Collins First Dictionary

Bb

baby noun babies

A baby is a very young child.

back noun backs

1 Your back is the part of your body from your neck to your bottom.

He was lying on his back in the grass.

2 The back of something is the side or part of it that is farthest from the front.

She was in a room at the back of the shop.

backwards

1 If you move backwards, you move in the direction behind you.

She walked backwards.

2 If you do something backwards, you do it the opposite of the usual way.

He had his jumper on backwards.

bad adjective worse, worst

1 Something that is bad is not nice or good.

The weather is bad today.

2 Someone who is bad does things they should not do.

Some bad boys stole the money.

badge noun badges

A badge is a small piece of metal or plastic with words or a picture on it that you wear on your clothes.

badger noun badgers

A badger is an animal that has a white head with two black stripes on it. Badgers live beneath the ground and come out at night.

bag noun bags

A bag is a container that you use to hold or carry things.

He put his shoes in his bag.

bake verb bakes, baking, baked

When you bake food, you cook it in an oven.

baker noun bakers

A baker is a person who makes and sells bread and cakes.

balance verb balances, balancing, balanced

When you balance something, you keep it steady and do not let it fall.

She balanced a book on her head.

ball noun balls

A ball is a round thing that you kick, throw or catch in games.

ballet noun

Ballet is a kind of dance with special steps that often tells a story.

balloon noun balloons

A balloon is a small bag made of thin rubber that you blow into to make it bigger.

banana noun bananas

A banana is a long curved fruit with a thick yellow skin.

band noun bands

1 A band is a group of people who play music together.

He plays the guitar in a band.

2 A band is also a narrow strip of material that you put around something.

She wore a band round her hair.

bandage noun bandages

A bandage is a long strip of cloth that you wrap around a part of your body when you have hurt it.

bang noun bangs

A bang is a sudden, loud noise.

The balloon burst with a bang.

bank noun banks

1 A bank is a place where people can keep their money.

He got some money from the bank.

2 A bank is also the ground beside a river.

We walked along the bank.

bar noun bars

A bar is a long, thin piece of wood or metal.

There were bars on the windows.

bare adjective barer, barest

1 If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothes.

Her feet were bare.

2 If something is bare, it has nothing on top of it or inside it.

The cupboard was bare.

bark verb barks, barking, barked

When a dog barks, it makes a short, loud noise.

barn noun barns

A barn is a big building on a farm where animals and crops are kept.

base noun bases

The base of something is the lowest part of it, or the part that it stands on.

She stood at the base of the stairs.

basket noun baskets

A basket is a container that you use to hold or carry things. It is made from thin strips of material.

bat noun bats

1 A bat is a special stick that you use to hit a ball in some games.

2 A bat is also a small animal that looks like a mouse with wings. Bats come out to fly at night.

bath noun baths

A bath is a long container that you fill with water and sit in to wash yourself.

bathroom noun bathrooms

A bathroom is a room with a bath or shower in it.

battery noun batteries

A battery is a small tube or box for storing electricity. You put batteries in things like toys and radios to make them work.

The clock needs a new battery.

be verb am, is, are, being, was, were, been

1 You use be to say what a person or thing is like.

She is very young.

2 You also use be to say that something is there.

There is a tree in the garden.

beach noun beaches

A beach is the land by the edge of the sea. It is covered with sand or stones.

bead noun beads

A bead is a small piece of glass, wood or plastic with a hole through the middle. You put beads on a string to make necklaces or bracelets.

beak noun beaks

A bird’s beak is the hard part of its mouth.

bean noun beans

A bean is the small seed of some plants that you can eat as a vegetable.

bear noun bears

A bear is a big, strong animal with thick fur and sharp claws.

beard noun beards

A beard is the hair that grows on a man’s chin and cheeks.

beat verb beats, beating, beat, beaten

1 If you beat something, you keep hitting it.

He beat the drum with a stick.

2 If you beat someone in a game or a competition, you do better than they do.

He beat me in the race.

beautiful adjective

If something is beautiful, it is very nice to look at or to listen to.

He painted a beautiful picture.

became

She became very angry.

because

You use because to say why something happens.

I went to bed because I was tired.

become verb becomes, becoming, became, become

If one thing becomes another thing, it starts to be that thing.

The weather became cold.

bed noun beds

A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.

bedroom noun bedrooms

A bedroom is a room with a bed in it where you sleep.

bedtime noun bedtimes

Your bedtime is the time when you usually go to bed.

My bedtime is at eight o’clock.

bee noun bees

A bee is an insect with wings and black and yellow stripes on its body. Bees live in large groups and make honey.

been

We have always been good friends.

beetle noun beetles

A beetle is an insect with hard wings that cover its body when it is not flying.

before

If one thing happens before another thing, it happens earlier than it.

My birthday is just before his.

began

She began to laugh.

begin verb begins, beginning, began, begun

If you begin to do something, you start to do it.

You can begin to write now.

begun

He has begun to play the piano.

behave verb behaves, behaving, behaved

1 The way you behave is the way that you do and say things.

She behaves like a baby.

2 If you behave yourself, you are good.

You can come if you behave yourself.

behind

If something is behind another thing, it is at the back of it.

He stood behind his desk.

believe verb believes, believing, believed

If you believe something, you think that it is true.

I don’t believe that story.

bell noun bells

A bell is a piece of metal in the shape of a cup that rings when you shake it or hit it.

belong verb belongs, belonging, belonged

1 If something belongs to you, it is yours.

The book belongs to her.

2 If you belong to a group of people, you are one of them.

He belongs to our team.

3 If something belongs somewhere, that is where it should be.

Your toys belong in your room.

below

If something is below another thing, it is lower down than it.

