
brace | brace: n. 1 bracket, stiffener, reinforcement, reinforcer, support, buttress, prop, stay, strut, truss: Two steel braces have been installed to steady the columns. 2 drill: He bored three holes in the wood with his brace and auger. 3 clasp, clamp, buckle, fastener, clip, holdfast, catch, coupler, coupling: Another brace will be needed here to strengthen the handle. 4 pair; couple, span, team (of two): A brace of duelling pistols was sold at auction last week for �20,000. Her carriage was drawn by a brace of palominos. --v. 5 steady, reinforce, support, strengthen, prop or shore up: Iron bars are used to brace the arches. 6 brace oneself. steady or gird or prepare oneself; hold or hang on: I braced myself against the likelihood that she would refuse.
bracing | bracing: adj. invigorating, tonic, stimulating, refreshing, exhilarating, fortifying, restorative: I cannot live in the tropics and need the more bracing climate of the north.
bracket | bracket: n. 1 support, corbel, console: The mantelpiece rests on a pair of stone brackets. 2 shelf: Her collection of glass paperweights was arrayed on a bracket in the sitting-room. 3 category, class, set, group, grouping, classification, division, level; order, grade, rank: He comes from an altogether different bracket of society. --v. 4 classify, rank, group; unite, combine, join, link: I wish you wouldn''t bracket her with me - our politics are as different as day and night.
brag | brag: v. boast, crow, trumpet, vaunt, strut, swagger, show off, Colloq talk big, blow or toot one''s own horn or trumpet, go on about: He''s always bragging about what he did in the war.
braggart | braggart: n. boaster, bragger, braggadocio, windbag, peacock, show-off, Scaramouch or Scaramouche, Slang big-mouth, loud-mouth, gasbag: That braggart William Smith talks about himself incessantly.
braid | braid: n. 1 plait: Katrina wore her blond hair in a tightly coiled braid on top of her head. 2 trimming, embroidery, soutache, lace, fillet, band, ribbon: The edges are decorated with narrow braid containing gold thread. --v. 3 plait, intertwine, interlace, weave, twist: At school we learned how to braid leather laces into a belt.
brain | brain: n. 1 brains, intelligence, intellect, understanding, sense, thought, imagination, capacity, perspicacity, perceptiveness, perception, percipience; wisdom, sagacity, wit, discernment, acumen; knowledge, cognition: Although she''s not yet ten, she has the brain to become a great mathematician. 2 genius, mastermind, intellectual; leader, planner: Many people regard Einstein as the greatest brain of the 20th century. Ivor was clearly the brains of the operation.
brake | brake: n. 1 curb, check, restraint, restriction, constraint, control, rein: The central bank applied a brake to the upward trend of the dollar by buying Deutschmarks. --v. 2 slow, slow up or down, put on or apply the brakes, reduce speed, decelerate, slacken, hold up: He braked before the bad curve. She braked the car going down the steep hill.
branch | branch: n. 1 offshoot, arm; limb, bough, stem, shoot, twig, sprig: The branches of this tree need trimming. 2 department, section, subsection, division, subdivision, office, part, ramification; affiliate, subsidiary; spin-off: What branch of medicine are you going to specialize in? The company maintains branches in New York and Melbourne. --v. 3 ramify, divide, subdivide, diverge; diversify: This road branches off in three directions. The company will branch out into electronics this year.
brand | brand: n. 1 kind, make, type, sort, variety; brand name, manufacturer, maker, trade name, trade mark, label, mark, marque, Chiefly US and Canadian name brand: Which brand of toothpaste do you prefer? Our advertising agency is conducting a survey of brand loyalty. --v. 2 mark, stamp, identify, tag, label, trade-mark: We sell only branded merchandise in our shops. 3 label, characterize; stigmatize, discredit, disgrace: Because his actions at the front were misinterpreted, Corporal Williams was branded as a coward.
brand-new | brand-new: adj. new, unused, fresh, firsthand, mint, virgin: We bought a brand-new car last week.
brash | brash: adj. 1 hasty, rash, impetuous, precipitate, impulsive, headlong, reckless: He may be a brash young man, but I think he''s going places. 2 impudent, rude, impertinent, disrespectful, insolent, forward, audacious, brassy, brazen, bold, tactless, undiplomatic, presumptuous, Colloq cheeky, fresh: Her brash behaviour has already landed her in trouble with the headmistress.
brass | brass: n. effrontery, gall, nerve, temerity, impudence, insolence, rudeness, Colloq cheek, nerve: He had the brass to turn down a knighthood.
brassy | brassy: adj. 1 impudent, forward, insolent, saucy, brash, rude, brazen, shameless; coarse, flashy, florid, flamboyant; Colloq cheeky, fresh: Our landlady was a big brassy blonde. 2 harsh, strident, tinny, grating, dissonant, shrill, loud: She has just the right kind of brassy voice for belting out songs like, ''There''s No Business Like Show Business''.
