bi rth rate (birth rates ) also birth-rate N‑COUNT The birth rate in a place is the number of babies born there for every 1000 people during a particular period of time. □ …improvements in food production and public health resulting in increasing birth rate. □ …a falling birth-rate.
birth|right /bɜː r θra I t/ (birthrights ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] Something that is your birthright is something that you feel you have a basic right to have, simply because you are a human being. □ Freedom is the natural birthright of every human.
bis|cuit /b I sk I t/ (biscuits )
1 N‑COUNT A biscuit is a small flat cake that is crisp and usually sweet. [BRIT ] in AM, use cookie 2 N‑COUNT A biscuit is a small round dry cake that is made with baking powder, baking soda, or yeast. [AM ]
3 PHRASE If someone has done something very stupid, rude, or selfish, you can say that they take the biscuit or that what they have done takes the biscuit , to emphasize your surprise at their behaviour. [BRIT , EMPHASIS ] in AM, use take the cake
bi|sect /ba I se kt/ (bisects , bisecting , bisected ) VERB If something long and thin bisects an area or line, it divides the area or line in half. □ [V n] The main street bisects the town from end to end.
bi|sex|ual /ba I se kʃuəl/ (bisexuals ) ADJ Someone who is bisexual is sexually attracted to both men and women. ● N‑COUNT Bisexual is also a noun. □ He was an active bisexual. ● bi|sexu|al|ity /ba I se kʃuæl I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Lillian opened up to Frank about her bisexuality.
bish|op /b I ʃəp/ (bishops )
1 N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A bishop is a clergyman of high rank in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches.
2 N‑COUNT In chess, a bishop is a piece that can be moved diagonally across the board on squares that are the same colour.
bish|op|ric /b I ʃəpr I k/ (bishoprics ) N‑COUNT A bishopric is the area for which a bishop is responsible, or the rank or office of being a bishop.
bi|son /ba I s ə n/ (bison ) N‑COUNT A bison is a large hairy animal with a large head that is a member of the cattle family. They used to be very common in North America and Europe. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use buffalo
bis|tro /biː stroʊ/ (bistros ) N‑COUNT A bistro is a small, informal restaurant or a bar where food is served.
bit ◆◆◆ /b I t/ (bits )
1 QUANT A bit of something is a small amount of it. □ All it required was a bit of work. □ I got paid a little bit of money.
2 PHRASE A bit means to a small extent or degree. It is sometimes used to make a statement less extreme. [VAGUENESS ] □ This girl was a bit strange. □ She looks a bit like his cousin Maureen. □ That sounds a bit technical. □ Isn't that a bit harsh?
3 PHRASE You can use a bit of to make a statement less forceful. For example, the statement 'It's a bit of a nuisance' is less forceful than 'It's a nuisance'. [VAGUENESS ] □ It's all a bit of a mess. □ This comes as a bit of a disappointment.
4 PHRASE Quite a bit means quite a lot. □ They're worth quite a bit of money. □ Things have changed quite a bit. □ He's quite a bit older than me.
5 PHRASE You use a bit before 'more' or 'less' to mean a small amount more or a small amount less. □ I still think I have a bit more to offer. □ Maybe we'll hear a little bit less noise.
6 PHRASE If you do something a bit , you do it for a short time. In British English, you can also say that you do something for a bit . □ Let's wait a bit. □ I hope there will be time to talk a bit. □ That should keep you busy for a bit.
7 N‑COUNT A bit of something is a small part or section of it. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] That's the bit of the meeting that I missed. □ Now comes the really important bit. □ The best bit was walking along the glacier.
8 N‑COUNT A bit of something is a small piece of it. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] Only a bit of string looped round a nail in the doorpost held it shut. □ [+ of ] …crumpled bits of paper.
9 N‑COUNT You can use bit to refer to a particular item or to one of a group or set of things. For example, a bit of information is an item of information. □ [+ of ] There was one bit of vital evidence which helped win the case. □ [+ of ] Not one single bit of work has been started towards the repair of this road.
10 N‑COUNT In computing, a bit is the smallest unit of information that is held in a computer's memory. It is either 1 or 0. Several bits form a byte. [COMPUTING ]
11 N‑COUNT A bit is 12½ cents; mainly used in expressions such as two bits , which means 25 cents, or four bits , which means 50 cents. [AM ]
12 Bit is the past tense of bite .
13 PHRASE If something happens bit by bit , it happens in stages. □ Bit by bit I began to understand what they were trying to do.
14 PHRASE If someone is champing at the bit or is chomping at the bit , they are very impatient to do something, but they are prevented from doing it, usually by circumstances that they have no control over. □ I expect you're champing at the bit, so we'll get things going as soon as we can.