This page gathers the 5,691 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Figuratively” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 5 of 57: from “bestial” to “blooded”.
- bestial adj Beast-like.
- bestride verb To dominate.
- bet noun A candidate (for elections and pageants) or competitor (in multinational sports).
- betroth verb Of God: to enter into a relationship with (believers, or the church as a whole); also, of a priest: to pledge (himself) to the church prior…
- better light noun A way of presenting or perceiving something such that it appears more favourably than by an alternative presentation or perception.
- between the ears prep_phrase Inside the head.
- bevel adj Morally distorted; not upright.
- beyond prep Past, or out of reach of.
- biblical adj Very great; especially, exceeding previous records in scale.
- biblically adv Very greatly; especially, exceeding previous records in scale.
- bibliophage noun A person who loves to read books; a bookworm.
- bibliovore noun Synonym of bookworm (“avid book reader”).
- bicephalism noun The condition of dichotomous leadership.
- big adj Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.
- Big Bad Wolf noun Someone blamed for causing problems; a scapegoat.
- big brother noun Something that is bigger in comparison.
- big daddy noun Something large, powerful, or superlative.
- big dog noun An important or powerful person.
- big head noun The short head of a long tail distribution.
- big man noun An alpha male.
- big ticket noun Something of major importance; the crux.
- big-boy pants noun A notional pair of trousers or underwear worn by a male when acting maturely.
- big-girl pants noun A notional pair of trousers or underwear worn by a female when acting maturely.
- bigtime adv To a significant degree.
- bikeshed noun A topic that is attracting debate out of proportion to its actual importance.
- billet noun Berth; position.
- bin fire noun A complete mess; an absolute debacle.
- bind verb To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
- bind hand and foot verb To prevent (someone) from doing what they wish, to firmly constrain.
- bingo card noun A list of expected or stereotypical events, outcomes, or clichés considered likely to occur in a specific situation, especially in…
- biological clock noun The perceived time limit of human fertility, especially for women, evoking pressure to conceive children before reproductive ability…
- biotope noun a context where someone feels 'naturally' at home, such as their field of professional or scientific expertise
- bird verb To seek for game or plunder; to thieve.
- bird of passage noun Someone passing through a place and only staying for a short time; an itinerant.
- birdbolt noun Anything that smites without penetrating.
- birth verb To produce, give rise to.
- bistellar adj Having two leaders or headliners.
- bit player noun An insignificant or unimportant person (in a particular situation).
- bitch noun Something unforgiving and unpleasant.
- bitchy pants noun A notional pair of trousers or underwear worn by someone when acting bitchy.
- bite verb To accept something offered, often secretly or deceptively, to cause some action by the acceptor.
- bite down verb To repress or bite back an (emotion, impulse or reaction).
- biter noun A person who takes up an offer or request.
- biting point noun The point or set of circumstances when a particular action can begin or a critical transition can occur.
- bitter pill noun Ellipsis of bitter pill to swallow.
- bitter pill to swallow noun Something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.
- bittersweet adj Expressing contrasting emotions of pain and pleasure.
- black art noun A process that is esoteric or difficult to master.
- black belt noun Great skill in any field.
- black eye noun A defeat.
- black flag noun A cue, warning, or alert; a sign or signal that something is extremely wrong, often something criminal, hideous or atrocious; a extreme red…
- black hole noun A void into which things disappear for good; an inscrutable area or subject.
- black letter adj Given to the study of books in black letter; old-fashioned.
- black magic noun A technology, process, etc., that is mysterious, esoteric; anything which appears to be almost magic to those who do not understand it.
- black out verb To censor or cover up.
- black sanctus noun Harsh words, especially profanities, or other dissonant noises; a cacophony.
- black spot noun A subject or area about which little or no information is available.
- black swan noun Something believed impossible or not to exist, especially if an example is subsequently found; also, something extremely rare; a rara avis.
- black zone noun An area experiencing widespread power outages.
- blackness noun Darkness, gloominess; depression.
- bladder noun Anything inflated, empty, or unsound.
- blanch verb To give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash; to whiten;
- blancmange noun Something soft, weak, and wobbly.
- bland adj Lacking interest; boring; dull.
- blandishment noun Allurement, attraction.
- blank adj Lacking characteristics which give variety; uniform.
- blank canvas noun An unmarked or empty state, offering a limitless potential for creation, development or interpretation.
- blank check noun A grant of complete authority to spend an unlimited amount of money, or to take other actions without restraint.
- blank slate noun Something that is clear and empty, or free from preconceptions and biases.
- blare verb To express (ideas, words, etc.) loudly; to proclaim.
- blast noun A good time; an enjoyable moment.
- blastworthy adj Indicative of an exceptionally good time; enjoyable.
- blaze verb To be furiously angry; to speak or write in a rage.
- blaze away verb To endeavor; to work enthusiastically.
- blazer noun A lightweight semi-formal jacket, especially one with coloured stripes, decorated edges, or a badge on the breast pocket, worn as part of a…
- blazoned trail noun A beaten track; a well-trodden path.
- bleach verb To make meaningless; to divest of meaning; to make empty.
- bleed verb To show one's group loyalty by showing (its associated color) in one's blood.
- bleed dry verb To take all of someone's money or resources; to bleed white.
- bleed out noun An instance of any system or item that loses its necessary components, such as a machine and its fuel or a company and its money.
- bleed white verb To cause life-threatening hardship through deprivation of essential resources.
- bleeding noun Depletion of a given resource; draining, sapping, weakening.
- bleeding heart noun A person who is overly sympathetic to the plight of the underprivileged, exploited or helpless, or to casualties of circumstance.
- blight verb To impede the development or growth of (an aspect of life); to damage, to ruin, to spoil.
- blind alley noun A course of inquiry that leads nowhere.
- blind spot noun An inability to recognize a fact or think clearly about a certain topic, especially because of a prejudice.
- blinder verb To obstruct the vision of.
- blindfold noun Anything that obscures the vision.
- blindness noun Want of intellectual or moral discernment; mental darkness; ignorance, heedlessness.
- blindside verb To catch off guard; to take by surprise.
- blink noun The time needed to close and reopen one's eyes.
- blinkered adj Having tunnel vision, being unable to see what is happening around one: uncircumspect, narrow-minded, or both.
- blitzkrieg noun Sudden activity; a flurry.
- blizzard noun A large amount of paperwork.
- bloat noun Wasteful use of space or other resources.
- blood noun Bloodshed.
- blood sport noun Any activity that revels in the misfortune of others, or taking advantage of others.
- blood transfusion noun A refreshing or reinvigoration of something.
- bloodbath noun An upset (as of a game with unexpected results, or a national presidential convention) or heavy defeat.
- blooded adj Having a certain kind of temperament or disposition.