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• bc
  bc

  abbreviation

  basso continuo.
• BC
  BC

  abbreviation

  buoyancy compensator.
• B/C
  B/C

  bills for collection.
• b.c.
  b.c.

  abbreviation

  before Christ (used in indicating dates).
• B.C.
  B.C.

  abbreviation

  Bachelor of Chemistry.

bc

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. Music. basso continuo.

2. blind copy: used as a notation on the copy of a letter or other document sent to a third person without the addressee's knowledge. Also

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BC ² American  

abbreviation

1. Scuba Diving. buoyancy compensator.

2. British Columbia, Canada (approved for postal use).

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B/C ³ American  

1. bills for collection.

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b.c. ⁴ American  

Or B.C.

abbreviation

1. before Christ (used in indicating dates).

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B.C. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Chemistry.

2. Bachelor of Commerce.

3. bass clarinet.

4. battery commander.

5. British Columbia.

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BC British  

abbreviation

1. Also: B.C..  (indicating years numbered back from the supposed year of the birth of Christ) before Christ Compare AD

   in 54 bc Caesar came

2. British Columbia

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Usage

The abbreviation b.c. “before Christ” is always placed after a date or century: Cleopatra lived from 69 to 30 b.c. The war took place in the first century b.c. See also a.d. ¹

Example Sentences

“Everyone loved BC because he was always there as the most supportive friend you could ever imagine,” the agency wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

The version found in the National Museum appears to have been used for teaching and includes rulers from the late 3rd millennium BC.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

Brunello Cucinelli BC 0.74%increase; green up pointing triangle , the quiet-luxury brand favored by tech billionaires, had been hit by the sour mood across the sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Rather, they are almost a thousand years ahead of much of the world because they follow a calendar that starts at 950 BC, when King Sheshonq ascended the throne of Egypt.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

Around 10,000 BC, before the transition to agriculture, earth was home to about 5–8 million nomadic foragers.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari