3 N‑VAR Binding is a strip of material that you put round the edge of a piece of cloth or other object in order to protect or decorate it. □ …the Regency mahogany dining table with satinwood binding.
4 N‑VAR Binding is a piece of rope, cloth, tape, or other material that you wrap around something so that it can be gripped firmly or held in place.
5 → see also bind
bind|weed /ba I ndwiːd/ N‑UNCOUNT Bindweed is a wild plant that winds itself around other plants and makes it difficult for them to grow.
binge /b I ndʒ/ (binges , bingeing , binged )
1 N‑COUNT If you go on a binge , you do too much of something, such as drinking alcohol, eating, or spending money. [INFORMAL ] □ She went on occasional drinking binges.
2 VERB If you binge , you do too much of something, such as drinking alcohol, eating, or spending money. [INFORMAL ] □ [V ] I haven't binged since 1986. □ [V + on ] I binged on pizzas or milkshakes.
bi nge dri nk|ing N‑UNCOUNT Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol within a short period of time. □ …a disturbing rise in binge drinking among young people. ● binge drink|er (binge drinkers ) N‑COUNT □ …the increasing number of young binge drinkers who have four or more drinks on a night out.
bi nge-watch (binge-watches , binge-watching , binge-watched ) VERB If you binge-watch a television series, you watch several episodes one after another in a short time. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] It's not uncommon for viewers to binge-watch a whole season of programmes in just a couple of evenings.
bin|go /b I ŋgoʊ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Bingo is a game in which each player has a card with numbers on. Someone calls out numbers and if you are the first person to have all your numbers called out, you win the game.
2 EXCLAM You can say ' bingo! ' when something pleasant happens, especially in a surprising, unexpected, or sudden way. □ I was in a market in Tangier and bingo! I found this.
bi n lin|er (bin liners ) N‑COUNT A bin liner is a plastic bag that you put inside a waste bin or dustbin. [BRIT ] in AM, use garbage bag , trash bag
bin|ocu|lars /b I nɒ kjʊlə r z/ N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] Binoculars consist of two small telescopes joined together side by side, which you look through in order to look at things that are a long way away.
PREFIX bio-
is used at the beginning of nouns and adjectives that refer to life or to the study of living things. For example, bioengineering is the study of engineering for medical purposes, such as the design and manufacture of artificial body parts…
bio|chemi|cal /ba I oʊke m I k ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Biochemical changes, reactions, and mechanisms relate to the chemical processes that happen in living things.
bio|chem|ist /ba I oʊke m I st/ (biochemists ) N‑COUNT A biochemist is a scientist or student who studies biochemistry.
bio|chem|is|try /ba I oʊke m I stri/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that happen in living things.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The biochemistry of a living thing is the chemical processes that happen in it or are involved in it.
bio|degrad|able /ba I oʊd I gre I dəb ə l/ ADJ Something that is biodegradable breaks down or decays naturally without any special scientific treatment, and can therefore be thrown away without causing pollution. □ …a natural and totally biodegradable plastic.
bi|o|die|sel /ba I oʊdiː z ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT Biodiesel is fuel made from natural sources such as plant oils, that can be used in diesel engines.
bio|di|ver|sity /ba I oʊda I vɜː r s I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species living in their natural environment.
bio|en|gi|neer|ing /ba I oʊendʒ I n I ə r I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT People sometimes use bioengineering to talk about genetic engineering.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Bioengineering is the use of engineering techniques to solve medical problems, for example to design and make artificial arms and legs.
bi|o|fu|el /ba I oʊfjuː əl/ N‑VAR A biofuel is a gas, liquid, or solid from natural sources such as plants that is used as a fuel. □ Biofuels can be mixed with conventional fuels.
bi|og|raph|er /ba I ɒ grəfə r / (biographers ) N‑COUNT [oft with poss] Someone's biographer is a person who writes an account of their life.
bio|graphi|cal /ba I əgræ f I k ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Biographical facts, notes, or details are concerned with the events in someone's life. □ The book contains few biographical details.
bi|og|ra|phy /ba I ɒ grəfi/ (biographies )
1 N‑COUNT [oft with poss] A biography of someone is an account of their life, written by someone else.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Biography is the branch of literature which deals with accounts of people's lives. □ …a volume of biography and criticism.
biol. Biol. is a written abbreviation for biology or biological .
bio|logi|cal /ba I əlɒ dʒ I k ə l/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Biological is used to describe processes and states that occur in the bodies and cells of living things. □ The living organisms somehow concentrated the minerals by biological processes. □ This is a natural biological response. ● bio|logi|cal|ly /ba I əlɒ dʒ I kli/ ADV [ADV with v] □ Much of our behaviour is biologically determined.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Biological is used to describe activities concerned with the study of living things. □ …the university's school of biological sciences.