be ['bē] -vb

  1. to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
    • God is love
    • January is the first month
    • let x be 10
  2. to have identity with
    • the first person I met was my brother
  3. to constitute the same class as
  4. to have a specified qualification or characterization
    • the leaves are green
  5. to belong to the class of
    • the fish is a trout
    used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication
  6. to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
    • I think, therefore I am
  7. to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
    • the book is on the table
  8. to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted used only in infinitive form
    • let him be
  9. to take place : occur
    • the concert was last night
  10. to come or go
    • has already been and gone
    • has never been to the circus
  11. belong, befall
  12. used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary
    • the money was found
    • the house is being built
  13. used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
    • he is reading
    • I have been sleeping
  14. used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
    • Christ is risen from the dead -- 1 Cor 15:20(DV)
  15. used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
    • I am to interview him today
    • she was to become famous

Be -symbol

  1. beryllium
  2. Baume

BE -abbr

  1. bachelor of education
  2. bachelor of engineering
  3. bill of exchange
  4. Black English

be- -prefix

  1. on : around : over
    • be daub
    • be smear
  2. to a great or greater degree : thoroughly
    • be fuddle
    • be rate
  3. excessively : ostentatiously in intensive verbs formed from simple verbs
    • be deck
    and in adjectives based on adjectives ending in -ed
    • be ribboned
  4. about : to : at : upon : against : across
    • be stride
    • be speak
  5. make : cause to be : treat as
    • be little
    • be fool
    • be friend
  6. call or dub esp. excessively
    • be doctor
  7. affect, afflict, treat, provide, or cover with esp. excessively
    • be devil
    • be fog

beach ['bēch] -n

  1. shore pebbles : shingle
  2. a shore of a body of water covered by sand, gravel, or larger rock fragments
  3. a seashore area
  4. to run or drive ashore
  5. to strand on or as if on a beach

beach ball -n

  1. a large inflated ball for use at the beach

beach·boy [-,bȯi] -n

  1. a male beach attendant (as at a club or hotel)

beach buggy -n

  1. dune buggy

beach·comb·er ['bēch-,kō-mər] -n, vb

  1. a white man living as a drifter or loafer esp. on the islands of the So. Pacific
  2. a person who searches along a shore (as for salable refuse or for seashells)

beach flea -n

  1. sand flea

beach·front ['bēch-,frənt] -n

  1. a strip of land that fronts a beach

beach·go·er [-,gō-ər] -n

  1. a person who frequently goes to the beach

beach grass -n

  1. any of several tough strongly rooted grasses that grow on exposed sandy shores
  2. any of a genus ( Ammophila) of rhizomatous perennials widely planted to bind sandy slopes

beach·head ['bēch-,hed] -n

  1. an area on a hostile shore occupied to secure further landing of troops and supplies
  2. foothold

beach pea -n

  1. a wild pea ( Lathyrus japonicussyn. L. maritimus) having tough roots and purple flowers that is found along sandy shores

beach plum -n

  1. a shrubby plum ( Prunus maritima) having white flowers and growing chiefly along the northeastern coast of No. America
  2. its edible usu. dark purple fruit that is used esp. in preserves

beach·side ['bēch-,sīd] -adj

  1. located at a beach
    • beachside property

beach towel -n

  1. a very large usu. brightly colored towel designed for use at the beach

beach·wear [-,wer] -n

  1. clothing for wear at a beach

beachy ['bē-chē] -adj

  1. covered with pebbles or shingle
  2. characterized by beaches
    • a beachy island

bea·con ['bē-kən] -n

  1. a signal fire commonly on a hill, tower, or pole
  2. a lighthouse or other signal for guidance
  3. a radio transmitter emitting signals for guidance of aircraft
  4. a source of light or inspiration

beacon -vi

  1. to shine as a beacon
  2. to furnish with a beacon

bead ['bēd] -n

  1. prayer usu. used in pl.
  2. a series of prayers and meditations made with a rosary
  3. a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire (as in a rosary)
  4. rosary
  5. a necklace of beads or pearls
  6. : a small ball-shaped body: as
  7. a drop of sweat or blood
  8. a bubble formed in or on a beverage
  9. a small metal knob on a firearm used as a front sight
  10. a blob or a line of weld metal
  11. a projecting rim, band, or molding
  12. a precise knowledge or understanding used in such phrases as get a bead on
  13. to furnish, adorn, or cover with beads or beading
  14. to string together like beads
  15. to form into a bead

bead·ing -n

  1. a beaded molding
  2. material or a part or a piece consisting of a bead
  3. an openwork trimming
  4. beadwork

bea·dle ['bē-dᵊl] -n

  1. a minor parish official whose duties include ushering and preserving order at services and sometimes civil functions

bead·roll ['bēd-,rōl] -n

  1. a list of names : catalog
  2. rosary

beads·man ['bēdz-mən] -n

  1. one who prays for another

bead·work ['bēd-,wərk] -n

  1. ornamental work in beads
  2. joinery beading

beady ['bē-dē] -adj, adv

  1. resembling beads
  2. small, round, and shiny with interest or greed
    • beady eyes
  3. marked by bubbles or beads
    • a beady liquor

bea·gle ['bē-gəl] -n

  1. any of a breed of small short-legged smooth-coated often black, white, and tan hounds

beak ['bēk] -n, adj

  1. the bill of a bird
  2. a strong short broad bill
  3. the elongated sucking mouth of some insects (as the true bugs)
  4. any of various rigid projecting mouth structures (as of a turtle)
  5. the human nose
  6. : a pointed structure or formation:
  7. a metal-pointed beam projecting from the bow esp. of an ancient galley for piercing an enemy ship
  8. the spout of a vessel
  9. a continuous slight architectural projection ending in an arris
  10. a process suggesting the beak of a bird
  11. magistrate
  12. headmaster

beaked whale -n

  1. any of a widely distributed family (Ziphiidae) of medium-sized toothed whales that have an elongated snout and a small dorsal fin

bea·ker ['bē-kər] -n

  1. a large drinking cup that has a wide mouth and is sometimes supported on a standard
  2. a deep widemouthed thin-walled vessel usu. with a lip for pouring that is used esp. in science laboratories

beall and endall ['bē-,ȯl-ən(d)-'end-,ȯl] -n

  1. prime cause : essential element
  2. totality

beam ['bēm] -n

  1. a long piece of heavy often squared timber suitable for use in construction
  2. a wood or metal cylinder in a loom on which the warp is wound
  3. the part of a plow to which handles, standard, and coulter are attached
  4. the bar of a balance from which scales hang
  5. one of the principal horizontal supporting members (as of a building or ship)
    • a steel beam supporting a floor
  6. boom, spar
    • the beam of a crane
  7. the extreme width of a ship at the widest part
  8. an oscillating lever on a central axis receiving motion at one end from an engine connecting rod and transmitting it at the other
  9. a ray or shaft of light
  10. a collection of nearly parallel rays (as X rays) or a stream of particles (as electrons)
  11. a constant directional radio signal transmitted for the guidance of pilots
  12. the course indicated by a radio beam
  13. the main stem of a deer's antler
  14. the width of the buttocks
  15. to emit in beams or as a beam
  16. to support with beams
  17. to transmit esp. by satellite : broadcast
  18. to transmit (data) electronically
  19. to direct to a particular audience
  20. to send out beams of light
  21. to smile with joy

beamends ['bēm-'en(d)z] -n pl

  1. the ends of a ship's beams

beam·ish ['bē-mish] -adj, adv

  1. beaming and bright with optimism, promise, or achievement
    • a beamish boy

beam sea -n

  1. a sea whose surface motion is approximately at a right angle to the course of a vessel

beam splitter -n

  1. a mirror or prism or a combination of the two that is used to divide a beam of radiation into two or more parts

beamy ['bē-mē] -adj

  1. emitting beams of light : radiant
  2. broad in the beam
    • a beamy cargo ship

bean ['bēn] -n

  1. broad bean
  2. the seed of any of various erect or climbing plants (as of the genera Phaseolusand Vigna) of the legume family other than the broad bean
  3. a plant bearing beans
  4. an immature bean pod used as a vegetable
  5. a valueless item
  6. the least amount
    • didn't know bean s about it
  7. any of various seeds or fruits that resemble beans or bean pods
    • coffee bean s
  8. a plant producing these
  9. exuberance used in the phrase full of beans
  10. nonsense, bunkum used in the phrase full of beans
  11. head, brain
  12. a protuberance on the upper mandible of waterfowl
  13. to strike (a person) on the head with an object

bean·bag ['bēn-,bag] -n

  1. a cloth bag partially filled typically with dried beans and used as a toy
  2. any of various pellet-filled bags used as furniture (as a chair) or household articles (as an ashtray base)

bean·ball [-,bȯl] -n

  1. a pitch thrown at a batter's head

bean counter -n

  1. a person involved in corporate or government financial decisions and esp. one reluctant to spend money

bean curd -n

  1. tofu

bean·ery ['bēn-rē, 'bē-nə-] -n

  1. restaurant

bean·ie ['bē-nē] -n

  1. a small round tight-fitting skullcap

beano ['bē-(,)nō] -n

  1. a noisy festive celebration
  2. bingo

bean·pole ['bēn-,pō(ə)l] -n

  1. a pole up which bean vines may climb
  2. a tall thin person

bean sprouts -n pl

  1. the sprouts of bean seeds esp. of the mung bean used as a vegetable

bean thread -n

  1. cellophane noodle

bear ['ber] -n, adj

  1. any of a family (Ursidae of the order Carnivora) of large heavy mammals of America and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, rudimentary tails, and plantigrade feet and feed largely on fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as on flesh
  2. a surly, uncouth, burly, or shambling person
    • a tall, friendly bear of a man
  3. one that sells securities or commodities in expectation of a price decline
  4. something difficult to do or deal with
    • the oven is a bear to clean
  5. to move while holding up and supporting
  6. to be equipped or furnished with
  7. behave, conduct
    • bear ing himself well
  8. to have as a feature or characteristic
    • bear s a likeness to her grandmother
  9. to give as testimony
    • bear false witness
  10. to have as an identification
    • bore the name of John
  11. to hold in the mind or emotions
    • bear malice
  12. disseminate
  13. lead, escort
  14. render, give
  15. to give birth to
  16. to produce as yield
  17. to permit growth of
  18. contain
    • oil- bearing shale
  19. to support the weight of : sustain
  20. to accept or allow oneself to be subjected to esp. without giving way
    • couldn't bear the pain
    • I can't bear seeing you cry
  21. to call for as suitable or essential
    • it bear s watching
  22. to hold above, on top, or aloft
  23. to admit of : allow
  24. assume, accept
  25. thrust, press
  26. to produce fruit : yield
  27. to force one's way
  28. to extend in a direction indicated or implied
  29. to be situated : lie
  30. to become directed
  31. to go or incline in an indicated direction
  32. to support a weight or strain often used with up
  33. to exert influence or force
  34. apply, pertain often used with on or upon
    • facts bear ing on the question

bear·able ['ber-ə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being borne

bear·bait·ing ['ber-,bā-tiŋ] -n

  1. the practice of setting dogs on a chained bear

bear·ber·ry [-,ber-ē, -,be-rē] -n

  1. a trailing evergreen plant ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) of the heath family with astringent foliage and red berries

bear claw -n

  1. a filled pastry that is cut and fanned to resemble a bear's foot

beard ['bird] -n, adj

  1. the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache
  2. a hairy or bristly appendage or tuft
  3. front
  4. to confront and oppose with boldness, resolution, and often effrontery : defy
  5. to furnish with a beard

bearded collie -n

  1. any of a breed of large herding dogs of Scottish origin that have a long rough coat and drooping ears

bearded iris -n

  1. any of numerous wild or cultivated irises with a growth of short hairs on each fall

bearded seal -n

  1. a large arctic hair seal ( Erignathus barbatus) with a tuft of long whiskers on each side of the muzzle

bear down -vt

  1. overcome, overwhelm
  2. to exert full strength and concentrated attention

beard·tongue ['bird-,təŋ] -n

  1. penstemon

bear·er ['ber-ər] -n

  1. : one that bears: as
  2. porter
  3. a plant yielding fruit
  4. pallbearer
  5. one holding a check, draft, bond, or other order for payment esp. if marked payable to bearer often used attributively
    • bearer bonds

bear grass -n

  1. any of several plants (genera Yucca, Nolina,or Xerophyllum) of the lily or agave families chiefly of the southern and western U.S. with foliage resembling coarse blades of grass

bearhug ['ber-,həg] -vt

  1. to embrace in a bear hug

bear hug -n

  1. a rough tight embrace

bear·ing -n

  1. the manner in which one bears or comports oneself
  2. the act, power, or time of bringing forth offspring or fruit
  3. a product of bearing : crop
  4. an object, surface, or point that supports
  5. a machine part in which another part (as a journal or pin) turns or slides
  6. a figure borne on a heraldic field
  7. pressure, thrust
  8. the situation or horizontal direction of one point with respect to another or to the compass
  9. a determination of position
  10. comprehension of one's position, environment, or situation
  11. relation, connection
  12. purport
  13. the part of a structural member that rests on its supports

bearing rein -n

  1. checkrein

bear·ish ['ber-ish] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling a bear in build or in roughness, gruffness, or surliness
    • a bearish man
  2. marked by, tending to cause, or fearful of falling prices (as in a stock market)
    • bearish investors
  3. pessimistic

bear market -n

  1. a market in which securities or commodities are persistently declining in value

be·ar·naise sauce ['bā-är-,nāz-, -ər-; 'ber-] -n

  1. a sauce of egg yolks and butter flavored with shallots, wine, vinegar, and seasonings

bear out -vt

  1. confirm, substantiate
    • a theory borne out by data

bear·skin ['ber-,skin] -n

  1. an article made of the skin of a bear
  2. a military hat made of the skin of a bear

bear up -vt

  1. support, encourage
  2. to summon up courage, resolution, or strength
    • bearing up under the strain

beast ['bēst] -n

  1. a four-footed mammal as distinguished from a human being, a lower vertebrate, and an invertebrate
  2. a lower animal as distinguished from a human being
  3. an animal as distinguished from a plant
  4. an animal under human control
  5. a contemptible person
  6. something formidably difficult to control or deal with

beast epic -n

  1. a poem with epic conventions in which animals speak and act like human beings

beast fable -n

  1. a usu. didactic prose or verse fable in which animals speak and act like human beings

beast·ie ['bē-stē] -n

  1. beast, animal, critter

beastings ['bē-stiŋz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

(variant of beestings)

