Collins English Thesaurus Essential. Collins Dictionaries
be seen as having betrayed his mother. = be disloyal to, break with, grass on (Brit. slang), dob in (Austral. slang), double-cross (informal), stab in the back, be unfaithful to, sell down the river (informal), grass up (slang), shop (slang, chiefly Brit.), put the finger on (informal), inform on or against 2 She studied his face, but it betrayed nothing. = give away, tell, show, reveal, expose, disclose, uncover, manifest, divulge, blurt out, unmask, lay bare, tell on, let slip, evince (formal)betrayal NOUN = disloyalty, sell-out (informal), deception, treason, treachery, trickery, duplicity, double-cross (informal), double-dealing, breach of trust, perfidy (literary), unfaithfulness, falseness, inconstancy ◼ OPPOSITE: loyaltybetter ADVERB 1 I like your interpretation better than the one I was taught. = to a greater degree, more completely, more thoroughly 2 If we had played better, we might have won. = in a more excellent manner, more effectively, more attractively, more advantageously, more competently, in a superior way ◼ OPPOSITE: worse ▸ ADJECTIVE 1 He is better now. = well, stronger, improving, progressing, recovering, healthier, cured, mending, fitter, fully recovered, on the mend (informal), more healthy, less ill ◼ OPPOSITE: worse 2 I've been able to have a better car than I otherwise could have. = superior, finer, worthier, higher-quality, surpassing, preferable, more appropriate, more useful, more valuable, more suitable, more desirable, streets ahead, more fitting, more expert ◼ OPPOSITE: inferior ▸ VERB 1 He bettered the old record of 4 minutes 24. = beat, top, exceed, excel, surpass, outstrip, outdo, improve on or upon, cap (informal) 2 Our parents came here with the hope of bettering themselves. = improve, forward, reform, advance, promote, correct, amend, mend, rectify, augment, ameliorate, meliorate ● get the better of someone He usually gets the better of them. = defeat, beat, surpass, triumph over, outdo, trounce, outwit, best, subjugate, prevail over, outsmart, get the upper hand, score off, run rings around (informal), wipe the floor with (informal), make mincemeat of (informal), blow out of the water (slang)betterment NOUN = improvement, gain, advancement, enhancement, edification, amelioration, meliorationbetween PREPOSITION = amidst, among, mid, in the middle of, betwixt ◼ RELATED WORD: prefix inter-
| USAGE After distribute and words with a similar meaning, among should be used rather than between: share out the sweets among the children (not between the children, unless there are only two children). |
beverage NOUN = drink, liquid, liquor, refreshment, draught, bevvy (dialect), libation (facetious), thirst quencher, potable, potationbeverage room NOUN (Canad.) = tavern, inn, bar, pub (informal, chiefly Brit.), public house, watering hole (facetious, slang), boozer (Brit. & Austral. & N.Z. informal), beer parlour (Canad.), hostelrybevy NOUN = group, company, set, party, band, crowd, troop, pack, collection, gathering, gang, bunch (informal), cluster, congregation, clump, troupe, posse (slang), clique, coterie, assemblagebeware VERB 1 Beware, this recipe is not for slimmers. = be careful, look out, watch out, be wary, be cautious, take heed, guard against something 2 We should beware declaring victory too soon. = avoid, mind, shun, refrain from, steer clear of, guard againstbewilder VERB = confound, surprise, stun, confuse, puzzle, baffle, mix up, daze, perplex, mystify, stupefy, befuddle, flummox, bemuse, dumbfound, nonplus, flabbergast (informal)bewildered ADJECTIVE = confused, surprised, stunned, puzzled, uncertain, startled, baffled, at sea, awed, muddled, dizzy, dazed, perplexed, disconcerted, at a loss, mystified, taken aback, speechless, giddy, disorientated, bamboozled (informal), nonplussed, flummoxed, at sixes and sevens, thrown off balance, discombobulated (informal)bewildering ADJECTIVE = confusing, surprising, amazing, stunning, puzzling, astonishing, staggering, eye-popping (informal), baffling, astounding, perplexing, mystifying, stupefyingbewitch VERB = enchant, attract, charm, fascinate, absorb, entrance, enthral, captivate, beguile, allure, ravish, mesmerize, hypnotize, cast a spell on, enrapture, spellbind ◼ OPPOSITE: repulsebewitched ADJECTIVE = enchanted, charmed, transformed, fascinated, entranced, possessed, captivated, enthralled, beguiled, ravished, spellbound, mesmerized, enamoured, hypnotized, enraptured, under a spellbeyond PREPOSITION 1 They heard footsteps in the main room, beyond a door. = on the other side of, outwith (Scot.) 2 Few jockeys continue riding beyond the age of forty. = after, over, past, above 3 His interests extended beyond the fine arts. = past, outwith (Scot.) 4 I knew nothing beyond a few random facts. = except for, but, save, apart from, other than, excluding, besides, aside from 5 What he had done was beyond my comprehension. = exceeding, surpassing, superior to, out of reach of 6 The situation was beyond her control. = outside, over, above, outwith (Scot.)
bias NOUN
1 There were fierce attacks on the BBC for alleged political bias. = prejudice, leaning, bent, tendency, inclination, penchant, intolerance, bigotry, propensity, favouritism, predisposition, nepotism, unfairness, predilection, proclivity (formal), partiality, narrow-mindedness, proneness, one-sidedness ◼ OPPOSITE: impartiality 2 The fabric, cut on the bias, hangs as light as a cobweb. = slant, cross, angle, diagonal line ▸ VERB We mustn't allow it to bias our teaching. = influence, colour, weight, prejudice, distort, sway, warp, slant, predisposebiased ADJECTIVE = prejudiced, weighted, one-sided, partial, distorted, swayed, warped, slanted, embittered, predisposed, jaundicedbicker VERB = quarrel, fight, argue, row (informal), clash, dispute, scrap (informal), disagree, fall out (informal), squabble, spar, wrangle, cross swords, fight like cat and dog, go at it hammer and tongs, altercate ◼ OPPOSITE: agreebid NOUN 1 a bid to silence its critics = attempt, try, effort, venture, undertaking, go (informal), shot (informal), stab (informal), crack (informal), endeavour 2 He made an agreed takeover bid of £351 million. = offer, price, attempt, amount, advance, proposal, sum, tender, proposition, submission ▸ VERB 1 She wanted to bid for it. = make an offer, offer, propose, submit, tender, proffer 2 I bade her goodnight. = wish, say, call, tell, greet 3 I dare say he did as he was bidden. = tell, call, ask, order, charge (formal), require, direct, desire (formal), invite, command, summon, instruct, solicit, enjoinbidding NOUN 1 the bidding of his backbenchers = order, call, charge, demand, request, command, instruction, invitation, canon, beck, injunction, summons, behest, beck and call 2 The bidding starts at £2 million. = offer, proposal, auction, tenderbig ADJECTIVE 1 Australia's a big country. = large, great, huge, giant, massive, vast, enormous, considerable, substantial, extensive, immense, spacious, gigantic, monumental (informal), mammoth, bulky, burly, colossal, stellar (informal), prodigious, hulking, ponderous, voluminous, elephantine, ginormous (informal), humongous or humungous (informal), sizable or sizeable, supersize ◼ OPPOSITE: small 2 Her problem was just too big for her to tackle on her own. = important, serious, significant, grave, urgent, paramount, big-time (informal), far-reaching, momentous, major league (informal), weighty ◼ OPPOSITE: unimportant 3 Their father was very big in the army. = powerful, important, prime, principal, prominent, dominant, influential, paramount, eminent, puissant, skookum (Canad.) 4 He's a big boy now. = grown-up, adult, grown, mature, elder, full-grown ◼ OPPOSITE: young 5 They describe him as an idealist with a big heart. = generous, good, princely, noble, heroic, gracious, benevolent, disinterested, altruistic, unselfish, magnanimous, big-heartedbighead NOUN = boaster, know-all (informal), swaggerer, self-seeker, egomaniac, egotist, braggart, braggadocio, narcissist, swell-head (informal), blowhard (informal), self-admirer, figjam (Austral. slang)bigheaded ADJECTIVE = boastful, arrogant, swaggering, bragging, cocky, vaunting, conceited, puffed-up, bumptious, immodest, crowing, overconfident, vainglorious, swollen-headed, egotistic, full of