bi g noi se (big noises ) N‑COUNT Someone who is a big noise has an important position in a group or organization. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
big|ot /b I gət/ (bigots ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a bigot , you mean that they are bigoted. [DISAPPROVAL ]
big|ot|ed /b I gət I d/ ADJ Someone who is bigoted has strong, unreasonable prejudices or opinions and will not change them, even when they are proved to be wrong. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He was bigoted and racist.
big|ot|ry /b I gətri/ N‑UNCOUNT Bigotry is the possession or expression of strong, unreasonable prejudices or opinions. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He deplored religious bigotry.
bi g scree n N‑SING When people talk about the big screen , they are referring to films that are made for cinema rather than for television. □ She returns to the big screen to play Candy's overbearing mother, Rose.
bi g shot (big shots ) N‑COUNT A big shot is an important and powerful person in a group or organization. [INFORMAL ] □ He's a big shot in Chilean politics.
bi g-ticket ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe something as a big-ticket item, you mean that it costs a lot of money. [mainly AM ] □ Supercomputers are big-ticket items.
bi g time also big-time
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can use big time to refer to the highest level of an activity or sport where you can achieve the greatest amount of success or importance. If you describe a person as big time , you mean they are successful and important. [INFORMAL ] □ He took a long time to settle in to big-time football. □ …a big-time investment banker.
2 N‑SING If someone hits the big time , they become famous or successful in a particular area of activity. [INFORMAL ] □ He has finally fulfilled his dreams and hit the big time.
3 ADV [ADV after v] You can use big time if you want to emphasize the importance or extent of something that has happened. [AM , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ They screwed things up big time. □ America lost big-time.
bi g toe (big toes ) N‑COUNT Your big toe is the largest toe on your foot.
bi g top N‑SING The large round tent that a circus uses for its performances is called the big top .
bi g whee l (big wheels ) N‑COUNT A big wheel is a very large upright wheel with carriages around the edge of it which people can ride in. Big wheels are often found at theme parks or fun fairs. [BRIT ] in AM, use ferris wheel
big|wig /b I gw I g/ (bigwigs ) N‑COUNT If you refer to an important person as a bigwig , you are being rather disrespectful about them. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
bi|jou /biː ʒuː/ ADJ [ADJ n] Small houses are sometimes described as bijou houses in order to make them sound attractive or fashionable. □ …a bijou Mayfair flat.
bike ◆◇◇ /ba I k/ (bikes , biking , biked )
1 N‑COUNT A bike is a bicycle or a motorcycle. [INFORMAL ]
2 VERB To bike somewhere means to go there on a bicycle. [INFORMAL ] □ [V adv/prep] I biked home from the beach.
bi ke la ne (bike lanes ) N‑COUNT A bike lane is a part of the road which is intended to be used only by people riding bicycles.
bik|er /ba I kə r / (bikers )
1 N‑COUNT Bikers are people who ride around on motorbikes, usually in groups.
2 N‑COUNT People who ride bicycles are called bikers . [AM ] in BRIT, use cyclist
bike|way /ba I kwe I / (bikeways ) N‑COUNT A bikeway is a road, route, or path intended for use by cyclists. [AUSTRALIAN ]
bi|ki|ni /b I kiː ni/ (bikinis ) N‑COUNT A bikini is a two-piece swimming costume worn by women. WORD HISTORY bikini
The bikini takes its name from the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, where an atom-bomb was exploded in 1946. The bikini was given its name because it was said that the effect on men caused by women wearing bikinis was as explosive and devastating as the effect of the atom-bomb.
bi|ki |ni line N‑SING A woman's bikini line is the edges of the area where her pubic hair grows.
bi|lat|er|al /ba I læ tərəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] Bilateral negotiations, meetings, or agreements, involve only the two groups or countries that are directly concerned. [FORMAL ] □ …bilateral talks between Britain and America. ● bi|lat|er|al|ly ADV [usu ADV after v, ADV adj] □ Disputes and differences between the two neighbours would be solved bilaterally.
bil|berry /b I lbəri/ (bilberries ) N‑COUNT A bilberry is a small, round, dark-blue fruit that grows on bushes in northern Europe.
bile /ba I l/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is a liquid produced by your liver which helps you to digest fat.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is the bad-smelling liquid that comes out of your mouth when you vomit with no food in your stomach.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is anger or bitterness towards someone or something. [LITERARY ] □ He aims his bile at religion, drugs, and politics.
bilge /b I ldʒ/ (bilges ) N‑COUNT The bilge or the bilges are the flat bottom part of a ship or boat.
bi|lin|gual /ba I l I ŋgwəl/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Bilingual means involving or using two languages. □ …bilingual education. □ …the Collins bilingual dictionaries.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Someone who is bilingual can speak two languages equally well, usually because they learned both languages as a child. □ He is bilingual in French and English.
bi|lin|gual|ism /ba I l I ŋgwəl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages equally well.