
beach | beach: n. 1 shore, lakeshore, bank, seashore, seaside, lido, strand, coast, margin, Formal littoral: The children wanted to go to the beach and build sandcastles. --v. 2 ground, run aground, strand; careen: Despite the heavy surf, we finally beached the boat safely.
beacon | beacon: n. signal, sign, fire, light, bonfire, flare, signal fire, Very light, rocket; lighthouse, pharos: Beacons blazed at the tops of the hills to spread the news of the victory. The drunkard''s nose shone like a beacon.
beam | beam: n. 1 timber, scantling, girder, rafter; bar, brace, plank, board, stud, trestle: Are you sure that these beams will support the weight of the upper storeys? 2 ray, gleam; shaft; pencil: I could just make out his face in the beam of the electric torch. --v. 3 radiate, shine; smile radiantly: The door opened and the firelight beamed forth onto the snowdrifts. ''I''m so happy to meet you at last'', she beamed.
beamy | beamy: adj. broad, wide, broad in the beam; big, heavy, chubby, chunky, fat, obese: She''s quite a beamy boat, with accommodation for eight below. A beamy gentleman sat on my homburg, squashing it flat.
bear | bear: v. 1 carry, transport, convey, move, take, Colloq tote: She was borne round the stadium on the shoulders of her team-mates. 2 carry, support, sustain, shoulder, hold up, uphold; suffer, undergo, experience, endure: Looking after her invalid mother while working is a heavy burden to bear. 3 merit, be worthy of, warrant; provoke, invite: Gordon''s suggestion bears looking into. 4 stand, abide, tolerate, brook, survive, endure, stand up to; reconcile oneself to, admit of, Colloq put up with: How can you bear such boring people? His actions will not bear examination. I cannot bear to see you unhappy. 5 have, carry, show, exhibit, display, sustain: The getaway car bore German licence plates. The knight bore the scars of many battles. She bears her grandmother''s name. 6 produce, yield, develop, breed, generate, engender; give birth to, spawn, bring forth: Our apple tree did not bear any fruit this year. She bore thirteen children and still had time to write books. 7 entertain, harbour, wish: He bore her no ill will, despite her accusations. 8 bear on or upon. relate or have relevance or be relevant to or pertain to, touch on or upon, affect, concern, have a bearing on or upon, influence: I don''t quite see how your illness bears on which school James attends. 9 bear out. confirm, support, corroborate, substantiate, uphold, back up: The evidence bears out what I said. 10 bear up. a survive, hold out, stand up, hold up, withstand: Can Alex bear up under the strain of keeping two jobs? b support, cheer, encourage: What hope have you to bear you up? 11 bear with. put up with, be patient with, make allowance(s) for: Please bear with me, I''m sure you''ll think it was worth waiting when you see the finished result.
bearable | bearable: adj. tolerable, supportable, endurable, acceptable, manageable: The heat last summer was made bearable only by frequent dips in the swimming-pool.
bearing | bearing: n. 1 carriage, deportment, manner, behaviour, conduct, aspect, demeanour, posture, stance, air, attitude, mien, presence: Lewis''s noble bearing makes him noticeable, even in a crowd. 2 sustaining, supporting, endurance, enduring: Thomas Jefferson considered the government of England totally without morality and insolent beyond bearing. 3 aspect; relation, reference, relationship, correlation, pertinence, relevance, connection, relevancy, applicability, application, germaneness, significance: The legal bearing of the case will become obvious in court. It is unclear exactly what bearing your remarks have on the situation. 4 Often, bearings. direction, orientation, (relative) position: The bearing of the lighthouse is now 180�. Which way is north? - I have lost my bearings entirely.
beast | beast: n. 1 animal, creature, being: He loves all the beasts of the field, of the sea, and of the air. 2 brute, savage, animal, monster: I''ve seen that beast hitting his wife in public.
beastly | beastly: adj. 1 uncivilized, uncultivated, uncivil, rude, crude, boorish, unrefined, coarse; cruel, inhuman, savage, barbaric, barbarous, bestial, brutal: Priscilla treats Cyril in a beastly way. 2 abominable, intolerable, offensive, unpleasant, awful, terrible, ghastly, horrid, disagreeable, horrible, hateful, execrable; foul, vile, nasty, rotten, dirty, filthy: If this beastly weather keeps up, the plane may be delayed.
