The painted scenery at the back of a stage; the backdrop.
backflow
backflow
noun
The flow of a fluid (through a pipe etc.) in a direction opposite to that which is normal or intended.
verb
To flow in the wrong or backward direction.
backflowing
backflowing
adj
flowing backwards
verb
present participle of backflow
backfold
backloading
backloading
noun
(transport) The transportation of cargo or shipment on a return trip, using the space already paid for and used for the outward leg.
verb
present participle of backload
backlog
backlog
noun
A large log to burn at the back of a fire.
A log containing text previously read, as in text-based video games or chat rooms.
A reserve source or supply.
An accumulation or buildup, especially of unfilled orders, unconsumed products or unfinished work.
verb
(transitive, intransitive) To acquire something as a backlog, or to become a backlog
backlogged
backlogged
adj
Having an excessive list of tasks to do, especially tasks that should have already been performed.
verb
simple past tense and past participle of backlog
backlogging
backlogging
verb
present participle of backlog
backlogs
backlogs
noun
plural of backlog
backlotter
badderlocks
badderlocks
noun
(Scotland) The edible seaweed Alaria esculenta
balkanization
balkanization
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Balkanization
balko
ballock
ballock
noun
Alternative spelling of bollock
ballocks
ballocks
noun
Alternative form of bollocks
balloonlike
balloonlike
adj
Resembling a balloon in form
ballstock
ballstock
noun
(printing, historical) The handle of a printer's ball.
baloskion
baloskionaceae
bankroll
bankroll
noun
A roll of banknotes or other paper currency, carried in lieu of a wallet.
The monetary assets of a person or organization.
verb
(transitive) To fund a project; to underwrite something.
bankrolled
bankrolled
verb
simple past tense and past participle of bankroll
bankroller
bankroller
noun
One who bankrolls; usually an individual who has enough seed capital to launch a venture; one who can fund a project; angel investor.
bankrollers
bankrollers
noun
plural of bankroller
bankrolling
bankrolling
verb
present participle of bankroll
bankrolls
bankrolls
noun
plural of bankroll
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of bankroll
barlock
basilicock
bathkol
bathukolpian
bathukolpian
adj
Alternative spelling of bathykolpian
bathukolpic
bathukolpic
adj
(rare) Deep-bosomed.
bathyplankton
bathyplankton
noun
(biology) plankton living in the bathyal zone
beckoningly
beckoningly
adv
So as to beckon or call near; enticingly.
becloak
becloak
verb
(transitive, literally, figurative) To cover or surround, as with a cloak.
becloaked
becloaked
verb
simple past tense and past participle of becloak
becloaking
becloaking
verb
present participle of becloak
becloaks
becloaks
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of becloak
beetlestock
beknottedly
bellbrook
bellowslike
bellowslike
adj
Resembling or characteristic of a bellows (device for delivering pressurized air).
bellowsmaker
bellowsmaking
belock
belock
verb
(archaic, transitive) To lock up or lock in place; hold tight; fasten.
belook
belook
verb
(transitive, intransitive) To look about or around; look over or across; look after; give a look to; look at.
belostok
belouke
belowdecks
belowdecks
adv
(nautical) Below the main deck of a ship.
bialystok
bialystoker
bibliokelpt
biblioklept
biblioklept
noun
A person who steals books
bibliokleptomania
bibliokleptomania
noun
A mental disorder that produces a compulsion to steal books.
bibliokleptomaniac
bibliokleptomaniac
noun
Someone who suffers from bibliokleptomania.
bibliotheke
bibliotheke
noun
Alternative form of bibliotheque
bickleton
bikol
bikols
bilcock
bilcock
noun
The European water rail.
billbroking
billhook
billhook
noun
(ornithology) Written as bill hook: a sharply pointed spike growing from the tip of the upper mandible of the hatchlings of honeyguides, used to destroy the eggs and kill the chicks of the host species.