His shoes were below his bed.

belt noun belts

A belt is a band of leather or cloth that you wear around your waist.

bench noun benches

A bench is a long seat that two or more people can sit on.

bend verb bends, bending, bent

When you bend something, you change its shape so that it is not straight any more.

Bend your legs when you do this exercise.

beneath

If something is beneath another thing, it is below it.

The dog was beneath the table.

bent

He bent to pick up the bags.

berry noun berries

A berry is a small, soft fruit that grows on a bush or a tree.

beside

If something is beside another thing, it is next to it.

He sat down beside me.

best

If you say that something is best, you mean that it is better than all the others.

You are my best friend.

better

1 You use better to mean that a thing is very good compared to another thing.

His painting is better than mine.

2 If you feel better, you do not feel ill any more.

I feel much better today.

between

If you are between two things, one of them is on one side of you and the other is on the other side.

She stood between her two brothers.

bicycle noun bicycles

A bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels. You push the pedals with your feet to make the wheels turn.

big adjective bigger, biggest

A person or thing that is big is large in size.

She lives in a big house.

bike noun bikes

A bike is a bicycle or motorbike.

bin noun bins

A bin is a container that you put rubbish in.

bird noun birds

A bird is an animal with feathers, wings, and a beak. Most birds can fly.

birthday noun birthdays

Your birthday is the date that you were born.

She gave me a present on my birthday.

biscuit noun biscuits

A biscuit is a kind of small, hard, dry cake.

bit noun bits

A bit of something is a small amount of it, or a small part of it.

I ate a bit of bread.

bite verb bites, biting, bit, bitten

If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it.

The dog tried to bite him.

black noun/adjective

Black is the colour of the sky at night.

The car is black.

blackboard noun blackboards

A blackboard is a flat, black surface that you write on with chalk in a classroom.

blade noun blades

A blade is the flat, sharp part of a knife that you use to cut things.

blame verb blames, blaming, blamed

If you blame someone for something bad, you think that they made it happen.

Mum blamed me for making the mess.

blanket noun blankets

A blanket is a large, thick piece of cloth that you put on a bed to keep you warm.

blew

The wind blew outside.

blind adjective

Someone who is blind cannot see.

block noun blocks

A block of something is a large piece of it with straight sides.

We made a house with blocks of wood.

blood noun

Blood is the red liquid that moves around inside your body.

blouse noun blouses

A blouse is something a girl or woman can wear. It covers the top part of the body and has buttons down the front.

blow verb blows, blowing, blew, blown

1 When the wind blows, it moves the air.

2 When you blow, you push air out of your mouth.

He blew on his hands to keep them warm.

blue noun/adjective

Blue is the colour of the sky on a sunny day.

Her dress is blue.

blunt adjective blunter, bluntest

Something that is blunt does not have a sharp point or edge.

My pencil is blunt.

boat noun boats

A boat is a small vehicle that carries people on water.

body noun bodies

A person’s or animal’s body is all their parts.

It’s fun to stretch and twist your body.

boil verb boils, boiling, boiled

1 When water boils, it becomes very hot, and you can see bubbles in it and steam coming from it.

2 When you boil food, you cook it in water that is boiling.

bone noun bones

Your bones are the hard parts inside your body.

I broke a bone in my leg.

bonfire noun bonfires

A bonfire is a big fire that is made outside.

book noun books

A book is a set of pages with words or pictures on them, that are held together inside a cover.

boot noun boots

A boot is a kind of shoe that covers your foot and the lower part of your leg.

bored adjective

If you are bored, you feel annoyed because you have nothing to do.

boring adjective

If something is boring, it is not interesting.

born verb

When a baby is born, it comes out of its mother’s body.

My sister was born three years ago.

borrow verb borrows, borrowing, borrowed

If you borrow something from someone, they let you have it for a short time and then you give it back.

Can I borrow your pen, please?

both

You use both to mean two people or two things together.

He put both books into the drawer.

bottle noun bottles

A bottle is a container made of glass or plastic that holds liquid.

bottom noun bottoms

1 The bottom of something is its lowest part.

2 Your bottom is the part of your body that you sit on.

bought

We bought bread and milk.

bounce verb bounces, bouncing, bounced

When something bounces, it hits another thing and then moves away from it again.

The ball bounced across the floor.

bow verb bows, bowing, bowed

When you bow, you bend your body towards someone as a polite way of saying hello or thanking them.

They all bowed to the king.

bow noun bows

1 A bow is a knot with two loose ends that you use to tie laces and ribbons.

2 A bow is also a long, curved piece of wood with a string stretched between the two ends, that is used to send arrows through the air.

bowl noun bowls

A bowl is a round container that you use to hold food or drink.

box noun boxes

A box is a container with a hard, straight bottom and sides, and usually a lid.

boy noun boys

A boy is a male child.

bracelet noun bracelets

A bracelet is a chain or a band that you wear around your wrist.

brain noun brains

Your brain is inside your head. It controls your body and lets you think and feel things.

branch noun branches

The branches of a tree are the parts that grow out from its trunk and have leaves on them.

brave adjective braver, bravest

If you are brave, you are not afraid of something dangerous.

bread noun

Bread is a food that is made from flour and water and baked in an oven.

break verb breaks, breaking, broke, broken

1 When something breaks, it goes into pieces.

I dropped a plate and it broke.

2 When a machine breaks, it stops working.

My brother broke the television.

breakfast noun breakfasts

Breakfast is the first meal of the day.

breathe verb breathes, breathing, breathed

When you breathe, air goes in and out of your body through your nose or your mouth.

brick noun bricks