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.
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.
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.