• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

1bunting noun : any of numerous small stout-billed finches

2bunting noun : a thin fabric used esp. for flags; also : FLAGS

1buoy noun 1 : a floating object anchored in water to mark something (as a channel)

2 : a float consisting of a ring of buoyant material to support a person who has fallen into the water

2buoy verb 1 : to mark by a buoy

2 : to keep afloat

3 : to raise the spirits of — usu. used with up

Synonyms usually buoy up

cheer, comfort, embolden, encourage, hearten, inspire, steel—more at ENCOURAGE

buoy·an·cy noun 1 : the tendency of a body to float or rise when submerged in a fluid

2 : the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it

3 : resilience of spirit

buoy·ant adjective : having buoyancy: as

a : capable of floating

b : having or inducing high spirits

Synonyms

blithe, bright, cheerful, cheery, chipper, gay, lightsome, sunny, upbeat—more at CHEERFUL

bubbly, effervescent, exuberant, frolicsome, high-spirited, vivacious—more at EXUBERANT

1bur variant of BURR

2bur abbreviation bureau

1burden noun 1 a : something that is carried : LOAD

b : a duty or obligation one must take care of : RESPONSIBILITY

2 : something oppressive : ENCUMBRANCE

3 : goods or merchandise loaded to be conveyed : CARGO; also : capacity for cargo

Synonyms

[1a, 3] cargo, draft, freight, haul, lading, load, payload, weight—more at LOAD

[1b] charge, commitment, duty, need, obligation, responsibility—more at OBLIGATION

2burden verb : to encumber or oppress with something heavy, laborious, or disheartening

Synonyms

depress, oppress, sadden—more at DEPRESS

encumber, load, lumber, saddle, weight—more at LOAD

3burden noun 1 : REFRAIN, CHORUS

2 : a main theme or idea : GIST

bur·den·some adjective : imposing or constituting a burden

Synonyms

grim, hard, harsh, heavy, oppressive, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, tough, trying—more at HARSH

arduous, challenging, demanding, exacting, grueling, laborious, onerous, taxing, toilsome—more at DEMANDING

bur·dock noun : any of a genus of coarse composite herbs with globe-shaped flower heads surrounded by prickly bracts

bu·reau noun, plural bureaus also bu·reaux [ORIGIN: F, desk, cloth covering for desks, fr. OF burel woolen cloth, ultim. fr. L burra shaggy cloth]

1 : a chest of drawers

2 : an administrative unit (as of a government department)

3 : a branch of a publication or wire service in an important news center

Synonyms

department, desk, division, office—more at DIVISION

bu·reau·cra·cy noun, plural -cies 1 : a body of appointive government officials

2 : government marked by specialization of functions under fixed rules and a hierarchy of authority; also : an unwieldy administrative system burdened with excessive complexity and lack of flexibility

bu·reau·crat noun : a member of a bureaucracy

— bu·reau·crat·ic adjective

bur·geon verb 1 : to put forth fresh growth (as from buds)

2 : to grow and expand rapidly

Synonyms

[1] bloom, blossom, blow, flower, unfold—more at BLOOM

[2] accumulate, appreciate, balloon, build, enlarge, escalate, expand, increase, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, snowball, swell, wax—more at INCREASE

[2] flourish, prosper, thrive—more at THRIVE

burgh noun : a Scottish town

bur·gher noun 1 : an inhabitant of a borough or a town

2 : a prosperous solid citizen

Synonyms

townie; also denizen, dweller, inhabitant, occupant, national, native, resident

bur·glar·ize verb : to break into and steal from; also : to commit burglary

Synonyms

rip off, rob, steal—more at ROB

bur·glary noun, plural -glar·ies : forcible entry into a building esp. at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft)

— bur·glar noun

bur·gle verb bur·gled; bur·gling : to commit burglary on

bur·go·mas·ter noun : the chief magistrate of a town in some European countries

bur·gun·dy noun, plural -dies often cap 1 : a red or white table wine from the Burgundy region of France

2 : an American