bravado | bravado: n. boldness, bluster, boasting, braggadocio, swagger, front, self-assurance, Literary rodomontade, gasconade; arrogance, pretentiousness, Colloq machismo, Slang Brit side: With an attempt at bravado, the union leader refused to meet the management representatives.
brave | brave: adj. 1 fearless, intrepid, bold, courageous, daring, gallant, stout, stout-hearted, valiant, valorous, stalwart, plucky, staunch, undaunted, dauntless, unafraid, unfearing, indomitable, heroic, Colloq macho; Slang gutsy: Despite her misgivings about her proposal, she put on a brave face in the boardroom. He was brave to face the enemy alone. 2 fine, handsome, grand, splendid, showy, colourful, spectacular, smart: The colonel made a brave appearance in full Highland regalia. --v. 3 challenge, defy, dare; brazen (out), face, confront, encounter, meet: We had to brave the elements in the open boat. I had to brave my father at breakfast.
bravery | bravery: n. daring, courage, valour, heroism, fortitude, fearlessness, intrepidity, intrepidness, pluck, determination, staunchness, firmness, resoluteness, resolution, indomitability, stalwartness, Colloq machismo: One has to admire the bravery of a woman who supported suffrage in the early 1900s.
brawl | brawl: n. 1 fight, m�l�e or melee, battle, battle royal, Donnybrook, fray, wrangle, dispute, disorder, brannigan, fracas, row, quarrel, squabble, Colloq punch-up, free-for-all, scrap, ruckus: The police had to be brought in to break up the brawl. --v. 2 fight, wrangle; row, quarrel, squabble, Colloq scrap: The two brothers always seem to be brawling.
brawn | brawn: n. muscle(s), strength, robustness, brawniness, might, power, Colloq huskiness: It must take a lot of brawn to lift those weights.
brawny | brawny: adj. muscular, strong, tough, robust, mighty, powerful, burly, strapping, beefy, hefty, bulky, Colloq husky: That brawny fellow tossing the caber is my brother.
brazen | brazen: adj. brassy, shameless, barefaced, brash, outspoken, forward, immodest, unashamed, audacious, candid, open, unabashed, brazen-faced; rude, impudent, impertinent, insolent, saucy, Colloq cheeky, fresh, US sassy: That''s the last time I''ll let that brazen hussy near my husband!
breach | breach: n. 1 break, violation, infraction, disobedience, non-observance, infringement, contravention: Their failure to comply with paragraph 3 is a clear breach of our contract. 2 break, rift, gulf, split, break-up, separation, rupture, severance, schism, split, alienation, estrangement: There seems to be no way to heal the breach between them. 3 gap, fissure, crack, split, hole, opening; chasm: Their cannon opened a breach in the castle wall. --v. 4 rupture; break through, invade: The sea has breached the dyke. Someone breached the security measures set up for the missile design.
breadth | breadth: n. 1 width, wideness, broadness, beam, span, spread, thickness: The breadth of the cloth is 54in. 2 extent, magnitude, degree, amount, scope, expanse, range, area, depth, detail: I like the breadth of coverage of the six o''clock news. 3 liberality, largeness, catholicity, latitude: Great breadth of vision was exhibited in the conference papers.
