Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
hours by bailing frantically. = scoop, empty, dip, ladle, drain offbait NOUN bait to attract audiences for advertisements = lure, attraction, incentive, carrot (informal), temptation, bribe, magnet, snare, inducement, decoy, carrot and stick, enticement, allurement ▸ VERB He delighted in baiting his friends. = tease, provoke, annoy, irritate, guy (informal), bother, needle (informal), plague (informal), mock, rag, rib (informal), wind up (Brit. slang), hound, torment, harass, ridicule, taunt, hassle (informal), aggravate (informal), badger, gall, persecute, pester, goad, irk, bedevil, take the mickey out of (informal), chaff, gibe, get on the nerves of (informal), nark (Brit. & Austral. & N.Z. slang), be on the back of (slang), get in the hair of (informal), get or take a rise out of, hack you off (informal)baked ADJECTIVE = dry, desert, seared, dried up, scorched, barren, sterile, arid, torrid, desiccated, sun-baked, waterless, moisturelessbakkie NOUN (S. African) = truck, pick-up, van, lorry, pick-up truckbalance VERB 1 He balanced a football on his head. = stabilize, level, steady ◼ OPPOSITE: overbalance 2 Balance spicy dishes with mild ones. = offset, match, square, make up for, compensate for, counteract, neutralize, counterbalance, even up, equalize, counterpoise 3 We have to balance the costs of the project against the benefits. = weigh, consider, compare, estimate, contrast, assess, evaluate, set against, juxtapose 4 He balanced his budget by rigid control over public expenditure. = calculate, rate, judge, total, determine, estimate, settle, count, square, reckon, work out, compute, gauge, tally ▸ NOUN 1 The medicines you are currently taking could be affecting your balance. = equilibrium, stability, steadiness, evenness, equipoise, counterpoise ◼ OPPOSITE: instability 2 the ecological balance of the forest = stability, equanimity, constancy, steadiness 3 her ability to maintain the political balance = parity, equity, fairness, impartiality, equality, correspondence, equivalence 4 They were due to pay the balance on delivery. = remainder, rest, difference, surplus, residue 5 a balance of mind = composure, stability, restraint, self-control, poise, self-discipline, coolness, calmness, equanimity, self-restraint, steadiness, self-possession, self-mastery, strength of mind or willbalance sheet NOUN = statement, report, account, budget, ledger, financial statement, credits and debits sheetbalcony NOUN 1 He appeared on a second floor balcony to appeal to the crowd to be calm. = terrace, veranda 2 We took our seats in the balcony. = upper circle, gods, gallerybald ADJECTIVE 1 The man's bald head was beaded with sweat. = hairless, bare, shorn, clean-shaven, tonsured, depilated, glabrous (Biology), baldheaded, baldpated 2 The bald truth is that he's just not happy. = plain, direct, simple, straight, frank, severe, bare, straightforward, blunt, rude, outright, downright, forthright, unadorned, unvarnished, straight from the shoulderbalding ADJECTIVE = losing your hair, receding, thin on top, becoming baldbaldness NOUN = hairlessness, alopecia (Pathology), baldheadedness, baldpatedness, glabrousness (Biology)bale see bailbaleful ADJECTIVE = menacing, threatening, dangerous, frightening, evil, deadly, forbidding, intimidating, harmful, sinister, ominous, malignant, hurtful, vindictive, pernicious (formal), malevolent, noxious, venomous, ruinous, intimidatory, minatory, maleficent, bodeful, louring or lowering, minacious ◼ OPPOSITE: friendlybalk or baulk VERB (usually with at) = recoil, resist, hesitate, dodge, falter, evade, shy away, flinch, quail, shirk, shrink, draw back, jib ◼ OPPOSITE: acceptball NOUN 1 a golf ball = sphere, drop, globe, pellet, orb, globule, spheroid 2 A cannon ball struck the ship. = projectile, shot, missile, bullet, ammunition, slug, pellet, grapeshotballast NOUN = counterbalance, balance, weight, stability, equilibrium, sandbag, counterweight, stabilizerballoon VERB = expand, rise, increase, extend, swell, blow up, enlarge, inflate, bulge, billow, dilate, be inflated, puff out, become larger, distend, bloat, grow rapidlyballot NOUN = vote, election, voting, poll, polling, referendum, show