| backwardation | (noun) the market condition wherein the price of a forward or futures contract is trading below the expected spot price at contract maturity. | - |
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| backwardness | (noun) lack of normal development of intellectual capacities | Synonyms: mental retardation, retardation, slowness, subnormality |
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| backwash | (noun) the wave that spreads behind a boat as it moves forward | Synonyms: wake |
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| (noun) the flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller | Synonyms: airstream, race, slipstream, wash |
| (noun) the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event) | Synonyms: aftermath, wake |
| backwater | (noun) a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring | - |
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| (noun) a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam | - |
| backwoods | (noun) a remote and undeveloped area | Synonyms: back country, boondocks, hinterland |
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| backwoodsman | (noun) a man who lives on the frontier | Synonyms: frontiersman, mountain man |
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| backyard | (noun) the grounds in back of a house | - |
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| bacon | (noun) back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried | - |
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| bacteremia | (noun) transient presence of bacteria (or other microorganisms) in the blood | Synonyms: bacteriaemia, bacteriemia |
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| bacteria | (noun) (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants | Synonyms: bacterium |
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| bacteriacide | (noun) any chemical agent that destroys bacteria | Synonyms: bactericide |
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| bacteriaemia | (noun) transient presence of bacteria (or other microorganisms) in the blood | Synonyms: bacteremia, bacteriemia |
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| bactericide | (noun) any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth | Synonyms: antibacterial, antibacterial drug |
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| (noun) any chemical agent that destroys bacteria | Synonyms: bacteriacide |
| bacteriemia | (noun) transient presence of bacteria (or other microorganisms) in the blood | Synonyms: bacteremia, bacteriaemia |
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| bacteriochlorophyll | (noun) a substance in photosensitive bacteria that is related to but different from chlorophyll of higher plants | - |
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| bacteriologist | (noun) a biologist who studies bacteria | - |
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| bacteriology | (noun) the branch of medical science that studies bacteria in relation to disease | - |
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| bacteriolysis | (noun) dissolution or destruction of bacteria | - |
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| bacteriophage | (noun) a virus that is parasitic (reproduces itself) in bacteria | Synonyms: phage |
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| bacteriostasis | (noun) inhibition of the growth of bacteria | - |
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| bacteriostat | (noun) a chemical or biological material that inhibits bacterial growth | - |
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| bacterium | (noun) (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants | Synonyms: bacteria |
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| bacteroid | (noun) a rodlike bacterium (especially any of the rod-shaped or branched bacteria in the root nodules of nitrogen-fixing plants) | - |
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| bad | (noun) that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency | Synonyms: badness |
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| badass | (noun) A mean or belligerent person | - |
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| (noun) A person considered impressive due to extreme attitudes, behavior or appearance | - |
| baddeleyite | (noun) a mineral consisting of zirconium oxide | - |
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| baddie | (noun) the principal bad character in a film or work of fiction | Synonyms: villain |
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| badge | (noun) any feature that is regarded as a sign of status (a particular power or quality or rank) | - |
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| (noun) an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.) | - |
| badger | (noun) sturdy carnivorous burrowing mammal with strong claws; widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere | - |
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| badgerer | (noun) someone who tries to embarrass you with gibes and questions and objections | Synonyms: heckler |
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| badgering | (noun) the act of harassing someone | Synonyms: bedevilment, torment, worrying |
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| badinage | (noun) frivolous banter | - |
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| badlands | (noun) deeply eroded barren land | - |
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| badminton | (noun) a game played on a court with light long-handled rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a net | - |
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| badness | (noun) that which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency | Synonyms: bad |
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| (noun) used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather | Synonyms: severeness, severity |
| (noun) an attribute of mischievous children | Synonyms: mischievousness, naughtiness |
| baedeker | (noun) any of a series of travel guidebooks published by the German firm founded by Karl Baedeker | - |
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| baffle | (noun) a flat plate that controls or directs the flow of fluid or energy | Synonyms: baffle board |
