130+ Verbs That Start With B | Definitions & Examples
Lists of verbs that start with B are handy for teachers, students, and anyone who wants to build their vocabulary. This article lists 134 verbs beginning with B—each with a definition—sorted into simple, everyday verbs, like “bake,” “block,” and “bury,” and more advanced verbs, like “befuddle,” “blight,” and “burnish.”
Try a prompt like, “Give me a list of 10 stative verbs that start with B.”
40+ common verbs that start with B
Here is a list of 44 commonly used verbs that start with the letter B, along with simple definitions.
- Babysit: Watch a child for a while so they stay safe
- Bake: Cook food in an oven
- Ban: Stop something and say it is not allowed
- Bandage: Cover a cut with cloth to help it heal
- Bang: Hit something hard and make a loud sound
- Bark: Make a short loud sound like a dog
- Bargain: Try to agree on a price by asking for more or less
- Bathe: Wash your body with water
- Be: Exist or be in a certain state
- Beat: Hit again and again, or win a game
- Become: Start being something
- Beg: Ask strongly for help or for something
- Begin: Start doing something
- Behave: Act and speak in a certain way
- Believe: Think something is true
- Belong: Be in the right place or group
- Bend: Make something not straight
- Bet: Say you think something will happen (e.g., to win money)
- Bite: Use your teeth to cut into something
- Blame: Say someone caused a bad thing
- Bleed: Lose blood from your body
- Blink: Close and open your eyes fast
- Block: Stop something from passing
- Blow: Push air out of your mouth
- Board: Get on a bus, train, or plane
- Boil: Cook in very hot water
- Book: Make an arrangement (e.g., by buying a ticket or reserving a table)
- Borrow: Use something for a while and plan to give it back
- Bother: Make someone feel upset or not at ease
- Bounce: Move up and down after hitting a surface
- Box: Fight with your fists for sport
- Break: Make something crack or stop working
- Breathe: Pull air in and out of your body through your mouth
- Bring: Carry something to a place with you
- Browse: Look around and read or check things without a clear plan
- Brush: Clean or smooth with a brush
- Build: Make something by putting parts together
- Bump: Hit something by accident
- Burn: Damage something with heat or fire
- Burst: Break open fast and suddenly
- Bury: Put something in the ground and cover it
- Button: Fasten clothes by pushing buttons through holes
- Buy: Pay money to get something
- Buzz: Make a low humming sound like a bee
I didn’t want to see the movie, but he begged me to go with him.
Do you remember the time you broke that vase and blamed the dog?
I saw it when I was browsing through an old magazine.
The main street’s closed because a water pipe burst.
Someone’s phone is buzzing.
90 advanced verbs that start with R
This list of 90 verbs that start with B features more advanced vocabulary—verbs you may need to understand reading passages and tackle vocabulary questions on advanced language proficiency tests, college entrance exams, or standardized tests.
- Babble: Speak rapidly in a confused way without making much sense
- Baffle: Confuse someone so they cannot understand or solve something
- Balk: Stop and refuse to continue because something seems difficult, risky, or unacceptable
- Balloon: Swell or expand quickly, often to a size that becomes hard to control
- Banish: Force someone to leave a place and stay away
- Banter: Exchange playful, teasing remarks in a friendly way
- Bar: Block entry or prevent something from happening
- Barricade: Block a passage or area using obstacles for protection or control
- Barter: Trade goods or services directly without using money
- Bask: Sit or rest in warmth, attention, or enjoyment
- Batter: Hit repeatedly with heavy blows or persistent force
- Beckon: Signal with a gesture for someone to come closer or follow
- Befall: Happen to someone, especially in an unexpected or unfortunate way
- Befit: Be appropriate for someone or suitable for a situation
- Befriend: Act in a warm way toward someone and form a friendship
- Befuddle: Make someone’s thinking unclear or confused
- Beget: Cause something to happen or produce a result
- Begrudge: Resent someone for having something, or feel unwilling to give something up
- Beguile: Charm or trick someone
- Behold: See something, especially something striking or important
- Belittle: Make someone or something seem less important or impressive than it is
- Bellow: Shout loudly in a deep voice
- Bemoan: Express strong sadness or complaint about something
- Benefit: Gain an advantage or receive something helpful
- Bequeath: Leave money, property, or rights to someone in a will
She beguiled the audience with acoustic versions of her greatest hits.
He bequeathed this watch to me in his will.