  1. the colostrum esp. of a cow

beast·ly ['bēst-lē] -adj, n

  1. bestial
  2. abominable, disagreeable
    • beastly weather

beastly -adv

  1. very
    • a beastly cold day

beast of burden

  1. an animal employed to carry heavy loads or to perform other heavy work (as pulling a plow)

beat ['bēt] -vb, adj

  1. : to strike repeatedly:
  2. to hit repeatedly so as to inflict pain often used with up
  3. to walk on : tread
    • beat the pavement looking for work
  4. to strike directly against forcefully and repeatedly : dash against
  5. to flap or thrash at vigorously
  6. to strike at in order to rouse game
  7. to range over in or as if in quest of game
  8. to mix by stirring : whip often used with up
  9. to strike repeatedly in order to produce music or a signal
    • beat a drum
  10. to drive or force by blows
    • beat back his attackers
  11. to pound into a powder, paste, or pulp
  12. to make by repeated treading or driving over
    • beat a path
  13. to dislodge by repeated hitting
    • beat dust from the carpet
  14. to lodge securely by repeated striking
    • beat a stake into the ground
  15. to shape by beating
    • beat swords into plowshares
  16. to flatten thin by blows
  17. to sound or express esp. by drumbeat
  18. to cause to strike or flap repeatedly
    • a bird beat ing its wings
  19. overcome, defeat
  20. surpass often used with out
  21. to prevail despite
    • beat the odds
  22. bewilder, baffle
    • it beat s me how she does it
  23. fatigue, exhaust
  24. to leave dispirited, irresolute, or hopeless
  25. cheat, swindle
  26. to act ahead of usu. so as to forestall
  27. to report a news item in advance of
  28. to come or arrive before
  29. circumvent
    • beat the system
  30. to outmaneuver (a defender) and get free
  31. to score against (a goalkeeper)
  32. to indicate by beating
    • beat the tempo
  33. to become forcefully impelled : dash
  34. to glare or strike with oppressive intensity
  35. to sustain distracting activity
  36. to beat a drum
  37. pulsate, throb
  38. tick
  39. to sound upon being struck
  40. to strike repeated blows
    • beat ing on the door
  41. to strike the air : flap
  42. to strike cover in order to rouse game
  43. to range or scour for or as if for game
  44. to progress with much difficulty
  45. to sail to windward by a series of tacks
  46. a single stroke or blow esp. in a series
  47. pulsation, tick
  48. a sound produced by or as if by beating
  49. a driving impact or force
  50. one swing of the pendulum or balance of a timepiece
  51. a regularly traversed round
    • the cop on the beat
  52. a group of news sources that a reporter covers regularly
  53. a metrical or rhythmic stress in poetry or music or the rhythmic effect of these stresses
  54. the tempo indicated (as by a conductor) to a musical performer
  55. the pronounced rhythm that is the characteristic driving force in some types of music (as jazz or rock)
  56. rock
  57. one that excels
    • I've never seen the beat of it
  58. the reporting of a news story ahead of competitors
  59. deadbeat
  60. an act of beating to windward
  61. one of the reaches so traversed : tack
  62. each of the pulsations of amplitude produced by the union of sound or radio waves or electric currents having different frequencies
  63. an accented stroke (as of one leg or foot against the other) in dancing
  64. moment
    • waited a beat before responding
  65. being in a state of exhaustion : exhausted
  66. sapped of resolution or morale
  67. of, relating to, or being beatniks
    • beat poets
  68. beatnik

beat·en ['bē-tᵊn] -adj

  1. hammered into a desired shape
    • beaten gold
  2. much trodden and worn smooth
  3. familiar
    • a beaten path
  4. being in a state of exhaustion : exhausted

beaten biscuit -n

  1. a biscuit whose dough is lightened by beating and folding

beat·er ['bē-tər] -n

  1. : one that beats: as
  2. eggbeater
  3. a rotary blade attached to an electric mixer
  4. drumstick
  5. one who strikes bushes or other cover to rouse game
  6. a dilapidated old automobile : clunker

be·atif·ic [,bē-ə-'ti-fik] -adj, adv

  1. of, possessing, or imparting beatitude
  2. having a blissful appearance
    • a beatific smile

beatific vision -n

  1. the direct knowledge of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven

be·at·i·fy [bē-'a-tə-,fī] -vt, n

  1. to make supremely happy
  2. to declare to have attained the blessedness of heaven and authorize the title Blessed and limited public religious honor

beat·ing ['bē-tiŋ] -n

  1. an act of striking with repeated blows so as to injure or damage
  2. the injury or damage thus inflicted
  3. pulsation
  4. defeat, setback

beating reed -n

  1. a reed in a musical instrument that vibrates against the edges of an air opening (as in a clarinet or organ pipe) to which it is attached

be·at·i·tude [bē-'a-tə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. a state of utmost bliss
  2. used as a title for a primate esp. of an Eastern church
  3. any of the declarations made in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:311) beginning in the AV Blessed are

beat·nik ['bēt-nik] -n

  1. a person who participated in a social movement of the 1950s and early 1960s which stressed artistic self-expression and the rejection of the mores of conventional society
  2. a usu. young and artistic person who rejects the mores of conventional society

beat off -vt

  1. repel
  2. masturbate used of a male

beat out -vt

  1. to make or perform by or as if by beating
  2. to mark or accompany by beating
  3. to turn (a routine ground ball or a bunt) into a hit in baseball by fast running to first base

Be·atrice [,bā-ä-'trē-(,)chā, 'bē-ə-trəs] -n

  1. a Florentine woman idealized in Dante's Vita Nuovaand Divina Commedia

beatup ['bēt-,əp, -'əp] -adj

  1. dilapidated, shabby

beau ['bō] -n

  1. dandy
  2. boyfriend

Beau Brum·mell ['bō-'brə-məl] -n

  1. dandy

beau·coup ['bō-(,)kü] -adj

  1. great in quantity or amount : many, much
    • spent beaucoup dollars

Beau·fort scale ['bō-fərt-] -n

  1. a scale in which the force of the wind is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12

beau geste [bō-'zhest] -n

  1. a graceful or magnanimous gesture
  2. an ingratiating conciliatory gesture

beau ide·al [,bō-ī-'dē(-ə)l, ,bō-,ē-dā-'äl] -n

  1. the perfect type or model

Beau·jo·lais [,bō-zhō-'lā, -zhə-] -n

  1. a light fruity red burgundy wine made from the Gamay grape

Beaujolais nouveau -n

  1. a Beaujolais wine that is released shortly after a grape harvest and is sold for immediate consumption

beau monde [bō-'mänd, -mōⁿd] -n

  1. the world of high society and fashion

beaut ['byüt] -n

  1. beauty
  2. excellent

beau·te·ous ['byü-tē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. beautiful

beau·ti·cian [byü-'ti-shən] -n

  1. cosmetologist

beau·ti·ful ['byü-ti-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. having qualities of beauty : exciting aesthetic pleasure
  2. generally pleasing : excellent

beautiful people -n pl

  1. wealthy or famous people whose lifestyle is usu. expensive and well-publicized

beau·ti·fy ['byü-tə-,fī] -vb, n

  1. to make beautiful or add beauty to : embellish
  2. to grow beautiful

beau·ty ['byü-tē] -n

  1. the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness
  2. a beautiful person or thing
  3. a beautiful woman
  4. a particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality
  5. a brilliant, extreme, or egregious example or instance
    • that mistake was a beauty
  6. bottom

beau·ty·ber·ry [-,ber-ē, -,be-rē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Callicarpa) of deciduous shrubs and trees of the vervain family that bear dense clusters of small usu. purple berries and are often cultivated as ornamentals

beauty bush -n

  1. a Chinese shrub ( Kolkwitzia amabilis) of the honeysuckle family with pinkish flowers and bristly fruit

beauty contest -n

  1. an assemblage of girls or women at which judges select the most beautiful called also beauty pageant
  2. a presidential primary election in which the popular vote does not determine the number of convention delegates a candidate receives

beauty part -n

  1. the most desirable or beneficial aspect of something

beauty queen -n

  1. a beautiful and glamorous woman or girl
  2. a winner of a beauty contest

beauty shop -n

  1. an establishment or department where hairdressing, facials, and manicures are done called also beauty parlor beauty salon

beauty spot -n

  1. patch
  2. nevus

beaux arts ['bō-'zär] -n pl

  1. fine arts
  2. characterized by the use of historic forms, rich decorative detail, and a tendency toward monumental conception in architecture

bea·ver ['bē-vər] -n

  1. either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family (Castoridae including Castor canadensisof No. America and C. fiberof Eurasia), having webbed hind feet and a broad flat scaly tail, and constructing dams and partially submerged lodges
  2. the fur or pelt of the beaver
  3. a hat made of beaver fur or a fabric imitation
  4. silk hat
  5. a heavy fabric of felted wool or of cotton napped on both sides
  6. the pudenda of a woman

beaver -n

  1. a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face
  2. a helmet visor
  3. to work energetically
    • beaver ing away at the problem

bea·ver·board ['bē-vər-,bȯrd] -n

  1. a fiberboard used for partitions and ceilings

bea·ver·tail [-,tāl] -n

  1. a low-growing prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia basilaris) of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico having large usu. pink or red flowers

be·bop ['bē-,bäp] -n

  1. bop

BEC -abbr

  1. Bureau of Employees' Compensation

be·calm [bi-'kä(l)m] -vt

  1. to keep motionless by lack of wind
  2. to stop the progress of
  3. to make calm : soothe

be·cause [bi-'kȯz, -'kəz, -'kȯs, bē-] -conj

  1. for the reason that : since
    • rested because he was tired
  2. the fact that : that
    • the reason I haven't been fired is because my boss hasn't got round to it yet -- E. B. White

because of -prep

  1. by reason of : on account of

be·cha·mel [,bā-shə-'mel] -n

  1. a rich white sauce

be·chance [bi-'chan(t)s, bē-] -vb

  1. befall

bechedemer [,besh-də-'mer, ,bāsh-] -n

  1. trepang
  2. any of several English-based pidgins spoken on islands of the western Pacific

beck ['bek] -n

  1. creek
  2. beckon
  3. bow, curtsy
  4. a beckoning gesture
  5. summons, bidding

Beck·er muscular dystrophy ['be-kər-] -n

  1. a less severe form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy marked by later onset and slower progression of the disease called also Becker's muscular dystrophy -krz-

beck·et ['be-kət] -n

  1. : a device for holding something in place: as
  2. a grommet or a loop of rope with a knot at one end to catch in an eye at the other
  3. a ring of rope or metal
  4. a loop of rope (as for a handle)

beck·on ['be-kᵊn] -vb, n

  1. to summon or signal typically with a wave or nod
  2. to appear inviting : attract
    • the frontier beckon s
  3. to beckon to

be·cloud [bi-'klau̇d, bē-] -vt

  1. to obscure with or as if with a cloud
  2. to prevent clear perception or realization of : muddle
    • prejudices that becloud his judgment

be·come [bi-'kəm, bē-] -vb

  1. to come into existence
  2. to come to be
    • become sick
  3. to undergo change or development
  4. to be suitable to
    • seriousness becoming the occasion
  5. to be becoming to
    • her clothes become her

be·com·ing [-'kə-miŋ] -adj, adv

  1. suitable, fitting
  2. attractively suitable
    • becoming modesty

bed ['bed] -n

  1. a piece of furniture on or in which to lie and sleep
  2. a place of sex relations
  3. marital relationship
  4. close association : cahoots
    • a legislator in bed with lobbyists
  5. a place for sleeping
  6. sleep
  7. a time for sleeping
    • took a walk before bed
  8. a mattress filled with soft material
  9. bedstead
  10. the equipment and services needed to care for one hospitalized patient or hotel guest
  11. : a flat or level surface: as
  12. a plot of ground prepared for plants
  13. the plants grown in such a plot
  14. the bottom of a body of water
  15. an area of sea bottom supporting a heavy growth of a particular organism
    • an oyster bed
  16. a supporting surface or structure : foundation
  17. layer, stratum
  18. the place or material in which a block or brick is laid
  19. the lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile
  20. a mass or heap resembling a bed
    • a bed of ashes
    • served on a bed of lettuce
  21. to find or make sleeping accommodations usu. used with down
    • a place to bed down
  22. to go to bed usu. used with down
    • bed down at midnight
  23. to form a layer
  24. to lie flat or flush
  25. to furnish with a bed or bedding : settle in sleeping quarters often used with down
  26. to put, take, or send to bed
  27. embed
  28. to plant or arrange in beds
  29. base, establish
  30. to lay flat or in a layer
  31. to make a bed in or of
  32. to have sexual intercourse with

BEd -abbr

  1. bachelor of education

be·dab·ble [bi-'da-bəl, bē-] -vt

  1. to wet or soil by dabbling

bedandbreakfast -n

  1. an establishment (as an inn) offering lodging and breakfast

be·daub [bi-'dȯb, -'däb, bē-] -vt

  1. to daub over : besmear
  2. to ornament with vulgar excess

be·daz·zle [bi-'da-zəl, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to confuse by a strong light : dazzle
  2. to impress forcefully : enchant

bed·bug ['bed-,bəg] -n

  1. a wingless bloodsucking hemipterous bug ( Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and esp. beds and feeding on human blood

bed·cham·ber [-,chām-bər] -n

  1. bedroom

bed check -n

  1. a night inspection to check the presence of persons (as soldiers) required by regulations to be in bed or in quarters

bed·clothes ['bed-,klō(th)z] -n pl

  1. the covering (as sheets and blankets) used on a bed

bed·cov·er [-,kə-vər] -n

  1. bedspread
  2. bedclothes usu. used in pl.