of handsbalm NOUN 1 The balm is very soothing. = ointment, cream, lotion, salve, emollient, balsam, liniment, embrocation, unguent 2 This place is a balm to the soul. = comfort, support, relief, cheer, consolation, solace, palliative, anodyne, succour, restorative, curativebalmy ADJECTIVE a balmy summer's evening = mild, warm, calm, moderate, pleasant, clement, tranquil, temperate, summery ◼ OPPOSITE: roughbamboozle VERB 1 He was bamboozled by conmen. = cheat, do (informal), kid (informal), skin (slang), trick, fool, take in (informal), con (informal), stiff, sting (informal), mislead, rip off (slang), thwart, deceive, fleece, hoax, defraud, dupe, beguile, gull (archaic), delude, swindle, stitch up (slang), victimize, hoodwink, double-cross (informal), diddle (informal), take for a ride (informal), do the dirty on (Brit. informal), bilk, pull a fast one on (informal), cozen 2 He bamboozled Mercer into defeat. = puzzle, confuse, stump, baffle, bewilder, confound, perplex, mystify, befuddle, flummox, nonplusban VERB 1 Last year arms sales were banned. = prohibit, black, bar, block, restrict, veto, forbid, boycott, suppress, outlaw, banish, disallow, proscribe, debar, blackball, interdict ◼ OPPOSITE: permit 2 He was banned from driving for three years. = bar, prohibit, exclude, forbid, disqualify, preclude, debar, declare ineligible ▸ NOUN The General also lifted a ban on political parties. = prohibition, block, restriction, veto, boycott, embargo, injunction, censorship, taboo, suppression, stoppage, disqualification, interdiction, interdict, proscription, disallowance, rahui (N.Z.), restraining order (U.S., Law) ◼ OPPOSITE: permissionbanal ADJECTIVE = unoriginal, stock, ordinary, boring, tired, routine, dull, everyday, stereotypical, pedestrian, commonplace, mundane, tedious, vanilla (slang), dreary, stale, tiresome, monotonous, humdrum, threadbare, trite, unimaginative, uneventful, uninteresting, clichéd, old hat, mind-numbing, hackneyed, ho-hum (informal), vapid, repetitious, wearisome, platitudinous, cliché-ridden, unvaried ◼ OPPOSITE: originalbanality NOUN 1 the banality of life = unoriginality, triviality, vapidity, triteness 2 His ability to utter banalities never ceased to amaze me. = cliché, commonplace, platitude, truism, bromide (informal), trite phraseband1 NOUN 1 Local bands provide music for dancing. = ensemble, group, orchestra, combo 2 bands of government soldiers = gang, company, group, set, party, team, lot, club, body, association, crowd, troop, pack, camp, squad, crew (informal), assembly, mob, horde, troupe, posse (informal), clique, coterie, bevy ● band together People living in a foreign city band together for company. = unite, group, join, league, ally, associate, gather, pool, merge, consolidate, affiliate, collaborate, join forces, cooperate, confederate, pull together, join together, federate, close ranks, club togetherband2 NOUN 1 She was wearing a trouser suit and a band around her forehead. = headband, tie, strip, ribbon, fillet 2 He placed a metal band around the injured kneecap. = bandage, tie, binding, strip, belt, strap, cord, swathe, fetterbandage NOUN His chest was swathed in bandages. = dressing, plaster, compress, gauze ▸ VERB Apply a dressing to the wound and bandage it. = dress, cover, bind, swathebandit NOUN = robber, gunman or woman, crook (informal), outlaw, pirate, raider, gangster, plunderer, mugger (informal), hijacker, looter, highwayman or woman, racketeer, desperado, marauder, brigand, freebooter, footpadbandy VERB = exchange, trade, pass, throw, truck, swap, toss, shuffle, commute, interchange, barter, reciprocatebane NOUN = plague (informal), bête noire, trial, disaster, evil, ruin, burden, destruction, despair, misery, curse, pest, torment, woe, nuisance, downfall, calamity, scourge, affliction ◼ OPPOSITE: blessingbang NOUN 1 I heard four or five loud bangs. = explosion, report, shot, pop, clash, crack, blast, burst, boom, slam, discharge, thump, clap, thud, clang, peal, detonation 2 a nasty bang on the head = blow, hit, box, knock, stroke, punch, belt (informal), rap, bump, bash (informal), sock (slang), smack, thump, buffet, clout (informal), cuff, clump (slang), whack, wallop (informal), slosh (Brit. slang),