
board | board: n. 1 plank, scantling, timber: We nailed the last board in place and the house was finished. 2 table, gaming-table, game table or surface: I have the chessmen, have you brought the board? 3 food, meals, provisions: I am moving to the country, where room and board are cheaper. 4 council, committee, directors, directorship, management, cabinet, panel, trustees, advisers: That issue will be discussed at the meeting of the board. 5 on board. aboard, on: Young children are not allowed on board the boat. --v. 6 go aboard, ship aboard; enter, embark on: We all boarded the ship but it didn''t leave for an hour. 7 feed; eat, take meals; accommodate, lodge, house, billet, quarter; lodge, stay, live, room; Colloq put up: Mrs O''Brien already boards three gentlemen at her house, but she has agreed to let me board there too.
boast | boast: n. 1 brag, bragging: They did not make good their boasts of being the fastest in the competition. --v. 2 brag, vaunt, crow, show off, Colloq US blow or toot one''s (own) horn or trumpet; Slang lay it on thick, talk big: He boasted that he was the best poker player in the casino.
boastful | boastful: adj. ostentatious, show-off, bragging, vainglorious, egotistical, vain, conceited: She''s boastful about her wealth, but it was all left to her by her mother.
boat | boat: n. vessel, craft, skiff, small craft, motor boat, speedboat, knockabout, runabout, yacht, motor yacht, sailing-yacht, Brit rowing-boat, sailing-boat, US row-boat, sailboat, Colloq ship: I bought a 30-foot boat at this year''s show. They went off on a slow boat to China.
bode | bode: v. portend, promise, augur, betoken, forebode, presage; foreshadow: The weather bodes well for the picnic.
body | body: n. 1 corpse, cadaver, remains, carcass, Slang stiff: A body has been dragged up from the lake. 2 trunk, torso: They found the body, but the arms, legs, and head were missing. 3 main part or portion, hull, fuselage: The body of the plane remained intact, though the wings and superstructure broke away. 4 substance, essentials, main part, essence, heart, centre, core: The body of the book is all right, but the index needs work. 5 majority, bulk, main part or portion, mass(es): Under Henry VIII the main body of the people were prosperous. 6 association, league, band, corps, confederation, fraternity, society; committee, council; group, assemblage, assembly, congress, company: It is not within the power of this body to do more than vote on the proposal. 7 richness, substance, firmness, consistency, solidity, thickness, density, fullness, viscosity, fullness: This wine has excellent body. Add a little cornflour to give the sauce more body.
bog | bog: n. 1 swamp, fen, marsh, quagmire: The peat bogs have yielded interesting fossils. 2 bog down. impede, slow, hamper, encumber, stymie, stick, handicap, clog, check, set back, hold back: Traffic is bogged down owing to roadworks.
bogus | bogus: adj. counterfeit, spurious, fake, false, fraudulent, sham, imitation, fictitious, Colloq phoney or US also phony: The police reported that a gang was trying to pass bogus money to unsuspecting shopkeepers in the area.
bohemian | Bohemian: adj. nonconformist, unconforming, unconventional, unorthodox, casual, free and easy: In the ''60s she became a flower person and adopted a Bohemian way of life.
boil� | boil�: v. 1 bubble, seethe; simmer, stew, steam: A pot of soup was boiling on the kitchen stove. 2 seethe, fume, sizzle, smoulder, chafe, fulminate, ferment, sputter, splutter, bluster: When she learned what he had been saying about her, she boiled with furious indignation.
boil� | boil�: n. abscess, carbuncle, pustule, Technical furuncle: The doctor said the boil had to be lanced at once.
boisterous | boisterous: adj. rowdy, clamorous, rough, noisy, lively, exuberant, unruly, wild, undisciplined, tempestuous, stormy, turbulent, Colloq rambunctious: The boys were sent outside because of their boisterous behaviour.
