americans
  7. of or relating to the African-American people or their culture
    • black literature
    • a black college
    • black pride
    • black studies
  8. typical or representative of the most readily perceived characteristics of black culture
    • trying to sound black
    • tried to play black er jazz
  9. dressed in black
  10. dirty, soiled
    • hands black with grime
  11. characterized by the absence of light
    • a black night
  12. reflecting or transmitting little or no light
    • black water
  13. served without milk or cream
    • black coffee
  14. thoroughly sinister or evil : wicked
    • a black deed
  15. indicative of condemnation or discredit
    • got a black mark for being late
  16. connected with or invoking the supernatural and esp. the devil
    • black magic
  17. very sad, gloomy, or calamitous
    • black despair
  18. marked by the occurrence of disaster
    • black Friday
  19. characterized by hostility or angry discontent : sullen
    • black resentment filled his heart
  20. subject to boycott by trade-union members as employing or favoring nonunion workers or as operating under conditions considered unfair by the trade union
  21. conducted so as to appear to originate within an enemy country and designed to weaken enemy morale
  22. characterized by or connected with the use of black propaganda
    • black radio
  23. characterized by grim, distorted, or grotesque satire
    • black humor
  24. of or relating to covert intelligence operations
    • black government programs
  25. a black pigment or dye
  26. one consisting largely of carbon
  27. the achromatic color of least lightness characteristically perceived to belong to objects that neither reflect nor transmit light
  28. : something that is black: as
  29. black clothing
    • looks good in black
  30. a black animal (as a horse)
  31. a person belonging to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin
  32. african-american
  33. the pieces of a dark color in a board game for two players (as chess)
  34. total or nearly total absence of light
    • the black of night
  35. the condition of making a profit usu. used with the
    • operating in the black
  36. to become black
  37. to make black
  38. to declare (as a business or industry) subject to boycott by trade-union members

black alder -n

  1. winterberry

black·a·moor ['bla-kə-,mu̇r] -n

  1. a dark-skinned person
  2. black

blackandblue [,bla-kən-'blü] -adj

  1. darkly discolored from blood effused by bruising

blackandtan [-kən-'tan] -adj

  1. having a predominantly black color pattern with deep red or rusty tan usu. on the feet, breeching, and cheek patches, above the eyes, and inside the ears
  2. favoring or practicing proportional representation of whites and blacks in politics
  3. frequented by both blacks and whites
    • a blackandtan bar

black and tan -n

  1. a black-and-tan animal (as a dog)
  2. a drink consisting of a dark beer (as stout or porter) and ale or beer of a paler color
  3. a recruit enlisted in England in 192021 for service in the Royal Irish Constabulary against the armed movement for Irish independence
  4. a member of a black-and-tan political organization (as in the southern U.S.)

blackandtan coonhound -n

  1. any of a breed of strong vigorous coonhounds of U.S. origin with black-and-tan markings

blackandwhite [,bla-kən-'hwīt, -'wīt] -adj

  1. partly black and partly white in color
  2. being in writing or print
  3. executed in dark pigment on a light background or in light pigment on a dark ground
    • a blackandwhite drawing
  4. monochrome
    • blackandwhite film
    • blackandwhite television
  5. sharply divided into good and evil
  6. evaluating or viewing things as either all good or all bad
    • blackandwhite morality
  7. sharply defined : clear-cut
    • the truth is not always blackandwhite
  8. squad car

black and white -n

  1. writing, print
  2. a drawing or print done in black and white or in monochrome
  3. monochrome reproduction of visual images (as by photography or television)

Black Angus -n

  1. angus

blackavised ['bla-kə-,vīst] -adj

  1. having a dark complexion

black·ball ['blak-,bȯl] -vt

  1. to vote against
  2. to exclude from membership by casting a negative vote
  3. to exclude socially : ostracize
  4. boycott

blackball -n

  1. a small black ball for use as a negative vote in a ballot box
  2. an adverse vote esp. against admitting someone to membership in an organization

black bass -n

  1. any of a genus ( Micropterus) of freshwater sunfishes native to eastern and central No. America and including the largemouth bass and smallmouth bass

black bean -n

  1. a black kidney bean commonly used in Latin American cuisine
  2. a black soybean commonly used usu. fermented in east Asian cuisine

black bear -n

  1. the common No. American bear ( Ursus americanus) ranging in color from brown or typical black to white

black beast -n

  1. bete noire

black belt ['blak-,belt] -n

  1. an area characterized by rich black soil
  2. an area densely populated by blacks
  3. one who holds the rating of expert in various arts of self-defense (as judo and karate)
  4. the rating itself

black·ber·ry ['blak-,ber-ē, -'be-rē] -n

  1. the usu. black or dark purple juicy but seedy edible aggregate fruit of various brambles (genus Rubus) of the rose family
  2. a plant that bears blackberries

black bile -n

  1. a humor of medieval physiology believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause melancholy

black birch -n

  1. sweet birch

black·bird ['blak-,bərd] -n

  1. : any of various birds of which the males are largely or entirely black: as
  2. a common thrush ( Turdus merula) of Eurasia and northern Africa having an orange bill and eye rim
  3. any of several American oscine birds (family Icteridae)
  4. a Pacific islander kidnapped for use as a plantation laborer

blackbird -vi

  1. to engage in the slave trade esp. in the So. Pacific

black·bird·er -n

  1. a person who blackbirds
  2. a ship used in blackbirding

black·board ['blak-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a hard smooth usu. dark surface used esp. in a classroom for writing or drawing on with chalk

black·body ['blak-'bä-dē] -n

  1. an ideal body or surface that completely absorbs all radiant energy falling upon it with no reflection and that radiates at all frequencies with a spectral energy distribution dependent on its absolute temperature

black book -n

  1. a book containing a blacklist

black box -n

  1. a usu. complicated electronic device whose internal mechanism is usu. hidden from or mysterious to the user
  2. anything that has mysterious or unknown internal functions or mechanisms
  3. a crashworthy device in aircraft for recording cockpit conversations and flight data
  4. being or containing a warning of a serious or life-threatening side effect (as stroke or muscle damage) that is highlighted by a black border on a prescription drug's label or accompanying literature

black·buck ['blak-,bək] -n

  1. an antelope ( Antilope cervicapra) native to India and adjacent regions in which the male has spirally twisted horns and a chiefly dark brown coat and the female a chiefly yellowish-fawn coat

black·cap ['blak-,kap] -n

  1. : any of several birds with black heads or crowns: as
  2. a small gray European warbler ( Sylvia atricapilla) with a black crown
  3. chickadee
  4. black raspberry

blackcapped [-'kapt] -adj

  1. having the top of the head black

Black Carib -n

  1. garifuna

black cherry -n

  1. a large cherry ( Prunus serotina) of eastern and central No. America having drooping clusters of small white flowers and astringent black or dark purple fruits
  2. the fruit
  3. the strong reddish-brown wood of the black cherry used esp. for cabinetwork

black·cock [-,käk] -n

  1. black grouse
  2. the male black grouse

black cod -n

  1. a large gray to blackish bony fish ( Anoplopoma fimbriaof the family Anoplomatidae) of the Pacific coast that is an important food fish and has a liver rich in vitamins called also sablefish

black cohosh -n

  1. a bugbane ( Cimicifuga racemosa) of the eastern U.S.

black crappie -n

  1. a silvery black-mottled sunfish ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus) of eastern and central No. America having seven or eight protruding spines on the dorsal fins

blackcrowned night heron ['blak-,krau̇nd-] -n

  1. a widely distributed night heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax) having a black crown and back, gray wings, and white underparts

black currant -n

  1. a European perennial currant ( Ribes nigrum) bearing aromatic edible black berries that are used esp. in flavoring liqueur (as cassis)
  2. the fruit

black damp -n

  1. a carbon dioxide mixture occurring as a mine gas and incapable of supporting life or flame

black death -n

  1. plague
  2. a severe epidemic of plague and esp. bubonic plague that occurred in Asia and Europe in the 14th century

black diamond -n

  1. dense black hematite
  2. coal
  3. carbonado

black duck -n

  1. any of several ducks that are dark in color
  2. a common brown duck ( Anas rubripes) of eastern No. America

black dwarf -n

  1. a very small cooled remnant of white dwarf that emits no detectable light

black·en ['bla-kən] -vb, n

  1. to become dark or black
    • the sky blacken s
  2. to make black
  3. defame, sully
    • blacken ed her reputation

black·ened [-kənd] -adj

  1. coated with a mixture of spices (as garlic powder and cayenne pepper) and fried over extremely high heat

Black English -n

  1. a nonstandard variety of English spoken by some African-Americans called also Black English vernacular

black·en·ing ['blak-niŋ, 'bla-kə-] -n

  1. blacking

black eye -n

  1. a discoloration of the skin around the eye from bruising
  2. defeat, setback
  3. a bad reputation

blackeyed pea ['blak-,īd-] -n

  1. cowpea

blackeyed Su·san [-'sü-zᵊn] -n

  1. a No. American coneflower ( Rudbeckia hirtasyn. R. serotina) having flower heads with deep yellow to orange rays and dark conical disks

black·face ['blak-,fās] -n

  1. makeup applied to a performer playing a black person esp. in a minstrel show
  2. a performer wearing such makeup

black·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. : any of numerous dark-colored fishes: as
  2. tautog
  3. a small bony fish ( Dallia pectoralisof the family Umbridae) of Alaska and Siberia that is used for food and is noted for its resistance to cold
  4. any of several small toothed whales
  5. pilot whale

blackflag [-'flag] -vt

  1. to signal (a race-car driver) to go immediately to the pits

black flag -n

  1. a pirate's flag usu. bearing a skull and crossbones

black·fly ['blak-,flī] -n

  1. any of various small dark-colored insects
  2. any of a family (Simuliidae and esp. genus Simulium) of bloodsucking dipteran flies whose larvae usu. live in flowing streams

Black·foot ['blak-,fu̇t] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan
  2. the Algonquian language of the Blackfeet

blackfoot·ed albatross ['blak-,fu̇-təd-] -n

  1. an albatross ( Diomedea nigripes) of the Pacific that is chiefly blackish with dusky bill and black feet and legs called also gooney

blackfooted ferret -n

  1. a rare weasel ( Mustela nigripes) of western No. American prairies having a yellowish coat, dark feet and facial mask, and a dark-tipped tail

black gold -n

  1. petroleum

black grouse -n

  1. a large grouse ( Tetrao tetrixsyn. Lyrurus tetrix) of western Asia and Europe of which the male is black with white wing patches and the female is barred and mottled

black·guard ['bla-gərd, -,gärd; 'blak-,gärd] -n, adj or adv

  1. the kitchen servants of a household
  2. a rude or unscrupulous person
  3. a person who uses foul or abusive language

blackguard -vt

  1. to talk about or address in abusive terms

black gum -n

  1. a tupelo ( Nyssa sylvatica) of the eastern U.S. with light and soft but tough wood

black hand ['blak-,han-dər] -n

  1. a lawless secret society engaged in criminal activities (as terrorism or extortion)

black·head ['blak-,hed] -n

  1. a small plug of sebum blocking the duct of a sebaceous gland esp. on the face
  2. a destructive disease of turkeys and related birds caused by a protozoan ( Histomonas meleagridis) that invades the intestinal ceca and liver
  3. a larval clam or mussel attached to the skin or gills of a freshwater fish

black·heart [-,härt] -n

  1. a plant disease in which the central tissues blacken

black hole -n

  1. a celestial object that has a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape it and that is believed to be created esp. in the collapse of a very massive star
  2. : something resembling a black hole: as
  3. something that consumes a resource continually
    • a financial black hole
  4. an empty space : void

black ice -n

  1. a nearly transparent film of ice on a dark surface (as a paved road or a body of water) that is difficult to see

black·ing ['bla-kiŋ] -n

  1. a substance (as a paste or polish) that is applied to an object to make it black

