Childrens Illustrated Thesaurus

28

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

block^2

verb to close by putting

something across

» Rubble blocked the river.

choke, clog, obstruct, plug

antonym: unblock

block^3

verb to prevent something

happening » The neighbours

blocked his plan to build

a high fence.

bar, check, halt, obstruct,

stop, thwart

blockage

noun a thing that clogs

something » There was

a blockage in the pipe.

block, obstruction,

stoppage

blog

noun a journal written on the

internet » Have you seen

Mindy's new fashion blog?

microblog, vlog, weblog

blow^1

verb to move or cause to move

in the wind » The wind blew

Gary’s papers away.

buffet, drive, flutter, sweep,

waft, whirl

blow^2

noun a hit from something

» Danny gave the punchbag

a mighty blow.

bang, clout (informal), knock,

smack, thump, whack

blow^3

noun something disappointing

or upsetting » Losing the

match was a terrible blow.

bombshell, disappointment,

misfortune, setback, shock,

upset, calamity,

catastrophe, jolt

blue

noun or adjective

Shades of blue:

aqua, aquamarine, azure,

baby blue, cerulean, cobalt,

cyan, duck-egg, electric

blue, gentian, indigo, lapis

lazuli, midnight blue, navy,

Nile blue, peacock blue,

periwinkle, petrol blue,

powder blue, royal blue,

sapphire, sky blue, teal,

turquoise, ultramarine

blunt^1

adjective having rounded edges

» Blunt scissors can’t cut

through cardboard.

dull, rounded, unsharpened

antonym: sharp

blunt^2

adjective saying what you think

» Steve’s speech was blunt

and to the point.

bluff, brusque, forthright,

frank, outspoken,

straightforward, explicit,

tactless, trenchant

antonym: tactful

blush^1

verb to go red in the face

» Fatima blushed when her

name was called out to

receive an award.

colour, go crimson,

flush, go red, turn red,

turn scarlet

blush^2

noun a red colour

» Ann took the gift

with a blush.

colour, flush, glow

boast

verb to talk proudly

» Carol boasted about her

expensive costume.

brag, crow, skite (Australia

and New Zealand; informal)

boastful

adjective tending to brag

about things » The boastful

liar told us he was a millionaire.

bragging, cocky, conceited,

crowing, egotistical,

swaggering

antonym: modest

body^1

noun all your physical parts

» Exercise is good for your

body and mind.

build, figure, form,

frame, physique, shape

related words: adjectives

corporal, physical

body^2

noun a dead body

» The body of the former

president lay in state.

carcass, corpse, dead

body, remains

body^3

noun an organized group of

people » Local bodies worked

together to put on a successful

summer fair.

association, band,

company, confederation,

organization, society, bloc,

collection, corporation

boil^1

verb to bubble » She peered

over the cliff at the stormy sea

boiling below.

bubble, fizz, foam, froth,

effervesce, seethe

boil^2

noun a swelling on the skin

» Ted had a boil on his neck.

blister, swelling, tumour,

blain, carbuncle, pustule

bold^1

adjective confident and not shy

» It was a bold move to invite

the entire school to her party.

brash, brazen, cheeky,

confident, forward,

impudent, barefaced

antonym: shy

bold^2

adjective unafraid of risk or

danger » The crew made

a bold attempt at rescuing

the boat.

adventurous, brave,

courageous, daring,

fearless, intrepid,

audacious, heroic, valiant

antonym: cowardly

bold^3

adjective clear and noticeable

» Emily and Cath’s outfits

were a riot of bold colours.

bright, flashy, loud,

striking, strong, vivid,

conspicuous, prominent,

pronounced

antonym: dull

bolt

verb to escape or run

away » The horse bolted

from the stable after Claude

left the door open.

dash, escape, flee, fly,

run away, run off, rush

bomb^1

noun an explosive device

» Luckily, the bomb failed to

detonate, so no one was hurt.

device, explosive, missile,

rocket, shell, torpedo,

grenade, mine, projectile

bomb^2

verb to attack with bombs

» The old factory was bombed

during the war.

attack, blow up, bombard,

destroy, shell, torpedo

bond^1

noun a close relationship

» There is a special bond

between parent and child.

attachment, connection,

link, relation, tie, union,

affiliation, affinity

Danny gave the punchbag a

mighty blow.

Emily and Cath’s outfits

were a riot of bold colours.

Exercise is good for your body

and mind.

block

021-033_B.indd 28 13/01/17 10:51 am