break | break: v. 1 break apart or up or asunder, fracture, rupture, break into bits, come apart, shatter, shiver, crack, crash, splinter, fragment, split, burst, explode, Colloq bust: The ball flew over the fence and broke my neighbour''s window. She fell and broke her wrist. 2 reveal, announce, disclose, divulge, tell, make public: Break the news to him gently. 3 relax, ease up, improve, ameliorate, change for the better: When will this spell of wet weather break? 4 demolish, smash, destroy, crush, ruin, defeat, foil, frustrate: The power of the dictator was finally broken. 5 ruin, bankrupt: He''s the man that broke the bank at Monte Carlo. 6 weary, exhaust, wear out, weaken, debilitate: Twenty years in the chain-gang had broken him completely. 7 crush, overcome; cow, cripple, demoralize, weaken, undermine, discourage: The divorce has broken her spirit. 8 break in, tame, discipline, train, condition: I used to break horses for a living. 9 violate, transgress, disobey, contravene, defy, infringe, fail to observe, ignore, disregard, flout: If you break the law, you''ll regret it. They broke the contract. 10 break off, discontinue, interrupt, sever, cut off; give up, suspend, disrupt: We broke relations with Spain after the incident. It is very difficult to break a habit of a lifetime. The narrative breaks at this point, to be taken up later. 11 break up, divide, disperse, scatter: The rain is over and the clouds are breaking. 12 break loose or away or forth, separate from, break out (of), escape (from), depart (from): The ship broke from its moorings during the storm. 13 break forth, burst forth; emerge or come out suddenly: The storm broke in all its fury. After a little while, the sun broke through. 14 demote, Colloq bust: He was broken from sergeant to private. 15 break away. leave, depart, separate (oneself): A small group broke away from the established church to worship as they saw fit. 16 break down. a demolish, destroy: All right, men, let''s break down that wall. b decompose, break up; analyse: The carbon dioxide molecules and water are broken down by photosynthesis. c collapse, give way, disintegrate, be crushed, be prostrated: His health has broken down completely. 17 break ground. initiate, begin, commence, found, set up, establish, inaugurate, be innovative, innovate, Colloq break the ice, take the plunge, start the ball rolling: Laser printers have broken new ground in the area of computer printout. 18 break in. a interrupt, interpose, interject, burst in, intrude, intervene, interfere, disturb: If the results of the election become known, we shall break in to keep you informed. b train, educate, prepare; accustom, condition, habituate, wear: We''ll break you in for a week or two on the new machine. Wear your new boots for an hour each day to break them in. c rob, burgle, burglarize, break and enter: Someone broke in and stole my video recorder last night. 19 break off. a discontinue, stop, cease, end: Sally broke off in mid sentence. After the Fashoda Incident, Britain broke off relations with France. b disengage; sever, detach, break: A large branch broke off from the tree and crashed down, narrowly missing me. 20 break out. a escape; emerge, appear: She broke out of prison in 1985 and hasn''t been seen since. b erupt, come out in, break out in or into: He breaks out in a rash from eating strawberries. A war could break out any minute. 21 break the ice. See 17, above. 22 break through. penetrate, force or get through: Wit, like beauty, can break through the most unpromising disguise. 23 break up. See also 11, 16 (b), above. a disband, disperse; disintegrate: Heraclius succeeded in breaking up the Persian power. b fracture, fragment, comminute: In the spring, the ice on the river breaks up. c See 24 (a), below. 24 break with. a break up (with), separate from, leave, depart from: The leader broke with the party and established a new organization. Sally has broken up with Michael. b renounce, repudiate, disavow: They have broken entirely with the traditions we valued so highly. --n. 25 fracture, split, separation, rupture, breach, rift, schism: There was a break in a gas pipe. Disagreement over the fishing grounds has resulted in a break in relations. 26 gap, opening, hole; crack, slit: You can escape through a break in the wall near the bridge. 27 interruption, discontinuity, discontinuation, hesitation, suspension, hiatus, gap, lacuna, unevenness, irregularity: There was a five-minute break in transmission from the ship. 28 rest, respite, rest period, coffee-break, tea break, intermission, interlude, lull, pause, playtime, US recess, Colloq breather: We take a break at ten o''clock. 29 chance, stroke of luck, opportunity, opening: All he needs is a break to get started.
breakdown | breakdown: n. 1 collapse, downfall, failure, foundering; destruction, ruin: There was a breakdown of our computer system. The arbitrators blamed a breakdown of communication between union and management. 2 (mental) collapse, nervous breakdown, Colloq crack-up: She had a bad breakdown after her daughter was killed. 3 analysis, run-down, detailing, review; decomposition, itemization, classification, dissection, distillation, fractionation: I want a breakdown of these figures by noon. The chemical breakdown of the substance indicated the presence of arsenic.
breakneck | breakneck: adj. reckless, dangerous, daredevil; excessive, careless, headlong, rash, Colloq hell for leather: The car came round the corner at breakneck speed on two wheels.
breast | breast: n. 1 chest, bosom, bust; teat, Technical mamma, Slang boob, knocker, tit, titty: He clasped the child to his breast. On some beaches in Europe, women bare their breasts when sunbathing. 2 soul, core, heart, heart of hearts: I feel in my breast it is the right thing to do.
breath | breath: n. 1 gust, zephyr, breeze, puff, whiff, stirring, stir: There wasn''t a breath of air in the tent. 2 hint, suggestion, indication, touch, murmur, whisper, soup�on: She never allowed the breath of scandal to affect her behaviour. 3 take one''s breath away. astound, astonish, surprise, amaze, dazzle, startle, shock, stagger: The sheer beauty of the waterfall takes your breath away.
breathe | breathe: v. 1 live, exist: She believes that there never breathed a wiser man than her father. 2 inhale and exhale, respire, suspire: He was breathing regularly. 3 exhale, expel, puff, blow: The banner depicts a dragon breathing fire. 4 whisper, murmur, hint (at), suggest, tell, speak, say: She told me not to breathe a word of it to anybody.
breathless | breathless: adj. 1 panting, out of breath, winded, gasping, exhausted, spent, worn out, tired out, Colloq Brit puffed: We were breathless after carrying the piano up two flights of stairs. 2 surprised, amazed, astonished, astounded, awestruck, staggered: The news of Penny''s having given birth to twins left me breathless. 3 eager, agog, feverish, in suspense: We were all breathless with anticipation as the comp�re opened the envelope.
breed | breed: n. 1 kind, sort, type, variety, species; race, lineage, stock, family, strain: What breed of dog won at Crufts this year? --v. 2 produce, generate, bring forth, create, engender, hatch, beget, give rise to, develop, cause: The cheese is so old it''s breeding maggots. Familiarity breeds contempt. 3 raise, rear, cultivate, propagate: Charollais cattle are widely bred in Europe today. 4 arise, originate, appear; develop, grow, increase, multiply: The sergeant allowed discontent and jealousy to breed within his platoon.
breeding | breeding: n. 1 rearing, bringing-up, raising, cultivation, development, propagation: The breeding of sheepdogs has been Tom''s hobby for years. 2 (good) upbringing, (good) manners, civility, politeness, politesse, gentility, (good) behaviour: You can tell from the way she treats people that she has breeding.
breeze | breeze: n. 1 breath, puff, zephyr, wind, draught, gust, Nautical cat''s-paw: A breeze sprang up from the north, and the little boat moved forward. 2 easy or simple job or task, nothing, Colloq snap, Slang cinch, US lead-pipe cinch: It ought to be a breeze to find someone at that salary.
breezy | breezy: adj. 1 airy, fresh, windy, draughty, brisk, gusty: The afternoon was breezy and warm, ideal for walking. 2 casual, carefree, light-hearted, cheerful, cheery, airy, lively, spirited, blithesome, buoyant: The chairman''s breezy opening of the annual meeting made everyone feel comfortable.
brevity | brevity: n. shortness, briefness, conciseness, concision, terseness, succinctness, pithiness, compactness, laconicism or laconism, economy: Brevity is the soul of wit.
brew | brew: v. 1 ferment, cook, boil; infuse: Our beer is brewed using the best hops. 2 concoct, devise, plan, Colloq cook up; contrive, prepare, bring about, cause, produce, hatch: They are brewing up a plot to unseat the financial director. 3 start, go on, hatch, begin, form; stew, simmer, Colloq cook: A storm is brewing. --n. 4 beer, ale, stout; tea; beverage, drink; concoction, mixture: She served me some strange brew in which I could detect cinnamon and nutmeg.
bribe | bribe: n. 1 graft, inducement, Colloq kickback, Chiefly US payola, US plugola: Some judges were offered bribes for reducing the sentences of convicted felons. --v. 2 pay or buy off, buy; corrupt, suborn, Colloq fix; Slang oil, grease (someone''s) palm, Brit nobble: The guards were bribed to look the other way during the prison break.
bric-�-brac | bric-�-brac: n. bric-a-brac, curiosities, knick-knacks, collectables or collectibles, trinkets, gewgaws, gimcracks; bibelots, curios, objets d''art, objets de vertu: On Saturday she went to an antiques fair and bought still more bric-�-brac to clutter up the house.
brick | brick: n. 1 block, cube, chunk, hunk, slab; stone: I bought a brick of ice-cream to serve for pudding. A university is not just bricks and mortar. 2 pal, comrade, friend, Colloq chum, US and Canadian buddy: You''re a real brick to watch the children for me till I get back.
bridal | bridal: adj. nuptial, wedding; conjugal, connubial, marriage: The bridal gown was white, with lace appliqu�s.
bridge | bridge: n. 1 span: We could build a bridge over the river here. 2 link, connexion or connection, tie, bond: She regarded teaching as a bridge between her studies and a post in school administration. --v. 3 span, cross (over), go or pass over, traverse: The viaduct bridges the swamp. 4 connect, link, unite, join, tie: The gap between rich and poor is not easily bridged.
bridle | bridle: n. 1 restraint, curb, check, control: Man has need of a bridle on his passions. --v. 2 curb, check, restrain, hold in, control: You must learn to bridle your temper. 3 bristle, draw oneself up, be or become indignant, take offence or umbrage or affront (at), be affronted or offended (by): She bridled at the suggestion that she was responsible for Keith''s departure.