black·jack [-,jak] -n

  1. a tankard for beer or ale usu. of tar-coated leather
  2. sphalerite
  3. a hand weapon typically consisting of a piece of leather-enclosed metal with a strap or springy shaft for a handle
  4. an often scrubby oak ( Quercus marilandica) chiefly of the southeastern U.S. called also blackjack oak
  5. a card game the object of which is to be dealt cards having a higher count than those of the dealer up to but not exceeding 21 called also twenty-one vingt-et-un

blackjack -vt

  1. to strike with a blackjack
  2. to coerce with threats or pressure

black·land ['blak-,land] -n

  1. a heavy sticky black soil such as that covering large areas in Texas
  2. a region of blackland

black·lead ['blak-,led] -n

  1. graphite

black·leg ['blak-,leg, -,lāg] -n

  1. a usu. fatal toxemia esp. of young cattle caused by a soil bacterium ( Clostridium chauvoei)
  2. a cheating gambler : swindler
  3. a worker hostile to trade unionism or acting in opposition to union policies : scab

blacklegged tick ['blak-'legd-, -'lāgd-; -'le-gəd-, -'lā-] -n

  1. : either of two ixodid ticks:
  2. deer tick
  3. a tick ( Ixodes pacificus) of the western U.S. and British Columbia that is the vector of several diseases (as Lyme disease)

black letter -n

  1. a heavy angular condensed typeface used esp. by the earliest European printers and based on handwriting used chiefly in the 13th to 15th centuries
  2. this style of handwriting

black light -n

  1. invisible ultraviolet light
  2. a lamp that radiates black light

black·light trap ['blak-,līt-] -n

  1. a trap for insects that uses a form of black light perceptible to particular insects as an attractant

black·list [-,list] -n

  1. a list of persons who are disapproved of or are to be punished or boycotted

blacklist -vt, n

  1. to put on a blacklist

black locust -n

  1. a tall tree ( Robinia pseudoacacia) of eastern No. America with pinnately compound leaves, drooping racemes of fragrant white flowers, and strong stiff wood

black lung -n

  1. pneumoconiosis caused by habitual inhalation of coal dust

black·mail ['blak-,mā(ə)l] -n, vt

  1. a tribute anciently exacted on the Scottish border by plundering chiefs in exchange for immunity from pillage
  2. extortion or coercion by threats esp. of public exposure or criminal prosecution
  3. the payment that is extorted

Black Ma·ria [,blak-mə-'rī-ə] -n

  1. paddy wagon

blackmar·ket [-,mär-kə-'tir] -vi, n

  1. to buy or sell goods in the black market
  2. to sell in the black market

black market -n

  1. illicit trade in goods or commodities in violation of official regulations
  2. a place where such trade is carried on

Black Mass -n

  1. a travesty of the Christian Mass ascribed to worshipers of Satan

Black Muslim -n

  1. a member of a chiefly black group that professes Islamic religious belief

black nationalist -n

  1. a member of a group of militant blacks who advocate separatism from the whites and the formation of self-governing black communities

blackonblack -adj

  1. involving a black person against another black person
    • blackonblack crime

black·out ['blak-,au̇t] -n

  1. a turning off of the stage lighting to separate scenes in a play or end a play or skit
  2. a skit that ends with a blackout
  3. a period of darkness enforced as a precaution against air raids
  4. a period of darkness (as in a city) caused by a failure of electrical power
  5. a transient dulling or loss of vision, consciousness, or memory
    • an alcoholic blackout
  6. a wiping out : obliteration
  7. a blotting out by censorship : suppression
    • a news blackout
  8. a usu. temporary loss of a radio signal
  9. the prohibition or restriction of the telecasting of a sports event
  10. a time during which a special commercial offer (as of tickets) is not valid usu. used attributively
    • blackout dates

black out -vt

  1. to suppress by censorship
    • black out the news
  2. blot out, erase
    • blacked out the event from his mind
  3. to envelop in darkness
    • black out the stage
  4. to make inoperative (as by a power failure)
  5. to impose a blackout on
    • blacked out the local game
  6. to become enveloped in darkness
  7. to undergo a temporary loss of vision, consciousness, or memory

Black Panther -n

  1. a member of an organization of militant American blacks

black pepper -n

  1. a spice that consists of the dried berry of an Indian vine ground with the black husk still on
  2. the plant ( Piper nigrum) that yields black pepper

black·poll ['blak-,pōl] -n

  1. a No. American warbler ( Dendroica striata) with the male having a black cap when in breeding plumage

black powder -n

  1. an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur used esp. in fireworks and as a propellant in antique firearms

black power -n

  1. the mobilization of the political and economic power of American blacks esp. to compel respect for their rights and improve their condition

black pudding -n

  1. blood sausage

black racer -n

  1. : either of two common black colubrid snakes of the U.S.:
  2. a snake ( Coluber constrictor constrictor) chiefly of the eastern U.S.
  3. a snake ( C. constrictor priapus) of the southeastern U.S.

black raspberry -n

  1. a raspberry ( Rubus occidentalis) of eastern No. America that has a purplish-black fruit and is the source of several cultivated varieties called also blackcap

black rhinoceros -n

  1. a rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis) of sub-Saharan Africa having a prehensile upper lip that protrudes in the middle called also black rhino

Black Rod -n

  1. the principal usher of the House of Lords

black rot -n

  1. a bacterial or fungal rot of plants marked by dark brown discoloration

black sheep -n

  1. a disfavored or disreputable member of a group

Black·shirt ['blak-,shərt] -n

  1. a member of a fascist organization having a black shirt as a distinctive part of its uniform
  2. a member of the Italian Fascist party

black·smith ['blak-,smith] -n

  1. a smith who forges iron

black smoker -n

  1. a vent in a geologically active region of the sea floor from which issues superheated water laden with minerals (as sulfide precipitates)
  2. a rock chimney covering such a vent

black·snake [-,snāk] -n

  1. : any of several snakes that are largely black or very dark in color: as
  2. a black racer ( Coluber constrictor constrictor)
  3. a rat snake ( Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)
  4. a long tapering braided whip of rawhide or leather

black spot -n

  1. any of several bacterial or fungal diseases of plants characterized by black spots or blotches esp. on the leaves

black spruce -n

  1. a widely distributed spruce ( Picea mariana) of northern No. America that grows chiefly in moist soils and bogs

black·strap molasses ['blak-,strap-] -n

  1. a thick dark molasses obtained from successive processing of raw sugar

black swallowtail -n

  1. a usu. dark-colored New World swallowtail ( Papilio polyxenes) having yellow spots on the wing margins and a black spot centered within a larger orange spot on the hindwing inner edge

black·tail ['blak-,tāl] -n

  1. black-tailed deer

blacktailed deer ['blak-,tāl(d)-] -n

  1. mule deer
  2. one of a subspecies ( Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) esp. of British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington

black tea -n

  1. tea that is dark in color from complete fermentation of the leaf before firing

black·thorn ['blak-,thȯrn] -n

  1. a European spiny plum ( Prunus spinosa) with hard wood and small white flowers

blacktie -adj

  1. characterized by or requiring the wearing of semiformal evening clothes consisting of a usu. black tie and tuxedo for men and a formal dress for women
    • a blacktie dinner

black tie -n

  1. semiformal clothing
    • gentlemen in black tie for the banquet

black·top ['blak-,täp] -n, vt

  1. a bituminous material used esp. for surfacing roads
  2. a surface paved with blacktop

Blackwall hitch ['blak-,wȯl-] -n

  1. a hitch knot for securing a rope to a hook

black walnut -n

  1. a walnut ( Juglans nigra) of eastern No. America with hard strong heavy dark brown wood and oily edible nuts
  2. its wood or nut

black·wa·ter ['blak-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n

  1. any of several diseases (as blackwater fever) characterized by dark-colored urine

blackwater fever -n

  1. a febrile complication of repeated malarial attacks that is characterized esp. by extensive kidney damage and urine discolored by heme from blood

black widow -n

  1. a venomous New World spider ( Latrodectus mactans) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen

black·wood ['blak-,wu̇d] -n

  1. any of several hardwood trees (as Acacia melanoxylonand Dalbergia latifoliaof the legume family) or their dark-colored wood

blad·der ['bla-dər] -n, adj

  1. a membranous sac in animals that serves as the receptacle of a liquid or contains gas
  2. urinary bladder
  3. cyst
  4. something (as the rubber bag inside a football) resembling a bladder

bladder campion -n

  1. an Old World campion ( Silene vulgarissyn. S. cucubalus) with an inflated calyx introduced into temperate No. America

blad·der·nut ['bla-dər-,nət] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Staphyleaof the family Staphyleaceae, the bladdernut family) of ornamental shrubs or small trees with panicles of small white flowers followed by inflated capsules
  2. one of the capsules

bladder worm -n

  1. a bladderlike larval tapeworm (as a cysticercus)

blad·der·wort ['bla-dər-,wərt, -,wȯrt] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Utriculariaof the family Lentibulariaceae, the bladderwort family) of chiefly aquatic plants with leaves usu. having insect-trapping bladders

bladder wrack -n

  1. a common rockweed ( Fucus vesiculosus) used in preparing kelp and as a manure

blade ['blād] -n, adj

  1. leaf
  2. the leaf of an herb or a grass
  3. the flat expanded part of a leaf as distinguished from the petiole
  4. : something resembling the blade of a leaf: as
  5. the broad flattened part of an oar or paddle
  6. an arm of a screw propeller, electric fan, or steam turbine
  7. the broad flat or concave part of a machine (as a bulldozer or snowplow) that comes into contact with the material to be moved
  8. a broad flat body part
  9. scapula used chiefly in naming cuts of meat
  10. the flat portion of the tongue immediately behind the tip
  11. this portion together with the tip
  12. the cutting part of an implement
  13. sword
  14. swordsman
  15. a dashing lively man
  16. the runner of an ice skate
  17. to skate on in-line skates

blad·ed ['blā-dəd] -adj

  1. having blades often used in combination
    • 5- bladed propeller

blae ['blā] -adj

  1. dark blue or bluish gray

blae·ber·ry ['blā-,ber-ē, -,b(ə-)rē] -n

  1. bilberry

blah ['blä] -n

  1. silly or pretentious chatter or nonsense
  2. a feeling of boredom, lethargy, or general dissatisfaction
  3. lacking interest : mediocre, boring
    • a blah winter day

blain ['blān] -n

  1. an inflammatory swelling or sore

blam·able ['blā-mə-bəl] -adj, adv

  1. deserving blame : reprehensible

blame ['blām] -vt, n

  1. to find fault with : censure
    • the right to praise or blame a literary work
  2. to hold responsible
    • they blame me for everything
  3. to place responsibility for
    • blame s it on me
  4. an expression of disapproval or reproach : censure
  5. a state of being blameworthy : culpability
  6. fault, sin
  7. responsibility for something believed to deserve censure
    • they must share the blame

blame·ful ['blām-fəl] -adj, adv

  1. blamable

blame·wor·thy [-,wər-thē] -adj, n

  1. being at fault : deserving blame

blanc de chine [,bläⁿ-də-'shēn] -n

  1. white Chinese porcelain usu. used for making figurines

blanch ['blanch] -vb, n

  1. : to take the color out of: as
  2. to bleach by excluding light
  3. to scald or parboil in water or steam in order to remove the skin from, whiten, or stop enzymatic action in (as food for freezing)
  4. to make ashen or pale
    • fear blanch es the cheek
  5. to become white or pale

blanc·mange [blə-'mänj, -'mäⁿzh] -n

  1. a usu. sweetened and flavored dessert made from gelatinous or starchy ingredients and milk

bland ['bland] -adj, adv, n

  1. smooth and soothing in manner or quality
    • a bland smile
  2. exhibiting no personal concern or embarrassment : unperturbed
    • a bland confession of guilt
  3. not irritating, stimulating, or invigorating : soothing
  4. dull, insipid
    • bland stories with little plot or action

blan·dish ['blan-dish] -vb, n

  1. to coax with flattery : cajole
  2. to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner

blan·dish·ment [-dish-mənt] -n

  1. something that tends to coax or cajole : allurement often used in pl.

blank ['blaŋk] -adj, adv, n

  1. colorless
  2. appearing or causing to appear dazed, confounded, or nonplussed
    • stared in blank dismay
  3. expressionless
    • a blank stare
  4. devoid of covering or content
  5. free from writing or marks
    • blank paper
  6. having spaces to be filled in
  7. lacking interest, variety, or change
    • blank hours
  8. absolute, unqualified
    • a blank refusal
  9. unfinished
  10. having a plain or unbroken surface where an opening is usual
    • a blank key
    • a blank arch
  11. the bull's-eye of a target
  12. an empty space (as on a paper)
  13. a paper with spaces for the entry of data
    • an order blank
  14. a piece of material prepared to be made into something (as a key) by a further operation
  15. a cartridge loaded with propellant and a seal but no projectile
  16. an empty or featureless place or space
    • my mind was a blank
  17. a vacant or uneventful period
    • a long blank in history
  18. a dash substituting for an omitted word
  19. obscure, obliterate
    • blank out a line
  20. to stop access to : seal
    • blank off a tunnel
  21. to keep (an opponent) from scoring
    • were blank ed for eight innings
  22. fade usu. used with out
    • the music blank ed out
  23. to become confused or abstracted often used with out
    • his mind blank ed out momentarily

blank check -n

  1. complete freedom of action or control : carte blanche
  2. a signed check with the amount unspecified

blan·ket ['blaŋ-kət] -n, adj

  1. a large usu. oblong piece of woven fabric used as a bed covering
  2. a similar piece of fabric used as a body covering (as for an animal)
    • a horse blanket
  3. something that resembles a blanket
    • a blanket of fog
    • a blanket of gloom
  4. a rubber or plastic sheet on the cylinder in an offset press that transfers the image to the surface being printed

blanket -vt

  1. to cover with or as if with a blanket
    • new grass blanket s the slope
  2. to cover so as to obscure, interrupt, suppress, or extinguish
    • blanket a fire with foam
  3. to interrupt the smooth flow of wind to (as a downwind ship)
  4. to apply or cause to apply to uniformly despite wide separation or diversity among the elements included
    • freight rates that blanket a region
  5. to cause to be included
    • automatically blanket ed into the insurance program
  6. covering all members of a group or class
    • a blanket wage increase
  7. effective or applicable in all instances

blanket chest -n

  1. a piece of furniture with a hinged lid, a deep well, and usu. one or two drawers underneath

blan·ket·flow·er ['blaŋ-kət-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. gaillardia

blanket stitch -n, vt

  1. a buttonhole stitch with spaces of variable width used on materials too thick to hem

blank slate -n

  1. tabula rasa

blank verse -n

  1. unrhymed verse
  2. unrhymed iambic pentameter verse

blan·quette [bläⁿ-'ket] -n

  1. a stew of light meat or seafood in a white sauce
    • blanquette of veal
    • blanquette of lobster

blare ['bler] -vb

  1. to sound loud and strident
    • radios blaring
  2. to sound or utter raucously
    • sat blaring the car horn
  3. to proclaim flamboyantly
    • headlines blared his defeat
  4. a loud strident noise
  5. dazzling often garish brilliance
  6. flamboyance

blar·ney ['blär-nē] -n, vb

  1. skillful flattery : blandishment
  2. nonsense, humbug

bla·se [blä-'zā] -adj

  1. apathetic to pleasure or excitement as a result of excessive indulgence or enjoyment : world-weary
  2. sophisticated, worldly-wise
  3. unconcerned

blas·pheme [blas-'fēm, 'blas-,] -vb, n

  1. to speak of or address with irreverence
  2. revile, abuse
  3. to utter blasphemy

blas·phe·mous ['blas-fə-məs] -adj, adv, n

  1. impiously irreverent : profane

blas·phe·my ['blas-fə-mē] -n

  1. the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God
  2. the act of claiming the attributes of deity
  3. irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

blast ['blast] -n

  1. a violent gust of wind
  2. the effect or accompaniment (as sleet) of such a gust
  3. the sound produced by an impulsion of air through a wind instrument or whistle
  4. : something resembling a gust of wind: as
  5. a stream of air or gas forced through a hole
  6. a vehement outburst
  7. the continuous blowing to which a charge of ore or metal is subjected in a blast furnace
  8. a sudden pernicious influence or effect
    • the blast of a huge epidemic
  9. a disease of plants marked by the formation of destructive lesions on leaves and inflorescences
  10. an explosion or violent detonation
  11. the shock wave of an explosion
  12. a forceful hit (as in baseball) or shot (as in soccer or golf)
  13. home run
  14. speed, capacity, operation
    • go full blast
    • in full blast
  15. an enjoyably exciting experience, occasion, or event
    • I had a blast
  16. party
  17. blare
    • music blast ing from the radio
  18. to make a vigorous attack
  19. to use an explosive
  20. shoot
  21. to hit a golf ball out of a sand trap with explosive force
  22. to proceed rapidly or aggressively
    • blast ing down the ski slope
  23. to injure by or as if by the action of wind
  24. blight
  25. to shatter by or as if by an explosive
  26. to remove, open, or form by or as if by an explosive
  27. shoot
  28. to attack vigorously
  29. to cause to blast off
    • will blast themselves from the moon's surface
  30. to hit vigorously and effectively
    • blast ed a home run
  31. to play loudly
    • blast ing rock music on the stereo

blast- -comb form

  1. bud : budding : germ
    • blasto disc
    • blast ula

blast·ed -adj

  1. damaged by or as if by an explosive, lightning, wind, or supernatural force
    • upon this blasted heath -- Shak.
    • a blasted apple tree
  2. damned, detestable
    • this blasted weather
  3. intoxicated from drugs or alcohol

blas·te·ma [bla-'stē-mə] -n, adj

  1. a mass of undifferentiated cells capable of growth and differentiation

blast furnace -n

  1. a furnace in which combustion is forced by a current of air under pressure
  2. one for the reduction of iron ore

blast·ie ['blas-tē] -n

  1. an ugly little creature

blasting cap -n

  1. a small explosive device that is combined with a fuse to detonate a larger explosive

blast·ment ['blas(t)-mənt] -n

  1. a blighting influence

blas·to·coel ['blas-tə-,sēl] -n, adj

  1. the fluid-filled cavity of a blastula

blas·to·cyst ['blas-tə-,sist] -n

  1. the modified blastula of a placental mammal having an outer layer composed of the trophoblast

blas·to·derm [-,dərm] -n

  1. a blastodisc after completion of cleavage and formation of the blastocoel

blas·to·der·mic vesicle ['blas-tə-,dər-mik-] -n

  1. blastocyst

blas·to·disc ['blas-tə-,disk] -n

  1. the embryo-forming portion of an egg with discoidal cleavage usu. appearing as a small disc on the upper surface of the yolk mass

blast·off ['blast-,ȯf] -n

  1. a blasting off (as of a rocket)

blast off -vi

  1. take off used esp. of rocket-propelled missiles and vehicles

blas·to·mere ['blas-tə-,mir] -n

  1. one of the cells that are produced during cleavage of a zygote and that form the morula

blas·to·my·co·sis [,blas-tə-,mī-'kō-səs] -n

  1. any of several fungal infections
  2. an infectious disease caused by a yeast fungus ( Blastomyces dermititidis) that affects esp. the lungs and skin

blas·to·pore ['blas-tə-,pȯr] -n, adj

  1. the opening of the archenteron

blas·to·spore ['blas-tə-,spȯr] -n

  1. a fungal spore produced by budding

blas·tu·la ['blas-chə-lə] -n

  1. an early metazoan embryo typically having the form of a hollow fluid-filled rounded cavity bounded by a single layer of cells

blat ['blat] -vb, n

  1. to cry like a calf or sheep : bleat
  2. to make a raucous noise
  3. blab
  4. to utter loudly or foolishly : blurt

bla·tan·cy ['blā-tᵊn(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being blatant
  2. something that is blatant

bla·tant ['blā-tᵊnt] -adj, adv

  1. noisy esp. in a vulgar or offensive manner : clamorous
  2. completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive esp. in a crass or offensive manner : brazen
    • blatant disregard for the rules

blate ['blāt] -adj

  1. timid, sheepish

blath·er ['bla-thər] -vi, n

  1. to talk foolishly at length often used with on

blather -n

  1. voluble nonsensical or inconsequential talk or writing
  2. stir, commotion

blath·er·skite ['bla-thər-,skīt] -n

  1. a person who blathers a lot
  2. nonsense, blather

blat·ter ['bla-tər] -vi

  1. to talk noisily and fast

blaw ['blȯ] -vb

  1. blow

blax·ploi·ta·tion [,blak-(,)splȯi-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the exploitation of blacks by producers of black-oriented films
    • blaxploitation movies

blaze ['blāz] -n

  1. an intensely burning fire
  2. intense direct light often accompanied by heat
    • the blaze of TV lights
  3. an active burning
  4. a sudden bursting forth of flame
  5. : something that resembles the blaze of a fire: as
  6. a dazzling display
    • a blaze of color
  7. a sudden outburst
    • a blaze of fury
    • went down in a blaze of glory
  8. hell
    • go to blaze s
    • as hot as blaze s
  9. to burn brightly
    • the sun blazed overhead
  10. to flare up : flame
    • inflation blazed up
  11. to be conspicuously brilliant or resplendent
    • fields blazing with flowers
  12. to shoot rapidly and repeatedly usu. used with away
  13. to proceed extremely rapidly : blast
    • blazing down the highway
  14. to make public or conspicuous
  15. a usu. white stripe down the center of the face of an animal
  16. a white or gray streak in the hair of the head
  17. a trail marker
  18. a mark made on a tree by chipping off a piece of the bark
  19. to mark (as a trail) with blazes
  20. to lead in some direction or activity
    • blaze new trails in education

blaze orange -n

  1. a very bright orange used in clothing esp. by hunters for visibility

blaz·er ['blā-zər] -n, adj

  1. one that blazes
  2. a sports jacket often with notched collar and patch pockets

blaz·ing -adj, adv

  1. of outstanding power, speed, heat, or intensity
    • blazing eyes
    • a blazing fastball
    • blazing gunfire

blazing star -n

  1. comet
  2. : any of various plants having conspicuous flower clusters or star-shaped flowers: as
  3. any of a genus ( Liatris) of No. American composite herbs with spikes of rosy-purple rayless flowers called also button snakeroot
  4. any of several No. American rough-leaved herbs (genus Mentzeliaof the family Losaceae)

bla·zon ['blā-zᵊn] -n

  1. armorial bearings : coat of arms
  2. the proper description or representation of heraldic or armorial bearings
  3. ostentatious display

blazon ['blāz-niŋ; 'blā-zᵊn-iŋ] -vt, n

  1. to publish widely : proclaim
  2. to describe (heraldic or armorial bearings) in technical terms
  3. to represent (armorial bearings) in drawing or engraving
  4. display
  5. deck, adorn
    • the town was blazon ed with flags

bla·zon·ry ['blā-zᵊn-rē] -n

  1. blazon
  2. blazon
  3. a dazzling display

bld -abbr

  1. blond
  2. blood

bldg -abbr

  1. building

bldr -abbr

  1. builder

bleach ['blēch] -vb, adj

  1. to remove color or stains from
  2. to make whiter or lighter esp. by physical or chemical removal of color
    • bleach clothing
    • the sun had bleach ed her hair
  3. to remove, make dull, or sanitize as if by removing color
    • bleach es colonialism of its genocidal legacy -- H. A. Giroux
  4. to grow white or lose color
  5. to expel symbiotic zooxanthellae exposing a white skeleton
  6. the act or process of bleaching
  7. a preparation used in bleaching
  8. the degree of whiteness obtained by bleaching

bleach·er ['blē-chər] -n

  1. one that bleaches or is used in bleaching
  2. a usu. uncovered stand of tiered planks providing seating for spectators usu. used in pl.

