2 a band of light that shines from something such as a torch or the sun
VERB 3 If you beam, you smile broadly.
bean beans
NOUN the seed or pod of a plant, eaten as a vegetable or used for other purposes • runner beans • coffee beans • soya beans
bear bears, bearing, bore, borne
NOUN 1 a large, strong, wild mammal with thick fur and sharp claws • polar bear • grizzly bear
VERB 2 If someone or something bears something, they carry it or support its weight. • The ice wasn’t thick enough to bear their weight.
3 If something bears a mark or typical feature, it has it. • The room bore all the signs of a violent struggle.
4 If you bear something difficult, you accept it and are able to deal with it. • The loneliness was hard to bear.
beard beards
NOUN the hair that grows on the lower part of a man’s face
beast beasts
NOUN 1 an old-fashioned word for a large, wild animal
2 INFORMAL If you call someone a beast, you mean that they are cruel or spiteful.
beat beats, beating, beat, beaten
VERB 1 If someone or something beats someone or something else, they hit them hard and repeatedly. • The rain was beating against the window.
2 If you beat someone in a race or game, you defeat them or do better than them.
3 When your heart beats, it pumps blood with a regular rhythm.
NOUN 4 the main rhythm of a piece of music or poetry
beautiful
ADJECTIVE very attractive or pleasing
SYNONYM: lovely
beauty beauties
NOUN 1 the quality of being beautiful • the beauty of the stars on a clear night
2 The beauty of an idea or a plan is what makes it attractive or worth doing. • The beauty of going in September is that the sea will be warmer for swimming.
beaver beavers
NOUN a mammal with a big, flat tail and webbed hind feet. Beavers build dams.
because
CONJUNCTION 1 Because is used with other words to give the reason for something. • I went home because I was tired.
PHRASE 2 Because of is used with a noun that gives the reason for something. • I had to stay late because of detention.
beckon beckons, beckoning, beckoned
VERB If you beckon to someone, you make a sign to them with your hand, asking them to come to you.
become becomes, becoming, became, become
VERB If someone or something becomes something else, they start feeling or being that thing. • I became more and more angry.
[from Old English becuman meaning to happen]
bed beds
NOUN 1 a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep
2 an area of ground in a garden which has been dug and prepared for planting
3 The bed of the sea or a river is the bottom of it.
bedraggled
ADJECTIVE If a person or animal is bedraggled, they are wet, dirty and messy.
bedroom bedrooms
NOUN a room for sleeping in
bedtime bedtimes
NOUN the time when you go to bed
bee bees
NOUN a winged insect that makes honey. Many types of bee live in large groups.
beech beeches
NOUN a tree with a smooth, grey trunk and shiny leaves
beef