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| baffled | (noun) people who are frustrated and perplexed | - |
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| bafflement | (noun) confusion resulting from failure to understand | Synonyms: befuddlement, bemusement, bewilderment, mystification, obfuscation, puzzlement |
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| bag | (noun) an activity that you like or at which you are superior | Synonyms: cup of tea, dish |
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| (noun) mammary gland of bovids (cows and sheep and goats) | Synonyms: udder |
| (noun) a flexible container with a single opening | - |
| (noun) a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes | Synonyms: grip, suitcase, traveling bag, travelling bag |
| (noun) a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women) | Synonyms: handbag, pocketbook, purse |
| (noun) a place that the runner must touch before scoring | Synonyms: base |
| (noun) an ugly or ill-tempered woman | Synonyms: old bag |
| (noun) the quantity that a bag will hold | Synonyms: bagful |
| (noun) the quantity of game taken in a particular period (usually by one person) | - |
| bagascosis | (noun) alveolitis caused by inhaling bagasse (sugarcane dust) | Synonyms: bagassosis |
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| bagasse | (noun) the dry dusty pulp that remains after juice is extracted from sugar cane or similar plants | - |
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| bagassosis | (noun) alveolitis caused by inhaling bagasse (sugarcane dust) | Synonyms: bagascosis |
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| bagatelle | (noun) a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over | Synonyms: bar billiards |
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| (noun) something of little value or significance | Synonyms: fluff, frippery, frivolity |
| (noun) a light piece of music for piano | - |
| bagel | (noun) (Yiddish) glazed yeast-raised doughnut-shaped roll with hard crust | Synonyms: beigel |
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| bagful | (noun) the quantity that a bag will hold | Synonyms: bag |
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| baggage | (noun) cases used to carry belongings when traveling | Synonyms: luggage |
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| (noun) the portable equipment and supplies of an army | - |
| (noun) a worthless or immoral woman | - |
| baggageman | (noun) an attendant who takes care of baggage | - |
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| bagger | (noun) a machine for putting objects or substances into bags | - |
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| (noun) a workman employed to pack things into containers | Synonyms: boxer, packer |
| bagging | (noun) coarse fabric used for bags or sacks | Synonyms: sacking |
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| bagman | (noun) a racketeer assigned to collect or distribute payoff money | - |
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| (noun) a salesman who travels to call on customers | Synonyms: commercial traveler, commercial traveller, roadman, traveling salesman, travelling salesman |
| bagnio | (noun) a building where prostitutes are available | Synonyms: bawdyhouse, bordello, brothel, cathouse, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, sporting house, whorehouse |
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| (noun) a building containing public baths | Synonyms: bathhouse |
| bagpipe | (noun) a tubular wind instrument; the player blows air into a bag and squeezes it out through the drone | - |
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| bagpiper | (noun) someone who plays the bagpipe | Synonyms: piper |
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| baguet | (noun) narrow French stick loaf | Synonyms: baguette |
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| baguette | (noun) narrow French stick loaf | Synonyms: baguet |
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| bagwig | (noun) an 18th-century wig with hair pushed back into a bag. | - |
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| baht | (noun) the basic unit of money in Thailand | Synonyms: tical |
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| bail | (noun) the legal system that allows an accused person to be temporarily released from custody (usually on condition that a sum of money guarantees their appearance at trial) | - |
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| (noun) (criminal law) money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial | Synonyms: bail bond, bond |
| bailee | (noun) the agent to whom property involved in a bailment is delivered | - |
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| bailey | (noun) the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle | - |
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| (noun) the outer courtyard of a castle | - |
| bailiff | (noun) an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc. | - |
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| bailiffship | (noun) the office of bailiff | - |
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| bailiwick | (noun) a branch of knowledge | Synonyms: discipline, field, field of study, study, subject, subject area, subject field |
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| (noun) the area over which a bailiff has jurisdiction | - |
| bailment | (noun) the delivery of personal property in trust by the bailor to the bailee | - |
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| bailor | (noun) the person who delivers personal property (goods or money) in trust to the bailee in a bailment | - |
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| bairn | (noun) a child: son or daughter | - |
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| baisa | (noun) 1,000 baiza equal 1 riyal-omani in Oman | Synonyms: baiza |
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| bait | (noun) something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed | Synonyms: decoy, lure |
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| (noun) anything that serves as an enticement | Synonyms: come-on, hook, lure, sweetener |