bleaching powder -n

  1. a white powder consisting chiefly of calcium hydroxide, calcium chloride, and calcium hypochlorite and used as a bleach, disinfectant, or deodorant

bleak ['blēk] -adj, adv, n

  1. exposed and barren and often windswept
  2. cold, raw
    • a bleak November evening
  3. lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness : grim
  4. not hopeful or encouraging : depressing
    • a bleak outlook
  5. severely simple or austere

blear ['blir] -vt

  1. to make (the eyes) sore or watery
  2. dim, blur
  3. dim with water or tears
  4. obscure to the view or imagination

bleareyed [-,īd] -adj

  1. bleary-eyed

bleary ['blir-ē] -adj, adv, n

  1. dull or dimmed esp. from fatigue or sleep
  2. poorly outlined or defined : dim
    • a bleary view
  3. very tired
    • bleary travelers

blearyeyed [-,īd] -adj

  1. having the eyes dimmed and watery (as from fatigue, drink, or emotion)

bleat ['blēt, Northern also 'blat, Southern usu 'blāt] -vb, n

  1. to make the natural cry of a sheep or goat
  2. to utter a similar sound
  3. whimper
  4. to talk complainingly or with a whine
  5. blather
  6. to utter in a bleating manner
  7. the cry of a sheep or goat
  8. a similar sound
    • the bleat of a cell phone
  9. a feeble outcry, protest, or complaint

bleb ['bleb] -n, adj

  1. a small blister
  2. bubble
  3. a small particle
  4. something resembling a bleb
  5. a vesicular outgrowth of a plasma or nuclear membrane

bleed ['blēd] -vb

  1. to emit or lose blood
  2. to sacrifice one's blood esp. in battle
  3. to feel anguish, pain, or sympathy
    • a heart that bleed s at a friend's misfortune
  4. to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)
  5. to spread into or through something gradually : seep
    • foreign policy bleed s into economic policy -- J. B. Judis
  6. to give up some constituent (as sap or dye) by exuding or diffusing it
  7. to pay out or give money
  8. to have money extorted
  9. to be printed so as to run off one or more edges of the page after trimming
  10. to remove or draw blood from
  11. to get or extort money from esp. over a prolonged period
  12. to draw sap from (a tree)
  13. to extract or let out some or all of a contained substance from
    • bleed a brake line
  14. to extract or cause to escape from a container
  15. to diminish gradually usu. used with off
    • a pilot bleed ing off airspeed
  16. to lose rapidly and uncontrollably
    • the company was bleed ing money
  17. sap
    • cost overruns...bleed other programs -- Alex Roland
  18. to cause (as a printed illustration) to bleed
  19. printed matter (as an illustration) that bleeds
  20. the part of a bleed trimmed off
  21. the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage

bleed·er -n

  1. one that bleeds
  2. hemophiliac
  3. rotter
  4. bloke

bleed·ing ['blē-diŋ, -dᵊn] -adj or adv

  1. bloody used as an intensive

bleeding heart -n

  1. a garden plant ( Dicentra spectabilis) of the fumitory family with racemes of usu. deep pink or white drooping heart-shaped flowers
  2. any of several plants (genus Dicentra)
  3. a person who shows extravagant sympathy esp. for an object of alleged persecution

bleep ['blēp] -n

  1. a short high-pitched sound (as from electronic equipment)
  2. used in place of an obscene or vulgar expletive
  3. blip
  4. used in place of an expletive

blem·ish ['ble-mish] -vt

  1. to spoil by a flaw

blemish -n

  1. a noticeable imperfection
  2. one that seriously impairs appearance

blench ['blench] -vi

  1. to draw back or turn aside from lack of courage : flinch
  2. bleach, whiten

blend ['blend] -vb

  1. mix
  2. to combine or associate so that the separate constituents or the line of demarcation cannot be distinguished
  3. to prepare by thoroughly intermingling different varieties or grades
  4. to mingle intimately or unobtrusively
  5. to combine into an integrated whole
  6. to produce a harmonious effect
  7. : something produced by blending: as
  8. a product prepared by blending
  9. a word (as brunch) produced by combining other words or parts of words
  10. a group of two or more consecutive consonants that begin a syllable

blende ['blend] -n

  1. sphalerite

blended family -n

  1. a family that includes children of a previous marriage of one spouse or both

blended whiskey -n

  1. whiskey blended from two or more straight whiskeys or from whiskey and neutral spirits

blend·er ['blen-dər] -n

  1. one that blends
  2. an electric appliance for grinding or mixing
    • a food blender

blending inheritance -n

  1. the expression in offspring of phenotypic characters (as pink flower color from red and white parents) intermediate between those of the parents
  2. inheritance in a now discarded theory in which the genetic material of offspring was held to be a uniform blend of that of the parents

blen·ny ['ble-nē] -n

  1. any of numerous usu. small and elongated marine fishes (esp. families Blenniidae and Clinidae) including scaled and scaleless forms

blephar- -comb form

  1. eyelid
    • blepharo spasm
  2. cilium : flagellum
    • blepharo plast

bleph·a·ro·plast ['ble-fə-rō-,plast] -n

  1. a basal body esp. of a flagellated cell

bleph·a·ro·plas·ty [-,plas-tē] -n

  1. plastic surgery on the eyelid esp. to remove fatty or excess tissue

bleph·a·ro·spasm [-,spa-zəm] -n

  1. spasmodic winking of the eyelids due to contraction of the muscle encircling the orbit

bles·bok ['bles-,bäk] -n

  1. a So. African antelope ( Damaliscus dorcassyn. D. pygargus) having a large white patch down the center of the face

bless ['bles] -vt

  1. to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
  2. to hallow with the sign of the cross
  3. to invoke divine care for
    • bless your heart
    used in the phrase bless you to wish good health esp. to one who has just sneezed
  4. praise, glorify
    • bless his holy name
  5. to speak well of : approve
  6. to confer prosperity or happiness upon
  7. protect, preserve
  8. endow, favor
    • bless ed with athletic ability

bless·ed ['ble-səd] -adj, adv, n

  1. held in reverence : venerated
    • the blessed saints
  2. honored in worship : hallowed
    • the blessed Trinity
  3. beatific
    • a blessed visitation
  4. of or enjoying happiness
  5. enjoying the bliss of heaven used as a title for a beatified person
  6. bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune
  7. used as an intensive
    • never had one blessed minute of instruction -- Charles Scribner Jr.

Bless·ed Sacrament ['ble-səd-] -n

  1. the Communion elements
  2. the consecrated host

bless·ing -n

  1. the act or words of one that blesses
  2. approval, encouragement
  3. a thing conducive to happiness or welfare
  4. grace said at a meal

bleth·er ['bla-thər] -vi, n

(variant of blather)

  1. to talk foolishly at length often used with on

BLEVE -abbr

  1. boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion

blew ['blō] -vb

(variant of blow)

  1. to be in motion
    • a breeze blew gently
  2. to move with speed or force
    • the wind was blow ing
  3. to move or run quickly
    • the linebacker blew past the tackle
  4. to send forth a current of air or other gas
    • don't blow on your soup
  5. to make a sound by or as if by blowing
  6. sound
  7. boast
  8. to talk windily
  9. pant, gasp
    • the horse blew heavily
  10. to eject moisture-laden air from the lungs through the blowhole
  11. to move or be carried by or as if by wind
    • just blew into town
  12. erupt, explode
  13. to melt when overloaded often used with out
  14. to release the contained air through a spontaneous rupture usu. used with out
  15. to set (gas or vapor) in motion
    • the fan blew hot air on us
  16. to act on with a current of gas or vapor
    • the breeze blew my hair dry
  17. to play or sound on (a wind instrument)
  18. to play (as a note) on a wind instrument
  19. to spread by report
  20. damn
    • blow the expense
  21. to drive with a current of gas or vapor
    • the storm blew the boat off course
  22. to clear of contents by forcible passage of a current of air
    • blow your nose
  23. to project (a gesture or sound made with the mouth) by blowing
    • blew him a kiss
  24. to distend with or as if with gas
  25. to produce or shape by the action of blown or injected air
    • blow ing bubbles
  26. to deposit eggs or larvae on or in
  27. to shatter, burst, or destroy by explosion
    • blow the safe open
  28. to put out of breath with exertion
  29. to let (as a horse) pause to catch the breath
  30. to expend (as money) extravagantly
  31. to treat with unusual expenditure
    • I'll blow you to a steak
  32. to cause (a fuse) to blow
  33. to rupture by too much pressure
    • blow a seal
  34. botch
    • blew her lines
  35. to fail to keep or hold
    • they blew a big lead
  36. to leave hurriedly
    • blew town
  37. to propel with great force or speed
    • blew a fastball by the batter
  38. a blowing of wind esp. when strong or violent
  39. brag, boasting
  40. an act or instance of blowing
  41. the time during which air is forced through molten metal to refine it
  42. the quantity of metal refined during that time
  43. cocaine
  44. flower, bloom
  45. blossoms
  46. bloom
    • lilacs in full blow
  47. a forcible stroke delivered with a part of the body or with an instrument
  48. a hostile act or state : combat
    • come to blow s
  49. a forcible or sudden act or effort : assault
  50. an unfortunate or calamitous happening
    • failure to land the job came as a blow

blight ['blīt] -n

  1. a disease or injury of plants marked by the formation of lesions, withering, and death of parts (as leaves and tubers)
  2. an organism (as an insect or a fungus) that causes blight
  3. something that frustrates plans or hopes
  4. something that impairs or destroys
  5. a deteriorated condition
    • urban blight
  6. to affect (as a plant) with blight
  7. to impair the quality or effect of
    • the condition that has blight ed his son's life -- Patricia Guthrie
  8. to suffer from or become affected with blight

blight·er ['blī-tər] -n

  1. one that blights
  2. a disliked or contemptible person
  3. fellow, guy

Blighty ['blī-tē] -n

  1. one's native land (as England)

blimp ['blimp] -n

  1. an airship that maintains its form by pressure from contained gas
  2. colonel blimp

blimp·ish ['blim-pish] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or suggesting a Colonel Blimp

blin ['blin] -n

  1. a thin often buckwheat pancake usu. filled (as with sour cream) and folded

blind ['blīnd] -adj, adv, n

  1. sightless
  2. having less than of normal vision in the more efficient eye when refractive defects are fully corrected by lenses
  3. of or relating to sightless persons
  4. unable or unwilling to discern or judge
    • blind to a lover's faults
  5. unquestioning
    • blind loyalty
  6. having no regard to rational discrimination, guidance, or restriction
    • blind choice
  7. lacking a directing or controlling consciousness
    • blind chance
  8. drunk
  9. made or done without sight of certain objects or knowledge of certain facts that could serve for guidance or cause bias
    • a blind taste test
  10. having no knowledge of information that may cause bias during the course of an experiment or test
    • physicians blind to whether the test drug is administered
  11. : defective: as
  12. lacking a growing point or producing leaves instead of flowers
  13. lacking a complete or legible address
    • blind mail
  14. difficult to discern, make out, or discover
  15. hidden from sight : covered
    • blind seam
  16. having but one opening or outlet
    • blind sockets
  17. having no opening for light or passage : blank
    • blind wall
  18. to make blind
  19. dazzle
  20. to withhold light from
  21. hide, conceal
  22. : something to hinder sight or keep out light: as
  23. a window shutter
  24. a roller window shade
  25. venetian blind
  26. blinder
  27. a place of concealment
  28. a concealing enclosure from which one may shoot game or observe wildlife
  29. something put forward for the purpose of misleading : subterfuge
  30. a person who acts as a decoy or distraction
  31. : blindly: as
  32. to the point of insensibility
    • blind drunk
  33. without seeing outside an airplane
    • fly blind
  34. without knowledge of certain facts that could serve for guidance or cause bias
    • tasted the wine blind
  35. used as an intensive
    • was robbed blind

blind alley -n

  1. a fruitless or mistaken course or direction

blind date -n

  1. a date between two persons who have not previously met
  2. either participant in a blind date

blind·er ['blīn-dər] -n

  1. either of two flaps on a horse's bridle to keep it from seeing objects at its sides
  2. a limitation or obstruction to sight or discernment

blind·fish ['blīn(d)-,fish] -n

  1. any of several small fishes with vestigial functionless eyes found usu. in the waters of caves

blind·fold [-,fōld] -vt, adj

  1. to cover the eyes of with or as if with a bandage
  2. to hinder from seeing
  3. to keep from comprehension