bold | bold: adj. 1 courageous, brave, plucky, confident, stout-hearted, lion-hearted, daring, enterprising, audacious, fearless, unafraid, intrepid, resolute, dauntless, undaunted, valiant, stout, valorous, stalwart, adventurous, venturesome; reckless, foolhardy, incautious, daredevil, rash: It would take a bold man to enter the ring with the champion. 2 audacious, presumptuous, forward, immodest, brazen, impudent, temerarious, impertinent, shameless: It was very bold of you to speak your mind to the boss. 3 pronounced, outstanding, striking, vigorous, clear, strong, vivid, distinct, conspicuous: He wrote down their demands in a good, bold hand.
bolster | bolster: v. support, prop (up), brace, shore up, buttress, uphold, back (up), reinforce, aid, help, assist, further, advance: The miners cited a lack of safety measures to bolster their arguments.
bolt | bolt: n. 1 arrow, dart, projectile, missile, Historical quarrel: He had only three bolts remaining for the crossbow. 2 pin, bar, rod, catch; latch: We hoped that the bolt would prevent their opening the door. 3 machine screw: Bolts can be tightened or removed, unlike rivets. 4 roll, length: We sell only full bolts of fabric. 5 lightning flash, thunderbolt, Formal fulguration: One bolt travelled down the television aerial and blew out the set. 6 bolt from or out of the blue. surprise, shock, bombshell, bomb, blow, revelation, eye-opener, Colloq shocker: The news of her resignation came like a bolt from the blue. 7 shoot one''s bolt. exhaust or use up one''s resources, Slang burn out, US poop out: He was fast early in the marathon, but he''d shot his bolt long before the finishing line. --v. 8 spring, dart, shoot off, take flight, run (away or off), rush (off or away), break away, flee, decamp, abscond, escape, fly, dash (off or away), Colloq skedaddle, scram, Brit scarper, do a bunk, do a moonlight flit, US take a (run-out) powder,: The youths bolted as soon as they saw the police. The couple in room 315 bolted without paying their bill. 9 gulp (down), swallow whole: When the bell rang, she bolted her breakfast and ran out of the back door. 10 fasten, lock, latch, secure: Make sure you bolt your door at night and don''t let anyone in. 11 fix, attach, fasten, connect, make fast to: The motor must be securely bolted to the workbench. --adv. 12 bolt upright. erect, straight, rigidly, stiffly: When her name was called, Penny sat bolt upright in her chair.
bomb | bomb: n. 1 bombshell, shell, explosive: One of the bombs blew up the school. --v. 2 bombard, shell, batter, blow up: Last night the railway station was bombed.
bombard | bombard: v. 1 batter, bomb, shell: The artillery continued to bombard the enemy with everything in their arsenal. 2 assail, attack, assault, set upon; besiege: The Prime Minister was bombarded with requests to amend the law.
bombast | bombast: n. pretentious language, flatulence, bluster, show, grandiloquence, magniloquence, hot air, bravado, boast, boasting, Literary gasconade, rodomontade; Colloq puffery: The speaker continued to bore the audience with his pompous bombast.
bombastic | bombastic: adj. high-flown, extravagant, pompous, grandiose, grandiloquent, magniloquent, inflated, fustian, flatulent, turgid, Literary euphuistic: The Minister made a bombastic speech full of emotive appeals, but his actual arguments were unconvincing.
bombshell | bombshell: n. surprise, shock, eye-opener, bomb, blow, revelation, bolt from or out of the blue, Colloq shocker: Then came the bombshell - she and Tony had been married the week before.
bona fide | bona fide: adj. genuine, authentic, attested, real, veritable, legitimate, true, valid; in good faith, sincere, honest: The jeweller affirmed that it was a bona fide ruby. I don''t believe her reasons are bona fide.
bond | bond: n. 1 tie(s), shackles, chains, fetters, manacles, handcuffs, trammels, thongs, cord(s), rope(s); restraint(s), constraint(s), check(s), control(s), rein(s): The council is hampered by the bonds of the old regulations. 2 covenant, pact, contract, agreement, engagement, compact, treaty: To unite the party a bond of confederacy was formed. 3 connection, link, linkage, union, tie, relationship: The main bond between us was a shared love of the theatre. The bond between the veneer and the board should hold with a little more glue. --v. 4 cement, bind, hold together, stick, cohere: They use mortar to bond the bricks together.
bondage | bondage: n. slavery, servitude, subjection, subjugation, enslavement, serfdom, thraldom; vassalage, villeinage: The poor souls were kept in bondage for most of their lives, forced to row in the galleys till they died.
bonny | bonny: adj. beautiful, comely, attractive, pretty, lovely: She''s grown into quite a bonny lass.
bonus | bonus: n. reward, largesse, hand-out, perquisite, extra, honorarium, tip, gratuity, remuneration, compensation, Colloq perk: Employees often receive a Christmas bonus.
book | book: n. 1 volume, tome, work, publication; hard-cover, soft-cover, paperback: Our personal library contains more than 5000 books. 2 libretto, words, lyrics: Richard Rodgers wrote the music and Oscar Hammerstein the book for several hit shows. 3 rules, laws, regulations: He always insists that we go by the book. --v. 4 engage, reserve; earmark, ticket; order, register, enrol, list, enlist, log, record, post: Please phone the restaurant and book a table for four for seven-thirty.
bookkeeper | bookkeeper: n. clerk; accountant, Brit chartered accountant, CA, cashier; US CPA, certified public accountant: The office was haunted by the melancholy ghosts of departed bookkeepers.
bookworm | bookworm: n. bibliophile, book-lover, inveterate or ardent reader, Formal bibliophage: Fiona is such a bookworm, she hardly does anything but read.
boom | boom: v. 1 sound, resound, resonate, blast, rumble, thunder, roar, bang, explode: We heard the cannons booming in the distance. 2 prosper, thrive, flourish, progress, grow, increase, burgeon or bourgeon: Business is booming in every sector. --n. 3 blast, rumble, explosion: There was a resounding boom and the car went up in flames. 4 prosperity, profitability; growth, increase, burgeoning or bourgeoning: In this business it is either boom or bust.
boomerang | boomerang: v. rebound, recoil, backfire, miscarry, redound: His plan boomeranged.
boon | boon: n. gift, favour, award, reward, gratuity, present; blessing, benefit, advantage: The mobile library service is a great boon to the elderly in the area.
boor | boor: n. 1 rustic, peasant, yokel, (country) bumpkin, provincial, backwoodsman, US hayseed, hill-billy, Juke, Kallikak, Slang hick: The boor is blind to the beauties of nature. 2 barbarian, yahoo, oaf, clod, clodhopper, philistine, clown, Grobian; hoyden, Colloq lummox, Slang galoot, slob, US goop, slobbovian: The guests behaved like boors, throwing their food at each other.
boorish | boorish: adj. rustic, barbarian, rude, crude, ill-mannered, uncultured, coarse, clownish, uncouth, loutish, oafish, gawky, vulgar, ill-bred: How can you even think of inviting such a boorish fellow?
boost | boost: n. 1 lift, shove or push up or upward(s), Colloq leg up; rise, raise: If you give me a boost up, I can reach the window ledge. 2 encouragement, help, aid, assistance, support: With a boost from your constituency, Trevor should win the vote. 3 increase, rise, US raise, hike: He was given a slight boost in salary as an incentive to stay. --v. 4 lift, shove or push up or upward(s), raise: He boosted her over the fence. The second stage is intended to boost the rocket beyond the atmosphere. 5 encourage, promote, help, aid, support, assist, improve: A talk from the manager before the game helped to boost the players'' morale. 6 increase, raise: Her salary was boosted twice in one year.