(weaponry) A medieval polearm, fitted to a long handle, sometimes with an L-shaped tine or a spike protruding from the side or the end of the blade for tackling the opponent; a bill
An agricultural implement often with a curved or hooked end to the blade used for pruning or cutting thick, woody plants.
Written as bill hook: a spiked hook used in offices and shops for hanging bills or other small papers such as receipts.
Written as bill-hook: a part of the knotting mechanism in a reaper-binder or baler (agricultural machinery).
verb
To use a billhook
billhooks
billhooks
noun
plural of billhook
billycock
billycock
noun
(dated) A felt hat with a rounded crown, similar to a bowler.
bishoplike
bishoplike
adj
Resembling, or pertaining to a bishop.
blackamoor
blackamoor
noun
(archaic, often offensive) A person with dark skin, especially one from north Africa.
(heraldry) A stylized Negro.
A blackamoor slave, a blackamoor servant; and hence any slave, servant, inferior, or child.
blackamoors
blackamoors
noun
plural of blackamoor
blackboard
blackboard
noun
A large flat surface, finished with black slate or a similar material, that can be written upon with chalk and subsequently erased; a chalkboard.
verb
To use a blackboard to assist in an informal discussion.
blackboards
blackboards
noun
plural of blackboard
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of blackboard
blackbodies
blackbodies
noun
plural of blackbody
blackbody
blackbody
noun
(physics) a theoretical body, approximated by a hole in a hollow black sphere, that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation and reflects none; it has a characteristic emission spectrum
blackboy
blackboy
noun
(Australia, informal) Any plant in the genus Xanthorrhoea, native to Australia.
(Australia, obsolete, possibly offensive) An Aboriginal boy or servant.
blackboys
blackboys
noun
plural of blackboy
blackcoat
blackcoat
Noun
A member of the clergy.
blackcock
blackcock
noun
The male black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix).
blackcod
blackcods
blackfellow
blackfellow
noun
(Australia, now usually considered offensive) A (male) Australian Aborigine.
blackfellows
blackfellows
noun
plural of blackfellow
blackfoot
blackfoot
noun
A tropical American bush of the genus Melampodium
blackford
blackington
blackmore
blacknob
blackout
blackout
noun
(attributive) The blocking out of as much light as possible.
(historical) The mandatory blocking of all light emanating from buildings, as well as outdoor and street lighting as a measure against aerial bombing or naval attack, as imposed during, e.g., World War II.
A large-scale power failure, and resulting loss of electricity to consumers.
A temporary loss of consciousness.
A temporary loss of memory.
An instance of censorship, especially a temporary one.
verb
(nonstandard) Alternative form of black out
blackouts
blackouts
noun
plural of blackout
blackpoll
blackpoll
noun
A North American warbler, Dendroica striata, the male of which has a black patch on its head
blackpool
blackpool
Proper noun
A town and resort in Lancashire, England
blackpot
blackroot
blackroot
noun
Colicroot, Aletris farinosa
Culver's root, Veronicastrum virginicum
Either of two species in the genus Pterocaulon: Pterocaulon pycnostachyum and Pterocaulon virgatum
Several plant diseases caused by fungi in the genus Aphanomyces causing that cause roots to rot and turn black.
blackstock
blackstone
blackthorn
blackthorn
noun
A large shrub or small tree, Prunus spinosa, that is native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa. It has a dark bark and bears thorns.
A stick or staff taken from this tree.
blackthorns
blackthorns
noun
plural of blackthorn
blacktongue
blacktop
blacktop
noun
(US, countable) A paved area on a schoolground reserved for recess activities, often doubling as a parking lot.
(US, countable) A road so paved.
(US, uncountable) Asphalt concrete or similar bituminous black paving material used for the surface of roads (e.g., tarmacadam, tarmac).
verb
(US) To pave with blacktop.
blacktopped
blacktopped
verb
simple past tense and past participle of blacktop
blacktopping
blacktopping
verb
present participle of blacktop
blacktops
blacktops
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of blacktop
blackwood
blackwood
noun
(uncountable) The very dark wood of such trees.