- Berate: Scold angrily and harshly
- Bereave: Leave someone suffering a deep loss, especially through death
- Beseech: Ask urgently and earnestly
- Beset: Be troubled or attacked by persistent problems or difficulties
- Besiege: Surround a place and cut it off
- Besmirch: Damage someone’s reputation by spreading rumors or accusations
- Bestow: Give something valuable or meaningful in a formal way
- Betray: Be disloyal or reveal something that was meant to be kept secret
- Bewilder: Confuse someone so much that they feel lost or unsure what to do
- Bias: Influence unfairly in favor of one side
- Bicker: Argue in a petty, back-and-forth way, often about small things
- Bifurcate: Split into two distinct parts or branches
- Bind: Tie or hold tightly, or place someone under an obligation
- Bisect: Cut or divide into two equal parts
- Blacken: Make dark or dirty
- Blanch: Turn pale from shock, fear, or sudden emotion
- Blare: Sound loudly and harshly
- Blaze: Burn intensely or shine with strong brightness
- Bleach: Whiten by removing color, often using chemicals or strong sunlight
- Blemish: Mark or damage something so it seems less perfect
- Blight: Cause damage that spoils something
- Blister: Form painful raised bubbles on skin, or swell from heat or friction
- Bloom: Develop and flourish, especially by growing or becoming more successful
- Blossom: Grow into a fuller, better, or more impressive state
- Blot: Stain or darken with a spot, or erase something by covering it
Draw a diagonal that bisects the square into two equal triangles.
Years of neglect have blighted the neighborhood.
- Bludgeon: Strike repeatedly with a heavy object
- Blunder: Make a serious, clumsy mistake
- Blunt: Make less sharp or less intense
- Blur: Make unclear or smudged, or mix boundaries so they are hard to separate
- Bluster: Speak or act loudly and aggressively to seem more confident than one feels
- Boast: Speak with excessive pride about oneself or one’s achievements
- Bode: Suggest that something, often negative, is likely to happen
- Bolster: Support and strengthen, especially by adding help or confidence
- Bombard: Attack or overwhelm with a constant stream of bombs or gunfire, questions, or information
- Botch: Do a job badly because of carelessness or lack of skill
- Brace: Prepare for something difficult, or support something to keep it steady
- Bracket: Place within limits or categories, or mark off with enclosing signs
- Brandish: Wave or display something, especially a weapon, in a threatening or showy way
- Brave: Face danger or hardship with courage
- Breach: Break through a barrier or violate a rule or agreement
- Breed: Produce offspring, or cause something to develop and spread
- Bribe: Try to influence someone with money, gifts, or favors
- Bridge: Connect two sides or close a gap between differences
- Bristle: React with anger or defensiveness
On the red carpet, reporters bombarded the star with questions.
“Look what I have!” she said, brandishing the concert tickets in her hand.
- Broach: Bring up a topic for discussion, especially a sensitive one
- Broaden: Make wider in scope, range, or understanding
- Broker: Arrange a deal between others, often by negotiating terms
- Brood: Think gloomily for a long time, or sit as if weighed down by worry
- Bruise: Injure the outside of the body so it becomes sore and discolored
- Brutalize: Treat with cruel force that causes severe harm
- Buckle: Bend or collapse under pressure
- Bud: Begin to develop or show early signs of growth
- Budge: Move something with great effort, even if only slightly
- Buffer: Reduce the impact of something or shield from harm
- Buffet: Strike repeatedly with strong blows, or push around roughly
- Bulge: Stick out because of swelling or pressure
- Bully: Use intimidation or repeated cruelty to control or hurt others
- Bungle: Handle something clumsily, leading to mistakes
- Burden: Weigh down with a heavy load, duty, or worry
- Burgeon: Grow rapidly and strongly, especially from a small beginning
- Burnish: Polish until it shines
- Burrow: Dig or tunnel into the ground
- Butcher: Kill or cut up brutally
- Buttress: Support and strengthen
- Bypass: Avoid something by going around it
The trees buffer the house from the sea wind.
After applying the polish, burnish your shoes with a soft cloth until they shine.
Frequently asked questions about verbs that start with B
- What are some irregular verbs that start with B?
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Some irregular verbs that start with B are:
- Be — been (past participle) — was (simple past tense form)
- Begin — begun — began
- Blow — blown — blew
- Broadcast — broadcast — broadcast
- Build — built — built
Ask QuillBot’s free AI Chat for more irregular verbs beginning with B.
- What are some long verbs that start with B?
-
Some long verbs that start with B are:
- Beneficiate
- Bioaccumulate
- Bioengineer
- Brainstorm
- Bureaucratize
If you need more verbs starting with T, just ask QuillBot’s free AI Chat.
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Challenger, T. (2026, February 18). 130+ Verbs That Start With B | Definitions & Examples. Quillbot. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://quillbot.com/blog/word-finder/verbs-that-start-with-b/
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