boot | boot: n. 1 to boot. in addition, into the bargain, in addition, besides, moreover, as well, also, too, additionally: He''s stingy and cruel - and ugly to boot. 2 shoe, riding-boot, bootee: I need a new pair of boots for my walking holiday. --v. 3 eject, expel, shove, propel, push, Colloq kick: The landlord booted three rowdies out of the pub. 4 Literary profit, avail, help, be in aid of: What boots it to complain?
booth | booth: n. 1 stall, stand: Our company has taken three booths at the book fair. 2 compartment, cubicle, box, kiosk: We walked across the road to a telephone booth and phoned a garage.
bootless | bootless: adj. pointless, unavailing, vain, purposeless, useless, futile, worthless, unproductive, ineffective, inefficacious, fruitless, unprofitable, profitless, unremunerative, unrewarding, wasteful, time-wasting, Sisyphean: It''s a bootless task trying to persuade him of the importance of a good education.
booty | booty: n. plunder, gain, spoil(s), contraband, takings, loot, Slang swag, boodle, (hot) goods, take: The pirates fought over the booty seized from the Spanish galleon.
booze | booze: n. 1 drink, (hard) liquor, spirit(s), whisk(e)y, alcohol, US demon rum, John Barleycorn, mountain dew, white lightning, white mule; Slang rot-gut, poison, fire-water, mother''s ruin, US and Canadian sauce, juice, hooch, red-eye: I ordered plenty of booze for the party. --v. 2 drink, tipple; Humorous bibulate; Slang hit the bottle, US hit the sauce: He has a terrible hangover after boozing all night.
border | border: n. 1 edge, margin, hem, binding, trimming, trim, edging, periphery, purfle, purfling: The border of the tablecloth is beautifully embroidered with flowers. 2 Usually, borders. limit(s), bound(s), confines: Sometimes Tony exceeds the borders of good taste. 3 boundary, frontier: You won''t be able to cross the border without a passport. 4 frame, frieze, moulding; dado, wainscot or wainscoting or wainscotting: The border of the fresco is in Greek fretwork design. 5 borderline, edge, verge, brink: She is just on the border of becoming a born-again Christian. 6 bed, flowerbed, herbaceous border: Hollyhocks are growing in the border. --v. 7 edge, trim, bind, fringe, purfle: The hem of the skirt is bordered with lace. 8 resemble (closely), approach (closely), verge upon or on: Isabel''s attempts at playing the tuba border on the ludicrous. 9 lie alongside, adjoin, abut (on or upon), verge upon or on, touch, be adjacent to: The territory of the Gauls bordered the western lands of the Germans.
bore� | bore�: n. 1 hole, drill-hole, borehole: A bore of six inches was carried to a depth of 2086 feet. --v. 2 pierce, perforate, drill, penetrate, puncture, tap, punch, stab, prick; sink, tunnel, dig (out), gouge (out); hollow out: Bore a hole through this sheet metal. The oil rig is boring through solid rock.
bore� | bore�: n. 1 annoyance, nuisance: Reggie is such a bore - always talking about himself. --v. 2 weary, wear out, tire, exhaust, jade: The programme so bored me that I fell asleep.
boredom | boredom: n. dullness, dreariness, ennui, tedium, monotony: I have to look forward to the boredom of an evening of chamber music.
boring | boring: adj. dull, monotonous, tedious, humdrum, tiresome, dreary, flat, dead, uninteresting, unexciting, ennuyant, stale, tired, dry, dry-as-dust, arid; tiring, wearying, wearisome, exhausting, soporific; repetitious, wordy, prolix, unending, long-drawn-out: Felicity''s boring old stories put me to sleep.
borrow | borrow: v. take, appropriate, draw, adopt, refer to, obtain, Colloq sponge, cadge, touch (someone) for, US bum; Slang mooch: Has Fred borrowed my lawnmower again?
borstal | Borstal: n. youth custody centre, approved school, Now chiefly US reform school, reformatory: He was too young to go to prison, so he was sent to a Borstal.
