2 PHRASAL VERB If you bring up a particular subject, you introduce it into a discussion or conversation. □ [V P n] He brought up a subject rarely raised during the course of this campaign. □ [V n P ] Why are you bringing it up now?
3 PHRASAL VERB If someone brings up food or wind, food or air is forced up from their stomach through their mouth. □ [V P n] It's hard for the baby to bring up wind.
bri ng-and-bu y sale (bring-and-buy sales ) N‑COUNT A bring-and-buy sale is an informal sale to raise money for a charity or other organization. People who come to the sale bring things to be sold and buy things that other people have brought. [BRIT ]
bring|er /br I ŋə r / (bringers ) N‑COUNT A bringer of something is someone who brings or provides it. [LITERARY ] □ [+ of ] He was the bringer of good news.
brink /br I ŋk/ N‑SING If you are on the brink of something, usually something important, terrible, or exciting, you are just about to do it or experience it. □ [+ of ] Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse. □ [+ of ] Failure to communicate had brought the two nations to the brink of war.
brink|man|ship /br I ŋkmənʃ I p/ N‑UNCOUNT Brinkmanship is a method of behaviour, especially in politics, in which you deliberately get into dangerous situations which could result in disaster but which could also bring success. [JOURNALISM ] □ There is a lot of political brinkmanship involved in this latest development.
bri|oche /briɒ ʃ/ (brioches ) N‑VAR Brioche is a kind of sweet bread. □ I'll have coffee and a brioche.
brisk /br I sk/ (brisker , briskest )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A brisk activity or action is done quickly and in an energetic way. □ Taking a brisk walk can often induce a feeling of well-being. □ The horse broke into a brisk trot. ● brisk|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Eve walked briskly down the corridor to her son's room. ● brisk|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ With determined briskness, Amy stood up and put their cups back on the tray.
2 ADJ If trade or business is brisk , things are being sold very quickly and a lot of money is being made. [BUSINESS ] □ Vendors were doing a brisk trade in souvenirs. ● brisk|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ A trader said gold sold briskly on the local market.
3 ADJ If the weather is brisk , it is cold and fresh. □ The breeze was cool, brisk and invigorating.
4 ADJ Someone who is brisk behaves in a busy, confident way which shows that they want to get things done quickly. □ The Chief summoned me downstairs. He was brisk and businesslike. ● brisk|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'Anyhow,' she added briskly, 'it's none of my business.'
bris|ket /br I sk I t/ N‑UNCOUNT Brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the breast of the cow.
bris|tle /br I s ə l/ (bristles )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Bristles are the short hairs that grow on a man's chin after he has shaved. The hairs on the top of a man's head can also be called bristles when they are cut very short. □ …two days' growth of bristles.
2 N‑COUNT The bristles of a brush are the thick hairs or hair-like pieces of plastic which are attached to it. □ [+ on ] As soon as the bristles on your toothbrush begin to wear, throw it out.
3 N‑COUNT Bristles are thick, strong animal hairs that feel hard and rough. □ It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.
bris|tling /br I sl I ŋ/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Bristling means thick, hairy, and rough. It is used to describe things such as moustaches, beards, or eyebrows. □ …a bristling white moustache.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone's attitude as bristling , you are emphasizing that it is full of energy and enthusiasm. [EMPHASIS ] □ There's a bristling attitude not too far beneath the surface of most New York folk.
bris|tly /br I sli/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Bristly hair is thick and rough. □ His bristly red hair was standing on end.
2 ADJ If a man's chin is bristly , it is covered with bristles because he has not shaved recently. □ …the giant's bristly cheek.
Brit /br I t/ (Brits ) N‑COUNT British people are sometimes referred to as Brits . [INFORMAL ] □ Holiday-mad Brits are packing their buckets and spades and heading for the sun.
Brit|ish /br I t I ʃ/
1 ADJ British means belonging or relating to the United Kingdom, or to its people or culture.
2 N‑PLURAL The British are the people of Great Britain.
Bri t|ish A sian (British Asians )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A British Asian person is someone of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi origin who has grown up in Britain.
2 N‑COUNT A British Asian is a person who is British Asian.
Brit|ish|er /br I t I ʃə/ (Britishers ) N‑COUNT In American English or old-fashioned British English, British people are sometimes informally referred to as Britishers .
Bri t|ish Su m|mer Time N‑UNCOUNT British Summer Time is a period in the spring and summer during which the clocks are put forward, so that people can have an extra hour of daylight in the evening. [BRIT ] □ When we put the clocks forward in March we go into British Summer Time. in AM, use daylight saving time
Brit|on /br I t ə n/ (Britons ) N‑COUNT A Briton is a person who comes from Great Britain. [FORMAL ] □ The role is played by seventeen-year-old Briton Jane March.