bed·ded ['be-dəd] -adj

  1. having a bed or beds of a specified kind or number used in combination
    • a twin- bedded room

bed·der ['be-dər] -n

  1. a bedding plant
  2. a person who makes up beds

bed·ding ['be-diŋ] -n

  1. bedclothes
  2. a bottom layer : foundation
  3. material to provide a bed for livestock
  4. stratification

bedding -adj

  1. suitable for planting in large groups in flower beds to produce a mass display
    • bedding plants

be·deck [bi-'dek, bē-] -vt

  1. to clothe with finery : deck
  2. decorate

be·dev·il [bi-'de-vəl, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to possess with or as if with a devil
  2. to cause distress : trouble
  3. to change for the worse : spoil
  4. to confuse utterly : bewilder

be·dew [bi-'dü, -'dyü, bē-] -vt

  1. to wet with or as if with dew

bed·fast ['bed-,fast] -adj

  1. bedridden

bed·fel·low [-,fe-(,)lō] -n

  1. one who shares a bed with another
  2. associate, ally
    • political bedfellow s

Bed·ford cord ['bed-fərd-] -n

  1. a clothing fabric with lengthwise ribs that resembles corduroy
  2. the weave used in making this fabric

bedhop ['bed-,häp] -vi

  1. sleep around

be·dight [bi-'dīt, bē-] -vt

  1. equip, array

be·dim [bi-'dim, bē-] -vt

  1. to make less bright
  2. to make indistinct : obscure

Bed·i·vere ['be-də-,vir] -n

  1. a knight of the Round Table

be·di·zen [bi-'dī-zᵊn, -'di-, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to dress or adorn gaudily

bed·lam ['bed-ləm] -n, adj

  1. madman, lunatic
  2. a lunatic asylum
  3. a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion

bed·lam·ite ['bed-lə-,mīt] -n, adj

  1. madman, lunatic

Bed·ling·ton terrier ['bed-liŋ-tən-] -n

  1. a swift lightly built terrier of English origin with a long narrow head, arched back, and usu. curly coat called also Bedlington

bed·mate ['bed-,māt] -n

  1. one who shares one's bed
  2. a sexual partner

bed molding -n

  1. the molding of a cornice below the corona and above the frieze
  2. a molding below a deep projection

bed of roses

  1. a place or situation of agreeable ease

bed·ou·in ['be-də-wən, -dü-ən, 'bed-wən] -n

  1. a nomadic Arab of the Arabian, Syrian, or No. African deserts

bed·pan ['bed-,pan] -n

  1. a shallow vessel used by a bedridden person for urination or defecation

bed·plate [-,plāt] -n

  1. a plate or framing used as a support

bed·post [-,pōst] -n

  1. the usu. turned or carved post of a bed

be·drag·gle [bi-'dra-gəl] -vt

  1. to wet thoroughly

be·drag·gled [bi-'dra-gəld; bē-] -adj

  1. left wet and limp by or as if by rain
  2. soiled and stained by or as if by trailing in mud
  3. dilapidated
    • bedraggled buildings

bed rest -n

  1. confinement of a sick person to bed

bed·rid·den ['bed-,ri-dᵊn] -adj

  1. confined (as by illness) to bed

bed·rock [-'räk, -,räk] -n

  1. the solid rock underlying unconsolidated surface materials (as soil)
  2. lowest point : nadir
  3. basis
  4. solidly fundamental, basic, or reliable
    • traditional bedrock values
    • a bedrock constituency

bed·roll [-,rōl] -n

  1. bedding rolled up for carrying

bed·room [-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n, adj

  1. a room furnished with a bed and intended primarily for sleeping
  2. dealing with, suggestive of, or inviting sexual relations
    • a bedroom farce
    • bedroom eyes
  3. inhabited or used by commuters
    • a bedroom community

Beds -abbr

  1. Bedfordshire

bed·sheet ['bed-,shēt] -n

  1. an oblong piece of usu. cotton or linen cloth used as an article of bedding

bed·side ['bed-,sīd] -n

  1. the side of a bed : a place beside a bed

bedside -adj

  1. of, relating to, or conducted at the bedside
    • a bedside diagnosis
  2. suitable for reading in bed
    • a bedside book

bedside manner -n

  1. the manner that a physician assumes toward patients

bedsit·ter ['bed-,si-tər] -n

  1. a one-room apartment serving as both bedroom and sitting room called also bedsit bed-sitting-room

bed·sore ['bed-,sȯr] -n

  1. an ulceration of tissue deprived of adequate blood supply by prolonged pressure called also decubitus ulcer

bed·spread [-,spred] -n

  1. a usu. ornamental cloth cover for a bed

bed·spring [-,spriŋ] -n

  1. a spring supporting a mattress

bed·stead ['bed-,sted] -n

  1. the framework of a bed

bed·straw [-,strȯ] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Galium) of herbs of the madder family having squarish stems, whorled leaves, and small flowers

bed table -n

  1. an adjustable table used (as for eating or writing) by a person in bed
  2. a small table beside a bed

bed·time [-,tīm] -n

  1. a time for going to bed

bedtime story -n

  1. a story read or recounted to someone (as a child) at bedtime

be·du ['be-(,)dü] -n

  1. bedouin

bed warmer -n

  1. a covered pan containing hot coals used to warm a bed

bedwet·ting [-,we-tiŋ] -n

  1. enuresis esp. when occurring in bed during sleep

bee ['bē] -n, adj

  1. honeybee
  2. any of numerous hymenopterous insects (superfamily Apoidea) that differ from the related wasps esp. in the heavier hairier body and in having sucking as well as chewing mouthparts, that feed on pollen and nectar, and that store both and often also honey
  3. an eccentric notion : fancy
  4. the letter b
  5. a gathering of people for a specific purpose
    • a quilting bee

BEE -abbr

  1. bachelor of electrical engineering

bee balm -n

  1. any of several monardas
  2. oswego tea
  3. lemon balm

bee·bread ['bē-,bred] -n

  1. bitter yellowish-brown pollen stored up in honeycomb cells and used mixed with honey by bees as food

beech ['bēch] -n, adj

  1. any of a genus ( Fagusof the family Fagaceae, the beech family) of hardwood trees with smooth gray bark and small edible nuts
  2. its wood

beech·drops ['bēch-,dräps] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. a plant ( Epifagus virginiana) of the broomrape family parasitic on the roots of beeches

beech·nut [-,nət] -n

  1. the nut of the beech

beeeat·er ['bē-,ē-tər] -n

  1. any of a family (Meropidae) of brightly colored slender-billed insectivorous chiefly tropical Old World birds

beef ['bēf] -n

  1. the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (as a steer or cow) used as food
  2. an ox, cow, or bull in a full-grown or nearly full-grown state
  3. a steer or cow fattened for food
    • quality Texas beeves
    • a herd of good beef
  4. a dressed carcass of a beef animal
  5. muscular flesh : brawn
  6. complaint
  7. to increase or add substance, strength, or power to usu. used with up
    • money to beef up its staff of professional economists -- John Fischer
  8. complain
    • always beef ing about something

beef·a·lo ['bē-fə-,lō] -n

  1. any of a breed of beef cattle developed in the U.S. that is genetically No. American bison and domestic bovine

beef·cake ['bēf-,kāk] -n

  1. a usu. photographic display of muscular male physiques
  2. a man of the type featured in such a display or such men in general

beef cattle -n pl

  1. cattle developed primarily for the efficient production of meat and marked by capacity for rapid growth, heavy well-fleshed body, and stocky build

beef·eat·er ['bēf-,ē-tər] -n

  1. yeoman of the guard

bee fly -n

  1. any of a family (Bombyliidae) of dipteran flies many of which resemble bees

beef·steak ['bēf-,stāk] -n

  1. a steak of beef usu. from the hindquarter

beefsteak tomato -n

  1. a very large globe-shaped red tomato with dense flesh

beef Stro·ga·noff [-'strȯ-gə-,nȯf, -'strō-] -n

  1. beef sliced thin and cooked in a sour-cream sauce

beef Wel·ling·ton [-'we-liŋ-tən] -n

  1. a fillet of beef covered with pate de foie gras and baked in a casing of pastry

beef·wood ['bēf-,wu̇d] -n

  1. the hard heavy reddish wood of any of various chiefly tropical trees (as the Australian pine)
  2. australian pine

beefy ['bē-fē] -adj

  1. heavily and powerfully built
    • a beefy thug
  2. substantial, sturdy
    • beefy shock absorbers
  3. of or suggesting beef
    • a beefy flavor
  4. full of beef
    • a beefy steak

bee·hive ['bē-,hīv] -n, adj

  1. hive
  2. : something resembling a hive for bees: as
  3. a scene of crowded activity
  4. a woman's hairdo that is conical in shape

beehive oven -n

  1. an arched oven used esp. for baking food and formerly for coking coal

bee·keep·er [-,kē-pər] -n

  1. a person who raises bees

bee·line [-,līn] -n

  1. a straight direct course

beeline -vi

  1. to go quickly in a straight direct course

Beel·ze·bub [bē-'el-zi-,bəb, 'bēl-zi-, 'bel-] -n

  1. devil
  2. a fallen angel in Milton's Paradise Lostranking next to Satan

been ['bē] -vb

(variant of be)

  1. to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
    • God is love
    • January is the first month
    • let x be 10
  2. to have identity with
    • the first person I met was my brother
  3. to constitute the same class as
  4. to have a specified qualification or characterization
    • the leaves are green
  5. to belong to the class of
    • the fish is a trout
    used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication
  6. to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
    • I think, therefore I am
  7. to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
    • the book is on the table
  8. to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted used only in infinitive form
    • let him be
  9. to take place : occur
    • the concert was last night
  10. to come or go
    • has already been and gone
    • has never been to the circus
  11. belong, befall
  12. used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary
    • the money was found
    • the house is being built
  13. used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
    • he is reading
    • I have been sleeping
  14. used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
    • Christ is risen from the dead -- 1 Cor 15:20(DV)
  15. used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
    • I am to interview him today
    • she was to become famous

beep ['bēp] -n

  1. a short usu. high-pitched sound (as from a horn or an electronic device) that serves as a signal or warning
  2. to cause (as a horn) to sound
  3. to sound a horn
  4. to make a beep

beep·er ['bē-pər] -n

  1. pager
  2. one that beeps

beer ['bir] -n

  1. an alcoholic beverage usu. made from malted cereal grain (as barley), flavored with hops, and brewed by slow fermentation
  2. a carbonated nonalcoholic or a fermented slightly alcoholic beverage with flavoring from roots or other plant parts
    • birch beer
  3. fermented mash
  4. a drink of beer

beer and skittles -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. a situation of agreeable ease
    • won't be all beer and skittles

beer belly ['bir-,be-lēd] -n, adj

  1. potbelly

beery ['bir-ē] -adj

  1. smelling or tasting of beer
    • beery tavern
  2. affected or caused by beer
    • beery voices

bee's knees -n

  1. a highly admired person or thing : cat's meow

bees·tings ['bē-stiŋz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. the colostrum esp. of a cow

beestung ['bē-,stəŋ] -adj

  1. having a red puffy appearance as if from being stung by a bee
    • beestung lips

bees·wax ['bēz-,waks] -n

  1. wax

beet ['bēt] -n

  1. a biennial garden plant ( Beta vulgaris) of the goosefoot family that includes several cultivars (as Swiss chard and sugar beet) and that has thick edible leaves with long petioles and often swollen purplish-red roots
  2. its root used esp. as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or for forage

beet armyworm -n

  1. an armyworm ( Spodoptera exigua) that typically eats the foliage of beets, alfalfa, and vegetables

bee·tle ['bē-tᵊl] -n

  1. any of an order (Coleoptera) of insects having four wings of which the outer pair are modified into stiff elytra that protect the inner pair when at rest
  2. any of various insects resembling a beetle

beetle ['bē-tᵊl-iŋ] -vi

  1. to scurry like a beetle
    • editors beetled around the office
  2. a heavy wooden hammering or ramming instrument
  3. a wooden pestle or bat for domestic tasks
  4. being prominent and overhanging
    • beetle brows
  5. project, jut
    • to scale the beetling crags -- R. L. Stevenson

beet leafhopper -n

  1. a leafhopper ( Circulifer tenellus) that transmits curly top virus to sugar beets and other garden plants

bee tree -n

  1. a hollow tree in which honeybees nest

beet·root ['bēt-,rüt] -n

  1. a beet grown for its edible usu. red root
  2. the root

beeves ['bēf] -n

(variant of beef)