brief | brief: adj. 1 short, momentary, little, fleeting; short-lived, transitory, transient, evanescent, passing, temporary, ephemeral, fugitive: The lights went back on after a brief interval. His glory was brief. 2 short, concise, succinct, to the point; condensed, shortened, cut, curtailed, abbreviated, compressed, abridged, thumbnail, compendious: The chairman made a few brief remarks. Here is a brief description of what happened. 3 curt, abrupt, terse, short, blunt, brusque: You mustn''t be so brief with little children. --n. 4 summary, outline, digest, pr�cis, r�sum�, compendium, abstract, condensation, abridgement or US only abridgment, synopsis, extract: This is merely a brief; the full document will follow. 5 in brief. briefly, concisely, in sum, in summary, to sum up, succinctly, in a word: He is a cutthroat, too - in brief, the greatest scoundrel living. --v. 6 advise, inform, fill in, coach, instruct, enlighten; explain, run through or down: Howard will brief you on the details.
briefly | briefly: adv. 1 concisely, tersely, succinctly, in a word, in short; bluntly, curtly, in a nutshell, in a few words, to sum up: Briefly, the plan is a complete non-starter. 2 momentarily, for a few moments or seconds or minutes, fleetingly, hurriedly, hastily, quickly: I stopped briefly at the post office on my way home.
bright | bright: adj. 1 light, shining, gleaming, radiant, brilliant, resplendent, glittering, flashing, Formal refulgent, effulgent, fulgent, fulgid, fulgorous; alight, aglow, beaming, dazzling, glowing, luminous, lambent, incandescent, ablaze with: We arrived on a bright, sunny day. The water was bright with phosphorescence. 2 clear, cloudless, fair, unclouded: It certainly is a bright night - you can see every star. 3 shiny, polished, lustrous, glossy, sparkling: I want that brass so bright I can see my face in it. 4 hopeful, optimistic, favourable, propitious, auspicious, promising, rosy: Glenys''s job prospects are not very bright. 5 brilliant, vivid, intense, fluorescent, US trade mark Day-Glo: But you said you wanted the room bright orange, Madam. 6 intelligent, clever, quick-witted, witty, brilliant, keen-minded, sharp-witted, gifted, astute, ingenious, alert, smart; precocious; Colloq brainy, on the ball: No one can deny that Alison is a bright young woman. 7 illustrious, glorious, splendid, magnificent, distinguished, outstanding: Today has been one of the brightest days in the history of Britain. 8 cheerful, gay, happy, exuberant, lively, animated, vivacious, spirited: It is a pleasure to see so many bright faces in the audience.
brighten | brighten: v. 1 illuminate, enliven, lighten, cheer up, liven up, Colloq perk up: Replacing those heavy draperies with thinner curtains ought to brighten the room. 2 shine, polish, burnish: The silver could use a bit of brightening up.
brilliance | brilliance: n. 1 brightness, radiance, lustre, splendour, magnificence, sparkle, dazzle, glitter, effulgence, light: The brilliance of the opening night rivalled that of Hollywood. 2 intelligence, wit, intellect, keenness, sharpness, acuteness, genius, talent, sagacity; precocity: Her brilliance shows in her books.
brilliant | brilliant: adj. 1 bright, shining, lustrous, radiant, resplendent, dazzling, luminous; incandescent, glittering, sparkling, scintillating, coruscating, twinkling, Formal effulgent: At the show I saw the most brilliant display of diamonds. 2 splendid, magnificent, superb, beautiful, distinguished, striking, glorious, remarkable, exceptional, outstanding: The audience rose for a standing ovation after the brilliant last movement of the concerto. 3 illustrious, famous, noted, celebrated, eminent, prominent, renowned, accomplished: Paul is one of the country''s most brilliant chemists. 4 intelligent, clever, gifted, bright, talented, smart, expert, masterful, accomplished, ingenious, imaginative, creative; quick-witted, sharp-witted, keen-witted, enlightened; resourceful, discerning, able, competent: Goddard''s brilliant mind understood principles of practical rocket flight.
brim | brim: n. 1 edge, margin, lip, rim; brink: I filled the cup to the brim. --v. 2 be full or filled, overflow: His cup was brimming with steaming mulled wine. They are brimming over with confidence as they approach the race.