African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), of Africa
Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), of eastern Australia
Bombay blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia), of India
Haematoxylum campechianum, a tree from Mexico.
blackwork
blackwork
noun
(obsolete) Work connected with funerals, as an undertaker's assistant or a maker of mourning clothes, etc.
(sewing) A form of counted-thread embroidery that is usually stitched on even-weave fabric with a twisted thread.
blackwort
blagoveshchensk
blakemore
blalock
blankbook
blanketflower
blanketflower
noun
Gaillardia; a plant of the genus Gaillardia.
blastodisk
blastodisk
noun
(biology) A round, flattened region of cells from which the embryo of many vertebrates begins to develop in the fertilized ovum; a germinal disk
blaubok
blaubok
noun
(archaic) The bluebuck.
blauboks
blauboks
noun
plural of blaubok
blautok
blauwbok
blauwbok
noun
The bluebuck (extinct mammal).
bleachworks
bleachworks
noun
A factory that manufactures bleach.
bleekbok
blesbok
blesbok
noun
Alternative form of blesbuck
blesboks
blesboks
noun
plural of blesbok
block
block
noun
(UK) Solitary confinement.
(chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.
(computing) A contiguous range of Unicode code points used to encode characters of a specific type; can be of any size evenly divisible by 16, up to 65,536 (a full plane).
(computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
(cricket) A blockhole.
(cricket) A shot played by holding the bat vertically in the path of the ball, so that it loses momentum and drops to the ground.
(cricket) The popping crease.
(cricket) The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket.
(cryptography) A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.
(falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
(obsolete) A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.
(philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.
(printing, dated) A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.
(programming) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
(rail transport) A section of a railroad where the block system is used.
(slang) The human head.
(sports) An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck).
(viticulture) A discrete group of vines in a vineyard, often distinguished from others by variety, clone, canopy training method, irrigation infrastructure, or some combination thereof.
(volleyball) A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.
A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle.
A cellblock.
A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading.
A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.
A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.
A roughly cuboid building.
A section of split logs used as fuel.
A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape.
A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
A temporary or permanent ban that prevents access to an online account or service, or connection to or from a designated telephone number, IP address, or similar.
A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
Interference or obstruction of cognitive processes.
Misspelling of bloc.
Something that prevents something from passing.
The distance from one street to another in a city or suburb that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern.
verb
(intransitive, cricket) To play a block shot.
(programming, intransitive) To wait for some condition to become true.
(transitive) To bar (a message or communication), or bar connection with (an online account or service, a designated telephone number, IP address, etc.).
(transitive) To bar (someone undesirable) from connecting via telephone, instant messaging, etc., or from accessing an online account or service, or similar.
(transitive) To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass.
(transitive) To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).
(transitive) To prevent (something or someone) from passing.
(transitive) To shape or sketch out roughly.
(transitive) To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape.
(transitive, cricket) To hit with a block.
(transitive, slang, obsolete) To knock (a person's hat) down over their eyes.
(transitive, sports) To impede (an opponent or opponent's play).
(transitive, theater) To specify the positions and movements of the actors for (a section of a play or film).
blockade
blockade
noun
(by extension) Any form of formal isolation of something, especially with the force of law or arms.
(chess) Preventing an opponent's pawn moving by placing a piece in front of it
(nautical) The ships or other forces used to effect a naval blockade.
The physical blocking or surrounding of a place, especially a port, in order to prevent commerce and traffic in or out.
verb
(transitive) To create a blockade against.
blockaded
blockaded
verb
simple past tense and past participle of blockade
blockader
blockader
noun
A person who blockades
A ship used in blockading
blockaders
blockaders
noun
plural of blockader
blockaderunning
blockades
blockades
noun
plural of blockade
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of blockade
blockading
blockading
verb
present participle of blockade
blockage
blockage
noun
A thing that is blocking; an obstruction.