  1. the flesh of an adult domestic bovine (as a steer or cow) used as food
  2. an ox, cow, or bull in a full-grown or nearly full-grown state
  3. a steer or cow fattened for food
    • quality Texas beeves
    • a herd of good beef
  4. a dressed carcass of a beef animal
  5. muscular flesh : brawn
  6. complaint
  7. to increase or add substance, strength, or power to usu. used with up
    • money to beef up its staff of professional economists -- John Fischer
  8. complain
    • always beef ing about something

bee·yard ['bē-,yärd] -n

  1. apiary

bef -abbr

  1. before

BEF -abbr

  1. British Expeditionary Force

be·fall [bi-'fȯl, bē-] -vb

  1. to happen esp. as if by fate
  2. to happen to
    • the fate that befell them

be·fit [bi-'fit, bē-] -vt

  1. to be proper or becoming to
    • clothing that befit s the occasion

be·fit·ting [-'fi-tiŋ] -adj, adv

  1. suitable, appropriate
  2. proper, decent

be·fog [bi-'fȯg, -'fäg, bē-] -vt

  1. confuse
  2. fog, obscure

be·fool [bi-'fül, bē-] -vt

  1. to make a fool of
  2. delude, deceive

be·fore [bi-'fȯr, bē-] -adv or adj

  1. in advance : ahead
    • marching on before
  2. at an earlier time : previously
    • the night before
    • knew her from before

before -prep

  1. forward of : in front of
    • stood before the fire
  2. in the presence of
    • speaking before the conference
  3. under the jurisdiction or consideration of
    • the case before the court
  4. at the disposal of
    • the great sums placed before him
  5. in store for
    • got the whole summer before you
  6. preceding in time : earlier than
    • just before noon
  7. in a higher or more important position than
    • put quantity before quality
  8. earlier than the time that
    • call me before you go
  9. sooner or quicker than
    • I'll be done before you know it
  10. so that...do not
    • get out of there before you get dirty
  11. until the time that
    • miles to go before I sleep -- Robert Frost
  12. or else...not
    • must be convicted before he can be removed from office
  13. or else
    • get out of here before I call a cop
  14. rather or sooner than
    • would starve before he'd steal

be·fore·hand [bi-'fȯr-,hand, bē-] -adv or adj

  1. in anticipation
  2. in advance
  3. ahead of time : early

before long -adv

  1. in the near future : soon

be·fore·time [-,tīm] -adv

  1. formerly

be·foul [bi-'fau̇(-ə)l, bē-] -vt

  1. to make foul (as with dirt or waste)
  2. sully, soil, besmirch
    • scandal befoul ed his reputation

be·friend [bi-'frend] -vt

  1. to become or act as a friend to

be·fud·dle [bi-'fə-dᵊl, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to muddle or stupefy with or as if with drink
  2. confuse, perplex

beg ['beg] -vb

  1. to ask for as a charity
  2. to ask earnestly for : entreat
  3. to require as necessary or appropriate
  4. evade, sidestep
    • begged the real problems
  5. to ask for alms
  6. to ask earnestly
    • begged for mercy
  7. begin; beginning

be·get [bi-'get, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to procreate as the father : sire
  2. to produce esp. as an effect or outgrowth

beg·gar ['be-gər] -n

  1. one that begs
  2. a person who lives by asking for gifts
  3. pauper
  4. fellow

beggar ['be-gə-riŋ] -vt

  1. to reduce to beggary
  2. to exceed the resources or abilities of : defy
    • beggar s description
    • so outrageous as to beggar belief

beg·gar·ly ['be-gər-lē] -adj, n

  1. contemptibly mean, scant, petty, or paltry
  2. befitting or resembling a beggar
  3. marked by extreme poverty

beggarmyneighbour -adj

  1. beggar-thy-neighbor

beg·gar'slice ['be-gərz-,līs] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. any of various plants (as of the genera Hackeliaand Cynoglossumof the borage family) with prickly or adhesive fruits
  2. one of these fruits

beggarthyneighbor -adj

  1. relating to or being an action or policy that produces gains for one group at the expense of another
    • followed beggarthyneighbor policies in imposing taxes

beg·garticks ['be-gər-,tiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. bur marigold
  2. its prickly achenes
  3. beggar's-lice

beg·gar·weed ['be-gər-,wēd] -n

  1. any of various plants (as knotgrass or dodder) that grow in waste ground
  2. any of several tick trefoils (genus Desmodium)
  3. a West Indian forage plant ( D. tortuosum) cultivated in the southern U.S.

beg·gary ['be-gə-rē] -n

  1. poverty, penury
  2. the class of beggars
  3. the practice of begging

be·gin [bi-'gin, bē-] -vb

  1. to do the first part of an action : go into the first part of a process : start
  2. to come into existence : arise
  3. to have a starting point
  4. to do or succeed in the least degree
    • I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am
  5. to set about the activity of : start
  6. to bring into being : found
  7. originate, invent

be·gin·ner [bi-'gi-nər, bē-] -n

  1. one that begins something
  2. an inexperienced person

be·gin·ning [bi-'gi-niŋ, bē-] -n

  1. the point at which something begins : start
  2. the first part
  3. origin, source
  4. a rudimentary stage or early period usu. used in pl.

beginning -adj

  1. just starting out
    • a beginning writer
  2. being first or the first part
    • the beginning chapters
  3. introductory
    • beginning chemistry

beginning rhyme -n

  1. rhyme at the beginning of successive lines of verse
  2. alliteration

be·gird [bi-'gərd, bē-] -vt

  1. gird
  2. surround, encompass

be·glam·our [bi-'gla-mər, bē-] -vt

  1. to impress or deceive with glamour

beg off ['beg-,ȯf] -vi, n

  1. to ask to be excused from something
  2. to ask or gain permission to be excused from
    • begged off attending the party

be·gog·gled [bi-'gä-gᵊld, bē-] -adj

  1. wearing goggles
    • a helmeted begoggled motorcycle rider

be·gone [bi-'gȯn, -'gän, bē-] -vi

  1. to go away : depart used esp. in the imperative

be·go·nia [bi-'gōn-yə] -n

  1. any of a large genus ( Begoniaof the family Begoniaceae, the begonia family) of tropical or subtropical herbs and shrubs that have asymmetrical leaves and are widely cultivated as ornamentals

be·gor·ra [bi-'gȯr-ə, -'gär-] -interj

  1. used as a mild usu. jocular oath

be·grime [bi-'grīm, bē-] -vt

  1. to make dirty with grime
  2. sully, corrupt

be·grudge [bi-'grəj, bē-] -vt, n, adv

  1. to give or concede reluctantly or with displeasure
    • begrudge money
    • begrudge d the weeks spent away from home
  2. to look upon with disapproval
    • begrudge their rivals' success

be·guile [bi-'gī(-ə)l, bē-] -vb, n, adv

  1. to lead by deception
  2. hoodwink
  3. to while away esp. by some agreeable occupation
  4. divert
  5. to engage the interest of by or as if by guile
  6. to deceive by wiles

be·guine ['bā-,gēn, ,bā-'] -n

  1. a member of one of various ascetic and philanthropic communities of women not under vows founded chiefly in the Netherlands in the 13th century
  2. a vigorous popular dance of the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique that somewhat resembles the rumba

be·gum ['bā-gəm, 'bē-] -n

  1. a Muslim woman of high rank (as in India or Pakistan)

be·half [bi-'haf, -'häf, bē-] -n

  1. interest, benefit
  2. support, defense
    • argued in his behalf

be·have [bi-'hāv, bē-] -vb, n

  1. to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
  2. to conduct (oneself) in a proper manner
  3. to act, function, or react in a particular way
  4. to conduct oneself properly

be·hav·ior [bi-'hā-vyər, bē-] -n, adj, adv

  1. the manner of conducting oneself
  2. anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation
  3. the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment
  4. the way in which someone behaves
  5. an instance of such behavior
  6. the way in which something functions or operates

behavioral science -n

  1. a branch of science (as psychology, sociology, or anthropology) that deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior in society

be·hav·ior·ism [bi-'hā-vyə-,ri-zəm, bē-] -n, adj

  1. a school of psychology that takes the objective evidence of behavior (as measured responses to stimuli) as the only concern of its research and the only basis of its theory without reference to conscious experience

be·hav·ior·ist [-vyə-rist] -n, adj

  1. a person who advocates or practices behaviorism
  2. a person who specializes in the study of behavior
    • an animal behaviorist

behavior modification -n

  1. psychotherapy that is concerned with the treatment (as by desensitization or aversion therapy) of observable behaviors rather than underlying psychological processes and that applies principles of learning to substitute desirable responses for undesirable ones (as phobias or obsessions) called also behavioral therapy behavior therapy

be·hav·iour [bi-'hā-vyər, bē-] -n, adj, adv

(variant of behavior)

  1. the manner of conducting oneself
  2. anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation
  3. the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment
  4. the way in which someone behaves
  5. an instance of such behavior
  6. the way in which something functions or operates

be·head [bi-'hed, bē-] -vt

  1. to cut off the head of : decapitate

be·he·moth [bi-'hē-məth, 'bē-ə-məth, -,mäth, -,mȯth] -n

  1. a mighty animal described in Job 40:1524 as an example of the power of God
  2. something of monstrous size, power, or appearance
    • a behemoth truck

be·hest [bi-'hest, bē-] -n

  1. an authoritative order : command
  2. an urgent prompting
    • called at the behest of my friends

be·hind [bi-'hīnd, bē-] -adv or adj

  1. in the place or situation that is being or has been departed from
    • stay behind
  2. in, to, or toward the back
    • look behind
    • came from behind
  3. later in time
    • can spring be far behind
  4. in a secondary or inferior position
  5. in arrears
    • behind in the rent
  6. slow
  7. still to come

behind -prep

  1. in or to a place or situation in back of or to the rear of
    • look behind you
    • put behind bars
  2. used as a function word to indicate something that screens an observer
    • the sun went behind a cloud
  3. following in order
    • marched behind the band
  4. used as a function word to indicate backwardness, delay, or deficiency
    • behind the times
    • behind schedule
    • lagged behind last year's sales
  5. in the background of
    • the conditions behind the strike
  6. out of the mind or consideration of
    • put our troubles behind us
  7. beyond in depth or time
    • the story behind the story
    • go back behind St. Augustine
  8. in support of : on the side of
    • solidly behind the candidate
  9. with the support of
    • won 10 behind brilliant pitching

be·hind ['bē-,hīnd; bi-'hīnd, bē-] -n

  1. buttocks often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressions
    • get your behind over here

be·hind·hand [bi-'hīnd-,hand, bē-] -adj

  1. being in arrears
  2. being in an inferior position
  3. being behind schedule

behindthescenes -adj

  1. being or working out of public view or in secret
    • behindthescenes lobbying for more money
    • a behindthescenes player
  2. revealing or reporting the hidden workings
    • a behindthescenes account
    • a behindthescenes glimpse

be·hold [bi-'hōld, bē-] -vb, n

  1. to perceive through sight or apprehension : see
  2. to gaze upon : observe
  3. used in the imperative esp. to call attention

be·hold·en [bi-'hōl-dən, bē-] -adj

  1. being under obligation for a favor or gift : indebted
    • I'm beholden to you

be·hoof [bi-'hüf, bē-] -n

  1. advantage, profit
    • for his own behoof

be·hoove [bi-'hüv, bē-] -vb

  1. to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for
    • it behoove s us to go
  2. to be necessary, fit, or proper

be·hove [bi-'hüv, bē-] -vb

(variant of behoove)

  1. to be necessary, proper, or advantageous for
    • it behoove s us to go
  2. to be necessary, fit, or proper

beige ['bāzh] -n, adj

  1. cloth made of natural undyed wool
  2. a variable color averaging light grayish-yellowish brown
  3. a pale to grayish yellow
  4. of the color beige
  5. lacking distinction : vanilla

bei·gnet [,bān-'yā, ,ben-] -n

  1. fritter
  2. a light square doughnut usu. sprinkled with powdered sugar

be·ing ['bē(-i)ŋ] -n

  1. the quality or state of having existence
  2. something conceivable as existing
  3. something that actually exists
  4. the totality of existing things
  5. conscious existence : life
  6. the qualities that constitute an existent thing : essence
  7. personality
  8. a living thing
  9. person

being -adj

  1. present used in the phrase for the time being
  2. since, because usu. used with as, as how, or that

Be·ja ['bā-jə] -n

  1. a member of a pastoral people living between the Nile and the Red Sea
  2. the Cushitic language of the Beja people

be·jab·bers [bi-'ja-bərz] -interj

  1. bejesus

be·je·sus [bi-'jē-zəs, -'jā-, -zəz] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath used as a noun for emphasis
    • scares the bejesus out of me

be·jew·eled [bi-'jü-əld, -'jüld, bē- also -'ju̇(ə)ld] -adj

  1. ornamented with or as if with jewels

bel ['bel] -n

  1. ten decibels

be·la·bor [bi-'lā-bər, bē-] -vt

  1. to attack verbally
  2. to beat soundly
  3. to explain or insist on excessively
    • belabor the obvious

be·la·bour [bi-'lā-bər, bē-] -vt

(variant of belabor)

  1. to attack verbally
  2. to beat soundly
  3. to explain or insist on excessively
    • belabor the obvious

Be·la·rus·ian [,b(y)e-lä-'rü-sē-ən, ,b(y)ā-] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Belarus
  2. the Slavic language of the Belarusians

be·lat·ed [bi-'lā-təd, bē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. delayed beyond the usual time
  2. existing or appearing past the normal or proper time

be·laud [bi-'lȯd, bē-] -vt

  1. to praise usu. to excess

be·lay [bi-'lā, bē-] -vb, n

  1. to secure (as a rope) by turns around a cleat, pin, or bitt
  2. to make fast
  3. stop
  4. to secure (a person) at the end of a rope
  5. to secure (a rope) to a person or object
  6. to be made fast
  7. stop, quit used in the imperative
    • belay there
  8. to make a line fast by turns around a cleat, pin, or bitt

belay -n

  1. the securing of a person or a safety rope to an anchor point (as during mountain climbing)
  2. a method of so securing a person or rope
  3. something (as a projection of rock) to which a person or rope is anchored

bel can·to [bel-'kän-(,)tō, -'kan-] -n

  1. operatic singing originating in 17th century and 18th century Italy and stressing ease, purity, and evenness of tone production and an agile and precise vocal technique

belch ['belch] -vb, n

  1. to expel gas suddenly from the stomach through the mouth
  2. to erupt, explode, or detonate violently
  3. to issue forth spasmodically : gush
  4. to eject or emit violently
    • angrily belch ed insults
  5. to expel (gas) from the stomach suddenly : eruct

bel·dam ['bel-dəm] -n

  1. an old woman

be·lea·guer [bi-'lē-gər, bē-] -vt, n

  1. besiege
  2. trouble, harass
    • beleaguer ed parents
    • an economically beleaguer ed city

bel·em·nite ['be-ləm-,nīt] -n

  1. any of various extinct cephalopods (order Belemnoidea) that had large often bullet-shaped internal shells and were esp. abundant in the Mesozoic era

bel·fry ['bel-frē] -n

  1. a bell tower
  2. one surmounting or attached to another structure
  3. a room or framework for enclosing a bell
  4. head
    • batty in the belfry

Belg -abbr

  1. Belgian; Belgium

Bel·gae ['bel-,gī, -,jē] -n pl, adj

  1. a people occupying parts of northern Gaul and Britain in Caesar's time

Bel·gian ['bel-jən] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Belgium
  2. any of a breed of heavy muscular usu. roan or chestnut draft horses developed in Belgium

Belgian endive -n

  1. the developing crown of chicory when blanched for use as a vegetable or in salads by growing in darkness or semidarkness called also endive witloof

Belgian hare -n

  1. any of a breed of slender chestnut-colored domestic rabbits

Belgian Ma·li·nois [-,ma-lən-'wä] -n

  1. any of a breed of working dogs closely related to the Belgian sheepdog and having relatively short straight fawn or reddish-brown hair with black tips and a dense undercoat called also Malinois

Belgian sheepdog -n

  1. any of a breed of hardy dogs developed in Belgium esp. for herding sheep and having abundant long straight black hair with a dense undercoat

