besides
ADVERB also or in addition to
best
ADJECTIVE 1 the superlative of good and well • That was one of the best films I’ve ever seen.
ANTONYM: worst
ADVERB 2 The thing that you like best is the thing that you prefer to everything else.
bet bets, betting, bet
VERB If you bet on the result of an event, you will win money if what you bet on happens and lose money if it does not.
betray betrays, betraying, betrayed
VERB If you betray someone who trusts you, you tell people something secret about them.
better
ADJECTIVE 1 the comparative of good and well • I am feeling better today.
2 If you are better after an illness, you are no longer ill.
SYNONYM: cured
between
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB 1 If something is between two other things, it is situated or happens in the space or time that separates them. • He was head teacher between 1989 and 2000.
2 A relationship or a difference between two people or two things is one that involves them both. • the difference between frogs and toads
beware
VERB If you tell someone to beware of something, you are warning them that it might be dangerous or harmful.
bewilder bewilders, bewildering, bewildered
VERB If something bewilders you, it confuses and muddles you so that you can’t understand.
bewilderment NOUN
beyond
PREPOSITION 1 If something is beyond a certain place, it is on the other side of it. • Beyond the mountains was the secret valley.
2 If something is beyond you, you cannot do it or understand it.
bi-
PREFIX added to a word to mean two or twice. For example, someone who is bilingual can speak two languages.
bib bibs
NOUN a piece of cloth or plastic put under a baby’s chin to protect its clothes from stains
Bible Bibles
NOUN the sacred book of the Christian religion • I read about Noah and the Ark in the Bible.
bibliography bibliographies
NOUN a list of books or articles
bicycle bicycles
NOUN a two-wheeled vehicle that you ride by pushing two pedals with your feet
bid bids, bidding, bid
VERB If you bid for something, you offer to buy it for a certain sum of money. • He bid for an old bike at the auction.
big bigger, biggest
ADJECTIVE large or important
ANTONYMS: small, tiny, little
bike bikes
NOUN an abbreviation for bicycle
bikini bikinis
NOUN a small, two-piece swimming costume worn by women
bilingual
ADJECTIVE involving or using two languages • bilingual street signs
[from Latin bis meaning two and lingua meaning tongue]
bill bills
NOUN 1 a written statement of how much is owed for goods or services • a phone bill
2 a formal statement of a proposed new law that is discussed and then voted on in Parliament