| bat mitzvah |
in the Jewish faith, a ceremony in which it is recognized that a girl has come of age to accept her religious responsibilities. [2 definitions] |
| baton |
a staff denoting position or authority. [4 definitions] |
| battalion |
a military unit usu. comprising a headquarters company and two or more infantry companies; the basic unit of a division. [2 definitions] |
| batter1 |
to beat hard and repeatedly, or to damage by so beating. [3 definitions] |
| batter2 |
a thick mixture of liquid, flour, eggs, and other ingredients, often baked into bread or cake. |
| batter3 |
the person who stands in to bat the ball in baseball or cricket. |
| battering ram |
a heavy wooden beam used by warriors in former times to break through doors, walls, gates, or the like. [2 definitions] |
| battery |
a device that generates electricity by means of chemical reactions. [5 definitions] |
| battle |
a hostile and violent meeting between two opposing sides; fight. [5 definitions] |
| battlefield |
the area in which a battle takes place. |
| battleground |
a battlefield. |
| battlement |
(often pl.) a parapet or defensive wall lining the top of a fortification, with indentations at regular intervals. |
| battleship |
one in a category of large, heavily armored military ships. |
| bawl |
to cry or shout in a loud and insistent voice. [3 definitions] |
| bawl out |
(informal) to scold or reprimand harshly. |
| bay1 |
a body of water partly surrounded by land, esp. a recessed area along a shoreline; large cove. |
| Bay of Bengal |
a bay of the Indian Ocean bordered largely by India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. |
| bayonet |
a knifelike weapon that attaches to the muzzle end of a rifle for use in close combat. [3 definitions] |
| bayou |
a marshy lake or slow-moving or stagnant river tributary, found esp. in the southeastern United States. |
| bazaar |
a street market or market area lined with vendors, esp. in the Middle East. [3 definitions] |
| B.C.1 |
abbreviation of "before Christ" (used in designating dates in history, now usually replaced by "BCE," "before the common era"). |