b
abbreviation
b
1 Americanabbreviation
B
2
American
[bee]
/ bi /
Or
b
noun
B's,
plural
Bs,
plural
b's,
plural
bs
plural
-
the second letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
-
any spoken sound represented by the letter B or b, as in bid, bauble, or daubed.
-
something having the shape of a B .
-
a written or printed representation of the letter B or b.
-
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter B or b.
B
4
American
Symbol.
-
the second in order or in a series.
-
(sometimes lowercase) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as good or better than average.
-
(sometimes lowercase) (in some school systems) a symbol designating the second semester of a school year.
-
Physiology. a major blood group usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of type B or AB and to receive blood from persons of type O or B.
-
Music.
-
the seventh tone in the scale of C major or the second tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.
-
a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.
-
a written or printed note representing this tone.
-
(in the fixed system of solmization) the seventh tone of the scale of C major, called ti.
-
the tonality having B as the tonic note.
-
-
(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 300.
-
Chemistry. boron.
-
a proportional shoe width size, narrower than C and wider than A.
-
a proportional brassiere cup size, smaller than C and larger than A.
-
Physics. magnetic induction.
-
Electricity. susceptance.
-
a designation for a motion picture made on a low budget and meant as the secondary part of a double feature.
-
a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than BB and higher than CCC.
B-
5
American
U.S. Military.
b.
6
American
abbreviation
-
bachelor.
-
bale.
-
Baseball. base; baseman.
-
bass.
-
basso.
-
bay.
-
billion.
-
blend of; blended.
-
book.
-
born.
-
breadth.
-
brother.
-
brotherhood.
B.
7
American
abbreviation
-
bachelor.
-
bacillus.
-
Baseball. base; baseman.
-
bass.
-
basso.
-
bay.
-
Bible.
-
bolivar.
-
boliviano.
-
book.
-
born.
-
breadth.
-
British.
-
brother.
-
brotherhood.
B
1
British
symbol
-
music
-
a note having a frequency of 493.88 hertz ( B above middle C ) or this value multiplied or divided by any power of 2; the seventh note of the scale of C major
-
a key, string, or pipe producing this note
-
the major or minor key having this note as its tonic
-
-
the supporting or less important of two things
the B side of a record
-
a human blood type of the ABO group, containing the B antigen
-
(in Britain) a secondary road
-
the number 11 in hexadecimal notation
-
chem boron
-
magnetic flux density
-
chess bishop
-
(on Brit pencils, signifying degree of softness of lead) black Compare H
B
2B
3B
-
Also: b. physics bel
-
physics baryon number
-
balboa
-
belga
-
bolivar
-
photog B-setting
-
-
a person whose job is in middle management, or who holds an intermediate administrative or professional position
-
( as modifier ) See also occupation groupings
a B worker
-
abbreviation
b
2
British
/ biː /
noun
-
the second letter and first consonant of the modern English alphabet
-
a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiced bilabial stop, as in bell
-
Also: beta. the second in a series, esp the second highest grade in an examination
B.
3
British
abbreviation
-
(on maps, etc) bay
-
British
b.
4
British
abbreviation
-
born
-
cricket bowled
B-
5
British
abbreviation
b
6
British
symbol
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cherubim and his colleagues developed a theoretical model predicting that the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140 b would contain large amounts of helium slowly escaping into space.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The planet, called LHS 1140 b, is 48 light-years from Earth orbiting a red star much smaller and cooler than our Sun.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The newly confirmed planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, orbit an F7-type dwarf star about 1,110 light years from Earth in the southern constellation Volans.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026
Even so, more advanced modeling will be needed before researchers can confidently confirm the presence of clouds on WASP-121 b.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
You can also take Bacon’s cipher and express it using 0 for a and 1 for b.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
"I don't know how you do it. I believe in magic but I loved it," Mel B said when giving her verdict, which was a yes.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mombasa B, the other tanker, had performed four shuttles, completing its most recent voyage in early July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Medicare Part B covers doctor’s visits, lab tests and preventative care, among other basic medical costs, while Medicare Part D covers prescription drugs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The talent pool there is so deep, France probably could have fielded a B team in this World Cup and made it to the quarterfinals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Mrs. B was only trying to help, but it wasn’t working.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The B- rating is constrained by a number of factors, including Argentina’s international liquidity position, as well as high inflation and a record of macroeconomic instability, Fitch said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
S&P Global assigned Strategy a B- issuer credit rating with stable outlook in October, five notches below the lowest rung of investment grade.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
At the Bloomberg event on Wednesday night, Peters gave the company a B- on its gaming efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
Those who attended the film were apparently disappointed in the lack of action scenes, with audiences giving a lukewarm "B-" grade in exit polls, Variety said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
She holds my current grades by two fingers: D, C, B-, D, C-, C, A. No basketball team for me, because the A was in art, so my GPA is a whopping 1.7.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
In 2018, the Moscow Zoo launched a Blakiston’s fish owl breeding program, which currently is made up of two B. b. blakistoni females, one in Moscow and another at the Sakhalin Island Zoo.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 5, 2021
“I drive Kansas interstates frequently, and I know that they are doing an excellent job, a. keeping the ditches mowed and b., keeping our roads clear and safe,” said Claeys.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 10, 2019
Using the interpretations from b. and c. explain why the Holling type I equation may not be realistic.