blindfold -n

  1. a bandage for covering the eyes
  2. something that obscures mental or physical vision

blind gut -n

  1. a digestive cavity open at only one end
  2. the cecum of the large intestine

blind·man's buff ['blīn(d)-'manz-] -n

  1. a group game in which a blindfolded player tries to catch and identify another player called also blindman's bluff

blind pig -n

  1. blind tiger

blind·side ['blīn(d)-,sīd] -vt

  1. to hit unexpectedly from or as if from the blind side
    • blindside the quarterback
  2. to surprise unpleasantly

blind side -n

  1. the side away from which one is looking
  2. the side on which one that is blind in one eye cannot see

blind spot -n

  1. the small circular area at the back of the retina where the optic nerve enters the eyeball and which is devoid of rods and cones and is not sensitive to light called also optic disk
  2. a portion of a field that cannot be seen or inspected with available equipment
  3. an area in which one fails to exercise judgment or discrimination

blind tiger -n

  1. a place that sells intoxicants illegally

blind trust -n

  1. an arrangement in which the financial holdings of a person in an influential position are placed in the control of a fiduciary in order to avoid a possible conflict of interest

blind·worm ['blīnd-,wərm] -n

  1. slowworm

blingbling ['bliŋ-,bliŋ] -n

  1. flashy jewelry worn esp. as an indication of wealth
  2. expensive and ostentatious possessions

blink ['bliŋk] -vb

  1. to look glancingly : peep
  2. to look with half-shut eyes
  3. to close and open the eyes involuntarily
  4. to shine dimly or intermittently
  5. to look with too little concern
  6. to look with surprise or dismay
  7. yield, give in
    • each side waiting for the other to blink
  8. to cause to blink
  9. to remove (as tears) from the eye by blinking
  10. to deny recognition to
  11. glimpse, glance
  12. glimmer, sparkle
  13. a usu. involuntary shutting and opening of the eye
  14. iceblink

blink·er ['bliŋ-kər] -n

  1. one that blinks
  2. a light that flashes off and on (as for the directing of traffic or the coded signaling of messages)
  3. blinder
  4. a cloth hood with shades projecting at the sides of the eye openings used on skittish racehorses usu. used in pl.
  5. blinder

blinker -vt

  1. to put blinders on

blink·ered ['bliŋ-kərd] -adj

  1. limited in scope or understanding : narrow-minded
  2. fitted with blinders

blin·tze ['blin(t)-sə] -n

  1. a thin usu. wheat-flour pancake folded to form a casing (as for cheese or fruit) and then sauteed or baked

blip ['blip] -n

  1. a trace on a display screen (as an oscilloscope)
  2. a spot on a radar screen
  3. a short crisp sound
  4. an interruption of the sound received in a radio or television program or occurring in a recording as a result of blipping
  5. a transient sharp movement up or down (as of a quantity commonly shown on a graph)
  6. something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context
    • made only a blip on the political scene
  7. to remove (recorded sound) from a recording so that there is an interruption of the sound in the reproduction
    • a censor blipped the swearwords

bliss ['blis] -n

  1. complete happiness
  2. paradise, heaven

blissedout ['blist-'au̇t] -adj

  1. experiencing bliss : ecstatic

bliss·ful ['blis-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. full of, marked by, or causing bliss
    • a blissful marriage
  2. happily benighted
    • blissful ignorance

Blist ['bē-,list] -n

  1. a list or group of individuals who are prominent but not important or popular enough to be on the A-list

blis·ter ['blis-tər] -n, adj

  1. an elevation of the epidermis containing watery liquid
  2. an enclosed raised spot (as in paint) resembling a blister
  3. an agent (as lewisite) that causes blistering
  4. a fungal disease of plants marked by raised patches on the leaves
  5. any of various structures that bulge out (as a gunner's compartment on a bomber)

blister [-t(ə-)riŋ] -vb

  1. to become affected with a blister
  2. to raise a blister on
  3. lambaste

blister beetle -n

  1. a beetle (as the Spanish fly) used medicinally dried and powdered to raise blisters on the skin
  2. any of a family (Meloidae) of soft-bodied beetles whose blood contains cantharidin

blis·ter·ing [-t(ə-)riŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. extremely intense or severe
    • blistering heat
  2. very rapid
    • a blistering pace

blister pack -n

  1. a package holding and displaying merchandise in a clear plastic case sealed to a sheet of cardboard

blister rust -n

  1. any of several diseases of pines that are caused by rust fungi (genus Cronartium) in the aecial stage and that affect the sapwood and inner bark and produce blisters externally

blithe ['blīth, 'blīth] -adj, adv

  1. of a happy lighthearted character or disposition
  2. lacking due thought or consideration : casual, heedless
    • blithe unconcern

blith·er ['bli-thər] -vi, n, adv

  1. blather

blithe·some ['blīth-səm, 'blīth-] -adj, adv

  1. gay, merry

BLitt -abbr

  1. bachelor of letters; bachelor of literature

blitz ['blits] -n, vb

  1. blitzkrieg
  2. an intensive aerial military campaign
  3. air raid
  4. an intensive campaign or attack : a sudden overwhelming bombardment
    • an advertising blitz
  5. a rush of the passer by a defensive linebacker, back, or end in football

blitzed ['blitst] -adj

  1. intoxicated by drugs or alcohol : drunk, high

blitz·krieg [-,krēg] -n, vt

  1. war conducted with great speed and force
  2. a violent surprise offensive by massed air forces and mechanized ground forces in close coordination
  3. blitz

bliz·zard ['bli-zərd] -n, adj

  1. a long severe snowstorm
  2. an intensely strong cold wind filled with fine snow
  3. an overwhelming rush or deluge
    • a blizzard of mail around the holidays

blk -abbr

  1. black
  2. block
  3. bulk

BLM -abbr

  1. Bureau of Land Management

bloat ['blōt] -adj

  1. bloated, puffy
  2. to make turgid or swollen
  3. to cause abdominal distension in
  4. to fill to capacity or overflowing
  5. swell
  6. one that is bloated
  7. unwarranted or excessive growth or enlargement
    • bureaucratic bloat
  8. digestive disturbance of ruminant animals and esp. cattle marked by accumulation of gas in one or more stomach compartments

bloat·ed -adj

  1. being much larger than what is warranted
    • a bloated estimate
  2. inflated
  3. obnoxiously vain
    • a bloated ego

bloat·er ['blō-tər] -n

  1. a large fat herring or mackerel lightly salted and briefly smoked

bloater -n

  1. a small silvery cisco ( Coregonus hoyi) of the Great Lakes having oily flesh

blob ['bläb] -n

  1. a small drop or lump of something viscid or thick
  2. a daub or spot of color
  3. something ill-defined or amorphous
  4. to mark with blobs : splotch

bloc ['bläk] -n

  1. a temporary combination of parties in a legislative assembly
  2. a group of legislators who act together for some common purpose irrespective of party lines
  3. a combination of persons, groups, or nations forming a unit with a common interest or purpose
    • a bloc of voters
  4. a group of nations united by treaty or agreement for mutual support or joint action

block ['bläk] -n

  1. : a compact usu. solid piece of substantial material esp. when worked or altered to serve a particular purpose: as
  2. the piece of wood on which the neck of a person condemned to be beheaded is laid for execution
  3. a mold or form on which articles are shaped or displayed
  4. a hollow rectangular building unit usu. of artificial material
  5. a lightweight usu. cubical and solid wooden or plastic building toy that is usu. provided in sets
  6. the casting that contains the cylinders of an internal combustion engine
  7. starting block
  8. obstacle
  9. an obstruction of an opponent's play in sports
  10. a halting or impeding of the progress or movement of an opponent in football by use of the body
  11. interruption of normal physiological function (as of a tissue or organ)
  12. heart block
  13. local anesthesia (as by injection) produced by interruption of the flow of impulses along a nerve
  14. interruption or cessation esp. of train of thought by competing thoughts or psychological suppression
  15. head
    • threatened to knock his block off
  16. a wooden or metal case enclosing one or more pulleys and having a hook, eye, or strap by which it may be attached
  17. a piece of material (as wood or linoleum) having on its surface a hand-cut design from which impressions are to be printed
  18. a usu. rectangular space (as in a city) enclosed by streets and occupied by or intended for buildings
  19. the distance along one of the sides of such a block
  20. a large building divided into separate functional units
  21. a line of row houses
  22. a distinctive part of a building or integrated group of buildings
  23. a platform from which property is sold at auction
  24. a quantity, number, or section of things dealt with as a unit
  25. bloc
  26. to make unsuitable for passage or progress by obstruction
  27. blockade
  28. to hinder the passage, progress, or accomplishment of by or as if by interposing an obstruction
  29. to shut off from view
  30. to interfere usu. legitimately with (as an opponent) in various games or sports
  31. to prevent normal functioning or action of
  32. to restrict the exchange of (as currency or checks)
  33. to mark or indicate the outline or chief lines of
    • block out a design
  34. to shape on, with, or as if with a block
    • block a hat
  35. to secure, support, or provide with a block
  36. to work out or chart the movements of (as stage performers) often used with out
  37. to make (two or more lines of writing or type) flush at the left or at both left and right
  38. to block an opponent in sports

block·ade [blä-'kād] -vt, n

  1. to subject to a blockade
  2. block, obstruct

blockade -n

  1. the isolation by a warring nation of an enemy area (as a harbor) by troops or warships to prevent passage of persons or supplies
  2. a restrictive measure designed to obstruct the commerce and communications of an unfriendly nation
  3. something that blocks
  4. interruption of normal physiological function (as transmission of nerve impulses) of a cellular receptor, tissue, or organ
  5. inhibition of a physiologically active substance (as a hormone)

block·aderun·ner [-'kād-,rə-nər] -n

  1. a ship or person that runs through a blockade

block·age ['blä-kij] -n

  1. an act or instance of obstructing : the state of being blocked
    • a blockage in a coronary artery

block and tackle -n

  1. pulley blocks with associated rope or cable for hoisting or hauling

block·bust·er ['bläk-,bəs-tər] -n

  1. a very large high-explosive bomb
  2. one that is notably expensive, effective, successful, large, or extravagant
    • a blockbuster movie
  3. one who engages in blockbusting

block·bust·ing [-tiŋ] -n

  1. profiteering by inducing property owners to sell hastily and often at a loss by appeals to fears of depressed values because of threatened minority encroachment and then reselling at inflated prices

block diagram -n

  1. a diagram (as of a system, process, or program) in which labeled figures (as rectangles) and interconnecting lines represent the relationship of parts

blocked ['bläkt] -adj

  1. affected by a psychological block

block grant -n

  1. an unrestricted federal grant

block·head ['bläk-,hed] -n

  1. a stupid person

block·house [-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a structure of heavy timbers formerly used for military defense with sides loopholed and pierced for gunfire and often with a projecting upper story
  2. a small easily defended building for protection from enemy fire
  3. a building usu. of reinforced concrete serving as an observation point for an operation likely to be accompanied by heat, blast, or radiation hazard

block·ish ['blä-kish] -adj

  1. resembling a block

block letter -n

  1. an often hand-drawn simple capital letter composed of strokes of uniform thickness

block party -n

  1. an outdoor public party put on by the residents of a city block or neighborhood

block plane -n

  1. a small plane made with the blade set at a lower pitch than other planes and used chiefly on end grains of wood

blocky ['blä-kē] -adj

  1. resembling a block in form : chunky
  2. filled with or made up of blocks or patches

blog ['blȯg, 'bläg] -n

  1. a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer
  2. the contents of such a site

blog·o·sphere ['blä-gə-,sfir] -n

  1. all of the blogs on the Internet as a collective whole

bloke ['blōk] -n

  1. man, fellow

blond ['bländ] -adj

  1. of a flaxen, golden, light auburn, or pale yellowish-brown color
    • blond hair
  2. having blond hair
    • a blond man
    spelled blond when used of a boy or man and often blonde when used of a girl or woman
  3. of a light color
  4. of the color blond
  5. made light-colored by bleaching
    • blond wood table
  6. a person having blond hair spelled blond when used of a boy or man and usu. blonde when used of a girl or woman
  7. a light yellowish brown to dark grayish yellow