bosom | bosom: n. 1 breast, chest, bust; Slang boobs, knockers, tits, titties, pair, jugs, Brit Bristols: The sex goddess''s lack of talent was more than compensated for by her ample bosom. 2 midst, interior, heart, core, centre: She was welcomed into the bosom of the family as if she had been their own child. 3 soul, heart, heart of hearts, bowels, blood, Colloq gut: I know he loves me, I can feel it in my bosom. --adj. 4 close, intimate, dear, beloved, cherished, boon, special, confidential: We were once bosom companions.
bosomy | bosomy: adj. big-busted, busty, well-endowed: This tabloid always has a bosomy model on page 3.
boss | boss: n. 1 chief, supervisor, head, administrator, manager, foreman, superintendent, overseer; employer, director, proprietor, owner, Brit managing director , US president, Dialect himself, Colloq supremo, Brit governor, gov., gaffer, US super, leader, kingpin, big cheese, the man, Slang honcho, head or chief honcho, Mr Big, prex or prexy: If you have to leave early, check with the boss. The company boss was interviewed on television last night. --v. 2 supervise, head, manage, run, oversee, overlook, direct, control, superintend, command, take charge, be in charge: Clive has been here only a year and he''s already bossing a department. 3 domineer, push or shove around or about, dominate, order about, lord it over: That slave-driver had better stop bossing me about or I''ll quit!
bossy | bossy: adj. overbearing, domineering, dictatorial, tyrannical, despotic, imperious, lordly: Her boyfriend is awfully bossy - and they''re not even married yet.
botch | botch: v. bungle, mismanage, spoil, Colloq screw or louse up, blow, mess up, muck up, make a mess or hash or muddle of; Slang bollocks or ballocks or US bollix up: Give Gordon an assignment and he''s sure to botch it.
bother | bother: v. 1 annoy, pester, worry, irritate, trouble, hector, harass, hound, dog, nag, plague, needle, Colloq hassle; Slang US nudge: I wish they''d stop bothering me about paying the telephone bill. 2 trouble (about), fuss (at), make a fuss (about), concern oneself (with), burden: Too few people are interested in bothering about the welfare of others. 3 confuse, bewilder, perplex, perturb, upset, disconcert, discomfit: She was increasingly bothered by her inability to understand the local language. --n. 4 trouble, inconvenience: Those pets must be a lot of bother. 5 worry, annoyance, vexation, nuisance, irritation, trouble, effort, disturbance, upset, Slang hassle: Painting the lattice will be more bother than it''s worth. 6 dither, flutter, Colloq tizzy, pet, stew, lather, sweat: She seems to have worked herself into quite a bother about something quite insignificant. 7 pest, irritant, nag, nuisance, Colloq pain, pain in the neck or Brit taboo arse or US taboo ass; Slang US nudge: Mother is such a bother, always asking if I wear my galoshes when it rains. 8 disturbance, to-do, ado, commotion, fuss, trouble, disorder, stir, hubbub: We ran into a bit of bother at the pub last night.
bottle | bottle: n. 1 flask, container; fiasco, decanter: The milkman left two bottles of milk. 2 courage, nerve, manliness, manfulness, grit, backbone, gumption, mettle, pluck, Dutch courage, Slang guts; Colloq spunk, starch, US moxie: He was going to tell her off but lost his bottle at the last minute. 3 the bottle. alcohol, alcoholic drink, spirit(s), liquor, booze, sauce: He''s back on the bottle after only two weeks of being on the wagon. --v. 4 bottle up. a contain, restrain, hold back, control, suppress, repress, hold or keep in check, stifle: All the emotions, bottled up for so long, burst upon him at once, and he wept pitiably. b trap, cut off, hem in, box in: With the help of the posse, we can bottle up the gang in the canyon.
