
bubble | bubble: n. 1 blister, air pocket, globule, droplet: This painted surface is full of air bubbles. 2 bubbles. froth, foam, suds, lather, spume; effervescence, carbonation, fizz: The cider is full of bubbles. --v. 3 foam, froth, boil, seethe, fizz: A pot of soup was bubbling on the stove.
bubbly | bubbly: adj. 1 effervescent, foamy, frothy, fizzy, sparkling: I could see that the surface was all bubbly. 2 effervescent, merry, ebullient, bouncy, animated, vivacious, cheerful, cheery, lively, excited: Janet is known for her bubbly personality. --n. 3 champagne, sparkling wine, sparkling burgundy, Asti spumante, Colloq Brit champers: Let''s open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate.
bucket | bucket: n. pail, scuttle: Keep this bucket of coal near the hearth.
buckle | buckle: n. 1 clasp, fastener, clip, fastening, hook, catch: The buckle broke on my belt and my trousers fell down. --v. 2 collapse, cave in, crumple, bend, warp, distort, twist, bulge: The support gave way and the entire wall buckled.
bug | bug: n. 1 insect, beetle, larva, grub, caterpillar, butterfly, mosquito, fly, spider, Colloq Brit creepy-crawly, US no-see-em: There''s a bug on your collar. 2 microbe, germ, virus; disease, affliction, illness, sickness, ailment, disorder, malady, infection; condition, complaint, infirmity, indisposition: She''s caught some kind of bug and won''t be in for a few days. 3 obsession, craze, fad, mania, rage: Almost everyone in those days succumbed to the hula hoop bug. 4 enthusiast, faddist, fan, fanatic; hobbyist: She''s turned into a fruit machine bug. 5 listening device; microphone, transmitter, electronic eavesdropper, tap: They planted a bug in the ambassador''s telephone. 6 fault, error, mistake, failing, shortcoming, Colloq hang-up, glitch: There''s a bug in the program that''s preventing the list from being sorted. They can''t market the device till they''ve ironed out all the bugs. --v. 7 annoy, irritate, pester, irk, harass, bother: I wish Mum''d stop bugging me about my homework. 8 tap, spy on: They bugged her phone and recorded all her conversations.
bugger | bugger: n. 1 buggerer, sodomite. 2 chap, fellow, man; boy, lad, child, tot; Slang chiefly Brit geezer , US jerk; Colloq guy , Brit bloke, fool, idiot: He''s a cute little bugger, isn''t he? Who''s that silly-looking bugger with Christina? --v. 3 Also, bugger up. ruin, destroy, botch, bungle, wreck; make a mess of, Colloq mess or screw up, Brit bollocks or ballocks up, balls up, make a balls-up of, cock up, US ball up, bollix up; Taboo fuck up: He''s buggered the recording, so we''ll have to start again at the beginning. Why does she bugger up everything I try to do? 4 bugger about or around. a fool about, waste time, dawdle, Colloq US lallygag or lollygag; Taboo fuck about or around: He buggers about the house all the time instead of looking for a job. Don''t bugger about with my hi-fi. b cause complications for, create difficulties for: She pretends to be helping me, but she''s just buggering me about. 5 bugger off. go away, depart, leave, clear off or out, Colloq make tracks, skedaddle, beat it, Slang piss off; Taboo fuck off: Oh, bugger off and leave me alone!
build | build: v. 1 construct, erect, raise, set up, assemble: I hope to build my own house in another year or so. 2 found, establish, base: The theory is built on the principle that light travels at 186,000 miles per second. 3 develop: She built the company in about five years. 4 Also, build up. intensify; increase, develop, enlarge, strengthen: The distant hum of voices gradually built to a mighty roar. --n. 5 physique, figure, body, shape, Slang bod: He has a good build from working out at the gym.
building | building: n. edifice, structure, construction, erection: The building where I work is air-conditioned.
bulge | bulge: n. 1 lump, hump, protuberance, bump, swelling, projection: This wallet is making a bulge in my jacket. --v. 2 protrude, stick out, swell (out): His stomach bulges out over his belt.
bulk | bulk: n. 1 volume, magnitude, mass, enlargement, largeness, size: The sausage-makers add bread just for bulk. 2 majority: The bulk of the people voted for the proposal.
bulky | bulky: adj. large, voluminous, unwieldy, awkward, ungainly, cumbersome, Brit chunky: The package, though quite bulky, didn''t cost much to post.
bulletin | bulletin: n. message, notice, communication, announcement, communiqu�, dispatch or despatch, report, account, flash, news item, newsflash: And now, here''s a bulletin from the centre court at Wimbledon.