Belgian Ter·vu·ren [-(,)tər-'vyu̇r-ən, -ter-] -n

  1. any of a breed of working dogs closely related to the Belgian sheepdog and having abundant long straight fawn or reddish-brown hair with black tips and a dense undercoat

Belgian waffle -n

  1. a waffle having large depressions that is usu. topped with fruit and whipped cream

Be·lial ['bē-lē-əl, 'bēl-yəl] -n

  1. a biblical name of the devil or one of the fiends
  2. one of the fallen angels in Milton's Paradise Lost

be·lie [bi-'lī, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to give a false impression of
  2. to present an appearance not in agreement with
  3. to show (something) to be false or wrong
  4. to run counter to : contradict
  5. disguise

be·lief [bə-'lēf] -n

  1. a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
  2. something believed
  3. a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
  4. conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon esp. when based on examination of evidence

be·liev·able [-'lē-və-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being believed esp. as within the range of known possibility or probability

be·lieve [bə-'lēv] -vb, n

  1. to have a firm religious faith
  2. to accept as true, genuine, or real
    • ideals we believe in
    • believe s in ghosts
  3. to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something
    • believe in exercise
  4. to hold an opinion : think
    • I believe so
  5. to consider to be true or honest
    • believe the reports
    • you wouldn't believe how long it took
  6. to accept the word or evidence of
    • I believe you
    • couldn't believe my ears
  7. to hold as an opinion : suppose
    • I believe it will rain soon

be·like [bi-'līk] -adv

  1. most likely : probably

be·lit·tle [bi-'li-tᵊl, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to speak slightingly of : disparage
    • belittle s her efforts
  2. to cause (a person or thing) to seem little or less

be·live [bi-'līv] -adv

  1. in due time : by and by

bell ['bel] -n

  1. a hollow metallic device that gives off a reverberating sound when struck
  2. doorbell
  3. the sounding of a bell as a signal
  4. a stroke of a bell (as on shipboard) to indicate the time
  5. the time so indicated
  6. a half hour period of a watch on shipboard indicated by the strokes of a bellbelow
  7. : something having the form of a bell: as
  8. the corolla of a flower
  9. a bell-shaped organ or part (as the umbrella of a jellyfish or the dewlap of a moose)
  10. the part of the capital of a column between the abacus and neck molding
  11. the flared end of a wind instrument
  12. a percussion instrument consisting of metal bars or tubes that when struck give out tones resembling bells usu. used in pl.
  13. glockenspiel
  14. to provide with a bell
  15. to flare the end of (as a tube) into the shape of a bell
  16. to take the form of a bell : flare
  17. to make a resonant bellowing or baying sound
    • the wild buck bell s from ferny brake -- Sir Walter Scott
  18. bellow, roar

bel·la·don·na [,be-lə-'dä-nə] -n

  1. an Old World poisonous plant ( Atropa belladonna) of the nightshade family having purple or green bell-shaped flowers, glossy black berries, and root and leaves that yield atropine called also deadly nightshade
  2. a medicinal extract (as atropine) from the belladonna plant

belladonna lily -n

  1. amaryllis

bell·bird ['bel-,bərd] -n

  1. any of various birds (as flycatchers of the genus Procniasand the honeyeater of the genus Anthornis) whose notes suggest the sound of a bell

bellbot·toms ['bel-'bä-təmz] -n pl, adj

  1. pants with wide flaring bottoms

bell·boy ['bel-,bȯi] -n

  1. bellhop

bell buoy -n

  1. a buoy with a bell rung by the action of the waves

bell captain -n

  1. captain

bell curve -n

  1. normal curve

belle ['bel] -n

  1. a popular and attractive girl or woman
  2. a girl or woman whose charm and beauty make her a favorite
    • the belle of the ball

Bel·leek [bə-'lēk] -n

  1. a very thin translucent porcelain with a lustrous pearly glaze produced in Ireland called also Belleek china Belleek ware

belle epoque ['bel-ā-'pȯk] -n

  1. a period of high artistic or cultural development
  2. such a period in fin de siecle France

Bel·ler·o·phon [bə-'ler-ə-fən, -,fän] -n

  1. a legendary Greek hero noted for killing the Chimera

belles let·tres [bel-letrᵊ] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. literature that is an end in itself and not merely informative
  2. light, entertaining, and often sophisticated literature

bel·le·trist [bel-'le-trist] -n, adj

  1. a writer of belles lettres

bell·flow·er ['bel-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Campanulaof the family Campanulaceae, the bellflower family) of widely cultivated herbs having alternate leaves and usu. showy bell-shaped flowers

bell·hop [-,häp] -n

  1. a hotel or club employee who escorts guests to rooms, assists them with luggage, and runs errands

bel·li·cose ['be-li-,kōs] -adj, n

  1. favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars

bel·lied ['be-lēd] -adj

  1. having a belly of a specified kind used in combination
    • a big- bellied man

bel·lig·er·ence [bə-'lij-rən(t)s, -'li-jə-] -n

  1. an aggressive or truculent attitude, atmosphere, or disposition

bel·lig·er·en·cy [-rən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the state of being at war or in conflict
  2. the status of a legally recognized belligerent state or nation
  3. belligerence

bel·lig·er·ent [-rənt] -adj, n, adv

  1. waging war
  2. belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war
  3. inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness

Bel·li·ni [be-'lē-nē, bə-] -n

  1. a cocktail of champagne and usu. peach juice

bell jar -n

  1. a bell-shaped usu. glass vessel designed to cover objects or to contain gases or a vacuum

bellly·ra ['bel-'lī-rə] -n

  1. a glockenspiel mounted in a portable lyre-shaped frame and used esp. in marching bands

bell·man ['bel-mən] -n

  1. a man (as a town crier) who rings a bell
  2. bellhop

bell metal -n

  1. bronze that consists usu. of three to four parts of copper to one of tin and that is used for making bells

Bel·lo·na [bə-'lō-nə] -n

  1. the Roman goddess of war

bel·low ['be-(,)lō] -vb, n

  1. to make the loud deep hollow sound characteristic of a bull
  2. to shout in a deep voice
  3. bawl
    • bellow s the orders

bel·lows ['be-(,)lōz, -ləz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. an instrument or machine that by alternate expansion and contraction draws in air through a valve or orifice and expels it through a tube
  2. any of various other blowers
  3. lungs
  4. the pleated expansible part in a camera
  5. a metallic or plastic flexible and expansible vessel

bell pepper -n

  1. sweet pepper
  2. a large bell-shaped sweet pepper

bell·pull ['bel-,pu̇l] -n

  1. a handle or knob attached to a cord by which one rings a bell
  2. the cord itself

bell push -n

  1. a button that is pushed to ring a bell

bells and whistles -n pl

  1. items or features that are useful or decorative but not essential : frills

bellshaped ['bel-,shāpt] -adj

  1. shaped like a bell
  2. relating to or being a normal curve or a normal distribution

Bell's palsy ['belz-] -n

  1. paralysis of the facial nerve producing distortion on one side of the face

bell tower -n

  1. a tower that supports or shelters a bell

bell·weth·er ['bel-'we-thər, -,we-] -n

  1. one that takes the lead or initiative : leader
  2. an indicator of trends

bell·wort ['bel-,wərt, -,wȯrt] -n

  1. any of a small genus ( Uvularia) of herbs of the lily family with yellow bell-shaped flowers

bel·ly ['be-lē] -n

  1. abdomen
  2. potbelly
  3. the stomach and its adjuncts
  4. the undersurface of an animal's body
  5. hide from this part
  6. womb, uterus
  7. an internal cavity : interior
  8. appetite for food
  9. a surface or object curved or rounded like a human belly
  10. the enlarged fleshy body of a muscle
  11. the part of a sail that swells out when filled with wind
  12. gut

belly -vb

  1. to cause to swell or fill out
    • wind belly ing the sails
  2. swell, fill
  3. to slide or crawl on one's belly
  4. belly-land

bel·ly·ache ['be-lē-,āk] -n

  1. pain in the abdomen and esp. in the stomach : stomachache

bellyache -vi, n

  1. to complain whiningly or peevishly : find fault

bel·ly·band ['be-lē-,band] -n

  1. : a band around or across the belly: as
  2. girth
  3. band

belly button -n

  1. the human navel

belly dance -n, vi

  1. a usu. solo dance emphasizing movements of the belly

belly flop -n, vi

  1. a dive (as into water or in coasting prone on a sled) in which the front of the body strikes flat against another surface called also belly flopper

bel·ly·ful ['be-lē-,fu̇l] -n

  1. an excessive amount
    • a bellyful of advice

bel·lyland [-,land] -vi, n

  1. to land an airplane on its undersurface without use of landing gear

belly laugh -n

  1. a deep hearty laugh

bel·lyup [-'əp] -adj

  1. hopelessly ruined or defeated
  2. bankrupt
    • the business went bellyup

belly up -vi

  1. to move close or next to
    • bellied up to the bar

be·lon [bā-'lōn, -'lōⁿ] -n

  1. european flat
  2. a European flat oyster of coastal waters of northwestern France

be·long [bi-'lȯŋ, bē-] -vb

  1. to be suitable, appropriate, or advantageous
    • a dictionary belong s in every home
  2. to be in a proper situation
    • a man of his ability belong s in teaching
  3. to be the property of a person or thing used with to
    • the book belong s to me
  4. to be attached or bound by birth, allegiance, or dependency usu. used with to
    • they belong to their homeland
  5. to be a member of a club, organization, or set usu. used with to
    • she belong s to a country club
  6. to be an attribute, part, adjunct, or function of a person or thing
    • nuts and bolts belong to a car
  7. to be properly classified
  8. ought, must

be·long·ing [-'lȯŋ-iŋ] -n

  1. possession usu. used in pl.
  2. close or intimate relationship
    • a sense of belonging

Belo·rus·sian [,be-lō-'rə-shən, ,bye-] -n, adj

  1. belarusian

be·loved [bi-'ləvd, -'lə-vəd, bē-] -adj, n

  1. dearly loved : dear to the heart

be·low [bi-'lō] -adv

  1. in or to a lower place
  2. on earth
  3. in or to Hades or hell
  4. on or to a lower floor or deck
  5. in, to, at, or by a lower rank or number
  6. below zero
    • the temperature was 20 below
  7. lower on the same page or on a following page
  8. under the surface of the water

below -prep

  1. lower in place, rank, or value than : under
  2. down river from
  3. south of
  4. inferior to (as in rank)
  5. not suitable to the rank of : beneath
  6. something that is below
  7. written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page

be·low·decks [bi-,lō-'deks; -'lō-,deks] -adv

  1. inside or into the superstructure of a boat : down to a lower deck

be·low·ground [-'grau̇nd; -,grau̇nd] -adv or adj

  1. beneath the surface of the earth

Bel·shaz·zar [bel-'sha-zər] -n

  1. a son of Nebuchadnezzar and king of Babylon in the book of Daniel

belt ['belt] -n, adj

  1. a strip of flexible material worn esp. around the waist as an item of clothing or a means of carrying something (as tools)
  2. a similar article worn as a corset or for protection or safety or as a symbol of distinction
  3. a continuous band of tough flexible material for transmitting motion and power or conveying materials
  4. an area characterized by some distinctive feature (as of culture, habitation, geology, or life forms)
  5. one suited to a particular crop
    • the corn belt
  6. asteroid belt
  7. beltway
  8. to encircle or fasten with a belt
  9. to strap on
  10. to beat with or as if with a belt : thrash
  11. strike, hit
  12. to mark with a band
  13. to sing in a forceful manner or style
    • belt ing out popular songs
  14. to drink quickly
    • belt ed down a shot of whisky
  15. to move or act in a speedy, vigorous, or violent manner
  16. to sing loudly
  17. a jarring blow : whack
  18. drink
    • a belt of gin

Bel·tane ['bel-,tān, -tin] -n

  1. the Celtic May Day festival

belted kingfisher -n

  1. a No. American kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyonsyn. Megaceryle alcyon) that is slate blue above and white below with a slate-blue breast band and an additional chestnut-colored band in the female

belt·er ['bel-tər] -n

  1. a singer with a powerful voice

belt·ing ['bel-tiŋ] -n

  1. belts
  2. material for belts

belttight·en·ing ['belt-,tīt-niŋ, -,tī-tᵊn-iŋ] -n

  1. a reduction in spending

belt up -vi

  1. shut up

belt·way ['belt-,wā] -n

  1. a highway skirting an urban area
  2. the political and social world of Washington, D.C., viewed esp. as insular and exclusive
    • understanding better than Beltway insiders what really interests voters -- L. I. Barrett

be·lu·ga [bə-'lü-gə] -n

  1. a large white sturgeon ( Huso husosyn. Acipenser huso) of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and their tributaries
  2. caviar processed from beluga roe
  3. a toothed whale ( Delphinapterus leucas) of arctic and subarctic waters having a fusiform body that is about 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 5.0 meters) long and white when mature called also white whale

bel·ve·dere ['bel-və-,dir] -n

  1. a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view

BEM -abbr

  1. bachelor of engineering of mines
  2. British Empire Medal

be·ma ['bē-mə] -n

  1. the usu. raised part of an Eastern church containing the altar
  2. bimah

Bem·ba ['bem-bə] -n

  1. a member of a primarily agricultural Bantu-speaking people of northeastern Zambia
  2. a Bantu language of the Bemba people

be·med·aled [bi-'me-dᵊld, bē-] -adj

  1. wearing or decorated with medals

be·mire [bi-'mīr, bē-] -vt

  1. to soil with mud or dirt
  2. to drag through or sink in mire

be·moan [bi-'mōn, bē-] -vt

  1. to express deep grief or distress over
  2. to regard with displeasure, disapproval, or regret

be·mock [bi-'mäk, -'mȯk] -vt

  1. mock

be·muse [bi-'myüz, bē-] -vt, adv, n

  1. to make confused : puzzle, bewilder
  2. to occupy the attention of : distract, absorb
  3. to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement
    • seems truly bemused that people beyond his circle in Seattle would be interested in his ruminations -- Ruth B. Smith

ben ['ben] -adv

  1. within
  2. within
  3. the inner room or parlor of a 2-room cottage

BenceJones protein ['ben(t)s-'jōnz-] -n

  1. a polypeptide composed of one or two antibody light chains that is found esp. in the urine of persons affected with multiple myeloma