bring | bring: v. 1 carry, bear, fetch, get, take; deliver: Don''t forget to bring some wine home for dinner tonight. 2 lead, conduct, convey; escort, invite, accompany: The road brought me to your house. You can bring anyone you like to the party. 3 draw, attract, lure, allure: What brings you to London? 4 carry, bear, convey; report: She brought word of the uprising. 5 bring on, bring about, occasion, give rise to, be the source or cause of, create, cause, engender, produce; contribute to: The thought of his mother brought tears to his eyes. 6 institute, advance; invoke: She is bringing charges against him for slander. 7 bring about. occasion, cause, bring on, accomplish, effect, achieve, produce: The government has brought about changes in the health service. 8 bring down. a overthrow, depose, oust, unseat, dethrone, overturn, topple: A military faction has brought down the government. b reduce, lessen, diminish, cut (back or down): The chancellor promised to bring down taxes in the next budget. 9 bring forth. a bear, give birth to, produce; yield: The kangaroo brings forth young less than an inch in size. b set forth, bring out or in or up, introduce, present, produce, put out, submit, offer, advance: Mr Hanson has brought forth a new sales plan. 10 bring in. a earn, yield, produce, realize, fetch, return, sell for: Advertising brings in more revenue than subscriptions. b See def. 15, below. 11 bring off. succeed (in), carry out, achieve, accomplish, do, carry out or off, perform, succeed, pull off; Colloq put over: Do you really think she''ll be able to bring off her masquerade? 12 bring on. a produce, put on, introduce, bring in: When the children in the audience began to get restless, they brought on the clowns. b induce, produce, occasion, bring about: Eating strawberries brought on a rash. 13 bring out. a display, feature, focus on, illuminate, set off, make noticeable or conspicuous, emphasize, develop: The colour of the dress brings out the blue of your eyes. b publish, issue, release, make known or public, produce; put on, stage: They''ve brought out a new edition of Dickens''s works. 14 bring round or around. a revive, resuscitate, bring to; restore: The smelling salts brought her round when she fainted. b persuade, win over, convince, influence: Can he be brought round to our way of thinking? 15 bring up. a rear, raise, care for, look after, nurture, breed; educate, teach, train, tutor: She has brought up six children on her own. b introduce, broach, bring in, raise, pen (up), set forth, mention, touch on, talk about, discuss; reintroduce, recall: Why bring up irrelevant matters like his age? c raise, elevate: So far, they have brought up only three survivors from the mine. d vomit, throw up, regurgitate, disgorge: He woke up feeling sick and brought up most of the previous night''s meal.
brink | brink: n. 1 edge, brim, rim, margin, lip, border: He lost his footing and almost went over the brink into the gorge. 2 verge, point: He was on the brink of telling them everything, but suddenly remembered his promise.
brisk | brisk: adj. 1 active, lively, busy, vigorous: The poachers are doing a brisk trade in rhinoceros horn. 2 quick, animated, sprightly, spry, energetic, spirited: Patrick was a brisk lad, fresh from Oxford. 3 strong, steady, fresh, refreshing, bracing, invigorating, stimulating, crisp, biting, bracing, keen, nippy, chill, chilly, cool, cold: A brisk breeze had started up from the north, chilling us through. 4 energetic, vibrant, invigorating, stimulating: After a brisk massage, Mariette felt completely revitalized.
bristle | bristle: n. 1 hair, whisker, barb, prickle, thorn, quill, Technical seta: Shaving brushes are often made from badger bristles. --v. 2 prickle, rise, stand up, Formal horripilate: He could feel the hair on the back of his neck bristle. 3 seethe, become angry or infuriated or furious or maddened, boil, flare up, see red, bridle: He bristled with enraged frustration. 4 teem, crawl, be thick, swarm, be alive: The sea urchin was bristling with sharp spines.
brittle | brittle: adj. 1 fragile, frangible, breakable; friable: My fingernails become brittle in the cold and break easily. 2 frail, weak, delicate, sensitive, fragile, insecure: She might seem strong, but she has a very brittle nature and is easily upset.
broach | broach: v. introduce, raise, open (up), suggest, mention, hint at, touch on or upon, bring up or in, talk about, advance: I didn''t dare broach the subject of money.
broad | broad: adj. 1 wide, expansive, large, extensive; spread out, ample, spacious: The broad highway stretched out for miles before them. Cattle graze in the broad pastures. 2 bright, plain, open, full; unshaded: He had the nerve to kiss me in broad daylight, in front of everyone! 3 plain, clear, obvious, emphatic, explicit, pronounced, direct, unconcealed, undisguised, unsubtle, evident: His wink gave a broad hint of what he really had in mind. 4 main, general, generalized, rough, unspecific, non-specific, approximate, sweeping: Without the details, here is a broad outline of what happened. 5 plain-spoken, outspoken, forthright, direct, unreserved, frank, candid, unrestrained: When he reached the witness box, he repeated the accusation in broad terms. 6 inclusive, general, widely applicable, extensive, wide-ranging, comprehensive, wholesale; vague, imprecise, indefinite, unfocused, non-specific, unspecified: We have broad support for these policies. She formulated a broad rule to fit all imaginable cases. 7 liberal, tolerant, catholic, ecumenical, latitudinarian: The term ''Broad Church'' is said to have been coined by A. H. Clough. The judge feels that he must give the broadest possible interpretation of the law. 8 dirty, blue, coarse, rude, indecent, vulgar, improper, indelicate, off colour, loose, gross, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, pornographic; inelegant, unrefined, unladylike, ungentlemanly, titillating: Peter was in the corner telling some of his broad jokes. --n. 9 woman, girl, Slang dame, cookie or cooky, skirt, bimbo, bird, chick, number, doll, piece (of baggage): We picked up a couple of broads at the dancehall last night.