bully | bully: n. 1 persecutor, intimidator, tyrant: That bully Roderick is always beating up the younger boys. --v. 2 persecute, intimidate, tyrannize, torment, browbeat, daunt, awe, cow, terrorize; hector, harass, push around: Roderick even bullied his best friend into parting with his allowance. --adj. 3 Old-fashioned jolly, worthy, admirable: Ah, there you are, my bully boy! --interj. 4 Usually, Bully for (someone)! Bravo!, Great!, Fantastic!, Fabulous!, Marvellous!, Spectacular!; So what?, What of it?; US Peachy!, Dandy!, Neat-oh!; Old-fashioned Fantabulous!: ''David''s won the snooker competition again.'' ''Bully for him!''
bulwark | bulwark: n. 1 defence or US defense, safeguard, redoubt, bastion, buffer, barrier, rampart, fortification: A strong defence is the best bulwark against aggression from outside. --v. 2 defend, protect, shelter: Marnie''s indifference to others bulwarks her against any feelings of contrition.
bum | bum: n. 1 buttocks, posterior, hindquarters, fundament, behind, rump, bottom, behind, derri�re, rear end, backside, seat, rear, Colloq Brit arse, US fanny, can, hinie, tush, tushy or tushie, tokus or tochis or tuchis, keister or keester, ass: Why don''t you get off your fat bum and go out and get a job?! 2 tramp, panhandler, beggar, vagrant, loafer, drifter, vagabond, hobo, derelict, gypsy; Brit caird, tinker, traveller; US (shopping-)bag lady: Along the Bowery the doorways and pavements are strewn with bums. 3 improper, unjustified, false, trumped up, untrue, fabricated, made-up, bogus: That auto theft charge was a bum rap, but he still served 18 months. --adj. 4 bad, awful, unfair, dishonest, poor, rotten, Slang lousy, crummy: I still think you got a bum deal on that toaster. --v. 5 borrow, beg, sponge, Colloq scrounge, cadge, touch, put the touch on, US mooch, hit, hit up: Can I bum a cigarette from you?
bump | bump: n. 1 blow, collision, thud, hit, knock, buffet, clunk, whack: That bump on the head seems to have affected him. 2 lump, protuberance, welt, swelling, tumescence, knob, bulge: How did you get that bump on your forehead? --v. 3 knock (against), strike, hit, collide (with), run into, ram; smash, crash, Colloq wallop: I bumped into the car in front as I was parking. 4 bump into. meet, encounter, run into or across, come across, stumble over: I bumped into Philippa at the hairdresser''s. 5 bump off. murder, kill, put away, assassinate, do away with, execute, liquidate, dispatch or despatch, Slang take for a ride, destroy, eliminate, rub out, wipe out, do in, US waste, ice: They bumped off Wimpy, boss; he was pulled out of the river wearing concrete overshoes.
bumpy | bumpy: adj. lumpy, rough, uneven, irregular, knobby, knobbly, pitted; potholed, bouncy, jarring, jerky, rutted: The skin on his forehead is a bit bumpy. This is the bumpiest road in the town.
bunch | bunch: n. 1 bundle, cluster, batch, clump; bouquet, nosegay, posy, spray: That''s a nice-looking bunch of grapes. Mr Herbert arrived with a bunch of flowers for me. 2 crowd, knot, collection, group, lot, gathering, cluster, clutch, batch, assortment, mass: A bunch of people stood outside the courtroom, awaiting news of the verdict. --v. 3 sort, class, classify, categorize, assort, group together, bracket: It would be a mistake to bunch all different kinds of liberals into the same category. 4 bunch up. gather; smock; collect, crowd, group, cluster: The fabric is all bunched up at the bottom. Don''t let the people bunch up in front of the exits.
bundle | bundle: n. 1 bunch, collection, package, parcel, packet, pack; bale, sheaf; Archaic fardel: I have to leave this bundle at the laundry today. Bring this bundle of hay for the horse. --v. 2 gather (together), tie up (together), collect, pack, package: He bundled up all his belongings. 3 bundle off or out. dispatch or despatch, pack off, hustle or hurry off or away, send away or off; decamp, scurry off or away, Colloq Brit do a moonlight flit: We bundled Aunt Mary off home as soon as the storm subsided. That couple have bundled out of room 429.
bungle | bungle: v. spoil, botch, mismanage, stumble, bumble, Golf foozle, Colloq foul or screw or louse up, blow, mess or muck up, make a mess or hash or muddle of, muff, Slang Brit bugger, US snafu, Taboo fuck up: Smith has bungled the job again; we''ll have to replace him.
buoy | buoy: n. 1 (navigational or channel) mark or marker, float; nun (-buoy), can (-buoy), bell (buoy), gong (-buoy), siren, signal, mooring-buoy, spar-buoy, lollipop: Returning to port, always leave the red buoys to starboard. --v. 2 Often, buoy up. lift, raise, elevate, support, hearten, sustain, keep up: We sang songs to buoy up our spirits while the rescuers dug their way towards us.
