BB

¹ American  

[bee-bee] / ˈbiˌbi /

noun

1. a size of shot, 0.18 inch (0.46 centimeter) in diameter, fired from an air rifle or BB gun.

2. Also called BB shot.  shot of this size.

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BB ² American  

1. a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than BBB and higher than B.

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bb. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. ball bearing.

2. Baseball. base on balls; bases on balls.

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B/B ⁴ American  

1. bottled in bond.

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b.b. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. bail bond.

2. baseboard.

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B.B. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. bail bond.

2. Blue Book.

3. B'nai B'rith.

4. Bureau of the Budget.

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BB ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Boys' Brigade

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symbol

1. double black: denoting a very soft lead

bb ² British  

abbreviation

1. Barbados

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of BB

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

But they did not find any evidence of BB, the three men or the car.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

It inspire Simone de Beauvoir in 1960 to say, "BB now deserves to be considered an export product as important as Renault automobiles."

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

Below BBB starts at BB, which is junk.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025

BlackBerry BB 2.31%increase; green up pointing triangle is counting on its automotive software business to power a turnaround of the onetime smartphone pioneer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

Satisfied, Aunt BB and I took off for our house.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore