English Words Starting With B

• backbite

  verbverb-intransitiveverb-transitiveC2/Rare
  /ˈbæk.baɪt/To speak maliciously about someone who is not present.
• backblocks

  nounplural-nounC1/C2 (low frequency, specialized/regional)
  /ˈbakblɒks/Remote, sparsely populated rural areas far from cities and main transport routes.
• backboard

  nounC1
  /ˈbæk.bɔːd/A flat, rigid board positioned at or forming the back of something, primarily to provide structural support, a rebounding surface, or a vertical barrier.
• backbone

  nounC1
  /ˈbæk.bəʊn/The series of vertebrae forming the main structural support of the body in vertebrates; the spine.
• backbreaker

  nounC2 (Very Low Frequency)
  /ˈbakˌbreɪ.kə/A task, job, or activity that is extremely physically demanding and exhausting, particularly on the back.
• backburn

  nounverbRare
  /ˈbækˌbɜːn/To deliberately set a controlled fire in front of an advancing wildfire to consume fuel and create a firebreak.
• backcast

  nounLow
  /ˈbæk.kɑːst/A forecast or prediction about the past; to estimate or reconstruct past conditions or events.
• backchat

  nounMedium frequency, common in informal British English; rare in American English.
  /ˈbæk.tʃæt/Impertinent or rude replies in a conversation, especially from someone younger or subordinate to someone in authority.
• backcloth

  nounC1
  /ˈbæk.klɒθ/A large painted cloth hung at the back of a theatre stage to create a setting for a scene.
• backcomb

  verbC1/C2
  /ˈbæk.kəʊm/To comb the hair towards the scalp in the opposite direction of its natural growth to add volume and texture.
• backcourt

  nounLow (Sporting Context)
  /ˈbakˌkɔːt/The defensive half of a basketball or tennis court, or the players positioned there.
• backcourtman

  nounLow
  /ˈbæk.kɔːt.mæn/A player in basketball who primarily operates in the backcourt, typically a guard.
• backcross

  nounverbverb-transitiveC2
  /ˈbækkrɒs/In genetics: to cross a hybrid with one of its parents or an organism genetically similar to its parent.
• backdate

  verbverb-transitiveC1
  /ˌbækˈdeɪt/To make an official document, payment, or agreement effective from an earlier date than the current one.
• backdoor

  adjectivenounB2
  /ˌbækˈdɔː/A secondary or hidden entrance at the rear of a building; a means of access that is unofficial, secret, or bypasses normal procedures.
• backdoor play

  nounLow
  /ˌbækˈdɔː ˈpleɪ/A strategic move in sports, especially American football, where a player receives a pass behind the line of scrimmage and runs toward the sideline, often exploiting defensive overpursuit.
• backdown

  nounC1
  /ˈbæk.daʊn/An act of withdrawing from a previously stated position or demand, especially in the face of opposition.
• backdraft

  nounC2
  /ˈbæk.drɑːft/A dangerous explosion that occurs when oxygen suddenly enters an oxygen-depleted, superheated fire environment, causing rapid combustion.
• backdraught

  nounLow
  /ˈbæk.drɑːft/A sudden, potentially explosive flow of air into a fire, caused when oxygen is introduced to a space where a fire has been smoldering with depleted oxygen.
• backdrop

  nounverb-transitiveC1
  /ˈbæk.drɒp/A painted cloth hung at the back of a theatre stage as part of the scenery.

Showing 301–320 of 10030 words.