The state of being blocked.
constipation
blockages
blockages
noun
plural of blockage
blockboard
blockboard
noun
A compound wood board consisting of nearly square strips of softwood placed side by side and sandwiched between veneer panels, often of hardwood.
blockbusted
blockbuster
blockbuster
noun
(US) One who engages in blockbusting (technique encouraging people to sell property).
(informal) Something, especially an event or a film, book or other creative work, that is intended to achieve high sales (perhaps indicated by large budgets or high advertising spending) or that is conceived on a large or epic scale
(informal) Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb.
(slang) Anything very large or powerful; a whopper.
A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block.
A large firework of the firecracker type; an M-80.
blockbusters
blockbusters
noun
plural of blockbuster
blockbusting
blockbusting
adj
Having the characteristics of a blockbuster; hugely successful.
noun
(US) A technique used to encourage people to sell their property by giving the impression that a neighborhood is changing for the worse, especially by implying a change in its racial makeup.
blocked
blocked
adj
(Ireland, slang) Drunk
(of a computer account or similar) Disabled or disconnected, so as to prevent access.
(of a person, telephone number, IP address, etc.) Banned or barred from connecting or logging on.
Obstructed, so that through movement or flow is prevented or impeded.
Unable to move owing to an obstruction.
verb
simple past tense and past participle of block
blocker
blocker
noun
(card games) A playing card, needed by one player, that is held by another.
(computing) A bug or issue that prevents software from being released.
(computing) An application that stops / impedes unauthorised access to a programme.
(computing) One who prevents another user from contacting them electronically.
(marketing) A gatekeeper who refuses the marketer access to the person they wish to contact.
(poker) A blocker bet.
(sports) One who blocks or impedes the movement of an opponent.
A close-fitting rectangular glove worn by a goalie in multiple forms of hockey.
A person who blocks (stretches or moulds) hats.
A puberty blocker.
blockers
blockers
noun
plural of blocker
blockhead
blockhead
noun
(colloquial) A stupid person.
A sideshow performer who hammers nails or similar items through his or her nostril into the nasal cavity; human blockhead.
verb
(rare) To behave in a stupid manner.
To perform as a human blockhead.
blockheaded
blockheaded
adj
Resembling a blockhead; stupid
verb
simple past tense and past participle of blockhead
blockheadedly
blockheadedly
adv
In a blockheaded way.
blockheadedness
blockheadedness
noun
The state or condition of being blockheaded.
blockheadish
blockheadish
adj
stupid
blockheadishness
blockheadism
blockheadism
noun
The character or behaviour of a blockhead; stupidity.
blockheads
blockheads
noun
plural of blockhead
verb
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of blockhead
blockhole
blockhole
noun
(by extension) The approximate place where the toe of the bat touches the pitch when a batsman is taking guard.
(cricket) A small depression in the pitch caused by batsmen tapping their bats on the point where they have taken block.
blockholer
blockhouse
blockhouse
noun
(dated) A temporary wooden fortification with a projecting upper story.
A reinforced building from which to control hazardous operations, such as an explosion or a rocket launch.
A sturdy military fortification, often of concrete, with gunports.
blockhouses
blockhouses
noun
plural of blockhouse
blockier
blockier
adj
comparative form of blocky: more blocky
blockiest
blockiest
adj
superlative form of blocky: most blocky
blockiness
blockiness
noun
The state or condition of being blocky.
blocking
blocking
noun
(computing) A feature that prevents a keyboard from registering multiple simultaneous keypresses that would cause ghosting.
Blocks used to support (a building, etc.) temporarily.
The act by which something is blocked; an obstruction.
The precise movement and positioning of actors in order to facilitate a performance (originally planned using miniature blocks).
verb
present participle of block
blockish
blockish
adj
Lacking understanding; stupid; obtuse; dull.
Like a block in shape or nature; coming across as a block.
Rude; clumsy; rough.
blockishly
blockishness
blockishness
noun
The state or quality of being blockish.
blocklayer
blocklayer
noun
A person employed to lay down blocks of material, for example as a road surface.