berry
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berries
blackberries
gooseberries
raspberries
cranberries
elderberries
strawberries
ber·ry /'beri/ n (often in comb.) a small soft fruit, usually with seeds: to pick berries | blackberry jam | a strawberry
Berry, Chuck (1926-) a US singer, GUITAR player, and songwriter whose music was in the RHYTHM AND BLUES style. His many popular songs include Roll Over Beethoven (1956) and Johnny B. Goode (1958), and his style had a big influence on 1960s musicians such as the ROLLING STONES.
Berry, Hal·le /'hæli/ (1968-) a US actress known for being sexually attractive whose films include Jungle Fever and Monster's Ball, for which she won an Oscar in 2001. She was the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
ber·serk /bɜ:'s:k, bə-lɪbɜ:'sɜ:k, 'bɜ:sɜ:k/ adj [F] mad with violent anger: My husband will go berserk if he finds you here.
berth¹ /bɜ:θ||bɜ:rθ/ n 1 a place where a ship can stop and be tied up, as in a HARBOUR 2 a sleeping place in a ship or train; BUNK 3 BrE old-fash, infml a job 4 give someone/something a wide berth infml to stay at a safe distance from someone or something dangerous or unpleasant
berth² v [I;T] to come or bring into a berth: The captain berthed his ship at midday.
ber·yl /'berəl/ n [C;U] a usually green precious stone
be·seech /bɪ'si:tʃ/ v besought /bɪ'sɔ:t/ or beseeched [T(of)] fml or lit to ask eagerly and anxiously: to beseech a favour | [+obj+to-v] I beseech you to go.
be·set /bɪ'set/ v beset, present participle besetting [T(by, with)] to trouble from all directions; attack continuously: I was beset by doubts. | The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning. | Laziness is my besetting sin. (=the one that most often influences me)
be·side /bɪ'sad/ prep 1 at or close to the side of; next to: sitting beside the driver | a town beside the sea 2 compared with: This year's sales figures don't look very good beside last year's results. 3 beside oneself (with) almost mad (with anger, excitement etc): He was beside himself with joy when he heard he had passed the exam. 4 beside the point having nothing to do with the main point or question: Her age is beside the point: the question is, can she do the job? -> see BESIDES (USAGE)
be·sides¹ /bɪ'saɪdz/ adv in addition; also: I don't want to go; besides, I'm too tired. | This is my best suit; I have two others besides.
besides² prep as well as; in addition to: There were three other people at the meeting besides Mr Day. | Besides being a professional pianist, he is also a keen amateur singer.
USAGE Compare besides and except. Besides means 'as well as': Ten of us passed besides John (=John passed too). Except means 'but not' or 'leaving out': All of us passed except John (=John did not pass).
be·siege /bɪ'si:dʒ/ v [T] 1 to surround (a town, castle etc) with armed forces so as to prevent the people inside from getting out 2 to press all round in a crowd: Worried relatives besieged the airline office, waiting for news of the crash. 3 [with)] to trouble or annoy continuously; HARASS: We were besieged with doubts/with requests for help.
be·smear /bɪ'smɪə/ v [T(with)] to cover with dirty, sticky, or oily marks: hands besmeared with dirt
be·smirch /bɪ'smɜ:tʃ||-smɜ:rtʃ/ v [T] fml to damage (a person or their character) in the opinion of others
be·sot·ted /bɪ'sɒtɪd||bɪ'sɑ:-/ adj [F(with)] made foolish or unable to behave sensibly by strong drink or powerful feeling: besotted with drink/love/power
be·sought /bɪ'sɔ:t/ past tense and participle of BESEECH
be·spat·tered /bɪ'spætəd||-ərd/ adj [(with)] marked all over with drops of liquid; spattered (SPATTER): The windscreen of the car was so bespattered with dirt that it was difficult to see through it.
be·speak /bɪ'spi:k/ v bespoke /bɪ'spəʊk/, bespoken /bɪ'spəʊkən/ [T] fml to show; be a sign of: The efficiency of the organization bespoke careful planning.
be·spec·ta·cled /bɪ'spektəkəld/ adj fml or humor wearing glasses
be·spoke /bɪ'spəʊk/ adj especially BrE (of clothes) specially made to someone's measurements; MADE-TO-MEASURE -> compare off the peg (PEG¹)
best¹ /best/ adj (superlative of GOOD) 1 the highest in quality, skill, or effectiveness; the most good: the best tennis player in the world | the best man I ever knew | She's my best friend. | This has been the company's best year ever. | What's the best way to get there? -> see also SECOND BEST 2 the best part of most of: I haven't seen her for the best part of a month. 3 the best things in life are free an old saying
best² adv (superlative of WELL) 1 in the best way: The one who does best will get the prize. 2 to the greatest degree; most: Tuesday would suit me best. | You can't argue with him - he always thinks he knows best. | She chose the more expensive one for reasons best known to herself. (=she knows why, but no one else does) | one of our best-loved national monuments 3 BrE as best one can as well as one can: Do it as best you can. 4 had best ought to; had better (BETTER)
best³ n pl. best 1 [the] the greatest degree of good: Only the best is good enough for her. | We all want the best for our children. | We can't go to Spain, but perhaps it's all for the best. (=it's a good thing really) 2 [the+C] a person or thing that is best: Even the best of us sometimes forgets things. | They're all good players, but he's definitely the best of the bunch. | I dressed in my (Sunday) best (=my best clothes): He's not very cheerful (even) at the best of times. (=when things are most favourable) 3 [S] one's best effort or best state: I'll do/try my best to finish it on time. | I'm never at my best early in the morning. | The garden's at its best in spring. | I can't possibly pay you $100 for it; $75 is the best (=the most) I can offer you. | 10.3 seconds is my personal best (=the fastest I have ever run) in the hundred-yard dash. 4 All the best! (used when saying goodbye) I wish you success and happiness! 5 at best in the most favourable condition or according to the most favourable judgment: This is, at best, only a temporary solution. | His answers were at best evasive (=this is the most favourable thing that can be said about them) at worst downright misleading. 6 have/get the best of infml to win or succeed at/in: When we exchanged rooms I got the best of the bargain because her old room was nicer. 7 make the best of to do as well as one can with (a thing or situation that is unsatisfactory): We must try to make the best of things until we can afford a bigger house. 8 make the best of a bad job to accept, especially in a cheerful way, bad or unsatisfactory conditions and do the best one can in the situation 9 the best of both worlds/all possible worlds the advantages of two different