| baiting | (noun) harassment especially of a tethered animal | - |
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| baiza | (noun) 1,000 baiza equal 1 riyal-omani in Oman | Synonyms: baisa |
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| baize | (noun) a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables | - |
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| bakeapple | (noun) creeping raspberry of north temperate regions with yellow or orange berries | Synonyms: baked-apple berry, cloudberry, dwarf mulberry, Rubus chamaemorus, salmonberry |
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| bakehouse | (noun) a workplace where baked goods (breads and cakes and pastries) are produced or sold | Synonyms: bakery, bakeshop |
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| baker | (noun) someone who bakes bread or cake | Synonyms: bread maker |
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| (noun) someone who bakes commercially | - |
| bakery | (noun) a workplace where baked goods (breads and cakes and pastries) are produced or sold | Synonyms: bakehouse, bakeshop |
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| bakeshop | (noun) a workplace where baked goods (breads and cakes and pastries) are produced or sold | Synonyms: bakehouse, bakery |
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| baking | (noun) cooking by dry heat in an oven | - |
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| (noun) making bread or cake or pastry etc. | - |
| baklava | (noun) rich Middle Eastern cake made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey | - |
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| baksheesh | (noun) a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) | Synonyms: backsheesh, bakshis, bakshish, gratuity, pourboire, tip |
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| bakshis | (noun) a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) | Synonyms: backsheesh, baksheesh, bakshish, gratuity, pourboire, tip |
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| bakshish | (noun) a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) | Synonyms: backsheesh, baksheesh, bakshis, gratuity, pourboire, tip |
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| balaclava | (noun) a cap that is close-fitting and woolen and covers all of the head but the face | Synonyms: balaclava helmet |
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| balagan | (noun) a word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it is a loan word from Russian) | - |
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| balalaika | (noun) a stringed instrument that has a triangular body and three strings | - |
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| balance | (noun) a scale for weighing; depends on pull of gravity | - |
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| (noun) a weight that balances another weight | Synonyms: counterbalance, counterpoise, counterweight, equaliser, equalizer |
| (noun) a wheel that regulates the rate of movement in a machine; especially a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece to regulate its beat | Synonyms: balance wheel |
| (noun) harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design) | Synonyms: proportion, proportionality |
| (noun) (mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane | Synonyms: correspondence, symmetricalness, symmetry |
| (noun) equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account | - |
| (noun) the difference between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account | - |
| (noun) something left after other parts have been taken away | Synonyms: remainder, residual, residue, residuum, rest |
| (noun) equality of distribution | Synonyms: counterbalance, equilibrium, equipoise |
| (noun) a state of equilibrium | - |
| balancer | (noun) either of the rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight | Synonyms: halter, haltere |
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| (noun) an acrobat who balances himself in difficult positions | - |
| balancing | (noun) getting two things to correspond | Synonyms: reconciliation |
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| balanitis | (noun) inflammation of the head of the penis | - |
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| balanoposthitis | (noun) inflammation of both the head of the penis and the foreskin | - |
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| balas | (noun) a pale rose-colored variety of the ruby spinel | Synonyms: balas ruby |
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| balata | (noun) a tropical hardwood tree yielding balata gum and heavy red timber | Synonyms: balata tree, beefwood, bully tree, Manilkara bidentata |
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| (noun) when dried yields a hard substance used e.g. in golf balls | Synonyms: gutta balata |
| balboa | (noun) the basic unit of money in Panama; equal to 100 centesimos | - |
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| balbriggan | (noun) a cotton knit fabric used for underwear | - |
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| balcony | (noun) a platform projecting from the wall of a building and surrounded by a balustrade or railing or parapet | - |
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| (noun) an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium | - |
| baldachin | (noun) ornamented canopy supported by columns or suspended from a roof or projected from a wall (as over an altar) | - |
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| balderdash | (noun) trivial nonsense | Synonyms: fiddle-faddle, piffle |
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| baldhead | (noun) a person whose head is bald or shaved | Synonyms: baldpate, baldy, skin, skinhead |
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| baldness | (noun) the condition of having no hair on the top of the head | Synonyms: phalacrosis |
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| baldpate | (noun) a widgeon the male of which has a white crown | Synonyms: American widgeon, Anas americana |
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| (noun) a person whose head is bald or shaved | Synonyms: baldhead, baldy, skin, skinhead |