beat | beat: v. 1 strike, pound, bash, smite, batter, pummel or pommel, belabour, pelt, clout, thrash, give (someone) a thrashing or beating, drub, manhandle, thump, whack, cane, scourge, whip, bludgeon, club, cudgel, fustigate; whip, flog, lash , Colloq clobber, wallop, give (someone) a once-over: At first he refused to tell them, but then they beat it out of him. 2 defeat, best, worst, win (out) over, vanquish, trounce, rout, outdo, subdue, overcome, overwhelm, pre-empt; surpass, conquer, crush, master, US beat out: Can they beat Manchester United for the cup? He first beat the Danes, then the Russians. 3 throb, pulsate, palpitate, pound, thump: I could feel my heart beating against my ribs. 4 Nautical tack: Close-hauled, the sloop was beating to windward against the howling gale. 5 hammer, forge, shape, form, fashion, make, mould: They shall beat their swords into ploughshares. 6 mix, whip, stir, blend: Beat two eggs, then add the flour and sugar. 7 tread, wear, trample: The hunters beat a path through the forest. 8 beat it. depart, leave, abscond, run off or away, Slang US take it on the lam, lam out of here, US hit the road: You''d better beat it before the cops come. 9 beat off. drive off or away, rout: We beat off our attackers, who fled into the forest. --n. 10 stroke, blow: The signal was to be three beats of a tin cup on the pipes. 11 rhythm, tempo, measure; pulse, throb, stress, pulsation: In boogie-woogie the beat is eight to the bar. 12 course, round, tour, route, circuit, run, path; area, bailiwick: In the old days, it was the bobby on the beat who prevented a lot of crime. As a reporter, my beat is the financial news. --adj. 13 dead beat, exhausted, spent, drained, worn out, weary, bone-tired, fatigued, fagged: I was really beat after completing the marathon.
beautiful | beautiful: adj. 1 attractive, charming, comely, lovely, good-looking, fair, pretty, alluring, appealing, handsome, radiant, gorgeous, Formal pulchritudinous, Scots bonny; Colloq smashing: She''s not only intelligent, she''s beautiful. She entered on the arm of some beautiful youth. 2 excellent, first-rate, unequalled, skilful, admirable, magnificent, well done; superb, spectacular, splendid, marvellous, wonderful, incomparable, superior, elegant, exquisite, pleasant, pleasing, delightful, Colloq smashing: The garage did a beautiful job in tuning the engine. Armand''s arranged a beautiful wedding reception for us.
beautifully | beautifully: adv. 1 attractively, chicly, fashionably, delightfully, charmingly, splendidly, magnificently, Colloq smashingly: The princess was beautifully dressed in a rose satin ball-gown. 2 admirably, superbly, excellently, wonderfully, marvellously, splendidly, spectacularly, magnificently, Colloq smashingly: Emily played her solo beautifully.
beautify | beautify: v. adorn, embellish, decorate, ornament, titivate, elaborate, garnish, deck (out), bedeck: The old fa�ade was removed and the building beautified by refacing it with white marble.
beauty | beauty: n. 1 loveliness, attractiveness, handsomeness, pulchritude: The beauty of the actress took my breath away. 2 belle, Colloq looker, knockout, dream, dreamboat, stunner: She was one of the great beauties of her day. 3 attraction, strength, advantage, asset: The beauty of the plan lies in its simplicity.
beckon | beckon: v. signal, gesture, motion; summon, bid, call: The manager beckoned to me and I went over to see what he wanted.
become | become: v. 1 turn or change or transform into: The princess kissed the prince, who immediately became a frog. 2 grow or develop or evolve into; mature or ripen into: It''s hard to believe that this dull caterpillar will eventually become a splendid butterfly. 3 enhance, suit, fit, befit, be proper or appropriate for, behove or US behoove: Moonlight becomes you, It goes with your hair. 4 grace, adorn: Walter was a man who became the dignity of his function as a commissionaire. 5 become of. come of, happen to: What will become of you if you don''t go to school?
becoming | becoming: adj. enhancing, beautifying, seemly; attractive, comely, fetching, chic, stylish, fashionable, tasteful; appropriate, fitting, fit, meet, befitting, proper, suitable: Your new hairdo is most becoming, Frances.
bedlam | bedlam: n. pandemonium, uproar, hubbub, commotion, confusion, tumult, turmoil, furore or US furor, chaos; madhouse: The chancellor''s announcement created instant bedlam in the Commons.
