Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

bi|ki|ni /b I kiː ni/ (bikinis ) N‑COUNT A bikini is a two-piece swimming costume worn by women. WORD HISTORY bikini

The bikini takes its name from the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, where an atom-bomb was exploded in 1946. The bikini was given its name because it was said that the effect on men caused by women wearing bikinis was as explosive and devastating as the effect of the atom-bomb.

bi|ki |ni line N‑SING A woman's bikini line is the edges of the area where her pubic hair grows.

bi|lat|er|al /ba I læ tərəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] Bilateral negotiations, meetings, or agreements, involve only the two groups or countries that are directly concerned. [FORMAL ] □  …bilateral talks between Britain and America. ●  bi|lat|er|al|ly ADV [usu ADV after v, ADV adj] □  Disputes and differences between the two neighbours would be solved bilaterally.

bil|berry /b I lbəri/ (bilberries ) N‑COUNT A bilberry is a small, round, dark-blue fruit that grows on bushes in northern Europe.

bile /ba I l/

1 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is a liquid produced by your liver which helps you to digest fat.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is the bad-smelling liquid that comes out of your mouth when you vomit with no food in your stomach.

3 N‑UNCOUNT Bile is anger or bitterness towards someone or something. [LITERARY ] □  He aims his bile at religion, drugs, and politics.

bilge /b I ldʒ/ (bilges ) N‑COUNT The bilge or the bilges are the flat bottom part of a ship or boat.

bi|lin|gual /ba I l I ŋgwəl/

1 ADJ [ADJ n] Bilingual means involving or using two languages. □  …bilingual education. □  …the Collins bilingual dictionaries.

2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Someone who is bilingual can speak two languages equally well, usually because they learned both languages as a child. □  He is bilingual in French and English.

bi|lin|gual|ism /ba I l I ŋgwəl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages equally well.

bili|ous /b I liəs/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone describes the appearance of something as bilious , they mean that they think it looks unpleasant and rather disgusting. [WRITTEN , DISAPPROVAL ] □  …a bilious shade of green.

2 ADJ If you feel bilious , you feel sick and have a headache. □  She is suffering a bilious attack.

3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Bilious is sometimes used to describe the feelings or behaviour of someone who is extremely angry or bad-tempered. [WRITTEN ] □  His speech was a bilious, rancorous attack on young people.

bilk /b I lk/ (bilks , bilking , bilked ) VERB To bilk someone out of something, especially money, means to cheat them out of it. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ [V n + out of ] They are charged with bilking investors out of millions of dollars. [Also V n]

bill ◆◆◇ /b I l/ (bills , billing , billed )

1 N‑COUNT A bill is a written statement of money that you owe for goods or services. □  They couldn't afford to pay the bills. □ [+ for ] He paid his bill for the newspapers promptly. □  …phone bills.

2 VERB [no cont] If you bill someone for goods or services you have provided them with, you give or send them a bill stating how much money they owe you for these goods or services. □ [V n + for ] Are you going to bill me for this? [Also V n]

3 N‑SING The bill in a restaurant is a piece of paper on which the price of the meal you have just eaten is written and which you are given before you pay. [BRIT ] in AM, use check 4 N‑COUNT A bill is a piece of paper money. [AM ] □  …a large quantity of U.S. dollar bills. in BRIT, use note 5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] In government, a bill is a formal statement of a proposed new law that is discussed and then voted on. □  This is the toughest crime bill that Congress has passed in a decade. □  The bill was approved by a large majority.

6 N‑SING The bill of a show or concert is a list of the entertainers who will take part in it.