Showing 50 of 2,452 (page 7).
Bottle up
Not express your feelings
“She BOTTLED UP her feelings even though she was furious with them and kept quiet.”
Bottom out
Pass the lowest point and start rising
“The recession BOTTOMED OUT and the economy is recovering well.”
Bounce into
Force someone
“They have BOUNCED the government INTO calling an early election.”
Bounce back
Recover
“The economy is BOUNCING BACK from the recession.”
Bounce off
Test ideas
“They BOUNCED ideas OFF each other in a brainstorming session.”
Bow down to
Show respect
“They BOWED DOWN TO the queen.”
Bow out
Leave, quit
“She BOWED OUT after ten years at the top.”
Bow to
Accept something, usually unwillingly
“The government BOWED TO pressure and held the bill back.”
Bowl out
Hit someone's wicket in cricket with the ball
“He BOWLED the player OUT first ball.”
Bowl over
Surprise someone greatly
“I was BOWLED OVER by the news.”
Box in
Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles
“I was BOXED IN by the bus and couldn't change lane.”
Box up
Pack things in boxes to move them
“At the end of term, I BOXED my books UP and sent them home.”
Brace up
Feel more confident or optimistic about something
“You should BRACE UP and stop worrying.”
Branch out
Move into a different area of business, etc.
“The supermarkets have BRANCHED OUT into banking.”
Break away
Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one
“The SDP BROKE AWAY from the Labour Party.”
Break for
To go or run towards a place, especially when you are trying to escape
“She had to hold him back as he tried to BREAK FOR the door.”
Break in
Go into a building to steal something
“The burglars BROKE IN and stole the TV and video.”
Break into
Start doing something
“He BROKE INTO a run when he saw the police.”
Break out in
Sweat heavily, develop skin sores or irritation.
“The measles caused me to BREAK OUT IN a rash.”
Break out of
Escape
“Three dangerous Category A prisoners BROKE OUT OF Wandsworth Prison last night.”
Break through
Pass a barrier or obstacle
“The crowd BROKE THROUGH the police barriers and attacked the hunters.”
Breed out
Remove a character trait by controlling reproduction
“They have not managed to BREED OUT their aggression.”
Breeze along
Move easily and quickly
“The film BREEZES ALONG for the first hour, then becomes rather dull and slow.”
Breeze in
Enter a place quickly
“He BREEZED IN and started shouting at us.”
Breeze into
Enter a place quickly
“He BREEZED INTO the room and switched the TV on.”
Breeze through
Pass easily, succeed
“She BREEZED THROUGH her exams.”
Brick in
Close or fill a space with bricks
“We BRICKED IN the side window.”
Brick up
Close or fill a space with bricks
“We BRICKED the back entrance UP.”
Brighten up
Improve (weather)
“The day started cloudy but BRIGHTENED UP in the afternoon.”
Brim over
Be too full and overflow
“They filled my sake glass till it BRIMMED OVER as a sign of hospitality.”
Brim with
Be full of something
“She was BRIMMING WITH enthusiasm when she arrived for the interview.”
Bring along
Bring someone or something to certain place
“You can BRING your friends ALONG if you like.”
Bring around
Persuade or convince someone
“It took me ages to BRING him AROUND to my point of view.”
Bring forth
Produce something, make it known or visible
“The prosecution BROUGHT FORTH a lot of evidence against him.”
Bring forward
Make something happen earlier than originally planned
“The meeting has been BROUGHT FORWARD to this Friday instead of next week because some people couldn't make it then.”
Bring off
Succeed with something difficult
“No one thought she'd manage to do it, but she BROUGHT it OFF in the end.”
Bring on
Cause something to happen or speed up the process
“Getting wet in the rain yesterday BROUGHT ON my cold.”
Bring out in
Cause a health problem or reaction
“It was the lobster that BROUGHT me OUT in this rash all over my body.”
Bring round
Make someone wake up from unconsciousness or an anaesthetic
“The doctors BROUGHT him ROUND a few hours after the operation.”
Brush off
Ignore, pay little attention
“The minister BRUSHED OFF the criticism.”
Brush up
Improve a skill quickly
“She took a two-week course to BRUSH UP her Spanish before she went travelling around South and Central America.”
Bubble over
Become very excited
“She BUBBLED OVER with joy when she heard her exam results.”
Bubble under
Be likely to be popular or successful in the near future
“The band's single is BUBBLING UNDER and may hit the charts soon.”
Bubble with
Form a support group with people when contact is restricted
“You can BUBBLE WITH six people in this phase of the pandemic.”
Buck up
Hurry (either transitive or reflexive)
“You had better BUCK your ideas UP, or you'll fail the course.”
Bucket down
Rain heavily
“Take an umbrella; it's BUCKETING DOWN.”
Buckle down
Start working hard, apply yourself
“We had to BUCKLE DOWN and study for the exam.”
Buckle under
Accept something under pressure, against your will
“They didn't like the ideas, but had to BUCKLE UNDER or face the sack.”
Buckle up
Fasten a seatbelt
“We were told to BUCKLE UP before take-off.”
Budge up
Move to make space for someone
“We had to BUDGE UP to let the fourth person in the back of the car.”