bedraggled | bedraggled: adj. soiled, dirty, muddy, muddied, untidy, stained, dishevelled, scruffy, messy; wet, sloppy, soaking or sopping or wringing wet, soaked, drenched, Colloq gungy, US grungy: We took the two bedraggled waifs in out of the pouring rain.
befitting | befitting: adj. fitting, becoming, due, suitable or suited (to), appropriate (to), apropos, proper (to), seemly (for): He really ought to behave in a manner befitting his position as chairman. This must be done with a befitting sense of awe.
before | before: adv. 1 previously, earlier, already, beforehand; formerly, in the past; once: I have told you before, don''t count your chickens. 2 ahead, in advance, in front, in the forefront, first, in the vanguard, Colloq up front: He let his wife walk before, as he knew the road was mined. 3 ahead, in the future, to come: Before lie the prospects of surrendering or dying. --prep. 4 ahead of, in advance of, in front of, forward of: The king indicated that the page should go before him. 5 in front of; in the presence of: The entire valley was spread out before me. 6 preceding, previous or anterior to, prior to; on the eve of: Before my departure I have to kiss Annie goodbye. 7 in preference to, rather than, sooner than, more willingly than: They said they would die before yielding. --conj. 8 previous to or preceding the time when: This was a nice place before the day-trippers arrived.
beg | beg: v. 1 entreat, beseech, plead (with), crave, implore, importune, wheedle, cajole, supplicate (with), pray; ask for, request: She begged me to stay. 2 solicit, sponge, Colloq cadge, scrounge, US panhandle: When he was an alcoholic, he used to beg drinks off everyone.
beggar | beggar: n. 1 mendicant, supplicant, suppliant, alms-man, sponger, tramp, vagrant, pauper, Colloq cadger, scrounger, US panhandler: We were approached by beggars on every street corner. 2 fellow, man, person, Colloq chap, guy, bloke: I feel sorry for the poor beggar who lost his wallet at the station. --v. 3 impoverish; want, challenge, defy, baffle: The misery of those people beggars description.
begin | begin: v. 1 start (out or off or in or on), initiate, enter on or upon, set out or about, set out on or upon, Rather formal commence: We began the journey full of enthusiasm. 2 start (off), inaugurate, originate, open, launch, create, establish, found, set up; go into: We began the company five years ago. 3 arise, start, originate, Rather formal commence: The greatness of the Prussian monarchy begins with Frederick II. The paragraph begins in the middle of the page.
beginning | beginning: n. 1 start, commencement, outset, onset, inception, dawn, dawning, birth, genesis, origin, creation, day one; origination, source, well-spring: There are several competing theories about the beginning of life on earth. The beginning of the idea can be traced to Galileo. 2 opening, start, inception, commencement: I have plenty of energy at the beginning of the day. The book is good at the beginning, but then it gets boring.
begrudge | begrudge: v. 1 resent, envy, grudge: She doesn''t begrudge him his success. 2 give (be)grudgingly or unwillingly or reluctantly, deny, refuse: He begrudges her the slightest consideration.
beguile | beguile: v. 1 delude, deceive, cheat, swindle, dupe, fool, mislead, hoodwink, bamboozle, take in: She was easily beguiled by his solicitude. 2 defraud (of), deprive (of), cheat (out of or into), swindle (out of): Let no man beguile you of your reward. 3 charm, divert, amuse, distract, fascinate, engross, engage, allure: I always meet the most beguiling people at Daphne''s parties.
behalf | behalf: n. on or US in behalf of or on or US in one''s behalf. for, as a representative of, in place of, instead of, in the name of, on the part of; in the interest of, for the benefit or advantage of: The lawyer is acting on behalf of the heirs.
behave | behave: v. act, react, function, operate, perform, work, conduct or deport or comport or bear (oneself); act obediently, act properly, be good: The boy behaved with great insolence. I wish the children would behave themselves.
behaviour | behaviour: n. conduct, demeanour, deportment, bearing, manners, comportment; action(s): His behaviour in the presence of the royal couple was abominable.
behead | behead: v. decapitate, guillotine, Archaic decollate: Criminals and enemies of the state were formerly beheaded.
behold | behold: v. see, look at, regard, set or lay eyes on, descry, notice, note, espy, perceive, discern, remark, view: As we emerged from the gorge, we beheld the mountain looming above us.
