| asparagus |
a plant related to the lily, whose young shoots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The shoots are shaped like spears with scaly leaves at the tip. |
| asphalt |
a sticky black substance like tar. Asphalt is found naturally or obtained when oil is refined. It is used for making roads and roofs and for making things waterproof. [1/2 definitions] |
| ass |
a mammal with long legs and hooves that is closely related to the horse. A donkey is a domestic ass. Asses look like horses but are smaller and have longer ears. Wild asses live in Africa and Asia and are in danger of becoming extinct. [1/2 definitions] |
| assimilate |
of immigrants or the like, to become absorbed into a new cultural group. [1/3 definitions] |
| asteroid |
a small, rocky, planet-like body that circles the sun and is mostly found between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. The size of an asteroid can vary from very tiny to six hundred miles across. |
| atoll |
an island or reef that surrounds a lagoon. An atoll is shaped like a ring. |
| at the wheel |
driving or steering an automobile, ship, or the like. |
| avocado |
a tropical American fruit shaped like a pear. It has a green or black skin and a yellowish green pulp. |
| baboon |
a large monkey that has a long snout like a dog's. Baboons live on the ground in large groups in Africa and Arabia. They can be powerful fighters. |
| baby |
to treat like a baby or child; spoil. [1/6 definitions] |
| bagel |
a kind of bread roll that is shaped like a ring. Bagel dough is boiled in water before it is baked. |
| balloon |
to swell like a balloon. [1/3 definitions] |
| Bangladeshi |
of or having to do with the country of Bangladesh or with its people, culture, or the like. [1/2 definitions] |
| barb |
a small, sharp point that sticks out in the opposite direction of the main point or hook, as on an arrow, fishhook, or the like. |
| barley |
a plant that is like grass and whose grains are used to make food. [1/2 definitions] |
| bayonet |
a weapon like a knife attached to the front end of a rifle for use in close fighting. |
| bean |
anything that is like a bean. [1/4 definitions] |
| beast |
a part of human nature which is rude, cruel, or like a wild animal. [1/2 definitions] |
| beastly |
of or like a beast in appearance or manner. [1/2 definitions] |
| Big Dipper |
part of the constellation Ursa Major, made up of this constellation's seven brightest stars. These stars form a shape that looks like a ladle, or dipper. |
| birdhouse |
something constructed by humans as a place for a bird to build its nest. A birdhouse often looks like a small, simple house. |