bench ['bench] -n

  1. a long seat for two or more persons
  2. a thwart in a boat
  3. a seat on which the members of an athletic team await a turn or opportunity to play
  4. the reserve players on a team
  5. a reserve force
  6. the seat where a judge sits in court
  7. the place where justice is administered : court
  8. the office or dignity of a judge
    • sat on the bench for 20 years
  9. the persons who sit as judges
  10. the office or dignity of an official
  11. a seat for an official
  12. the officials occupying a bench
  13. a long worktable
  14. laboratory
    • bench chemist
    • bench test
  15. a table forming part of a machine
  16. : terrace, shelf: as
  17. a former wave-cut shore of a sea or lake or floodplain of a river
  18. a shelf or ridge formed in working an open excavation on more than one level
  19. a compartmented platform on which dogs or cats are kept at a show when not being judged
  20. to furnish with benches
  21. to seat on a bench
  22. to remove from or keep out of a game
  23. to remove from use or from a position
  24. to remove from the starting lineup
  25. to exhibit (dogs or cats) to the public on a bench
  26. to lift (a weight) in a bench press
    • bench 200 pounds
  27. to form a bench by natural processes

bench·er ['ben-chər] -n

  1. one who sits on or presides at a bench

bench jockey -n

  1. benchwarmer
  2. one who rides members of the opposing team from the bench

bench·land ['bench-,land] -n

  1. bench

bench·mark ['bench-,märk] -n

  1. a mark on a permanent object indicating elevation and serving as a reference in topographic surveys and tidal observations
  2. a point of reference from which measurements may be made
  3. something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged
  4. a standardized problem or test that serves as a basis for evaluation or comparison (as of computer system performance)

benchmark -vt

  1. to study (as a competitor's product or business practices) in order to improve the performance of one's own company

bench press -n, vt

  1. a lift or exercise in which a weight is raised by extending the arms upward while lying on a bench

bench seat -n

  1. a seat in an automotive vehicle that extends the full width of the passenger section

bench·top ['bench-,täp] -adj

  1. suitable (as in size or configuration) for convenient use on a laboratory workbench
    • a benchtop centrifuge

bench·warm·er ['bench-,wȯr-mər] -n

  1. a reserve player on an athletic team

bench warrant -n

  1. a warrant issued by a presiding judge or by a court against a person guilty of contempt or indicted for a crime

bend ['bend] -vb, adj

  1. to constrain or strain to tension by curving
    • bend a bow
  2. to turn or force from straight or even to curved or angular
  3. to force from a proper shape
  4. to force back to an original straight or even condition
  5. fasten
    • bend a sail to its yard
  6. to cause to turn from a straight course : deflect
  7. to guide or turn toward : direct
  8. incline, dispose
  9. to adapt to one's purpose : distort
    • bend the rules
  10. to direct strenuously or with interest : apply
    • bent himself to the task
  11. to make submissive : subdue
  12. to curve out of a straight line or position
  13. to incline the body in token of submission
  14. to apply oneself vigorously
    • bend ing to their work
  15. incline, tend
  16. compromise
  17. the act or process of bending : the state of being bent
  18. : something that is bent: as
  19. a curved part of a path (as of a stream or road)
  20. wale usu. used in pl.
  21. the painful manifestations (as joint pain) of decompression sickness
  22. decompression sickness usu. used with the
  23. a diagonal band that runs from the dexter chief to the sinister base on a heraldic shield
  24. a knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to some object

ben·day ['ben-'dā] -adj, vt

  1. involving a process for adding shaded or tinted areas made up of dots for reproduction by line engraving

bend·er ['ben-dər] -n

  1. one that bends
  2. spree
    • hungover after a weekend bender

bend sinister -n

  1. a diagonal band that runs from the sinister chief to the dexter base on a heraldic shield

bendy ['ben-dē] -adj

  1. flexible, pliable

be·neath [bi-'nēth, bē-] -adv

  1. in or to a lower position : below
    • the mountains and the towns beneath
  2. directly under : underneath

beneath -prep

  1. in or to a lower position than : below
    • beneath the surface
  2. directly under
    • the ground beneath her feet
  3. at the foot of
    • a camp beneath a hill
  4. not suitable to the rank of : unworthy of
    • beneath his dignity
  5. under the control, pressure, or influence of
    • the chair sagged beneath his weight
  6. concealed by : under the guise of
    • a warm heart beneath a gruff manner

ben·e·dict ['be-nə-,dikt] -n

  1. a newly married man who has long been a bachelor

Ben·e·dic·tine [,be-nə-'dik-tən, -,tēn] -n, adj

  1. a monk or a nun of one of the congregations following the rule of St. Benedict and devoted esp. to scholarship and liturgical worship

bene·dic·tion [,be-nə-'dik-shən] -n

  1. the invocation of a blessing
  2. the short blessing with which public worship is concluded
  3. something that promotes goodness or well-being
  4. a Roman Catholic or Anglo-Catholic devotion including the exposition of the eucharistic Host in the monstrance and the blessing of the people with it
  5. an expression of good wishes

bene·dic·to·ry [-'dik-t(ə-)rē] -adj

  1. of or expressing benediction

Ben·e·dict's solution ['be-nə-,dik(t)s-] -n

  1. a blue solution containing a carbonate, citrate, and sulfate which yields a red, yellow, or orange precipitate upon warming with a sugar (as glucose) that is a reducing agent

Ben·e·dic·tus [,be-nə-'dik-təs] -n

  1. a canticle from Lk 1:68 beginning Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
  2. a canticle from Mt 21:9 beginning Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord

ben·e·fac·tion [,be-nə-'fak-shən] -n

  1. the act of benefiting
  2. a benefit conferred
  3. a charitable donation

ben·e·fac·tor ['be-nə-,fak-tər] -n

  1. one that confers a benefit
  2. one that makes a gift or bequest

ben·e·fac·tress ['be-nə-,fak-tris] -n

  1. a woman who is a benefactor

be·nef·ic [bə-'ne-fik] -adj

  1. beneficent

ben·e·fice ['be-nə-fəs] -n, vt

  1. an ecclesiastical office to which the revenue from an endowment is attached
  2. a feudal estate in lands : fief

be·nef·i·cence [bə-'ne-fə-sən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being beneficent
  2. benefaction

be·nef·i·cent [-sənt] -adj, adv

  1. doing or producing good
  2. performing acts of kindness and charity
  3. beneficial

ben·e·fi·cial [,be-nə-'fi-shəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. conferring benefits : conducive to personal or social well-being
  2. receiving or entitling one to receive advantage, use, or benefit
    • a beneficial legacy

beneficials -n pl

  1. organisms (as ladybugs, lacewings, and bacteria) that feed on or parasitize pests of crops, gardens, and turf

ben·e·fi·cia·ry [,be-nə-'fi-shē-,er-ē, -e-rē, -'fi-sh(ə-)rē] -n, adj

  1. one that benefits from something
  2. the person designated to receive the income of a trust estate
  3. the person named (as in an insurance policy) to receive proceeds or benefits

ben·e·fi·ci·a·tion [,be-nə-,fi-shē-'ā-shən] -n, vt

  1. the treatment of raw material (as iron ore) to improve physical or chemical properties esp. in preparation for smelting

ben·e·fit ['be-nə-,fit] -n

  1. an act of kindness : benefaction
  2. something that promotes well-being : advantage
  3. useful aid : help
  4. financial help in time of sickness, old age, or unemployment
  5. a payment or service provided for under an annuity, pension plan, or insurance policy
  6. a service (as health insurance) or right (as to take vacation time) provided by an employer in addition to wages or salary
  7. an entertainment or social event to raise funds for a person or cause

benefit [-,fi-təd] -vb, n

  1. to be useful or profitable to
  2. to receive benefit
    • has benefit ed from his experience

benefit of clergy

  1. clerical exemption from trial in a civil court
  2. the ministration or sanction of the church

be·nev·o·lence [bə-'nev-lən(t)s, -'ne-və-] -n

  1. disposition to do good
  2. an act of kindness
  3. a generous gift
  4. a compulsory levy by certain English kings with no other authority than the claim of prerogative

be·nev·o·lent [-lənt] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by or disposed to doing good
    • a benevolent donor
  2. organized for the purpose of doing good
    • a benevolent society
  3. marked by or suggestive of goodwill
    • benevolent smiles

Ben·gali [ben-'gȯ-lē, beŋ-, -'gä-] -n, adj

  1. a native or resident of Bengal
  2. the modern Indo-Aryan language of Bengal

ben·ga·line ['beŋ-gə-,lēn] -n

  1. a fabric with a crosswise rib made from textile fibers (as rayon, nylon, cotton, or wool) often in combination

Ben·gal light ['ben-,gȯl-, ,beŋ-, -,gäl-, -gəl-] -n

  1. a usu. blue light or flare used formerly esp. for signaling and illumination

Bengal tiger -n

  1. a tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris) occurring esp. in India

BEngr -abbr

  1. bachelor of engineering

BEngS -abbr

  1. bachelor of engineering science

be·night·ed [bi-'nī-təd, bē-] -adj, adv, n

  1. overtaken by darkness or night
  2. existing in a state of intellectual, moral, or social darkness : unenlightened

be·nign [bi-'nīn] -adj, n, adv

  1. of a gentle disposition : gracious
    • a benign teacher
  2. showing kindness and gentleness
    • benign faces
  3. favorable, wholesome
    • a benign climate
  4. of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life
  5. not becoming cancerous
    • a benign lung tumor
  6. having no significant effect : harmless
    • environmentally benign

be·nig·nan·cy [bi-'nig-nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being benignant or benign

be·nig·nant [-nənt] -adj, adv

  1. serenely mild and kindly : benign
  2. favorable, beneficial
    • a benignant power

benign neglect -n

  1. an attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible for dealing with

benign prostatic hyperplasia -n

  1. enlargement of the prostate gland caused by a benign overgrowth of chiefly glandular tissue that occurs esp. in some men over 50 years old and that tends to obstruct urination by constricting the urethra abbr. BPH called also benign prostatic hypertrophy

ben·i·son ['be-nə-sən, -zən] -n

  1. blessing, benediction

Ben·ja·min ['ben-jə-mən] -n

  1. a son of Jacob and the traditional eponymous ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel

ben·ne ['be-nē] -n

  1. sesame

ben·ny ['be-nē] -n

  1. amphetamine
  2. a tablet of amphetamine taken as a stimulant

ben·o·myl ['be-nə-,mil] -n

  1. a derivative C 14H 18N 4O 3of carbamate and benzimidazole used esp. as a systemic agricultural fungicide

bent ['bent] -n

  1. unenclosed grassland
  2. a reedy grass
  3. a stalk of stiff coarse grass
  4. bent grass
  5. changed by bending out of an orig. straight or even condition
    • bent twigs
  6. strongly inclined : determined usu. used with on
    • was bent on going
  7. different from the normal or usual
  8. dishonest, corrupt
  9. a strong inclination or interest : bias
  10. a special inclination or capacity : talent
  11. capacity of endurance
  12. a transverse framework (as in a bridge) to carry lateral as well as vertical loads

bent grass -n

  1. any of a genus ( Agrostis) of grasses including important chiefly perennial and rhizomatous pasture and lawn grasses with fine velvety or wiry herbage

Ben·tham·ism ['ben(t)-thə-,mi-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. the utilitarian philosophy of Jeremy Bentham and his followers

ben·thic ['ben(t)-thik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water
  2. of, relating to, or occurring in the depths of the ocean

ben·thon·ic [ben-'thä-nik] -adj

  1. benthic

ben·thos ['ben-,thäs] -n

  1. organisms that live on or in the bottom of a body of water

ben·ton·ite ['ben-tə-,nīt] -n, adj

  1. an absorptive and colloidal clay used esp. as a sealing agent or suspending agent (as of drugs)

ben tro·va·to [,ben-trō-'vä-(,)tō] -adj

  1. characteristic or appropriate even if not true
    • the story is ben trovato

bent·wood ['bent-,wu̇d] -adj, n

  1. made of wood that is bent rather than cut into shape
    • bentwood furniture

be·numb [bi-'nəm, bē-] -vt

  1. to make inactive : deaden
  2. to make numb esp. by cold

benz- -comb form

  1. related to benzene or benzoic acid
    • benzo phenone
    • benz yl

benz·al·de·hyde [ben-'zal-də-,hīd] -n

  1. a colorless nontoxic aromatic liquid C 6H 5CHO found in essential oils (as in peach kernels) and used in flavoring and perfumery, in pharmaceuticals, and in synthesis of dyes

benz·an·thra·cene [ben-'zan(t)-thrə-,sēn] -n

  1. a crystalline carcinogenic cyclic hydrocarbon C 18H 12that is found in small amounts in coal tar