beholden | beholden: adj. obliged, obligated, indebted, grateful, in debt, under (an) obligation: She said that she was beholden to him for everything he had done.
behove | behove: v. US behoove; be required of, be incumbent on, be proper of, be fitting of or for, befit; be advisable for, be worthwhile for, be expeditious for or of, be advantageous to or for, be useful to or for, be beneficial to or for: It behoves you to be respectful to the chairman of the board.
belabour | belabour: v. thrash, beat, pummel or pommel, buffet, pelt, lambaste: We tried to stop the drover from belabouring the poor horse with a whip.
belated | belated: adj. late; behind time, behindhand, out of date; delayed, detained: I forgot your birthday, so here''s a belated gift.
belief | belief: n. 1 trust, dependence, reliance, confidence, faith, security, assurance: He retains his belief in the divine right of kings. 2 acceptance, credence; assent: His statements are unworthy of belief. 3 tenet, view, idea, sentiment, conviction, doctrine, dogma, principle(s), axiom, maxim, creed, opinion, persuasion: The belief that there is no God is as definite a creed as the belief in one God or in many gods. 4 intuition, judgement: It is her belief that nuclear energy will eventually prove economical.
believe | believe: v. 1 accept, put faith or credence in or into, find credible, find creditable; allow, think, hold, maintain, feel; take it, suppose, assume: He still believes that the moon is made of green cheese. 2 believe in. trust to or in, rely upon or on, have faith or confidence in, put one''s trust in, be convinced of, swear by, credit; have the courage of one''s convictions: Do you believe everything you read in the papers? The chairman believes in your ability to carry out the plan. 3 make believe. pretend, suppose, imagine, fancy, conjecture, assume: I used to make believe I was a great detective.
belittle | belittle: v. diminish, minimize, disparage, slight, decry, detract from, depreciate, trivialize, deprecate, degrade, denigrate, downgrade, de-emphasize, discredit, criticize, derogate; reduce, mitigate, lessen, undervalue, underestimate, underrate, minimize, Colloq play down, pooh-pooh: He belittles the efforts of others but accomplishes nothing himself.
belligerent | belligerent: adj. 1 warring; warlike, militant, warmongering, hawkish, jingoistic, bellicose, martial: The belligerent nations have agreed to discuss an accord. 2 quarrelsome, pugnacious, contentious, disputatious, truculent, aggressive, hostile, combative, antagonistic, bellicose: I cannot see why you have to take such a belligerent attitude towards the chairman. --n. 3 warring party, antagonist, contestant; warmonger, hawk, jingoist, militant: Our country has refused to sell arms to the belligerents in the conflict.
bellow | bellow: v. 1 roar; yell, shout, blare, trumpet, howl, Colloq holler: Father was bellowing that he couldn''t find his pipe. The public-address system bellowed out my name. --n. 2 roar; yell, shout, Colloq holler: The bull gave a bellow and charged.
belong | belong: v. 1 be a member (of), be affiliated or associated or connected (with), be attached or bound (to), be a part (of): Does he belong to the Green party? He didn''t want to belong while his wife was a member. 2 have a (proper) place (in), be proper (to): Do you ever get the feeling that you don''t belong here? 3 belong to. be owned by, be the property or possession of: That coat belongs to me.
belonging | belonging: n. association, connection, alliance, relationship, affinity, relation: She says the Church gives her a strong sense of belonging.
belongings | belongings: n. (personal) property, effects, possessions, goods, things, chattels: He returned home to find all his belongings in the street.
beloved | beloved: adj. 1 loved, cherished, adored, dear, dearest, darling, precious, treasured; admired, worshipped, revered, esteemed, idolized, respected, esteemed; valued, prized: He denied nothing to his beloved children. She was their beloved queen. --n. 2 sweetheart, darling, dearest, love; lover, paramour, inamorata or inamorato, Colloq flame: He wrote poems to his beloved.