broadcast | broadcast: v. 1 air, transmit, relay; radio; televise, telecast: The programme will be broadcast tonight. 2 announce, advertise, publish, proclaim; disseminate: It may be a bad idea to broadcast your plans in advance. 3 sow, scatter, seed: The farmer broadcasts this seed instead of planting it. --n. 4 programme, show; transmission, telecast: I heard the broadcast on my car radio.
brochure | brochure: n. pamphlet, booklet; catalogue; folder, leaflet; tract: The brochure advertising the company''s products will be ready tomorrow.
broil | broil: v. grill, barbecue: I think hamburgers taste better broiled than fried.
broke | broke: adj. penniless, indigent, down-and-out, poverty-stricken, penurious, impoverished, insolvent, destitute, poor, needy, bankrupt, ruined, Colloq on one''s beam-ends, on one''s uppers, strapped, flat or dead or stony-broke, hard up, short, up against it, US flat, on the skids; Slang Brit skint: I was broke after paying the rent - I didn''t even have money for food.
broken | broken: adj. 1 fragmented, shattered, shivered, splintered, ruptured, cracked, split, smashed, pulverized, disintegrated, destroyed, demolished: A broken Ming vase cannot be worth much. 2 fractured: With a broken leg, she certainly won''t be competing in the slalom. 3 enfeebled, weakened, crushed, defeated, beaten, ruined; dispirited, dejected, discouraged, demoralized, defeated, subdued, debilitated, Colloq licked: Rosa''s running away with a sailor left Hugh a broken man. 4 tamed, trained, disciplined, obedient, docile, domesticated, subdued; conditioned: What use is a horse that isn''t broken? 5 violated, transgressed, disobeyed, contravened, defied, flouted,disregarded, ignored, infringed: The rules of this club are broken too often: we''ll have to tighten things up. 6 interrupted, disturbed, discontinuous, disjointed, disconnected, fragmented, fragmentary, intermittent, erratic, sporadic: I couldn''t stop worrying about the operation and had a terrible night of broken sleep. 7 Also, broken-down. out of order or commission, not working or functioning, in disrepair, Slang on the blink, out of kilter, kaput, US on the fritz, out of whack: My watch is broken. Why waste money repairing that broken-down car of yours?
broken-hearted | broken-hearted: adj. heart-broken, depressed, downhearted, dejected, devastated, crushed, overwhelmed, heartsick, downcast, upset; forlorn, sorrowful, disconsolate, inconsolable, grief-stricken, miserable, wretched, melancholy, heavy-hearted, sad, doleful, dolorous, woeful, woebegone, gloomy, morose, glum, cheerless, Colloq down: She was broken-hearted when her puppy was lost.
broker | broker: n. stockbroker; agent, dealer, middleman, intermediary, go-between, Brit stockjobber: I have phoned my broker to tell him to sell all my shares.
brooch | brooch: n. clasp, pin; fastening: She was wearing the cameo brooch I had given to her mother.
brood | brood: n. 1 young, offspring, progeny; children, family: A mallard was tending her brood among the rushes. --v. 2 incubate, hatch, set, sit, cover: The old hen was brooding three eggs. 3 Also, brood on or over. ponder (on or over), meditate (on or over), contemplate, ruminate (on or over), muse (on or over): He just sits there brooding over the subject of his next novel. 4 mope, sulk, pout, pine, eat one''s heart out, fret, worry, agonize, despair: Don''t just brood over the problem, do something about solving it!
brook� | brook�: n. stream, rivulet, run, runnel, rill, US and Canadian and Australian and New Zealand creek; No. Eng. dialect beck, gill or ghyll; Scots burn: The river is fed by numerous brooks from every part of the country.
brook� | brook�: v. endure, tolerate, stand, abide, put up with, suffer, allow: She runs the business in her own way and brooks no interference from anyone.
broth | broth: n. stock, bouillon, consomm�; soup; decoction: We tossed food scraps into the large, simmering pot to make a broth.
brothel | brothel: n. bordello, whore-house, house of ill fame or ill repute, bawdy-house, bagnio; seraglio, harem, Obsolete stew, Colloq US sporting house, Slang Brit knocking-shop, US cat-house: On their first night in Paris, they visited a brothel.
brother | brother: n. sibling; relation, relative, kin, kinsman; fellow, fellow-man, fellow-clansman, fellow-citizen, fellow-countryman, fellow-creature; associate, colleague, confr�re, companion, Colloq pal, chum, Brit and Australian mate, US buddy: Some day, perhaps all men will regard each other as brothers.