From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016
Evaluate a. and b. for t = 2, 4, and 6 seconds.
From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016
The inscription turned out to be a date: September 3,32 b. c. , in today’s calendar.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Adoption of e-readers like the Kindle and Kobo didn’t replace physical books; and despite the shuttering of mass-market chains like Borders, Waldenbooks and B. Dalton, the last 30 years have seen a reading boom.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Franklin D. Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor, Lyndon B. Johnson after the Gulf of Tonkin and George W. Bush after 9/11 all sought congressional approval for war or wider military action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The B. of A. economists also wrote of the United Arab Emirates’ competitiveness in the field, owing to its energy capabilities, advanced AI usage and state-led strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Just three days before, she had been evicted from a home on Argyle Avenue that once allegedly belonged to Cecil B. DeMille.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Ever since Black Panther, Sonny has sworn that Michael B. Jordan is the standard for fineness.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
To settle the transfer, the U.S. bank subtracts the funds from Bank A's balance and adds them to Bank B's.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
She also said that years after it happened, she became aware he had asked for Complainant B's forgiveness at a meeting in Armoy.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Beyond Beyoncé, Eminem and The Weeknd headlined, but one of the other standouts was Cardi B’s TLC-inspired performance on the main stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
“I mean, I got some B’s in math in school, so yeah, I’m aware of the math there,” he said, acknowledging the swing nature of his vote.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
I clutched my eighth-grade report card filled with A’s and B’s, and Mami had my birth certificate.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Ah’Mari, now a 17-year-old junior, said he earned As, Bs and one C throughout high school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Only eight banks got Bs, while the majority got Cs; 36 got Ds.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
The Glacier Range Riders begin the 2024 season with a home game on May 21 against the Oakland Bs, which also play in the Pioneer League.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
Successful renewals win As and Bs, according to criteria provided by HHMI.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 4, 2023
Dear Diary, Ever since Ms. Gruwell announced that the Freedom Writers with the top thirty-five grade point averages would win computers when we graduated, I started getting As and Bs on my report card.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
"We are confident the same technique will allow us to clarify the nature of LHS 3844 b's crust and, in the future, other rocky exoplanets," concludes Kreidberg.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
Although most planets have relatively even atmospheres, WASP-107 b's is a few hundred meters taller on one side than on the other.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
It reveals the presence of water vapor and other molecules in WASP-96 b’s extremely hot atmosphere.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 21, 2022
Johansen says AB Aurigae b’s position in one of the disk’s spiral arms could indicate either creation mechanism.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 3, 2022
It was because she has trouble saying words sometimes, especially beginnings, like b’s and t’s and k’s.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
“You are smart enough to think through some bs propaganda,” Brian wrote to A.J. on Facebook.
From New York Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
"This won't be the last failure of this nature so long as people are rewarded for pushing this bs," he said.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2023
“SAME tone deaf energy as this bs from the start of the pandemic,” said a different user.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2022
Plaskett took note of all this attention and even retweeted a message that said “@StaceyPlaskett is all of us right now listening to the bs in #CohenHearing.”
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2019
IV Breast-fin: sg shoulder-zone, ax fin-axis, ss double lines of fin-rays, bs additional rays, sch plates.
From The Evolution of Man — Volume 2 by Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich Philipp August
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