blood ['bləd] -n

  1. the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body
  2. a comparable fluid of an invertebrate
  3. a fluid resembling blood
  4. the shedding of blood
  5. the taking of life
  6. lifeblood
  7. life
  8. human stock or lineage
  9. royal lineage
    • a prince of the blood
  10. relationship by descent from a common ancestor : kinship
  11. persons related through common descent : kindred
  12. honorable or high birth or descent
  13. descent from parents of recognized breed or pedigree
  14. blood regarded as the seat of the emotions : temper
  15. lust
  16. a showy foppish man : rake
  17. members of a team, staff, or organization : personnel
    • a company in need of new blood
  18. a black American male used esp. among blacks
  19. to stain or wet with blood
  20. bleed
  21. to expose (a hunting dog) to sight, scent, or taste of the blood of its prey
  22. to give experience to
    • troops blood ed in battle

bloodandguts ['blə-dᵊn-'gəts] -adj

  1. marked by great vigor, violence, or fierceness
    • bloodandguts competition

blood·bath ['bləd-,bath, -,bäth] -n

  1. a great slaughter
  2. a notably fierce, violent, or destructive contest or struggle
    • the campaign has become a bloodbath
  3. a major economic disaster
    • a market bloodbath

bloodbrain barrier ['bləd-'brān-] -n

  1. a naturally occurring barrier created by the modification of brain capillaries (as by reduction in fenestration and formation of tight cell-to-cell contacts) that prevents many substances from leaving the blood and crossing the capillary walls into the brain tissues

blood brother -n

  1. a brother by birth
  2. one of two men pledged to mutual loyalty by a ceremonial use of each other's blood

blood cell -n

  1. a cell normally present in blood

blood count -n

  1. the determination of the blood cells in a definite volume of blood
  2. the number of cells so determined

blood·cur·dling ['bləd-,kərd-liŋ, -,kər-dᵊl-iŋ] -adj

  1. arousing fright or horror
    • bloodcurdling screams

blood doping -n

  1. a technique for temporarily improving athletic performance in which oxygen-carrying red blood cells from blood previously withdrawn from an athlete are reinjected just before an event called also blood packing

blood·ed ['blə-dəd] -adj

  1. having blood of a specified kind used in combination
    • cold- blooded
  2. being entirely or largely purebred
    • a herd of blooded stock

blood feud -n

  1. a feud between different clans or families

blood fluke -n

  1. schistosome

blood group -n

  1. one of the classes (as those designated A, B, AB, or O) into which individuals or their blood can be separated on the basis of the presence or absence of specific antigens in the blood called also blood type

blood·guilt ['bləd-,gilt] -n, adj

  1. guilt resulting from bloodshed

blood·hound ['bləd-,hau̇nd] -n

  1. any of a breed of large powerful hounds of European origin remarkable for acuteness of smell
  2. a person keen in pursuit

blood·less ['bləd-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. deficient in or free from blood
  2. not accompanied by loss or shedding of blood
    • a bloodless victory
  3. lacking in spirit or vitality
  4. lacking in human feeling
    • bloodless statistics

blood·let·ting [-,le-tiŋ] -n

  1. phlebotomy
  2. bloodshed
  3. elimination of personnel or resources

blood·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a sequence of direct ancestors esp. in a pedigree
  2. family, strain

blood·lust [-,ləst] -n

  1. desire for bloodshed

blood·mo·bile [-mō-,bēl] -n

  1. an automotive vehicle staffed and equipped for collecting blood from donors

blood money -n

  1. money obtained at the cost of another's life
  2. money paid (as by a killer or the killer's clan) to the family of a person who has been killed

blood orange -n

  1. a cultivated sweet orange having fruit with usu. red pulp
  2. its fruit

blood plasma -n

  1. the pale yellow fluid of whole blood that consists of water and its dissolved constituents including esp. proteins (as albumin, fibrinogen, and globulins)

blood platelet -n

  1. platelet

blood poisoning -n

  1. septicemia

blood pressure -n

  1. pressure that is exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels and esp. arteries and that varies with the muscular efficiency of the heart, the blood volume and viscosity, the age and health of the individual, and the state of the vascular wall

blood·red ['bləd-'red] -adj

  1. having the color of blood

blood·root [-,rüt, -,ru̇t] -n

  1. a plant ( Sanguinaria canadensis) of the poppy family having a red root and sap and bearing a solitary lobed leaf and white flower in early spring called also sanguinaria

blood sausage -n

  1. very dark sausage containing a large proportion of blood called also blood pudding

blood serum -n

  1. the clear yellowish fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors (as fibrinogen and prothrombin) have been removed by clot formation

blood·shed ['bləd-,shed] -n

  1. the shedding of blood
  2. the taking of life : slaughter

blood·shot [-,shät] -adj

  1. inflamed to redness

blood sport -n

  1. a sport or contest (as hunting or cockfighting) involving bloodshed

blood·stain [-,stān] -n

  1. a discoloration caused by blood

blood·stained [-,stānd] -adj

  1. stained with blood
  2. involved with slaughter
    • a bloodstained chronicle of war

blood·stock [-,stäk] -n

  1. horses of Thoroughbred breeding

blood·stone [-,stōn] -n

  1. a green chalcedony sprinkled with red spots resembling blood called also heliotrope

blood·stream [-,strēm] -n

  1. the flowing blood in a circulatory system
  2. a mainstream of power or vitality
    • introduce into the economic bloodstream a large amount of money -- Harper's

blood·suck·er [-,sə-kər] -n, adj

  1. an animal that sucks blood
  2. leech
  3. a person who sponges or preys on another

blood sugar -n

  1. the glucose in the blood
  2. its concentration (as in milligrams per 100 milliliters)

blood test -n

  1. a test of the blood
  2. a serologic test for the presence of substances indicative of disease (as syphilis) or disease-causing agents (as HIV)

blood thinner -n, adj

  1. a drug used to prevent the formation of blood clots by hindering coagulation of the blood

blood·thirsty ['bləd-,thər-stē] -adj, adv, n

  1. eager for or marked by the shedding of blood, violence, or killing

bloodtyp·ing [-,tī-piŋ] -n

  1. the action or process of determining an individual's blood group

blood vessel -n

  1. any of the vessels through which blood circulates in the body

blood·worm ['bləd-,wərm] -n

  1. any of various reddish annelid worms (as of genera Glyceraor Tubifex) often used as bait
  2. any of several strongyle worms (genus Strongylus) that are parasitic in the large intestine of horses

bloody ['blə-dē] -adj, adv, n

  1. containing or made up of blood
  2. of or contained in the blood
  3. smeared or stained with blood
  4. accompanied by or involving bloodshed
  5. marked by great slaughter
  6. murderous
  7. merciless, cruel
  8. bloodred
  9. damned
  10. often used as an intensive
  11. to make bloody or bloodred
  12. harm, damage
    • an administration bloodied by scandal
  13. used as an intensive

Bloody Mary -n

  1. a cocktail consisting essentially of vodka and usu. spiced tomato juice

bloodymind·ed [,blə-dē-'mīn-dəd] -adj, n

  1. inclined towards violence or bloodshed
  2. stubbornly contrary or obstructive : cantankerous

bloody murder -adv

  1. in a loud and violent manner
    • ran off, screaming bloody murder
  2. in vehement protest
    • screaming bloody murder over the pay cut

bloody shirt -n

  1. something intended to stir up or revive partisan animosity usu. used in the phrase wave the bloody shirt

bloo·ey ['blü-ē] -adj or adv

  1. haywire, awry
    • the engine went blooey

bloom ['blüm] -n

  1. a mass of wrought iron from the forge or puddling furnace
  2. a bar of iron or steel hammered or rolled from an ingot
  3. flower
  4. the flowering state
    • the roses in bloom
  5. a period of flowering
    • the spring bloom
  6. a rapid and excessive growth of a plankton population (as of algae or dinoflagellates)
  7. a state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor
  8. a state or time of high development or achievement
    • a career in full bloom
  9. : a surface coating or appearance: as
  10. a delicate powdery coating on some fruits and leaves
  11. a rosy appearance of the cheeks
  12. an outward evidence of freshness or healthy vigor
  13. a cloudiness on a film of varnish or lacquer
  14. a grayish discoloration on chocolate
  15. glare caused by an object reflecting too much light into a television camera
  16. to produce or yield flowers
  17. to support abundant plant life
    • make the desert bloom
  18. to mature into achievement of one's potential
  19. to flourish in youthful beauty, freshness, or excellence
  20. to shine out : glow
  21. to appear or occur unexpectedly or in remarkable quantity or degree
  22. to become densely populated with microorganisms and esp. plankton used of bodies of water
  23. to cause to bloom
  24. to give bloom to

bloom·er ['blü-mər] -n

  1. a plant that blooms
  2. a person who reaches full competence or maturity
    • he was a late bloomer as a writer
  3. a stupid blunder

bloo·mer ['blü-mər] -n

  1. a costume for women consisting of a skirt over long loose trousers gathered closely about the ankles
  2. full loose trousers gathered at the knee formerly worn by women for athletics
  3. underpants of similar design worn chiefly by girls and women

bloom·ing ['blü-mən, -miŋ] -adj or adv

  1. used as a generalized intensive
    • blooming fool

bloomy ['blü-mē] -adj

  1. full of bloom
  2. covered with bloom
    • bloomy plums
  3. showing freshness or vitality
    • all the bloomy flush of life is fled -- Oliver Goldsmith

bloop ['blüp] -n, vt

  1. blooper

bloop·er ['blü-pər] -n

  1. a fly ball hit barely beyond a baseball infield
  2. a high baseball pitch lobbed to the batter
  3. an embarrassing public blunder

blos·som ['blä-səm] -n, adj

  1. the flower of a seed plant
  2. the mass of such flowers on a single plant
  3. the state of bearing flowers
  4. a peak period or stage of development

blossom -vi

  1. bloom
  2. to come into one's own : develop
    • a blossom ing talent
  3. to become evident
  4. to make an appearance

blot ['blät] -n

  1. a soiling or disfiguring mark : spot
  2. a mark of reproach : moral flaw
  3. a usu. nitrocellulose or nylon sheet that contains spots of immobilized macromolecules (as of DNA, RNA, or protein) or their fragments and is used to identify specific components of the spots by applying a molecular probe (as a complementary nucleic acid or a radio labeled antibody)
  4. to spot, stain, or spatter with a discoloring substance
  5. mar
  6. to stain with infamy
  7. to dry (as writing) with an absorbing agent
  8. to remove with absorbing material
    • blotting up spilled water
  9. to make a blot
  10. to become marked with a blot
  11. a lone backgammon man exposed to capture
  12. a weak or exposed point

blotch ['bläch] -vt

  1. to mark or mar with blotches
  2. imperfection, blemish
  3. a spot or mark (as of color or ink) esp. when large or irregular

blot out -vt

  1. to make obscure, insignificant, or inconsequential
  2. wipe out, destroy

blot·ter ['blä-tər] -n

  1. a piece of blotting paper
  2. a book in which entries (as of transactions or occurrences) are made temporarily pending their transfer to permanent record books
    • police blotter

blotting paper -n

  1. a spongy unsized paper for absorbing ink

blot·to ['blä-(,)tō] -adj

  1. drunk

blouse ['blau̇s also 'blau̇z] -n, adj

  1. a long loose overgarment that resembles a shirt or smock and is worn esp. by workmen, artists, and peasants
  2. the jacket of a uniform
  3. a usu. loose-fitting garment esp. for women that covers the body from the neck to the waist
  4. to fall in a fold
    • coats that blouse above the hip
  5. to cause to blouse

blou·son ['blau̇-,sän, 'blü-,zän] -n

  1. a garment (as a dress) having a close waistband with blousing of material over it

