a size of shot, 0.18 inch (0.46 centimeter) in diameter, fired from an air rifle or BB gun.
Also called BB shot. shot of this size.
ball bearing.
Baseball. base on balls; bases on balls.
bail bond.
baseboard.
bail bond.
Blue Book.
B'nai B'rith.
Bureau of the Budget.
What else does bb mean? In text messages and online, bb can be short for baby, especially as it's used as a term of endearment for significant others or friends. In this sense, it can sometimes be pronounced as [bey-bee]. Bb can also be short for quite a few other things, including basketball, bye-bye, the pellets of a BB gun, and some NSFW applications.
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
High Yield Index has “the highest percentage of BB bonds on record.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
But once he explains that he technically works at the company that owns QNX, he knows exactly how they will respond: BlackBerry BB 0.14%increase; green up pointing triangle still exists?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
During the investigation, BB had also changed her story - initially accusing two other men, before naming Benguit in her third statement to the police.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
The list of Korean beauty trends that have been adopted as staples around the world is long: BB creams, ampoules, face masks and pimple patches.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025
A hand cupped around an object —any object—could resemble a threat: a sandwich, a bag of Skittles, a BB gun, a stick of chalk, a palmful of air.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