below | below: adv. 1 lower down, further down, farther down: Please see the explanation given below. The department head could no longer resist the pressures from below. 2 beneath, underneath, under; downstairs, Nautical below-decks, Brit below-stairs: Can you hear someone walking about below? They put the captain in irons below. 3 on earth, here, in this world, under the sun: Man wants but little here below. --prep. 4 under, underneath, beneath: Below the sea live creatures we have never even seen. Barely discernible below his nose was a tiny moustache. Sign your name below ''Yours truly''. 5 less or lower or cheaper than: The sale price is below cost. 6 deeper or further or farther down than: The current is strongest about six feet below the surface. 7 under, beneath, underneath: Her bright eyes peered at him from below the wide hat. 8 lower or less than, under: The temperature was 20 degrees below zero. 9 inferior or subordinate to, lower than: He gives orders to the servants below him. 10 inferior or secondary to, under, beneath, lower than: In exports, the USA and UK are below Japan. 11 beneath, unworthy of, unbefitting, not worth: Mugging old ladies is below contempt.
belt | belt: n. 1 sash; Literary girdle, cestus, cincture, zone: At her belt she wore a dagger in a golden scabbard. 2 zone, band, strip, circuit, perimeter; area, swath, tract, region, district: The planners ensured that each city would be surrounded by a green belt. --v. 3 strike, hit, punch; beat, thrash: When he insulted her, I simply belted him. 4 belt out. sing or perform stridently or loudly; put over or across: Sophie Tucker was there, belting out ''One of These Days''.
bemoan | bemoan: v. lament, mourn or grieve or weep or moan for: She bitterly bemoaned the loss of her sole companion, her canary.
bemuse | bemuse: v. 1 confuse, muddle, mix up, addle, befuddle, perplex, bewilder, puzzle, Colloq US and Canadian discombobulate: The actors were thoroughly bemused by the sudden appearance of a horse on stage. 2 stupefy, benumb, numb, paralyse: I found him, completely bemused, with the empty bottle beside him.
bend | bend: n. 1 curve, turn, turning, corner; bow, angle, crook, hook, curvature, flexure: Go left at the bend in the road. If you put a bend in a wire hanger, you can fish out the obstruction. --v. 2 arch, bow, curve, crook: Soak the branch in water and it will bend easily. Stop bending my arm - it hurts! 3 bow; curtsy or curtsey; kowtow, salaam; kneel, genuflect: The cannibal bent down before a pile of skulls. 4 incline, channel, focus, direct, steer, set; fix: He bent his attention on more important matters. She bent her steps towards the cemetery. 5 submit, bow, yield, give way, be pliant or subservient or tractable: The cabinet bends to the will of the prime minister. 6 incline, turn, deflect: As you can see, the ray is bent by the lens.
bender | bender: Colloq n. drunk, spree, bout, revel, carousal, carouse, bacchanal; Slang binge, jag, US toot: He goes off on a bender whenever his wife leaves him.
beneath | beneath: adv. 1 low or lower down, below, under, underneath: Please sign beneath if you agree the terms. 2 below, underneath, under; underground: The flowers are above the ground, the roots beneath. --prep. 3 under, underneath, below: Beneath that gruff exterior of his beats a heart of gold. 4 below, unworthy of, unbefitting, undeserving of, not (even) meriting, lower than: Your behaviour is beneath criticism.
benefactor | benefactor: n. patron, supporter, sponsor, donor, philanthropist; backer, investor, supporter, Colloq angel: Our benefactor has made a donation that will enable the mission to carry on its work.
beneficial | beneficial: adj. 1 advantageous, serviceable, useful, profitable, helpful, supportive, favourable, constructive, good: No measures could have been more beneficial to the kingdom. 2 healthful, healthy, salutary, salubrious; efficacious, effective: A certain amount of sunshine is quite beneficial.
benefit | benefit: n. 1 advantage, profit, good, sake, gain, aid, help, service: It would be to their benefit to call off the strike. 2 Often, benefits. perquisite(s), emolument(s), allowance(s), extra(s), fringe benefit(s), Colloq perk(s): We offer one of the best schemes in the industry for employee benefits. --v. 3 improve, aid, help, better, promote, further, advance, forward: Enrolling on a management course could benefit your chances for advancement. 4 profit, gain: No one has ever personally benefited a penny from these contributions.
benevolence | benevolence: n. 1 charity, kindness, kindliness, humanity, humanitarianism, beneficence, charitableness, goodness, altruism, good will, unselfishness, philanthropy, generosity, magnanimity: The poor people in the village used to rely on his benevolence. 2 gift, grant, contribution, donation, beneficence: The victims of the famine were recipients of the benevolence of the British people.