Ben·ze·drine ['ben-zə-,drēn] -n

  1. a preparation of the sulfate of amphetamine (C 9H 13N) 2H 2SO 4formerly used in medicine

ben·zene ['ben-,zēn, ben-'] -n, adj or n

  1. a colorless volatile flammable toxic liquid aromatic hydrocarbon C 6H 6used in organic synthesis, as a solvent, and as a motor fuel

benzene hexa·chlo·ride [-,hek-sə-'klȯr-,īd] -n

  1. bhc

benzene ring -n

  1. a structural arrangement of atoms in benzene and other aromatic compounds that consists of a planar symmetrical hexagon of six carbon atoms which derives added stability from the delocalization of certain bonding electrons over the entire ring

ben·zi·dine ['ben-zə-,dēn] -n

  1. a crystalline diamine base C 12H 12N 2prepared from nitrobenzene and used esp. in making dyes

benz·imid·azole [,ben-,zi-mə-'da-,zōl, ,ben-zə-'mi-də-,zōl] -n

  1. a crystalline base C 7H 6N 2used esp. to inhibit the growth of various viruses, parasitic worms, or fungi
  2. one of its derivatives

ben·zine ['ben-,zēn, ben-'] -n

  1. any of various volatile flammable petroleum distillates used esp. as solvents or as motor fuels

ben·zo·ate ['ben-zə-,wāt, -zō-,āt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of benzoic acid

ben·zo·caine ['ben-zə-,kān] -n

  1. a white crystalline ester C 9H 11NO 2used as a local anesthetic

ben·zo·di·az·e·pine [,ben-zō-dī-'a-zə-,pēn] -n

  1. any of a group of aromatic lipophilic amines (as diazepam and chlordiazepoxide) used esp. as tranquilizers

ben·zo·ic acid [ben-'zō-ik-] -n

  1. a white crystalline acid C 6H 5COOH found naturally (as in benzoin or in cranberries) or made synthetically and used esp. as a preservative of foods, in medicine, and in organic synthesis

ben·zo·in ['ben-zə-wən, -zō-, -,wēn; -,zȯin] -n

  1. a hard fragrant yellowish balsamic resin from trees (genus Styrax) of southeastern Asia used esp. as a fixative in perfumes, as incense, and in medicine as an expectorant and skin protectant
  2. a white crystalline hydroxy ketone C 14H 12O 2made from benzaldehyde

ben·zo·phe·none [,ben-zō-fi-'nōn, -'fē-,nōn] -n

  1. a colorless crystalline ketone C 13H 10O used esp. as a perfume fixative and in sunscreens
  2. a derivative of benzophenone

ben·zo·py·rene [,ben-zō-'pī-,rēn, -pī-'rēn] -n

  1. a yellow crystalline carcinogenic hydrocarbon C 20H 12found in coal tar called also benzo[a]pyrene

ben·zo·qui·none [,ben-zō-kwi-'nōn, -'kwi-,] -n

  1. quinone

ben·zo·yl ['ben-zə-,wil, -zō-,il, -,zȯil] -n

  1. the acyl radical of benzoic acid

benzoyl peroxide -n

  1. a white crystalline compound C 14H 10O 4used in bleaching and in medicine esp. in the treatment of acne

ben·zyl ['ben-,zēl, -zəl] -n, adj

  1. a monovalent radical C 6H 5CH 2 derived from toluene

Be·o·wulf ['bā-ə-,wu̇lf] -n, adj

  1. a legendary Geatish warrior and hero of the Old English poem Beowulf

be·paint [bi-'pānt] -vt

  1. tinge

be·queath [bi-'kwēth, -'kwēth, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to give or leave by will used esp. of personal property
  2. to hand down : transmit

be·quest [bi-'kwest, bē-] -n

  1. the act of bequeathing
  2. something bequeathed : legacy

be·rate [bi-'rāt, bē-] -vt

  1. to scold or condemn vehemently and at length

Ber·ber ['bər-bər] -n

  1. a member of any of various peoples living in northern Africa west of Tripoli
  2. a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family comprising languages spoken by various peoples of northern Africa and the Sahara (as the Tuaregs and the Kabyles)
  3. any one of the Berber languages

ber·ber·ine ['bər-bə-,rēn] -n

  1. a bitter crystalline yellow alkaloid C 20H 19NO 5obtained from the roots of various plants (as barberry) and used in medicine esp. for its antimicrobial properties

ber·ber·is ['bər-bər-əs] -n

  1. barberry

ber·ceuse [ber-'sœz, -'süz] -n

  1. a musical composition usu. in time that resembles a lullaby
  2. lullaby

ber·dache [bər-'dash] -n

  1. an American Indian who assumes the dress, social status, and role of the opposite sex

be·reave [bi-'rēv, bē-] -vt

  1. to deprive of something usu. used with of
    • madam, you have bereft me of all words -- Shak.
  2. to take away (a valued or necessary possession) esp. by force

be·reaved [bi-'rēvd, bē-] -adj

  1. suffering the death of a loved one

bereaved -n

  1. one who is bereaved

be·reave·ment [bi-'rēv-mənt, bē-] -n

  1. the state or fact of being bereaved
  2. the loss of a loved one by death

be·reft [-'reft] -adj

  1. deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something usu. used with of
    • both players are instantly bereft of their poise -- A. E. Wier
  2. lacking something needed, wanted, or expected used with of
    • the book is...completely bereft of an index -- Times Lit. Supp.
  3. bereaved
    • a bereft mother

be·ret [bə-'rā] -n

  1. a visorless usu. woolen cap with a tight headband and a soft full flat top

berg ['bərg] -n

  1. iceberg

ber·ga·mot ['bər-gə-,mät] -n

  1. a pear-shaped orange of a Mediterranean tree ( Citrus aurantium bergamia) having a rind that yields an essential oil used esp. in perfumery
  2. this oil
  3. any of several mints (genus Monarda)

ber·gere [ber-'zher, bər-] -n

  1. an upholstered armchair of an 18th century style having an exposed wood frame

be·rib·boned [bi-'ri-bənd, bē-] -adj

  1. adorned with ribbons

beri·beri ['ber-ē-'ber-ē, 'be-rē-'be-rē] -n

  1. a deficiency disease marked by inflammatory or degenerative changes of the nerves, digestive system, and heart and caused by a lack of or inability to assimilate thiamine

berk ['bərk] -n

  1. fool

Berke·le·ian ['bär-klē-ən, 'bər-; bär-', ,bər-'] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of Bishop Berkeley or his system of philosophical idealism

berke·li·um ['bər-klē-əm] -n

  1. a radioactive metallic element produced artificially (as by bombarding americium 241 with alpha particles)

Berk·shire ['bərk-,shir, -shər] -n

  1. any of a breed of medium-sized black swine with white markings

berm ['bərm] -n

  1. a narrow shelf, path, or ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope
  2. a mound or wall of earth or sand
    • a landscaped berm
  3. the shoulder of a road

Ber·mu·da bag [(,)bər-'myü-də-, esp Southern -'mü-də-] -n

  1. a round or oval-shaped handbag with a wooden handle and removable cloth covers

Bermuda grass -n

  1. a creeping stoloniferous southern European grass ( Cynodon dactylon) often used as a lawn and pasture grass

Bermuda onion -n

  1. a large flattened onion that has a mild flavor and yellow, white, or red skin

Bermuda rig -n

  1. marconi rig

Ber·mu·das [(,)bər-'myü-dəz, esp Southern -'mü-dəz] -n pl

  1. bermuda shorts

Bermuda shorts -n pl

  1. knee-length walking shorts

Ber·nese mountain dog ['bər-,nēz-, -,nēs-] -n

  1. any of a breed of large powerful long-coated black dogs of Swiss origin that have tan and white markings and were developed as draft animals

Ber·noul·li's principle [bər-'nü-lēz-, ,ber-,nü-'lēz-] -n

  1. a principle in hydrodynamics: the pressure in a stream of fluid is reduced as the speed of the flow is increased

Ber·noul·li trial [bər-'nü-lē-, ,ber-,nü-'lē-] -n

  1. one of the repetitions of a statistical experiment having exactly two mutually exclusive outcomes each with a constant probability of occurrence

ber·ried ['ber-ēd, 'be-rēd] -adj

  1. having or covered with berries
    • berried shrubs
  2. bearing eggs
    • a berried lobster

ber·ry ['ber-ē, 'be-rē] -n

  1. a pulpy and usu. edible fruit (as a strawberry, raspberry, or checkerberry) of small size irrespective of its structure
  2. a simple fruit (as a grape, blueberry, tomato, or cucumber) with a pulpy or fleshy pericarp
  3. the dry seed of some plants (as wheat)
  4. an egg of a fish or lobster

berry -vi

  1. to bear or produce berries
    • a berry ing shrub
  2. to gather or seek berries

ber·ry·like ['ber-ē-,līk, 'be-rē-] -adj

  1. resembling a berry esp. in size or structure
  2. being small and rounded : coccoid

ber·seem [(,)bər-'sēm] -n

  1. a succulent annual clover ( Trifolium alexandrinum) cultivated as a forage plant and green-manure crop esp. in the alkaline soils of the Nile valley and in the southwestern U.S. called also Egyptian clover

ber·serk [bə(r)-'sərk, ,bər-, -'zərk; 'bər-,] -n

  1. an ancient Scandinavian warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable
  2. one whose actions are recklessly defiant

berserk -adj, adv

  1. frenzied, crazed usu. used in the phrase go berserk
    • sinister ravings of an imagination gone berserk -- John Gruen

berth ['bərth] -n

  1. sufficient distance for maneuvering a ship
  2. an amount of distance maintained for safety
    • give the fire a wide berth
  3. the place where a ship lies when at anchor or at a wharf
  4. a space for an automotive vehicle at rest
    • a truck-loading berth
  5. a place to sit or sleep esp. on a ship or vehicle : accommodation
  6. a billet on a ship
  7. job, position, place
    • a starting berth on the team
  8. to bring into a berth
  9. to allot a berth to
  10. to come into a berth

ber·tha ['bər-thə] -n

  1. a wide round collar covering the shoulders

Ber·til·lon system ['bər-tᵊl-,än-, 'ber-tē-,yōⁿ-] -n

  1. a system for identifying persons based on bodily measurements, photographs, and notation of data (as markings, color, and thumb line impressions)

ber·yl ['ber-əl, 'be-rəl] -n

  1. a mineral consisting of a silicate of beryllium and aluminum of great hardness that occurs in colorless hexagonal prisms when pure and in various colors (as green, blue, yellow, or pink) when not pure, that is valued as a source of gems, and that is the principal source of beryllium

be·ryl·li·um [bə-'ri-lē-əm] -n

  1. a steel-gray light strong brittle toxic divalent metallic element used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys

be·seech [bi-'sēch, bē-] -vb, adv

  1. to beg for urgently or anxiously
  2. to request earnestly : implore
  3. to make supplication

be·seem [bi-'sēm] -vi

  1. to be fitting or becoming
  2. to be suitable to : befit

be·set [bi-'set, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to set or stud with or as if with ornaments
  2. trouble, harass
    • inflation beset s the economy
  3. to set upon : assail
    • the settlers were beset by savages
  4. to hem in : surround

be·set·ting -adj

  1. constantly present or attacking : obsessive

be·shrew [bi-'shrü, bē-, esp Southern -'srü] -vt

  1. curse

be·side [bi-'sīd, bē-] -prep

  1. by the side of
    • walk beside me
  2. in comparison with
  3. on a par with
  4. besides
  5. not relevant to
    • beside the point

beside -adv

  1. nearby
  2. besides

be·sides [bi-'sīdz, bē-] -prep

  1. other than, except
    • no one besides us
  2. together with
    • a decision that, besides being practical, is morally right

besides -adv

  1. as well : also
  2. moreover, furthermore
  3. else

be·siege [bi-'sēj, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to surround with armed forces
  2. to press with requests : importune
  3. to cause worry or distress to : beset
    • doubts besieged him

be·smear [bi-'smir, bē-] -vt

  1. smear

be·smirch [bi-'smərch, bē-] -vt

  1. sully, soil

be·som ['bē-zəm] -n

  1. broom
  2. one made of twigs

besom pocket -n

  1. a pocket with a welted slit opening

be·sot [bi-'sät, bē-] -vt, adv

  1. infatuate
  2. to make dull or stupid
  3. to muddle with drunkenness

be·spat·ter [bi-'spa-tər, bē-] -vt

  1. spatter

be·speak [bi-'spēk, bē-] -vt

  1. to hire, engage, or claim beforehand
  2. to speak to esp. with formality : address
  3. request
    • bespeak a favor
  4. indicate, signify
    • her performance bespeak s considerable practice
  5. to show beforehand : foretell

be·spec·ta·cled [bi-'spek-(,)ti-kəld, bē-] -adj

  1. wearing spectacles

be·spoke [bi-'spōk, bē-] -adj

  1. custom-made
    • a bespoke suit
  2. dealing in or producing custom-made articles
  3. engaged

be·sprent [bi-'sprent] -adj

  1. sprinkled over

be·sprin·kle [bi-'spriŋ-kəl, bē-] -vt

  1. sprinkle

Bes·sel function ['be-səl-] -n

  1. one of a class of transcendental functions expressible as infinite series and occurring in the solution of the differential equation

Bes·se·mer process ['be-sə-mər-] -n

  1. a process of making steel from pig iron by burning out carbon and other impurities by means of a blast of air forced through the molten metal

best ['best] -adj

  1. excelling all others
    • the best student
  2. most productive of good : offering or producing the greatest advantage, utility, or satisfaction
    • what is the best thing to do
  3. most, largest
    • it rained for the best part of their vacation
  4. in the best way : to greatest advantage
    • some things are best left unsaid
  5. most
    • those best able will provide needed support
  6. the best state or part
  7. one that is best
    • the best falls short
  8. the greatest degree of good or excellence
  9. one's maximum effort
    • do your best
  10. a best performance or achievement
    • ran a new personal best
  11. best clothes
    • Sunday best
  12. to get the better of : outdo
  13. had best
    • you best listen

bestball ['bes(t)-'bȯl] -adj

  1. relating to or being a golf match in which one player competes against the best individual score of two or more players for each hole
  2. four-ball

best boy -n

  1. the chief assistant to the gaffer in motion-picture or television production

bestcase ['bes(t)-'kās] -adj

  1. being, relating to, or based on a projection of future events that assumes only the best possible circumstances
    • a bestcase scenario

be·stead [bi-'sted] -adj

  1. situated

bestead -vt

  1. help
  2. to be useful to : avail

bes·tial ['bes-chəl, 'besh-, 'bēs-, 'bēsh-] -adj, vt, adv

  1. of or relating to beasts
  2. resembling a beast
  3. lacking intelligence or reason
  4. marked by base or inhuman instincts or desires : brutal

bes·ti·al·i·ty [,bes-chē-'a-lə-tē, ,besh-, ,bēs-, ,bēsh-] -n

  1. the condition or status of a lower animal
  2. display or gratification of bestial traits or impulses
  3. sexual relations between a human being and a lower animal

bes·ti·ary ['bes-chē-,er-ē, -,e-rē, 'besh-, 'bēs-, 'bēsh-] -n

  1. a medieval allegorical or moralizing work on the appearance and habits of real or imaginary animals
  2. a collection of descriptions or representations of real or imaginary animals
  3. an array of real humans or literary characters often having symbolic significance
  4. an unusual or whimsical collection
    • a truly astounding bestiary of airplane designs -- Peter Garrison

be·stir [bi-'stər, bē-] -vt

  1. to rouse to action : get going

best man -n

  1. the principal groomsman at a wedding

be·stow [bi-'stō, bē-] -vt, n

  1. to put to use : apply
    • bestow ed his spare time on study
  2. to put in a particular or appropriate place : stow
  3. to provide with quarters : put up
  4. to convey as a gift usu. used with on or upon