brotherhood | brotherhood: n. 1 brotherliness, fellowship, companionship, alliance, friendship, comradeship, camaraderie, kinship: We should all live together in harmony and brotherhood. 2 fraternity, guild, society, association, order, league, union, organization, club, community, circle, set, clique: The tribes fused into a united and enthusiastic brotherhood.
brotherly | brotherly: adj. fraternal, kind, affectionate, cordial, friendly, amicable, amiable, neighbourly, loyal, devoted: The boys grew up together and maintained a brotherly relationship throughout their lives.
browbeat | browbeat: v. bully, intimidate, threaten, badger, dominate, cow, frighten, discourage, tyrannize, hector, harass, keep after, nag, Colloq hassle: The foreman constantly browbeat anyone who wasn''t one of his drinking cronies.
browse | browse: v. look over or through, skim (through), scan, thumb or flip or flick through: I was browsing through some recent acquisitions at the second-hand bookshop.
bruise | bruise: n. 1 injury, hurt, contusion, bump, welt, scrape, abrasion, scratch, wound, black-and-blue mark, blotch, blemish, mark, spot, discoloration, damage, Technical ecchymosis: I got this bruise from walking into the corner of the table. The price is lower if the fruit has a few bruises. --v. 2 injure, contuse, hurt, scrape, harm; wound, damage: I bruised my knee when I fell down. Being arrested certainly bruised his self-esteem.
bruiser | bruiser: n. prizefighter, boxer, fighter; tough, ruffian, bodyguard, thug, hoodlum, bouncer, Colloq hooligan, tough guy, toughie, Brit minder, US roughneck, hood, gorilla, plug-ugly, torpedo, enforcer: The heavyweight contender is really a big bruiser. Mr Big strode in with two of his bruisers.
brunt | brunt: n. (full) force, burden, onus, weight, impact; shock, stress, violence, onslaught: As the head of the department was on holiday, I had to take the full brunt of the customers'' complaints.
brush� | brush�: n. 1 brushwood, shrubs, undergrowth, branches, scrub, brush, bracken, brambles, underbrush, underwood: It took us three days to clear the brush from around the house. 2 thicket, brake, copse, grove, boscage: The fox disappeared into the brush, which was too dense for the dogs to follow.
brush� | brush�: n. 1 hairbrush, toothbrush, clothes-brush, shoe-brush, nail-brush, paintbrush; broom, dust-broom, besom, US whisk broom: This brush is too harsh and may damage your teeth. 2 See brush-off. 3 encounter, engagement, skirmish, Colloq Brit spot of bother: Mark has had several brushes with the law. --v. 4 scrub, clean; groom, curry; sweep, whisk, gather: Brush your teeth twice a day. I brushed down the mare before saddling her. Brush the crumbs off the table. 5 graze, touch: He deliberately tried to brush against her in the corridor. 6 brush aside or away. disregard, dismiss, put aside, shrug off: Brushing aside the members'' objections, he tried to force the committee''s acceptance of the new rules. 7 brush off. dismiss, ignore, rebuff, send off or away or packing: He asked her out, but she brushed him off. 8 brush up (on). review, restudy, go over, refresh, study, Archaic con: You should brush up on your geometry before taking trigonometry.
brush-off | brush-off: n. dismissal, rebuff, rejection, snub, Colloq cold shoulder, put-down, slap in the face, the (old) heave-ho; Chiefly US and Canadian walking papers: Tanya has given Theo the brush-off - said she never wants to see him again.
brusque | brusque: adj. blunt, rude, overbearing, impolite, uncivil, discourteous, ungracious, ill-mannered, unmannerly; churlish, gruff, abrupt, short, curt, sharp, terse, brash, bluff: I could tell that the interviewer had already decided against me by her brusque attitude.
brutal | brutal: adj. 1 inhuman, savage, cruel, pitiless, harsh, severe, barbaric, barbarous, beastly, bestial, sadistic, murderous; inhumane, heartless, hard-hearted, unkind, fierce, stony-hearted, insensitive, unfeeling, cold-blooded, unsympathetic, remorseless, ruthless, ferocious, atrocious, Draconian or Draconic, Literary fell: Few survived the brutal treatment in the concentration camps. 2 rude, ill-mannered, coarse, unrefined, boorish, ill-bred, rustic, crass, uncouth, uncultured, uncultivated, rough, crude: His brutal behaviour made him unfit to represent the Crown.
brute | brute: adj. 1 brutish, dull, unfeeling, senseless, blind, unintelligent, unthinking, thoughtless, mindless, unreasoning, irrational, instinctive, physical, material; insensate, unconscious: He was able to lift the safe without help, by sheer brute strength. --n. 2 animal, beast, savage: He wrote that man was the middle link between angels and brutes. George behaved like an absolute brute to her.
