Verbs That Start With B

Updated August 11, 2021
Verbs That Start With B
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    Verbs That Start With B
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Ban all your baseless biases that say language learning can’t be fun. Exploring verbs that start with "b" is a great way to begin to walk students through the alphabet in an orderly yet fun way. In fact, you can teach eager minds with word lists for every letter of the alphabet and every part of speech. For now, let’s kick things off with the motivators of the crowd — a list of action verbs.

50 Verbs Starting With B

Let’s take a look at 50 of the most commonly used "b" verbs. See how many you’d like to use in your next story or poem. Perhaps they’ll liven up your writing! After each definition, you'll also find a few synonyms for each verb.

Verb

Definition

Synonyms

back

to move in a backward motion or to support

reverse, sponsor, fund

bake

to cook food in an oven

oven cook, roast

balance

to make something even in weight, size or amount

stabilize, steady, level

ban

to stop people from doing something

outlaw, forbid, prevent

base

to build upon a foundation of knowledge

ground, root, construct

be

to exist

live, exist, occur

bear

to be able to cope with or hold the weight

sustain, shoulder, support

beat

to win or to hit

triumph, overcome, strike

become

to grow or change into

develop into, grow into, metamorphose

beg

to plead for something

implore, entreat, beseech

begin

to start something

launch, initiate, commence

behave

to act in an appropriate manner

comport, conduct oneself, act appropriately

behold

to see or perceive

observe, view, have vision of

believe

to have confidence in the truth of something

to consider accurate, to be convinced

belong

to fit in or be suitable for

to go with something, to be part of something

bend

to give a curve or angle to something

contort, curl, flex

bet

to wager money in a competition

gamble, speculate, stake

beware

to be cautious of potential danger

watch out, look out, be mindful

bind

to tie or stick together

fasten, connect, shackle

bite

to use your teeth to dig into something

chomp, munch, nip

blame

to declare someone else responsible for a fault

accuse, hold responsible, hold liable

bleed

to lose blood

hemorrhage, exude, discharge

blend

to combine things in a harmonious manner

mix, synthesize, incorporate

bless

to ask for the favor of God

prayerfully offer good wishes, anoint, glorify

blink

to open and close quickly, especially the eyelids

flutter, open and close, on and off

block

to prevent something from happening

impede, obstruct, stop

blow

to expel air in a forceful manner

puff, blast, exhale

blur

to make something indistinct or hazy

obscure, make bleary, cloud

boast

to brag about oneself

gloat, crow, show off

boil

to change from liquid to gas

to reach 100° Celsius, to reach 212° Fahrenheit

bolster

to support or strengthen something

prop, hold up, steady

book

to make reservations for something in advance

reserve, schedule, slot

boost

to raise, push higher or promote

hoist, support, heighten

born

past participle of “to bear;” to be brought forth

created, birthed, originated

borrow

to take something with the intention of giving it back

hire, obtain temporarily, rent

bother

to annoy, worry or cause discomfort

annoy, irritate, vex

bounce

to jump or move suddenly

leap, hop, skip

bound

to leap or jump

spring, leap, skip

break

to smash, split or fracture

crack, burst, destroy

breathe

to take air in and let it out

respire, inhale, exhale

brew

to make something to drink by mixing parts together, boiling, and steeping

ferment, mull, steep

bring

to carry or take something or someone to a location

deliver, carry, accompany

browse

to look at something casually

skim, peruse, scan

build

to construct, create or put together

erect, frame, make

bully

to force one’s way aggressively

browbeat, tyrannize, domineer

burn

to be on fire

combust, incinerate, blaze

burst

to break apart suddenly and with force

explode, rupture, shatter

bury

to place in the ground, cover up or hide

inter, entomb, bury

buy

to purchase or get by an exchange of something of value

acquire, procure, pay for

bypass

to provide an alternative way around

circumvent, detour, alternate route

3 Common Types of Verbs

Now you have a lot more action verbs to bring to your vocabulary. However, it's important to be aware that action verbs aren't the only kind of verb. They are the most common type of verb, but linking verbs and helping verbs are also used quite frequently.

  • action verb - Verbs that indicate things you can do are action verbs. When you browse a store, you are doing something. When you buy certain items, you are engaging in another action. These verbs are action words because they describe specific actions.
  • helping verb - Verbs that help the main verb of the sentence by extending its meaning are helping verbs. They are always paired with other verbs. The phrase "be browsing" contains a helping verb that starts with "b" (be) and a main "b" verb (browsing). You could form a sentence by stating, “I want to be browsing the clothing aisle.”
  • linking verb - Verbs that connect the subject of the sentence to more information, rather than expressing an action, are linking verbs. Words like “am,” “is,” “are,” and “were” are examples of linking verbs. Consider this example: “Bruce is big." Here, the word "is" is a linking verb, but the "b" word "big" is an adjective.

For even more information on the different variations of verbs, take the time to learn more about what a verb is. By taking a deeper dive into this part of speech, you'll discover additional forms of verbs.

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10 Example Sentences With B-Words

Every sentence needs a verb. The basic formula for a sentence is subject + verb + direct object. In the sentence, “Glenda bought soda,” “Glenda” is the subject, “bought” is an action verb and “soda” is the direct object. Explore a few more "b" verbs from the master list above doing their job as they bounce across some sample sentences.

  • Help me balance the seesaw.
  • At night, she might become a fairy.
  • If Tucker doesn’t behave, he won’t get his dessert.
  • I believe in God.
  • Do not blame your brother for the mess you made.
  • His paper cut is starting to bleed again.
  • Watch the deer bound across the grassy knoll.
  • She helped him book a flight to the Philippines.
  • He loves to go to the bookstore and browse the gardening section.
  • John decided to bypass the freeway for some backcountry roads.
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Blend B-Words Into Your Writing

Without verbs, most of our sentences wouldn’t take flight. Hopefully, some of these verbs that start with "b" will find their way into your next short story or poem. Keep bolstering your vocabulary even more by discovering a long list of adjectives that begin with "b." For more "b" words, explore an even bigger collection of words that start with "b" on WordFinder by YourDictionary. Or, if you want to stick with verbs, visit verbs that start with "c" to advance to the next letter.