buoyant | buoyant: adj. 1 afloat, floating, floatable: The wood was water-logged and no longer buoyant. 2 light, resilient, lively, vivacious, bright, cheerful, carefree, blithe, animated, jaunty, bouncy, ebullient, light-hearted , Colloq peppy: One had to admire his buoyant optimism, even under adverse conditions.
burden | burden: n. 1 load, weight, gravamen; strain, pressure, trouble, onus, millstone, cross, albatross: The old man put down his burden. The burden of the evidence is against them. His feeling of guilt over her death in the crash was a terrible burden to bear. --v. 2 load, weigh down, saddle with, encumber; tax, oppress: The mules were heavily burdened with a month''s supply of food. Don''t burden me with your problems.
burdensome | burdensome: adj. onerous, cumbersome, oppressive, weighty, troublesome, wearisome, bothersome, distressing, worrying, worrisome, vexatious, irksome: A tax on food is burdensome for those on a low income.
bureau | bureau: n. 1 Brit (writing-)desk, US chest of drawers, chest, dresser, chifferobe, chiffonier: Simon has a beautiful antique bureau in his office. One of my cuff-links rolled under the bureau. 2 office, agency, department, division, section, subdivision, subsection, desk: I sent the form to the bureau a month ago, but I still don''t have my visa.
bureaucracy | bureaucracy: n. officialdom, officialism, government, red tape, administration, authorities: The bureaucracy survives because the officials rely on graft for their income.
burglar | burglar: n. housebreaker, thief, robber; sneak-thief, cat burglar, US second-story or second-storey man: The burglars, remarkably, didn''t take the most valuable paintings.
burial | burial: n. interment, funeral, entombment, obsequies, sepulture: His six ex-wives attended the burial.
burlesque | burlesque: n. 1 caricature, lampoon, spoof, parody, satire, mockery, travesty, Colloq take-off; (grotesque) imitation, vulgarization, exaggeration: In the mid-19th century, burlesques drove pantomimes off the stage. 2 US striptease, strip show, nudie or girlie show: The old comedians insist that burlesque acts were an art form, but the audience went just for the girls. --v. 3 satirize, take off, lampoon, spoof, parody, caricature, travesty: Cervantes burlesqued the old romances in Don Quixote . --adj. 4 satirical, derisive, mock-heroic, mock-pathetic: She sang a burlesque opera based on Hamlet, called ''Omelette''.
burly | burly: adj. stout, sturdy, corpulent, large, big, hefty, stocky, thickset, brawny, chunky, heavy, beefy, muscular, strong, strapping, rugged, tough, Colloq husky: Two rather burly gentlemen were called in to help me out of the place.
burn | burn: v. 1 blaze, flame, flare, smoulder: A fire was burning on the hearth. 2 ignite, set on fire, fire, light, kindle, incinerate, Slang torch: He burnt the incriminating papers in the fireplace. 3 desire, yearn, wish, long, itch: He wrote ''Darling, I am burning to be with you tonight''. 4 waste, throw or fritter away, squander: Don''t worry about Norman, he has money to burn. 5 overcook, blacken, char, singe: If you''re not careful, you''ll burn the toast again.
burning | burning: adj. 1 flaming, blazing, fiery; ablaze, aflame, afire, on fire: When we arrived, the entire building was burning. 2 vehement, ardent, excited, passionate, fervent, fervid, intense, fiery, enthusiastic: She had a burning desire to join that illustrious company. 3 raging, violent, parching: His burning fever had finally subsided a little. 4 hot, blazing, scorching, seething, withering: She was married on a burning hot day in July.
burrow | burrow: n. 1 excavation, hole, warren, tunnel: The rabbit retreated to its burrow under the hedge. --v. 2 dig, delve, tunnel, bore; excavate: The larvae burrow into the wood where the birds can hear them moving about.
burst | burst: v. break (asunder), rupture, shatter, explode, blow up; puncture; Slang bust: If it keeps raining the dam will burst and the valley will be flooded.
bury | bury: n. 1 inter, inhume, lay to rest: They buried her next to her husband as she had requested. 2 abandon, forget, consign to oblivion, eradicate, extirpate: The residents buried their differences and united to repel the town planners. 3 submerge (oneself), exile (oneself), plunge, become engrossed or absorbed: She buried herself in her book. 4 conceal, obscure, hide, cover up: The real story was by now completely buried beneath the mass of legend. 5 overwhelm, overcome, inundate: I''m so buried in work I can''t take a holiday.