benevolent | benevolent: adj. charitable, well-disposed, gracious, good, kind, kindly, humane, humanitarian, well-wishing, thoughtful, considerate, sympathetic, caring, kind-hearted, warm-hearted, compassionate, benign, benignant; liberal, generous, magnanimous, open-handed; beneficial, helpful, salutary: That hypocrite has cast himself in the role of a benevolent despot.
benighted | benighted: adj. unenlightened, na�ve, uninformed, ignorant: That poor, benighted fool believes that the doctors can cure him.
benign | benign: adj. 1 kindly, gracious, good, kind, kind-hearted, benevolent, benignant, warm, warm-hearted, cordial, genial, congenial, tender, tender-hearted, compassionate, sympathetic, soft-hearted: It was Grandad''s benign goodwill that kept us together in those hard times. 2 bland, gentle, mild, warm: A benign smile lit the headmaster''s face as he announced the awards for scholastic achievement. 3 kind, favourable, fortunate; salutary, salubrious, mild, congenial, propitious: She recovered rapidly in that most benign climate. 4 non-fatal, non-malignant, non-virulent, curable, harmless: Fortunately, the biopsy showed that the tumour was benign.
bent | bent: adj. 1 curved, deflected, bowed, crooked, distorted: He complained to the waiter just because the fork was bent. 2 strange, weird, peculiar, twisted, deviant, warped, wry, awry, corrupt, corrupted; perverted, perverse, abnormal: You''d be bent, too, if you''d been in prison for fifteen years. 3 dishonest, crooked, illegal: That share deal sounds a bit bent to me: I''ll pass. 4 determined, intent, set, resolved, resolute, decided, set: Garvey is bent on running in the marathon, despite his sprained ankle. --n. 5 turn, inclination, direction, disposition, predisposition, tendency, bias, leaning, proclivity, propensity, partiality, prejudice; ability, aptitude, talent, gift: She wished to follow the bent of her own taste. He has a natural bent for music.
bequeath | bequeath: v. leave, make over, will, pass on, hand down or on, transmit, Law devise: Aunt Margaret has bequeathed her collection of music boxes to the museum.
bequest | bequest: n. legacy, inheritance: A huge bequest was received by the hospital.
berate | berate: v. scold, chide, rate, upbraid, revile, abuse, rail at, excoriate, castigate, objurgate; harangue: In the square an ancient virago was berating a butcher.
bereave | bereave: v. deprive; strip, rob, dispossess: The accident bereaved him of his child.
berserk | berserk: adj. amok, mad, violent, wild, crazed, frenzied, maniacal: He went berserk, destroying tables and chairs.
beseech | beseech: v. supplicate, entreat, implore, plead (with), beg, importune, obsecrate: The prisoners beseeched the king to have mercy on them.
beset | beset: v. encompass, surround, besiege; assail, attack, harass, harry, hector, bother, afflict, trouble: She was beset by all the problems involved in having a job and a family.
beside | beside: prep. 1 alongside, near, next to, with, close to, hard by, nearby, by: A handsome young man walked up and sat down beside her. 2 away from, wide of, apart from, unconnected with, off: The fact that I owe you money is entirely beside the point. 3 beside oneself. out of one''s mind or wits, at the end of one''s tether, overwrought, agitated, upset, crazy, mad: She was beside herself with grief when she heard the news.
besides | besides: adv. 1 in addition, additionally, also; further, furthermore, moreover, as well, too; to boot, on top of everything else, into the bargain: Maria is our choice for the post and, besides, she''s the only qualified person available. On their anniversary he gave her a diamond ring and a sapphire brooch besides. --prep. 2 over and above, above and beyond, in addition to, additionally to, as well as; aside from, barring, excepting, except for, excluding, exclusive of, not counting or including, beyond, apart from, other than: St Paul became acquainted with many Christians besides his converts.
besiege | besiege: v. 1 lay siege to, beleaguer: For ten years Troy was besieged by the Greeks. 2 blockade, block, block off or up, hem in, cut off; surround, crowd round: The strikers have besieged the factory gates, not allowing anyone in or out. 3 importune, sue, petition, assail, pressurize or US pressure, press, overwhelm, inundate: The Home Office has been besieged by requests for leniency in your case.