bottom | bottom: n. 1 seat, buttocks, rear, behind, rear end, derri�re, rump, posterior, hindquarters, breech, fundament, gluteus maximus, Colloq backside, butt, prat, Brit bum , US can, duff, keister or keester, hinie; Taboo Brit arse, US ass; Slang US tokus or tochis or tuchis, tushie or tushy or tush: He just sits there on his bottom, never doing a bit of work. 2 base, foot, foundation, groundwork, substructure, footing, underpinning, fundament: A ditch was dug along the bottom of the wall. 3 basis, foundation, source, origin, cause, heart, nub: We have to get to the bottom of the problem. 4 depths, Davy Jones''s locker; bed: The ship sank to the bottom of the sea. 5 at bottom. basically, fundamentally, in the final or last analysis, really, in reality, truly, in truth, essentially: Despite her behaviour at the party, at bottom she is very reserved. 6 Bottoms up! Prosit!, To your (very good) health!, Cheers!, Here''s to -!, Skol!: Here''s to the whole team - Bottoms up!
bottomless | bottomless: adj. unfathomed, unfathomable, abyssal, abysmal, inexhaustible, unlimited, immeasurable, unplumbable: The bottomless ignorance of the man is incredible.
bounce | bounce: n. 1 bound, leap, hop, recoil, ricochet, rebound: The ball took a bad bounce and the infielder missed it. 2 vitality, energy, verve, zest, vivacity, liveliness, animation, dynamism, life, Colloq pep, zip, go, get-up-and-go: Betty has so much bounce, she is a bit tiring to have around. --v. 3 bound, rebound, hop; recoil, ricochet: The ball bounced over the wall and into the river.
bound� | bound�: n. 1 Usually, bounds. boundary, boundary-line, limit(s), extent, border(s), confines: Please try to keep the dogs within the bounds of the estate. Carl''s plan is beyond the bounds of common sense. --v. 2 limit, restrict, confine, delimit, define, circumscribe: The river bounds the property on the east.
bound� | bound�: n. 1 leap, jump, vault, spring; bounce, hop: With a great bound, the dog was upon me. 2 by leaps and bounds. See leap, 7, below. --v. 3 leap, jump, hop, spring, vault, gambol, caper, romp, frolic, bounce, Colloq galumph: The wolfhound came bounding towards me across the meadow.
bound� | bound�: adj. 1 tied, fast, fixed, fastened, confined, secured: We were bound hand and foot and left in the cave. 2 obliged, obligated, required, constrained, forced, compelled: In the circumstances, Philippa was bound to do as she was told. 3 determined, resolved: Otto is bound to go to the party if Antonia is going. 4 likely, certain, sure, destined, predestined, fated, doomed: He is bound to get the sack if he goes on turning up late. 5 destined, scheduled, booked; headed, directed: We were bound for Cardiff.
boundary | boundary: n. border(s), limit(s), frontier(s); bound(s), confines, perimeter: If you cross that boundary, you will be safely in Switzerland.
boundless | boundless: adj. limitless, unbounded, unlimited; illimitable, vast, endless, unending, infinite, immense, enormous, immeasurable, incalculable, measureless, unrestricted, unchecked, inexhaustible, unstoppable, unbridled, uncontrolled, Literary vasty: How can you keep up with a teenager''s boundless energy?
bountiful | bountiful: adj. 1 generous, beneficent, munificent, liberal, unsparing, unstinting, charitable, eleemosynary, magnanimous, Literary bounteous: We are grateful to Sir Roger, our most bountiful patron, for endowing this library. 2 ample, abundant, plenteous, plentiful, copious, rich, Literary bounteous: Until the Stock Exchange d�b�cle, these shares paid bountiful dividends.
bounty | bounty: n. 1 generosity, liberality, munificence, charitableness, philanthropy, charity, unselfishness, beneficence, goodness: The poor used to be dependent on the bounty of the local gentry. 2 gift, present, largesse, grant, subsidy, endowment, subvention: People should be given work and not live off the bounty of the state. 3 reward, award, premium, bonus, gratuity: In America they paid a bounty of �50 for every dead wolf.
