body
the physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant, living or dead.
a corpse; carcass.
the trunk or main mass of a thing: the body of a tree.
Architecture. the principal mass of a building.
the section of a vehicle, usually in the shape of a box, cylindrical container, or platform, in or on which passengers or the load is carried.
Nautical. the hull of a ship.
Aeronautics. the fuselage of a plane.
Printing. the shank of a type, supporting the face.
Geometry. a figure having the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness; a solid.
Physics. a mass, especially one considered as a whole.
the major portion of an army, population, etc.: The body of the American people favors the president's policy.
the principal part of a speech or document, minus introduction, conclusion, indexes, etc.
a person: She's a quiet sort of body.
Law. the physical person of an individual.
a collective group: student body;corporate body.
Also called heav·en·ly bod·y [hev-uhn-lee bod-ee] /ˈhɛv ən li ˈbɒd i/ .Astronomy. an object in space, as a planet or star.
a separate physical mass or quantity, especially as distinguished from other masses or quantities.
consistency or density; richness; substance: This wine has good body.Wool has more body than rayon.
the part of a dress that covers the trunk or the part of the trunk above the waist.
Ceramics. the basic material of which a ceramic article is made.
to invest with or as with a body.
to represent in bodily form (usually followed by forth).
of or relating to the body; bodily.
of or relating to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as opposed to headings, illustrations, or the like.
Idioms about body
in a body, as a group; together; collectively: We left the party in a body.
keep body and soul together, to support oneself; maintain life: Few writers can make enough to keep body and soul together without another occupation.
Origin of body
1synonym study For body
Other words for body
Opposites for body
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use body in a sentence
The refined sugars in rice cakes are also digested quickly in your body, potentially leaving you hungry sooner.
The Rise and Fall of the Rice Cake, America’s One-Time Favorite Health Snack | Brenna Houck | September 17, 2020 | EaterJiménez said she had to identify her sister’s “decomposed body” twice “just so they would release the body to me.”
Tijuana authorities criticized over handling of transgender woman’s murder | Michael K. Lavers | September 17, 2020 | Washington BladeIt helps that 4G data penetration in North Africa and the Middle East is 62 percent, compared with just 34 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the GSM Association, an industry body that represents mobile network operators globally.
The Biggest Challenge for Apple and Spotify in North Africa: YouTube | Eromo Egbejule | September 17, 2020 | OzyWhen rain hits the charred remnants, it can transport those harmful materials into rivers, streams, and water bodies.
California wildfires may give way to massive mudslides | Ula Chrobak | September 17, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe meadow is part of our body, folded outward, ready to be strolled through.
What the Meadow Teaches Us - Issue 90: Something Green | Andreas Weber | September 16, 2020 | Nautilus
He observes the bodies floating away on the river, pulling on his cigarette with a sneer.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTTheir bodies were later found incinerated and buried in mass graves outside of town.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting | Ruben Navarrette Jr. | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWithin hours, the Indonesian navy said dozens of bodies were being seen.
Hundreds of cops saluting as the bodies were rolled out with a full escort by highway patrol.
These women interred the bodies of saints on their own properties and occasionally managed to influence papal politics.
First Anglican Woman Bishop A Return to Christian Roots | Candida Moss | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIndeed, a score of bodies lying there had not been seen by Malcolm during his first frenzied examination of the house.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThe amount of the other purin bodies together is about one-tenth that of uric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThey carried the two bodies together on some litters, and buried them both in the same grave.
The dead bodies of the two men were guarded until next day, for justice to do its duty.
Then the two bodies of the men were buried, carrying them together from the street to the grave.
British Dictionary definitions for body
/ (ˈbɒdɪ) /
the entire physical structure of an animal or human being: Related adjectives: corporeal, physical
(as modifier): body odour
the flesh, as opposed to the spirit: while we are still in the body
the trunk or torso, not including the limbs, head, or tail
a dead human or animal; corpse
the largest or main part of anything: the body of a vehicle; the body of a plant
a separate or distinct mass of water or land
the main part; majority: the body of public opinion
the central part of a written work: the body of a thesis as opposed to the footnotes
a number of individuals regarded as a single entity; group: the student body; they marched in a body
maths a three-dimensional region with an interior
physics an object or substance that has three dimensions, a mass, and is distinguishable from surrounding objects
fullness in the appearance of the hair
the characteristic full quality of certain wines, determined by the density and the content of alcohol or tannin: a Burgundy has a heavy body
substance or firmness, esp of cloth
the sound box of a guitar, violin, or similar stringed instrument
a woman's close-fitting one-piece garment for the torso
the part of a dress covering the body from the shoulders to the waist
another name for shank (def. 11)
the pigment contained in or added to paint, dye, etc
the opacity of a paint in covering a surface
the apparent viscosity of a paint
(in watercolour painting)
a white filler mixed with pigments to make them opaque
(as modifier): body colour See also gouache
printing the measurement from top to bottom of a piece of type, usually ascender to descender
an informal or dialect word for a person
keep body and soul together to manage to keep alive; survive
(modifier) of or relating to the main reading matter of a book as distinct from headings, illustrations, appendices, etc: the body text
(usually foll by forth) to give a body or shape to
Origin of body
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with body
In addition to the idioms beginning with body
- body blow
- body English
also see:
- keep body and soul together
- over my dead body
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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