Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

1 N‑COUNT If you have a brainwave , you suddenly have a clever idea. [BRIT ] □  In 1990 she had a brainwave that changed her life. in AM, usually use brainstorm 2 N‑PLURAL Brainwaves are electrical signals produced by the brain which can be recorded and measured. □  His brainwaves were constantly monitored.

brainy /bre I ni/ (brainier , brainiest ) ADJ Someone who is brainy is clever and good at learning. [INFORMAL ] □  I don't class myself as being very intelligent or brainy.

braise /bre I z/ (braises , braising , braised ) VERB When you braise meat or a vegetable, you fry it quickly and then cook it slowly in a covered dish with a small amount of liquid. □ [V n] I braised some beans to accompany a shoulder of lamb. □ [V -ed] …braised cabbage.

brake /bre I k/ (brakes , braking , braked )

1 N‑COUNT Brakes are devices in a vehicle that make it go slower or stop. □  The brakes began locking. □  A seagull swooped down in front of her car, causing her to slam on the brakes.

2 VERB When a vehicle or its driver brakes , or when a driver brakes a vehicle, the driver makes it slow down or stop by using the brakes. □ [V ] She braked sharply to avoid another car. □ [V n] The system automatically brakes the car if there is an imminent risk of a collision. □ [V + to ] She braked to a halt and switched off. [Also V n + to ]

3 N‑COUNT You can use brake in a number of expressions to indicate that something has slowed down or stopped. □ [+ of ] Illness had put a brake on his progress.

bram|ble /bræ mb ^ə l/ (brambles ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Brambles are wild prickly bushes that produce blackberries. □  I became caught in the brambles.

bran /bræ n/ N‑UNCOUNT Bran is the outer skin of grain that is left when the grain has been used to make flour. □  …oat bran.

branch ◆◇◇ /brɑː ntʃ, bræ ntʃ/ (branches , branching , branched )

1 N‑COUNT The branches of a tree are the parts that grow out from its trunk and have leaves, flowers, or fruit growing on them.

2 N‑COUNT A branch of a business or other organization is one of the offices, shops, or groups which belong to it and which are located in different places. □ [+ of ] The local branch of Bank of America is handling the accounts. □  …Britain's leading autocare service with over 400 branches nationwide.

3 N‑COUNT [adj N ] A branch of an organization such as the government or the police force is a department that has a particular function. □ [+ of ] Senate employees could take their employment grievances to another branch of government. □ [+ of ] He had a fascination for submarines and joined this branch of the service. □  …the Metropolitan Police Special Branch.

4 N‑COUNT A branch of a subject is a part or type of it. □ [+ of ] Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with tumors.

5 N‑COUNT A branch of your family is a group of its members who are descended from one particular person. □ [+ of ] This is one of the branches of the Roosevelt family.

▸  branch off PHRASAL VERB A road or path that branches off from another one starts from it and goes in a slightly different direction. If you branch off somewhere, you change the direction in which you are going. □ [V P prep/adv] After a few miles, a small road branched off to the right. [Also V P ]

▸  branch out PHRASAL VERB If a person or an organization branches out , they do something that is different from their normal activities or work. □ [V P prep/adv] I continued studying moths, and branched out to other insects. [Also V P ]

bra nch line (branch lines ) N‑COUNT A branch line is a railway line that goes to small towns rather than one that goes between large cities.