business | business: n. 1 duty, function, occupation, calling, vocation, trade, profession, work, province, area, subject, topic, concern, affair, responsibility, role, charge, obligation: Her business is supplying models for fashion shows. Mind your own business and don''t be such a Nosy Parker. 2 matter, job, task, subject, question, problem, issue, point, affair: Gentlemen, let us call the meeting to order and attend to the business at hand. 3 dealing, transaction; trade, commerce, traffic: We''ve never done any business with that company. 4 concern, establishment, organization, company, firm, house, enterprise; corporation, partnership, proprietorship: Rodney wants to sell the business and retire to Spain.
busy | busy: adj. 1 occupied, engaged, employed, involved: I can''t talk to you now, I''m busy. 2 working, industrious, active, diligent; bustling, hectic, lively, hustling, energetic: Are you very busy at the office these days? The diamond district is certainly a busy place. 3 ornate, elaborate, detailed, complicated, complex, (over-)decorated, intricate, Baroque, Rococo: Some of the late Victorian architecture is far too busy for my taste. --v. 4 occupy, involve, employ, divert, absorb, engross: She has busied herself with charity work to get her mind off the tragedy.
busybody | busybody: n. pry, snoop(er), peep(er), gossip, meddler, Paul Pry, Colloq Nosy Parker, Slang US buttinsky: If he so much as sees us talking together, that busybody will probably cook up some sex scandal.
butcher | butcher: n. 1 murderer, slaughterer, killer, ripper, cutthroat, executioner, annihilator: That cold-blooded butcher dismembered his victims after strangling them. 2 destroyer, bungler, muddler: Look what that butcher of a tailor has done to my suit! --v. 3 slaughter, massacre, murder, cut or hack or hew to pieces, dismember, disembowel, exterminate, annihilate, kill, liquidate: The entire crew was butchered by the islanders. 4 botch, bungle, foul up, Colloq mess up, make a mess or hash of; Slang louse up, screw up, Brit bollocks or ballocks up, US bollix up; Taboo fuck up: He butchered the restoration of my antique cabinet.
butt� | butt�: n. target, end, object, prey, victim, dupe; gull, Colloq pigeon, sucker; Brit Aunt Sally, Slang US and Canadian patsy: He was always the butt of their jokes.
butt� | butt�: v. 1 abut, join, meet: This wall butts up against my garage. 2 butt in or into. interfere, intrude, interrupt, Colloq US kibitz; meddle: Please let me finish a sentence without butting in. Don''t butt into my affairs.
buttocks | buttocks: n. bottom, behind, derri�re, seat, rear, rear end, backside, posterior, hindquarters, fundament, Colloq Brit bum, arse , US hinie, can, tush or tushy or tushie, tokus or tochis or tuchis, keister or keester, butt, tail, prat, ass; Slang cheeks, duff: A person with large buttocks should not wear tight shorts.
buttonhole | buttonhole: v. 1 corner, detain, accost, importune, waylay: A reporter buttonholed one of the senators for details of the new tax bill. --n. 2 corsage, US boutonniere or boutonni�re: He wore a rose for a buttonhole.
buttress | buttress: v. sustain, support, strengthen, prop (up), brace, reinforce, shore up: Huge beams were needed to buttress the walls after the bombing.
buxom | buxom: adj. 1 hearty, healthy, vigorous, lusty, attractive, comely, plump, Colloq hefty: Sylvia was a buxom serving-wench at the Bugle Horn. 2 busty, bosomy, chesty, well-endowed, big-busted: The centrefolds in this magazine usually show quite buxom women.
buy | buy: v. 1 purchase; acquire, obtain, get, procure, gain, come by, secure: Where did you buy that hat? 2 accept, allow, take, believe, swallow, go for: Did you buy his story about having his car stolen? 3 bribe, suborn, pay off, buy off, corrupt: That customs man must have been bought or he wouldn''t have let the package through. --n. 4 purchase, acquisition: We made a bad buy at the last auction. 5 Also, good buy. bargain, Colloq US and Canadian steal: If you paid only �2,000, that was a real buy.
buyer | buyer: n. customer, consumer, client, purchaser: Is it likely that you will find many buyers of Basque dictionaries in this country?
buzz | buzz: n. 1 hum, murmur, drone: I lay and listened to the buzz of the bees. 2 stir, ferment, talk, undercurrent: A ringing could be heard above the buzz of conversation. 3 phone call, ring: I think I''ll give him a buzz to see if our appointment is still on. 4 thrill, feeling of excitement, sensation, stimulation, kick, Colloq high: I got quite a pleasant buzz from that drink. --v. 5 hum, murmur, drone: The flies were buzzing around the dead squirrel. 6 fly down on, zoom on to: The pilot was grounded for a month for buzzing the airfield. 7 telephone, ring (up), call (up), phone; summon, signal, buzz or ring for: She said she''d buzz me if she needed anything.
