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.
BlackBerry BB 1.03%increase; green up pointing triangle laid out its fiscal 2027 growth outlook after reporting a fourth-quarter profit, supported by robust revenue from its QNX real-time operating system segment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
BB said she had stopped the car after passing Oki - and that all three men had gone to talk to her.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
Below BBB starts at BB, which is junk.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025
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
With minor variations, it always went like this: I’m crouched in the corner of my grandfather’s bedroom, amber dusk-light retreating from the windows, pointing a pink plastic BB rifle at the door.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