blo·vi·ate ['blō-vē-,āt] -vi, n

  1. to speak or write verbosely and windily

blow ['blō] -vb

  1. to be in motion
    • a breeze blew gently
  2. to move with speed or force
    • the wind was blow ing
  3. to move or run quickly
    • the linebacker blew past the tackle
  4. to send forth a current of air or other gas
    • don't blow on your soup
  5. to make a sound by or as if by blowing
  6. sound
  7. boast
  8. to talk windily
  9. pant, gasp
    • the horse blew heavily
  10. to eject moisture-laden air from the lungs through the blowhole
  11. to move or be carried by or as if by wind
    • just blew into town
  12. erupt, explode
  13. to melt when overloaded often used with out
  14. to release the contained air through a spontaneous rupture usu. used with out
  15. to set (gas or vapor) in motion
    • the fan blew hot air on us
  16. to act on with a current of gas or vapor
    • the breeze blew my hair dry
  17. to play or sound on (a wind instrument)
  18. to play (as a note) on a wind instrument
  19. to spread by report
  20. damn
    • blow the expense
  21. to drive with a current of gas or vapor
    • the storm blew the boat off course
  22. to clear of contents by forcible passage of a current of air
    • blow your nose
  23. to project (a gesture or sound made with the mouth) by blowing
    • blew him a kiss
  24. to distend with or as if with gas
  25. to produce or shape by the action of blown or injected air
    • blow ing bubbles
  26. to deposit eggs or larvae on or in
  27. to shatter, burst, or destroy by explosion
    • blow the safe open
  28. to put out of breath with exertion
  29. to let (as a horse) pause to catch the breath
  30. to expend (as money) extravagantly
  31. to treat with unusual expenditure
    • I'll blow you to a steak
  32. to cause (a fuse) to blow
  33. to rupture by too much pressure
    • blow a seal
  34. botch
    • blew her lines
  35. to fail to keep or hold
    • they blew a big lead
  36. to leave hurriedly
    • blew town
  37. to propel with great force or speed
    • blew a fastball by the batter
  38. a blowing of wind esp. when strong or violent
  39. brag, boasting
  40. an act or instance of blowing
  41. the time during which air is forced through molten metal to refine it
  42. the quantity of metal refined during that time
  43. cocaine
  44. flower, bloom
  45. blossoms
  46. bloom
    • lilacs in full blow
  47. a forcible stroke delivered with a part of the body or with an instrument
  48. a hostile act or state : combat
    • come to blow s
  49. a forcible or sudden act or effort : assault
  50. an unfortunate or calamitous happening
    • failure to land the job came as a blow

blow away -vt

  1. to dissipate or remove as if with a current of air
    • their doubts were blown away
  2. to kill by gunfire : shoot dead
  3. to impress very strongly and usu. favorably
  4. to defeat soundly
    • blew their rivals away in the first game

blow·back ['blō-,bak] -n

  1. an unforeseen and unwanted effect, result, or set of repercussions

blow·by ['blō-,bī] -n

  1. leakage of combustion gases between a piston and the cylinder wall into the crankcase in an automobile

blowbyblow ['blō-bī-'blō, -bə-] -adj

  1. minutely detailed
    • a blowbyblow account

blow·down ['blō-,dau̇n] -n

  1. an instance of trees being blown down by the wind
  2. a tree blown down
  3. an area of such trees

blowdried ['blō-,drīd] -adj

  1. having blow-dried hair
  2. being or appearing well-groomed but superficial or vacuous

blowdry [-,drī] -vt, n

  1. to dry and usu. style (hair) with a blow-dryer
  2. to dry hair with a blow-dryer

blowdry·er [-,drī(-ə)r] -n

  1. a handheld hair dryer

blow·er ['blō(-ə)r] -n

  1. one that blows
  2. a device for producing a current of air or gas
  3. braggart
  4. telephone

blow·fish ['blō-,fish] -n

  1. puffer fish

blow·fly [-,flī] -n

  1. any of a family (Calliphoridae) of dipteran flies (as the bluebottle or screwworm) that deposit their eggs esp. on meat or in wounds

blow·gun [-,gən] -n

  1. a tube through which a projectile (as a dart) may be impelled by the force of the breath

blow·hard [-,härd] -n

  1. braggart
  2. windbag

blow·hole [-,hōl] -n

  1. a hole in metal caused by a bubble of gas captured during solidification
  2. a nostril in the top of the head of a cetacean and esp. a whale

blow in -vi

  1. to arrive casually or unexpectedly

blow job -n

  1. an act of fellatio

blown ['blōn] -adj

  1. swollen
  2. affected with bloat
  3. being out of breath

blow off -vt

  1. to refuse to take notice of, honor, or deal with : ignore
    • decided to blow off two billion viewers -- Harry Homburg
  2. to end a relationship with
  3. to outperform in a contest
  4. to fail to attend or show up for
    • blew off an official dinner

blow·out ['blō-,au̇t] -n

  1. a festive social affair
  2. a bursting of a container (as a tire) by pressure of the contents on a weak spot
  3. an uncontrolled eruption of an oil or gas well
  4. an easy or one-sided victory
  5. a valley or depression created by the wind in areas of shifting sand or of light cultivated soil

blow out -vt

  1. to extinguish by a gust
  2. to dissipate (itself) by blowing used of storms
  3. to defeat easily
  4. to damage severely
    • she blew out her knee in the race
  5. to become extinguished by a gust
  6. to erupt out of control used of an oil or gas well

blow over -vi

  1. to pass away without effect

blow·pipe ['blō-,pīp] -n

  1. a small tubular instrument for directing a jet of air or other gas into a flame so as to concentrate and increase the heat
  2. blowgun
  3. a tubular instrument used for revealing or cleaning a bodily cavity by forcing air into it
  4. a long metal tube on the end of which a glassmaker gathers a quantity of molten glass and through which he blows to expand and shape it

blow·sy ['blau̇-zē] -adj

  1. having a sloppy or unkempt appearance or aspect : frowsy
  2. being coarse and ruddy of complexion

blow·torch ['blō-,tȯrch] -n

  1. a small burner having a device to intensify combustion by means of a blast of air or oxygen, usu. including a fuel tank pressurized by a hand pump, and used esp. in plumbing

blow·up ['blō-,əp] -n

  1. : a blowing up: as
  2. explosion
  3. an outburst of temper
  4. enlargement

blowup ['blō-,əp] -adj

  1. inflatable

blow up -vt

  1. to build up or tout to an unreasonable extent
    • advertisers blowing up their products
  2. to rend apart, shatter, or destroy by explosion
  3. to fill up with a gas (as air)
    • blow up a balloon
  4. to make a photographic enlargement of
  5. to bring into existence by blowing of wind
    • it may blow up a storm
  6. explode
  7. to be disrupted or destroyed (as by explosion)
  8. to lose self-control
  9. to become violently angry
  10. to become or come into being by or as if by blowing of wind
  11. to become filled with a gas
  12. to become expanded to unreasonable proportions

blowy ['blō-ē] -adj

  1. windy
    • a blowy March day
  2. readily blown about
    • blowy desert sand

BLS -abbr

  1. bachelor of liberal studies
  2. bachelor of library science
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics

BLT [,bē-(,)el-'tē] -n

  1. a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich

blub ['bləb] -vi

  1. blubber

blub·ber ['blə-bər] -vb

  1. to weep noisily
  2. to swell, distort, or wet with weeping
  3. to utter while weeping

blubber -n

  1. the fat of whales and other large marine mammals
  2. excessive fat on the body
  3. the action of blubbering

blub·bery ['blə-b(ə-)rē] -adj

  1. having or characterized by blubber
  2. puffed out : thick

blu·cher ['blü-chər also -kər] -n

  1. a shoe having the tongue and vamp cut in one piece and the quarters lapped over the vamp and laced together for closing

bludge ['bləj] -vb, n

  1. to avoid work or responsibility
  2. sponge
  3. sponge

blud·geon ['blə-jən] -n

  1. a short stick that usu. has one thick or loaded end and is used as a weapon
  2. something used to attack or bully
    • the bludgeon of satire

bludgeon -vt

  1. to hit with heavy impact
  2. to attack or overcome by aggressive argument : bully
    • mental bludgeon ing

blue ['blü] -adj, adv, n

  1. of the color blue
  2. bluish
    • the blue haze of tobacco smoke
  3. discolored by or as if by bruising
    • blue with cold
  4. bluish gray
    • a blue cat
  5. low in spirits : melancholy
  6. marked by low spirits : depressing
    • a blue funk
    • things looked blue
  7. wearing blue
  8. learned, intellectual
  9. puritanical
  10. profane, indecent
    • blue movie
  11. off-color, risque
    • blue jokes
  12. of, relating to, or used in blues
    • a blue song
  13. tending to support Democrats in a general election
    • blue states
  14. a color whose hue is that of the clear sky or that of the portion of the color spectrum lying between green and violet
  15. a pigment or dye that colors blue
  16. bluing
  17. blue clothing or cloth
  18. a blue costume or uniform
  19. a Union soldier in the American Civil War
  20. the Union army
  21. sky
  22. the far distance
    • disappeared into the blue
  23. sea
  24. a blue object
  25. bluestocking
  26. any of numerous small chiefly blue butterflies (family Lycaenidae)
  27. bluefish
  28. blue cheese
  29. to make blue
  30. to turn blue

blue baby -n

  1. an infant with cyanosis usu. from a congenital heart defect in which venous and arterial blood are mingled

blue·back herring ['blü-,bak-] -n

  1. an anadromous clupeid fish ( Alosa aestivalis) of the Atlantic coast of No. America having a dark blue or bluish-gray back

blue·beard ['blü-,bird] -n

  1. a man who marries and kills one wife after another

blue·bell [-,bel] -n

  1. any of various bellflowers
  2. harebell
  3. : any of various plants bearing blue bell-shaped flowers: as
  4. a European herb ( Hyacinthoides nonscriptasyn. Scilla nonscripta) of the lily family having scapose racemes of drooping bell-shaped flowers called also wild hyacinth
  5. a glabrous erect eastern U.S. herb ( Mertensia virginica) of the borage family with entire leaves and showy blue flowers pink in the bud called also Virginia bluebells

blue·ber·ry ['blü-,ber-ē, -,be-rē, -b(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the edible blue or blackish berry of any of several No. American plants (genus Vaccinium) of the heath family
  2. a low or tall shrub producing these berries

blue·bird [-,bərd] -n

  1. any of three small No. American thrushes ( Sialia currucoides, S. mexicana,and S. sialis) that are blue above and reddish brown or pale blue below

blue blood [-'blə-dəd] -n, adj

  1. membership in a noble or socially prominent family
  2. a member of a noble or socially prominent family

blue·bon·net ['blü-,bä-nət] -n

  1. a wide flat round cap of blue wool formerly worn in Scotland
  2. one that wears such a cap
  3. scot
  4. either of two low-growing annual lupines ( Lupinus subcarnosusor L. texensis) of Texas with silky foliage and blue flowers

blue book -n

  1. a register esp. of socially prominent persons
  2. a book of specialized information often published under government auspices
  3. a blue-covered booklet used for writing examinations
  4. a periodically issued price list (as of used cars)

blue·bot·tle ['blü-,bä-tᵊl] -n

  1. bachelor's button
  2. any of several blowflies (genus Calliphora) that have the abdomen or the whole body iridescent blue in color and that make a loud buzzing noise in flight

blue catfish -n

  1. a large bluish catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus) of the Mississippi valley that may weigh over 100 pounds (45 kilograms)

blue cheese -n

  1. cheese having veins of greenish-blue mold

blue chip -n, adj

  1. a stock issue of high investment quality that usu. pertains to a substantial well-established company and enjoys public confidence in its worth and stability
  2. a company that offers such stocks
  3. a business or undertaking with an outstanding record or likelihood of profitability
  4. : one that is outstanding: as
  5. an outstandingly worthwhile or valuable property or asset
  6. an athlete rated as excellent or as an excellent prospect

bluechip·per ['blü-,chi-pər] -n

  1. blue chip

blue·coat ['blü-,kōt] -n

  1. : a person who wears a blue coat: as
  2. a Union soldier during the American Civil War
  3. police officer

blue cohosh -n

  1. a perennial No. American herb ( Caulophyllum thalictroides) of the barberry family that has greenish-yellow or purplish flowers and large blue berrylike fruits

