3 VERB If something beckons for someone, it is very likely to happen to them. □ [V + for ] The big time beckons for him. □ [V ] Old age beckons.
be|come ◆◆◆ /b I kʌ m/ (becomes , becoming , became ) The form become is used in the present tense and is the past participle. 1 V‑LINK If someone or something becomes a particular thing, they start to change and develop into that thing, or start to develop the characteristics mentioned. □ [V adj] I first became interested in Islam while I was doing my nursing training. □ [V adj] As she reached the age of thirty, she became convinced she would remain single all her life. □ [V n] After leaving school, he became a professional footballer.
2 VERB [no passive, no cont] If something becomes someone, it makes them look attractive or it seems right for them. □ [V n] Don't be crude tonight, Bernard, it doesn't become you.
3 PHRASE If you wonder what has become of someone or something, you wonder where they are and what has happened to them. □ She thought constantly about her family; she might never know what had become of them.
be|com|ing /b I kʌ m I ŋ/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A piece of clothing, a colour, or a hairstyle that is becoming makes the person who is wearing it look attractive. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ Softer fabrics are much more becoming than stiffer ones. ● be|com|ing|ly ADV □ Her dress was of blue silk, quite light, and becomingly open at the neck.
2 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Behaviour that is becoming is appropriate and proper in the circumstances. □ This behaviour is not any more becoming among our politicians than it is among our voters.
bed ◆◆◇ /be d/ (beds )
1 N‑COUNT A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep. □ She went into her bedroom and lay down on the bed. □ We finally went to bed at about 4am. □ By the time we got back from dinner, Nona was already in bed. □ When she had gone, Sam and Robina put the children to bed.
2 N‑COUNT If a place such as a hospital or a hotel has a particular number of beds , it is able to hold that number of patients or guests.
3 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A bed in a garden or park is an area of ground that has been specially prepared so that plants can be grown in it. □ …beds of strawberries and rhubarb.
4 N‑COUNT A bed of shellfish or plants is an area in the sea or in a lake where a particular type of shellfish or plant is found in large quantities. □ The whole lake was rimmed with thick beds of reeds.
5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The sea bed or a river bed is the ground at the bottom of the sea or of a river. □ For three weeks a big operation went on to recover the wreckage from the sea bed.
6 N‑COUNT A bed of rock is a layer of rock that is found within a larger area of rock. □ Between the white limestone and the greyish pink limestone is a thin bed of clay.
7 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If a recipe or a menu says that something is served on a bed of a food such as rice or vegetables, it means it is served on a layer of that food. □ [+ of ] Heat the curry thoroughly and serve it on a bed of rice.
8 → see also -bedded , bedding
9 PHRASE To go to bed with someone means to have sex with them.
10 PHRASE If you say that someone has made their bed and must lie in it , you mean that since they have chosen to do a particular thing, they must now accept the unpleasant results of their action.
11 PHRASE When you make the bed , you neatly arrange the sheets and covers of a bed so that it is ready to sleep in.
12 bed of roses → see rose
BEd /biː e d/ (BEds ) in AM, use B.Ed. N‑COUNT A BEd is a degree which usually takes four years to complete and which qualifies someone to teach in a school. BEd is an abbreviation for 'Bachelor of Education.' Compare PGCE .
be d and brea k|fast (bed and breakfasts ) also bed-and-breakfast
1 N‑UNCOUNT Bed and breakfast is a system of accommodation in a hotel or guest house, in which you pay for a room for the night and for breakfast the following morning. The abbreviation B&B is also used. [mainly BRIT ] □ Bed and breakfast costs from £30 per person per night.
2 N‑COUNT A bed and breakfast is a guest house that provides bed and breakfast accommodation. The abbreviation B&B is also used. [mainly BRIT ] □ Accommodation can be arranged at local bed and breakfasts.
be|daz|zled /b I dæ z ə ld/ ADJ If you are bedazzled by someone or something, you are so amazed and impressed by them that you feel confused. □ [+ by ] Many people are bedazzled by fame.
bed|bug /be dbʌg/ (bedbugs ) N‑COUNT A bedbug is a small insect with a round body and no wings which lives in dirty houses and feeds by biting people and sucking their blood when they are in bed.
bed|chamber /be dtʃe I mbə r / (bedchambers ) also bed-chamber N‑COUNT A bedchamber is a bedroom . [FORMAL ]
bed|clothes /be dkloʊðz/ N‑PLURAL Bedclothes are the sheets and covers which you put over yourself when you get into bed.
-bedded /-be d I d/
1 COMB [usu ADJ n] -bedded combines with numbers to form adjectives which indicate how many beds a room contains. □ …a four-bedded room.
2 COMB -bedded combines with words such as 'twin' or 'double' to form adjectives which indicate what kind of beds a room contains. □ …twin-bedded cabins.