Body definition

bŏdē
bodied bodies bodying
See word origin
Frequency:
A group of people or things regarded or functioning as a unit.

A body of soldiers, an advisory body.

noun
9
3
A separate portion or mass of matter.

A body of land or water.

noun
10
5
Any of the natural objects seen in the visible heavens.

The sun, moon, planets, stars, etc. are celestial bodies.

noun
6
2
The majority of a number of people or things.
noun
3
1
Anything having real or material substance or form; any physical or perceptible object.
noun
2
0
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Substance, density, or consistency, as of a liquid or fabric.
noun
2
0
(law) A person or something legally regarded as a person.
noun
2
0
To furnish with a body.
verb
2
1
A corpse or carcass.
noun
1
0
To give shape to. Usually used with forth:
verb
1
0
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Richness or fullness of tone or flavor.
noun
1
0
Fullness and resilience.
noun
1
0
To give a body or substance to; make substantial.
verb
1
0
The main or central part of anything.
  • The part of an automobile, truck, etc. that holds the load or passengers; the part of a vehicle that is not the chassis.
  • The hull of a ship.
  • The fuselage of an aircraft.
  • The main part of a piece of writing as distinguished from headings and introductory or supplementary matter.
  • The sound box of a stringed instrument.
noun
5
5
To make part of; embody.
verb
1
1
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A collection or quantity, as of material or information.

The body of evidence.

noun
0
0
Consistency of substance, as in paint, textiles, or wine.

A sauce with body.

noun
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0
(printing) The part of a block of type underlying the impression surface.
noun
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0
The entire material or physical structure of an organism, especially of a human or animal.
noun
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0
The physical aspect of a person as opposed to the spirit; the flesh.
noun
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0
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The trunk or torso of a human or animal.
noun
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0
The part of a garment covering the torso.
noun
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0
A human; a person.

A kindly body.

noun
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A group of individuals regarded as an entity; a corporation.
noun
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0
To collide with and force (another player) in a certain direction.

Bodied him off the puck.

verb
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(printing) The shank of a piece of type.
noun
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0
The trunk or torso of a human being or animal.
noun
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0
The part of a garment that covers the trunk.
noun
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0
The largest or principal part of an organ; corpus.
noun
0
0
Physical frame.
  • The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism. [from 9th c.]
    I saw them walking from a distance, their bodies strangely angular in the dawn light.
  • The fleshly or corporeal nature of a human, as opposed to the spirit or soul. [from 13th c.]
    The body is driven by desires, but the soul is at peace.
  • A corpse. [from 13th c.]
    Her body was found at four o'clock, just two hours after the murder.
  • (archaic or informal except in compounds) A person. [from 13th c.]
    What's a body gotta do to get a drink around here?.
noun
0
0
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Main section.
  • The torso, the main structure of a human or animal frame excluding the extremities (limbs, head, tail). [from 9th c.]
    The boxer took a blow to the body.
  • The largest or most important part of anything, as distinct from its appendages or accessories. [from 11th c.]
    The bumpers and front tyres were ruined, but the body of the car was in remarkable shape.
  • (archaic) The section of a dress extending from the neck to the waist, excluding the arms. [from 16th c.]
    Penny was in the scullery, pressing the body of her new dress.
  • The content of a letter, message, or other printed or electronic document, as distinct from signatures, salutations, headers, and so on. [from 17th c.]
  • A bodysuit. [from 19th c.]
  • (programming) The code of a subroutine, contrasted to its signature and parameters. [from 20th c.]
    In many programming languages, the method body is enclosed in braces.
noun
0
0
Coherent group.
  • A group of men or people having a common purpose or opinion; a mass. [from 16th c.]
    I was escorted from the building by a body of armed security guards.
  • An organisation, company or other authoritative group. [from 17th c.]
    The local train operating company is the managing body for this section of track.
  • A unified collection of details, knowledge or information. [from 17th c.]
    We have now amassed a body of evidence which points to one conclusion.
noun
0
0
Material entity.
  • Any physical object or material thing. [from 14th c.]
    All bodies are held together by internal forces.
  • (uncountable) Substance; physical presence. [from 17th c.]
    We have given body to what was just a vague idea.
  • (uncountable) Comparative viscosity, solidity or substance (in wine, colours etc.). [from 17th c.]
    The red wine, sadly, lacked body.
  • An agglomeration of some substance, especially one that would be otherwise uncountable.
    The English Channel is a body of water lying between Great Britain and France.
noun
0
0
(printing) The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated).

A nonpareil face on an agate body.

noun
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To give body or shape to something.
verb
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0
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To construct the bodywork of a car.
verb
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To embody.
verb
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The definition of a body is the physical part of a living thing or the main part of anything.

An example of a body is the human frame.

An example of a body is the outside of a car.

noun
0
1
A number of persons, concepts, or things regarded as a group.

We walked out in a body.

noun
0
1
The main or central part, as:
  • (anatomy) The largest or principal part of an organ; corpus.
  • The nave of a church.
  • The content of a book or document exclusive of prefatory matter, codicils, indexes, or appendices.
  • The passenger- and cargo-carrying part of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle.
  • (music) The sound box of an instrument.
noun
0
1
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A mass of matter that is distinct from other masses.

A body of water; a celestial body.

noun
0
1
To play defense with one's body up against (that of another player) so as to restrict the player's mobility, as in basketball.
verb
0
1
The whole physical structure and substance of a human being, animal, or plant.
noun
0
1
A dead person; corpse.
noun
0
1
The flesh or material substance, as opposed to the spirit.
noun
0
1
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(informal) A human being; person.
noun
0
1
The entire material or physical structure of an organism.
noun
0
1
A corpse.
noun
0
1
The trunk or torso, as distinguished from the head, neck, and extremities.
noun
0
1
The physical part of a person, as opposed to the spiritual part.
noun
0
3
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(sports) take the body
  • To play in a rough physical way, dealing out many body checks, as in hockey.
idiom
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body forth
  • to give shape or form to
  • to symbolize or represent
idiom
0
0
keep body and soul together
  • to stay alive
idiom
0
0

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
body
Plural:
bodies

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

take the body
body forth

Origin of body

  • Middle English bodi from Old English bodig

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English body, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Proto-Germanic *budagą, *budagaz (“body, trunk", also "grown”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, observe”). Cognate with German Bottech (“body, trunk, corpse”), Bavarian and Swabian Bottich (“body, trunk”).

    From Wiktionary

Body Sentence Examples

  • Every muscle in her body was sore.

  • Only the machines kept his body working.

  • After the doctor left, Carmen stood over Destiny, looking down at her tiny body while she slept.

  • She snuggled close, letting his body draw warmth from hers.

  • The warmth of his body made her senses tingle with both need and happiness.

More sentences

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near body in the Dictionary