bluecol·lar ['blü-'kä-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting the class of wage earners whose duties call for the wearing of work clothes or protective clothing
  2. : having characteristics associated with blue-collar workers: as
  3. having, showing, or appealing to unpretentious or unsophisticated tastes
    • a new bluecollar serial...woven around a minor-league baseball team -- Steven Flax
  4. dependable and hard-working rather than showy or spectacular
    • a bluecollar athlete

blue corn -n

  1. Indian corn that has bluish kernels used to make flour and is grown esp. in the southwestern U.S.

blue crab -n

  1. a large bluish-green edible crab ( Callinectes sapidusof the family Portunidae) of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts

blue curls -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. any of several mints (genus Trichostema) with irregular blue flowers

blue devils -n pl

  1. low spirits : despondency

blueeyed ['blü-,īd] -adj

  1. having blue eyes
  2. performed by whites
    • blueeyed soul
  3. white
    • a blueeyed imitator of RB stars

blueeyed grass -n

  1. any of a genus ( Sisyrinchium) of New World herbs of the iris family having grasslike foliage and blue, yellow, or white flowers

blue·fin tuna ['blü-,fin-] -n

  1. a very large tuna ( Thunnus thynnus) that is an important food and game fish called also bluefin

blue·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. an active food and game marine fish ( Pomatomus saltatrix) that is bluish above with silvery sides
  2. any of various dark or bluish fishes (as the pollack)

blue flag -n

  1. a blue-flowered iris
  2. a common iris ( Iris versicolor) chiefly of the eastern U.S. with a root formerly used medicinally

blue flu -n

  1. a sick-out staged by police officers

blue·gill ['blü-,gil] -n

  1. a common sunfish ( Lepomis macrochirus) of the eastern and central U.S. sought for food and sport

blue grama -n

  1. a low-growing perennial grama ( Bouteloua gracilis) having slender curly leaves that is an important forage grass esp. in the Great Plains

blue·grass [-,gras] -n

  1. any of several grasses (genus Poa) of which some have bluish-green culms
  2. kentucky bluegrass
  3. country music played on unamplified stringed instruments (as banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin) and characterized by free improvisation and close usu. high-pitched harmony

bluegreen alga ['blü-'grēn-] -n

  1. cyanobacterium

blue gum -n

  1. any of several Australian trees (genus Eucalyptus) that yield valuable timber

blue heeler -n

  1. australian cattle dog

blue heron -n

  1. either of two herons with bluish or slaty plumage
  2. great blue heron

blue·jack·et [-,ja-kət] -n

  1. an enlisted man in the navy : sailor

blue jay [-,jā] -n

  1. a crested bright blue No. American jay ( Cyanocitta cristata)

blue jeans [-,jēnd] -n pl, adj

  1. pants usu. made of blue denim

blue law -n

  1. one of numerous extremely rigorous laws designed to regulate morals and conduct in colonial New England
  2. a statute regulating work, commerce, and amusements on Sundays

blue line -n

  1. either of two blue lines that divide an ice-hockey rink into three equal zones and that separate the offensive and defensive zones from the center-ice neutral zone

blue·lin·er ['blü-,lī-nər] -n

  1. a defenseman in ice hockey

blue marlin -n

  1. a large marlin ( Makaira nigricans) that is widely distributed in warm seas and is valued as a sport fish

blue mold -n

  1. any of various fungi (genera Penicilliumand Peronospora) that produce blue or blue-green surface growths

blue moon -n

  1. a very long period of time usu. used in the phrase once in a blue moon
    • such people happen along only once in a blue moon -- Saturday Rev.
  2. a second full moon in a calendar month

blue mussel -n

  1. a widely distributed edible mussel ( Mytilus edulis) having a usu. blue or brownish shell

blue·nose ['blü-,nōz] -n, adj

  1. a person who advocates a rigorous moral code

blue note -n

  1. a variable microtonal lowering of the third, seventh, and occas. fifth degrees of the major scale

bluepen·cil ['blü-'pen(t)-səl] -vt, n

  1. to edit esp. by shortening or deletion

blue pencil -n

  1. a writing instrument used for editing
  2. the act or practice of blue-penciling

blue pe·ter [-'pē-tər] -n

  1. a blue signal flag with a white square in the center used to indicate that a merchant vessel is ready to sail

blue pike -n

  1. a grayish-blue walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum glaucum) of the Great Lakes region now considered to be extinct

blue plate -adj

  1. being a main course usu. offered at a special price in a restaurant
    • a blue plate luncheon

blue·point ['blü-,pȯint] -n

  1. a small oyster ( Crassostrea virginica) typically from the south shore of Long Island

blue point [-,pȯint] -adj, n

  1. having a bluish-cream body coat with dark gray points

blue·print [-,print] -n, vt

  1. a photographic print in white on a bright blue ground or blue on a white ground used esp. for copying maps, mechanical drawings, and architects' plans
  2. something resembling a blueprint (as in serving as a model or providing guidance)
  3. a detailed plan or program of action
    • a blueprint for victory

blue racer -n

  1. a blue or greenish-blue colubrid snake ( Coluber constrictor foxii) occurring chiefly from southern Ontario to Missouri

blueribbon -adj

  1. of outstanding quality
  2. consisting of individuals selected for quality, reputation, or authority
    • a blueribbon panel

blue ribbon -n

  1. an honor or award gained for preeminence
  2. a blue ribbon awarded as an honor (as to the first-place winner in a competition)

blues ['blüz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. low spirits : melancholy
    • suffering a case of the blues
  2. a song often of lamentation characterized by usu. 12-bar phrases, 3-line stanzas in which the words of the second line usu. repeat those of the first, and continual occurrence of blue notes in melody and harmony
  3. jazz or popular music using harmonic and phrase structures of blues

blue screen -n

  1. a photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a blue background so as to allow matte compositing of the film with other footage
  2. the blue background

blue shark -n

  1. a chiefly pelagic shark ( Prionace glauca) found in all tropical and temperate seas that occas. attacks humans

blue sheep -n

  1. bharal

blue·shift ['blü-'shift] -n, adj

  1. the displacement of the spectrum of an approaching celestial body toward shorter wavelengths

bluesky ['blü-'skī] -adj

  1. having little or no value
    • bluesky stock
  2. not grounded in the realities of the present : visionary
    • bluesky thinking

bluesky law -n

  1. a law providing for the regulation of the sale of securities (as stock)

blues·man ['blüz-mən] -n

  1. a man who plays or sings the blues

blue spruce -n

  1. a spruce ( Picea pungens) native to the Rocky Mountains that has sharp usu. bluish-gray needles and is often planted as an ornamental

blue·stem ['blü-,stem] -n

  1. a tall No. American grass ( Andropogon gerardiisyn. A. furcatus) that has smooth bluish leaf sheaths and slender spikes borne in pairs or clusters, is a dominant grass of the orig. tallgrass prairies, and is used for hay and forage called also big bluestem
  2. little bluestem

blue·stock·ing [-,stä-kiŋ] -n

  1. a woman having intellectual or literary interests

blue·stone [-,stōn] -n

  1. a building stone of bluish-gray color

blue streak -n

  1. something that moves very fast
  2. a constant stream of words
    • talked a blue streak

bluesy ['blü-zē] -adj

  1. resembling, characteristic of, or suited to the blues

blu·et ['blü-ət] -n

  1. any of several perennial No. American herbs (genus Hedyotissyn. Houstonia) of the madder family
  2. one ( Hedyotis caeruleasyn. Houstonia caerulea) having tufted stems and bluish, white, or purplish flowers with yellow centers

blue tang -n

  1. a surgeonfish ( Acanthurus coeruleus) that is bright blue with darker longitudinal stripes when mature and occurs chiefly from Bermuda to Brazil

blue·tick [-,tik] -n

  1. any of a breed of tricolor coonhounds of American origin having the white areas of the coat usu. heavily ticked with black

blue·tongue ['blü-,təŋ] -n

  1. a virus disease chiefly of sheep that is marked by hyperemia, cyanosis, and by swelling and sloughing of the mucous membranes esp. about the mouth and tongue and is caused by a reovirus (species Bluetongue virusof the genus Orbivirus)

blue vitriol -n

  1. a hydrated copper sulfate CuSO 45H 2O

blue water ['blü-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n, adj

  1. the open sea

blue·weed ['blü-,wēd] -n

  1. viper's bugloss
  2. a small weedy sunflower ( Helianthus ciliaris) of the southwestern U.S. with blue-green or gray-green foliage

blue whale -n

  1. a very large baleen whale ( Balaenoptera musculussyn. Sibbaldus musculus) that may reach a weight of 150 tons (135 metric tons) and a length of 100 feet (30 meters) and is generally considered the largest living animal

bluewinged teal ['blü-,wiŋ(d)-] -n

  1. a No. American dabbling duck ( Anas discors) with a blue patch on each wing and in the male a white crescent on each cheek

bluey ['blü-ē] -adj

  1. bluish

bluff ['bləf] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a broad flattened front
  2. rising steeply with a broad flat or rounded front
  3. good-naturedly frank and outspoken
  4. a high steep bank : cliff
  5. to deter or frighten by pretense or a mere show of strength
  6. deceive
  7. feign
    • the catcher bluff ed a throw to first
  8. to deceive (an opponent) in cards by a bold bet on an inferior hand
  9. to bluff someone : act deceptively
  10. an act or instance of bluffing
  11. the practice of bluffing
  12. one who bluffs

blu·ing ['blü-iŋ] -n

  1. a preparation used in laundering to counteract yellowing of white fabrics

blu·ish ['blü-ish] -adj, n

  1. somewhat blue : having a tinge of blue

blun·der ['blən-dər] -vb, n, adv

  1. to move unsteadily or confusedly
  2. to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness
  3. to utter stupidly, confusedly, or thoughtlessly
  4. to make a stupid, careless, or thoughtless mistake in

blunder -n

  1. a gross error or mistake resulting usu. from stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness

blun·der·buss ['blən-dər-,bəs] -n

  1. a muzzle-loading firearm with a short barrel and flaring muzzle to facilitate loading
  2. a blundering person

blunt ['blənt] -adj, adv, n

  1. slow or deficient in feeling : insensitive
  2. obtuse in understanding or discernment : dull
  3. having an edge or point that is not sharp
    • a blunt instrument
  4. abrupt in speech or manner
  5. being straight to the point : direct
  6. to make less sharp, definite, or forceful
  7. to become blunt
  8. a cigar that has been hollowed out and filled with marijuana

blunt trauma -n

  1. a usu. serious injury caused by a blunt object or surface
    • died of blunt trauma to the head

blur ['blər] -n

  1. a smear or stain that obscures
  2. something vaguely or indistinctly perceived
  3. something moving or occurring too quickly to be clearly seen
  4. to obscure or blemish by smearing
  5. sully
  6. to make dim, indistinct, or vague in outline or character
  7. to make cloudy or confused
  8. to make blurs
  9. to become vague or indistinct

blurb ['blərb] -n

  1. a short publicity notice (as on a book jacket)
  2. to describe or praise in a blurb

blur·ry ['blər-ē] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking definition or focus

blurt ['blərt] -vt, n

  1. to utter abruptly and impulsively usu. used with out

blush ['bləsh] -n, adj

  1. outward appearance : view
    • at first blush
  2. a reddening of the face esp. from shame, modesty, or confusion
  3. a red or rosy tint
  4. a cosmetic applied to the face to give a usu. pink color or to accent the cheekbones
  5. to become red in the face esp. from shame, modesty, or confusion
  6. to feel shame or embarrassment
  7. to have a rosy or fresh color : bloom

blush·er ['blə-shər] -n

  1. one who blushes
  2. blush

blush wine -n

  1. any of various pinkish table wines

blus·ter ['bləs-tər] -vb, n, adv

  1. to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats
  2. to blow in stormy noisy gusts
  3. to be windy and boisterous
  4. to utter with noisy self-assertiveness
  5. to drive or force by blustering

bluster [-t(ə-)rəs] -n, adj

  1. a violent boisterous blowing
  2. violent commotion
  3. loudly boastful or threatening speech

blvd -abbr

  1. boulevard