best | best: adj. 1 superlative, unexcelled, finest, pre-eminent, first, superb, unsurpassed, superior, excellent, paramount, first-rate, Colloq A-1, A-one: Henry VIII was the best rider, the best lance, and the best archer in England. 2 kindest, most beneficent, nicest: Which of your brothers is the best to you? 3 foremost, choicest, pre-eminent, most suitable, most appropriate, most qualified, most talented, most desirable, most outstanding: We want the best person to fill the job. 4 largest, most, greatest: She had travelled the best part of the way by ship. 5 richest, wealthiest; first-class, upper crust, upper-class: He associates only with those he considers to be the best people. --n. 6 finest; first: The best is yet to come. 7 finery, best clothes, Colloq best bib and tucker: He was all decked out in his Sunday best. 8 greatest or maximum effort: He did his best but it wasn''t enough to win. --adv. 9 most excellently, to the fullest extent, in the most suitable way, most adroitly, most skilfully, most superbly, most artistically: All the children performed well, but Alice performed best. 10 with greatest satisfaction, most successfully: He who laughs last laughs best. --v. 11 win (out) over, conquer, beat, surpass, overpower, get the better of, subdue, defeat, worst, vanquish, trounce, rout, crush, master, outdo, overwhelm, overcome, outwit: He was bested in three falls out of four.
bestow | bestow: v. confer; give, award, present, donate, grant: The country has bestowed its highest honours on her.
bet | bet: n. 1 wager, stake, risk, venture, Brit punt, Colloq Brit flutter: He could not afford more than a small bet. --v. 2 wager, stake, gamble, risk, hazard, play, lay, put, chance, venture, Brit punt: Every week he bet a small amount on the lottery.
betray | betray: v. 1 be or prove false or disloyal to, sell out, break faith with, let down, fail, inform on, Colloq sell down the river, Slang Brit shop: He betrayed her to the enemy. 2 reveal, disclose, divulge, impart, tell; expose, lay bare: She betrayed their hide-out to the police. He betrayed an unsuspected streak of cowardice. 3 lead astray, mislead, misguide, deceive, dupe, fool, hoodwink: He has been betrayed by his own arrogance.
betrayal | betrayal: n. 1 treachery, treason, disloyalty, perfidy, traitorousness, faithlessness, bad faith, breach of faith: His delivery of the country into the hands of an invader was an outright act of betrayal. 2 revelation, divulging, disclosure, divulgence: People should not be led into betrayals of their secret opinions.
better� | better�: adj. 1 superior: You''re a better man than I am, Gunga Din. Can you suggest a better investment than the Channel Tunnel? I know of no better invention than the wheel. 2 more; greater, larger, bigger: I waited for her the better part of two hours. 3 wiser, safer, well-advised, more intelligent: It would be better to wait till tomorrow to tell her. 4 healthier, haler, heartier, less ill or US sick, improved; cured, recovered: You will feel better after you have eaten something. --adv. 5 preferably, best; more wisely, more advisedly, more safely: We had better go before the trouble starts. 6 better off. a improved, happier, well-advised: You''d be better off attending a technical college. b wealthier, richer: She is better off than any of us. 7 think better of. reconsider, think twice, change one''s mind: He was going to fight but thought better of it. --n. 8 advantage, mastery, superiority, control: Don''t let the obstacle course get the better of you. 9 betters. superiors: That young imp should learn how to address his elders and betters! --v. 10 improve, ameliorate, advance, raise, elevate: It was impossible in those days for labourers to better their condition. 11 surpass, excel, outdo, outstrip, beat, improve: She bettered her record in the 100-metre hurdles by two-tenths of a second.
better� | better�: n. gambler, speculator, wagerer, gamester, Brit punter, US bettor, Colloq crap-shooter, sport: The betters were gathered round the craps table.
bewail | bewail: v. lament, mourn, bemoan, moan or mourn over, shed tears or whimper over, weep or cry or keen over, beat one''s breast over: Instead of bewailing his condition, why doesn''t he do something about it?
beware | beware: v. take heed, be careful, be wary, be cautious, be on one''s guard, exercise caution, mind, watch out, look out, take care: There are shoals nearby, so beware. Beware the ides of March!
bewilder | bewilder: v. confuse, confound, perplex, puzzle, mystify, befuddle, baffle, bemuse: I was bewildered by differential calculus.
bewitch | bewitch: v. enchant, entrance, spellbind, charm, fascinate, beguile, cast a spell over, captivate, enrapture: She easily bewitches men with her sultry good looks and her husky, low voice.