be·strew [bi-'strü, bē-] -vt

  1. strew
  2. to lie scattered over

be·stride [bi-'strīd, bē-] -vt

  1. to ride, sit, or stand astride : straddle
  2. to tower over : dominate
    • the bloated bureaucracy that bestride s us all -- Edward Ney
  3. to stride across

best sell·er ['bes(t)-'se-lər] -n, adj

  1. an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its class

bet ['bet] -n

  1. something that is laid, staked, or pledged typically between two parties on the outcome of a contest or a contingent issue : wager often used figuratively in such phrases as all bets are off to stress the uncertainty of an outcome
  2. the act of giving such a pledge
  3. something to wager on
  4. a choice made by consideration of probabilities
    • your best bet is the back road
  5. to stake on the outcome of an issue or the performance of a contestant
  6. to be able to be sure that usu. used in the expression you bet
    • you bet I'll be there
  7. to maintain with or as if with a bet
  8. to make a bet with
  9. to make a bet on
  10. to lay a bet
  11. between

be·ta ['bā-tə, chiefly Brit 'bē-] -n

  1. the 2d letter of the Greek alphabet
  2. beta particle
  3. a measure of the risk potential of a stock or an investment portfolio expressed as a ratio of the stock's or portfolio's volatility to the volatility of the market as a whole
  4. a nearly complete prototype of a product (as software)
    • released in beta
    • the beta version

beta -adj

  1. second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom
    • beta substitution
    often used in combination symbol

be·taad·ren·er·gic [-,a-drə-'nər-jik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a beta-receptor
    • betaadrenergic blocking action

be·taam·y·loid [-'a-mə-,lȯid] -n

  1. an amyloid that is derived from a larger precursor protein and is the primary component of plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease

be·tablock·er [-,blä-kər] -n, adj

  1. any of a class of drugs (as propranolol) that decrease the rate and force of heart contractions and lower high blood pressure by blocking the activity of beta-receptors

be·tacar·o·tene [-'ker-ə-,tēn, -'ka-rə-] -n

  1. an isomer of carotene found in dark green and dark yellow vegetables and fruits

beta cell -n

  1. any of the insulin-secreting pancreatic cells in the islets of Langerhans

beta decay -n

  1. a radioactive nuclear transformation governed by the weak force in which a nucleon (as a neutron) changes into a nucleon (as a proton) of the other type with the emission of either an electron and an antineutrino or a positron and a neutrino

be·taen·dor·phin [-en-'dȯr-fən] -n

  1. an endorphin of the pituitary gland having a much greater analgesic potency than morphine

beta globulin -n

  1. any of several globulins of plasma or serum that have at alkaline pH electrophoretic mobilities intermediate between those of the alpha globulins and gamma globulins

betaglu·can [-'glü-,kan, -kən] -n

  1. any of several polysaccharides consisting of glucose units and including one found in endosperm cell walls of cereal grains (as barley and oats)

be·ta·ine ['bē-tə-,ēn] -n

  1. a sweet crystalline quaternary ammonium salt C 5H 11NO 2obtained esp. from sugar beets
  2. its hydrate or its hydrochloride

beta interferon -n

  1. an interferon produced esp. by fibroblasts that is used in a form obtained from recombinant DNA esp. in the treatment of multiple sclerosis marked by recurrent attacks alternating with periods of remission

be·take [bi-'tāk] -vt

  1. commit
  2. to cause (oneself) to go

be·talac·ta·mase ['bā-tə-'lak-tə-,mās, -,māz] -n

  1. an enzyme found esp. in staphylococcal bacteria that inactivates the penicillins by hydrolyzing them

be·taox·i·da·tion ['bā-tə-,äk-sə-'dā-shən] -n

  1. stepwise catabolism of fatty acids in which two-carbon fragments are successively removed from the carboxyl end of the chain

beta particle -n

  1. a high-speed electron
  2. one emitted by a radioactive nucleus in beta decay

beta ray -n

  1. beta particle
  2. a stream of beta particles called also beta radiation

be·tare·cep·tor ['bā-tə-ri-'sep-tər] -n

  1. any of a group of receptors that are present on cell surfaces of some effector organs and tissues innervated by the sympathetic nervous system and that mediate certain physiological responses (as vasodilation, relaxation of bronchial and uterine smooth muscle, and increased heart rate) when bound by specific adrenergic agents

beta test -n, vt

  1. a field test of the beta version of a product (as software) esp. by testers outside the company developing it that is conducted prior to commercial release

be·tathal·as·se·mia [-,tha-lə-'sē-mē-ə] -n

  1. thalassemia in which the longer hemoglobin chain is affected and which comprises Cooley's anemia in the homozygous condition and thalassemia minor in the heterozygous condition

be·ta·tron ['bā-tə-,trän] -n

  1. an accelerator in which electrons are propelled by the inductive action of a rapidly varying magnetic field

beta wave -n

  1. an electrical rhythm of the brain with a frequency of 13 to 30 cycles per second that is associated with normal conscious waking experience called also beta beta rhythm

be·tel ['bē-tᵊl] -n

  1. a climbing pepper ( Piper betle) of southeastern Asia whose leaves are chewed together with betel nut and mineral lime as a stimulant masticatory

Be·tel·geuse ['bē-tᵊl-,jüs, 'be-, -,jüz] -n

  1. a variable red supergiant star of the first magnitude near the eastern shoulder of Orion

betel nut -n

  1. the astringent seed of the betel palm

betel palm -n

  1. an Asian pinnate-leaved palm ( Areca catechu) that has an orange-colored drupe with an outer fibrous husk

bete noire [,bet-'nwär, ,bāt-] -n

  1. a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear

beth ['bāth, 'bāt, 'bās] -n

  1. the 2d letter of the Hebrew alphabet

beth·el ['be-thəl] -n

  1. a hallowed spot
  2. a chapel for Nonconformists
  3. a place of worship for seamen

be·think [bi-'thiŋk, bē-] -vt

  1. remember, recall
  2. to cause (oneself) to be reminded
  3. to cause (oneself) to consider

be·tide [bi-'tīd, bē-] -vi

  1. to happen esp. as if by fate
  2. to happen to : befall used chiefly in the phrase woe betide
    • woe betide our enemies

be·times [bi-'tīmz, bē-] -adv

  1. in good time : early
  2. in a short time : speedily
  3. at times : occasionally

be·tise [bā-'tēz] -n

  1. an act of foolishness or stupidity
  2. lack of good sense : stupidity

be·to·ken [bi-'tō-kən, bē-] -vt

  1. to typify beforehand : presage
  2. to give evidence of : show

be·tray [bi-'trā, bē-] -vb, n

  1. to lead astray
  2. seduce
  3. to deliver to an enemy by treachery
  4. to fail or desert esp. in time of need
    • betray ed his family
  5. to reveal unintentionally
    • betray one's true feelings
  6. show, indicate
  7. to disclose in violation of confidence
    • betray a secret
  8. to prove false

be·troth [bi-'trōth, -'trȯth, bē-] -vt

  1. to promise to marry
  2. to give in marriage

be·troth·al [-'trō-thəl, -'trȯ-, -thəl] -n

  1. the act of betrothing or fact of being betrothed
  2. a mutual promise or contract for a future marriage

be·trothed [bi-'trōthd, -'trȯtht] -n

  1. the person to whom one is betrothed

bet·ta ['be-tə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Bettaof the family Anabantidae) of small brilliantly colored long-finned freshwater bony fishes of southeastern Asia
  2. siamese fighting fish

bet·ter ['be-tər] -adj

  1. greater than half
    • for the better part of an hour
  2. improved in health or mental attitude
    • feeling better
  3. more attractive, favorable, or commendable
    • in better circumstances
  4. more advantageous or effective
    • a better solution
  5. improved in accuracy or performance
    • building a better engine

better -vt

  1. : to make better: as
  2. to make more tolerable or acceptable
    • trying to better the lot of slum dwellers
  3. to make more complete or perfect
    • looked forward to better ing her acquaintance with the new neighbors
  4. to surpass in excellence : excel
  5. to become better
  6. in a more excellent manner
    • sings better than I do
  7. to greater advantage : preferably
    • some things are better left unsaid
  8. to a higher or greater degree
    • he knows the story better than you do
  9. more
    • it is better than nine miles to the next town
  10. something better
    • I expected better from them
  11. a superior esp. in merit or rank
    • was respectful of his better s
  12. advantage, victory
    • get the better of her
  13. had better
    • you better hurry

better half -n

  1. spouse

bet·ter·ment ['be-tər-mənt] -n

  1. a making or becoming better
  2. an improvement that adds to the value of a property or facility

bet·teroff [,be-tə-'rȯf] -adj

  1. being in comfortable economic circumstances
    • the betteroff people live in the older section of town
  2. being in a more advantageous position

betting shop -n

  1. a shop where bets are taken

bet·tor ['be-tər] -n

  1. one that bets

be·tween [bi-'twēn, bē-] -prep

  1. by the common action of : jointly engaging
    • shared the work between the two of them
    • talks between the three -- Time
  2. in common to : shared by
    • divided between his four grandchildren
  3. in the time, space, or interval that separates
  4. in intermediate relation to
  5. from one to another of
    • air service between Miami and Chicago
  6. serving to connect or unite in a relationship (as difference, likeness, or proportion)
    • a one-to-one correspondence between sets
  7. setting apart
    • the line between fact and fancy
  8. in preference for one or the other of
    • had no difficulty deciding between the two
  9. in point of comparison of
    • not much to choose between the two coats
  10. in confidence restricted to
    • a secret between you and me
  11. taking together the combined effect of
    • between work and family life, they have no time for hobbies

between -adv

  1. in an intermediate space or interval

be·tween·ness [-nəs] -n

  1. the quality or state of being between two others in an ordered mathematical set

be·tween·times [-,tīmz] -adv

  1. at or during intervals

be·tween·whiles [-,hwī(-ə)lz, -,wī(-ə)lz] -adv

  1. betweentimes

be·twixt [bi-'twikst, bē-] -adv or prep

  1. between

betwixt and between -adv or adj

  1. in a midway position : neither one thing nor the other

Beu·lah ['byü-lə] -n

  1. an idyllic land near the end of life's journey in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

beurre blanc ['bər-'bläⁿ] -n

  1. a seasoned butter sauce (as for fish) flavored with white wine, shallots, and vinegar or lemon juice

beurre ma·nie [-män-'yā] -n

  1. flour and butter kneaded together used as a thickener in sauces

beurre noir [-'nwär] -n

  1. butter heated until brown or black and often flavored with vinegar or lemon juice

BeV -abbr

  1. billion electron volts

BEV -abbr

  1. Black English vernacular

bev·el ['be-vəl] -adj

  1. oblique, beveled
    • a bevel edge

bevel -n

  1. an instrument consisting of two rules or arms jointed together and opening to any angle for drawing angles or adjusting surfaces to be cut at an angle
  2. the angle that one surface or line makes with another when they are not at right angles
  3. the slant of such a surface or line
  4. the part of printing type extending from face to shoulder
  5. to cut or shape to a bevel
  6. incline, slant

bevel gear -n

  1. either of a pair of toothed wheels whose working surfaces are inclined to nonparallel axes

bev·er·age ['bev-rij, 'be-və-] -n

  1. a drinkable liquid

bevy ['be-vē] -n

  1. a large group or collection
    • a bevy of girls
  2. a group of animals and esp. quail

be·wail [bi-'wā(ə)l] -vt

  1. to wail over
  2. to express deep sorrow for usu. by wailing and lamentation

be·ware [bi-'wer, bē-] -vb

  1. to be on one's guard
    • beware of the dog
  2. to take care of
    • beware your wallet
  3. to be wary of
    • we must...beware the exceedingly tenuous generalization -- Matthew Lipman

be·whis·kered [-'hwis-kərd, -'wis-] -adj

  1. having whiskers

be·wigged [bi-'wigd, bē-] -adj

  1. wearing a wig

be·wil·der [bi-'wil-dər, bē-] -vt, adv, n

  1. to cause to lose one's bearings
  2. to perplex or confuse esp. by a complexity, variety, or multitude of objects or considerations

be·wil·der·ment [-dər-mənt] -n

  1. the quality or state of being bewildered
  2. a bewildering tangle or confusion

be·witch [bi-'wich, bē-] -vt, n, adv

  1. to influence or affect esp. injuriously by witchcraft
  2. to cast a spell over
  3. to attract as if by the power of witchcraft : enchant, fascinate
    • bewitch ed by her beauty
  4. to bewitch someone or something

be·witch·ment [-'wich-mənt] -n

  1. the act or power of bewitching
  2. a spell that bewitches
  3. the state of being bewitched

be·wray [bi-'rā] -vt

  1. divulge, betray

bey ['bā] -n

  1. a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire
  2. the former native ruler of Tunis or Tunisia
  3. used as a courtesy title in Turkey and Egypt

be·yond [bē-'änd] -adv

  1. on or to the farther side : farther
  2. in addition : besides

beyond -prep

  1. on or to the farther side of : at a greater distance than
    • beyond the horizon
  2. out of the reach or sphere of
    • a task beyond his strength
  3. in a degree or amount surpassing
    • beautiful beyond measure
  4. out of the comprehension of
    • his reasoning is beyond me
  5. in addition to : besides
    • doing work beyond his regular duties
  6. something that lies beyond
  7. something that lies outside the scope of ordinary experience
  8. hereafter

be·zant ['be-zᵊnt, bə-'zant] -n

  1. solidus
  2. a flat disk used in architectural ornament

be·zel ['bē-zəl, 'be-] -n

  1. a rim that holds a transparent covering (as on a watch, clock, or headlight) or that is rotatable and has special markings (as on a watch)
  2. the oblique side or face of a cut gem
  3. the upper faceted portion of a brilliant projecting from the setting
  4. a usu. metal rim of a piece of jewelry in which an ornament (as a gem) is set

be·zique [bə-'zēk] -n

  1. a card game similar to pinochle that is played with a pack of 64 cards

be·zoar ['bē-,zȯr] -n

  1. any of various calculi found chiefly in the gastrointestinal organs and formerly believed to possess magical properties called also bezoar stone