bouquet | bouquet: n. 1 nosegay, posy, bunch, arrangement, spray: I sent her a bouquet of spring flowers for her birthday. 2 aroma, scent, odour, fragrance, perfume: This ''83 burgundy certainly has a fine bouquet. 3 compliment(s), praise, commendation: Mrs Campbell received many bouquets for her performances.
bourgeois | bourgeois: adj. 1 middle-class, conventional, philistine, capitalistic, propertied; materialistic, greedy, money-grubbing, money-hungry: The yuppies constitute the modern bourgeois element in society. 2 working-class, proletarian, plebeian: In his bourgeois mind, he had only his labour to offer.
bout | bout: n. 1 turn, round, time, occasion, spell, period, session: He''s just got over a bout of pneumonia. 2 chance, spree, stint, opportunity, innings: We had long planned this bout of shopping. 3 contest, match, boxing-match, prizefight, meet, set-to, struggle, encounter, engagement; duel: A bout has been arranged between the heavyweight champion of the world and a challenger from Puerto Rico.
bow | bow: n. 1 nod; curtsy or curtsey, salaam, kowtow, genuflection, prostration, obeisance: We all bowed respectfully before the emperor. --v. 2 defer, yield, submit, give in, bend, bow down, capitulate: I bow to your greater knowledge of the subject. 3 bend, incline, lower: The servants bowed their heads when the master entered. 4 weigh down, crush, overload, bend down, burden: Michael was bowed down by the responsibilities of his new family. 5 nod, curtsy or curtsey, salaam, kowtow, genuflect, prostrate oneself, salaam, make obeisance: The natives bowed as the king passed by.
bowels | bowels: n. interior, insides, depths; heart, centre, core, intestines, viscera, vitals, belly, gut, Colloq innards, guts: We descended the shaft into the very bowels of the earth. She hates me, I can feel it in my bowels.
bowl� | bowl�: v. move, trundle, wheel, roll, spin: We saw him in his car, bowling along at about 40.
bowl� | bowl�: n. dish; basin, pan: She brought me a bowl of cereal.
box� | box�: n. 1 case, receptacle, crate, carton, container, casket, coffer, caddy, chest: She keeps her valuables in a small tortoise-shell box on the dressing-table. --v. 2 crate, encase, package: The candles are boxed in dozens. 3 box in or up. trap, confine, bottle up, hem in, enclose, surround; pin down: They have the horses boxed in and are now driving them into the corral.
box� | box�: v. 1 fight, engage in fisticuffs, spar, battle: When he was in the army, he boxed for his regiment. 2 strike, buffet, punch, hit, Colloq slug, sock, whack, thwack, clout, belt, thump, lambaste, whomp: Every time she heard him swear, she''d box his ears. --n. 3 blow, buffet, punch, hit, strike, Colloq slug, sock, whack, thwack, clout, belt, thump, whomp: How would you like a box on the ear, you young rascal!
boy | boy: n. 1 lad, youth, young man, stripling, youngster, schoolboy, fellow, urchin, brat, Colloq kid, guy, small fry, little shaver: There were two girls and five boys in my family. 2 servant, house-servant, attendant; lackey, slave, Archaic knave, varlet, rogue, wretch, caitiff: Here! Boy! Bring me another gin and tonic. 3 old boy. Brit (public) schoolmate; friend, chum, pal, Archaic old bean, old egg, old crumpet, dear boy; crony: I say, old boy, care for a rubber of bridge? Carruthers wouldn''t be where he is now if it weren''t for the old-boy network.
boycott | boycott: v. 1 blacklist, embargo; avoid, refuse, shun, reject, eschew, pass over or by: They are boycotting Fern''s Dairy because it won''t hire women. The US government is still boycotting cigars from Havana. --n. 2 embargo, blacklist, blacklisting, ban: A boycott of their products soon forced them to change their policies.
boyish | boyish: adj. 1 young, youthful, juvenile, adolescent: She liked his boyish good looks. 2 childish, puerile, juvenile, immature: Don''t be too hard on them - it was just a boyish prank.
