Bb Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms BB 1 American [bee-bee] / ˈbiˌbi /

noun

1. a size of shot, 0.18 inch (0.46 centimeter) in diameter, fired from an air rifle or BB gun.

2. Also called BB shot. shot of this size.

BB 2 American

1. a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than BBB and higher than B.

bb. 3 American

abbreviation

1. ball bearing.

2. Baseball. base on balls; bases on balls.

B/B 4 American

1. bottled in bond.

b.b. 5 American

abbreviation

1. bail bond.

2. baseboard.

B.B. 6 American

abbreviation

1. bail bond.

2. Blue Book.

3. B'nai B'rith.

4. Bureau of the Budget.

BB 1 British

abbreviation

1. Boys' Brigade

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

symbol

1. double black: denoting a very soft lead

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 bb 2 British

abbreviation

1. Barbados

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What else does bb mean? In text messages and online, bb can be short for baby, especially as it's used as a term of endearment for significant others or friends. In this sense, it can sometimes be pronounced as [bey-bee].Bb can also be short for quite a few other things, including basketball, bye-bye, the pellets of a BB gun, and some NSFW applications.

Etymology

Origin of BB

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fitch Ratings said Monday that it placed Paramount on its “negative” ratings watch, and downgraded its credit to BB+ from BBB-, which puts the company’s credit into “junk” territory.

From Los Angeles Times

In a report on Monday, Fitch warned of the risk that Paramount’s financial and leverage targets will slip, and downgraded the group’s credit rating to BB+ from BBB-, and placed it on rating watch negative.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paramount’s current rating is BB+, which means Paramount’s debt is already rated one notch below investment grade.

From MarketWatch

The police built their case against Omar Benguit around the testimony of a drug addict, who we are calling BB for legal reasons.

From BBC

Because their fringe sport gets limited funding, the couple formed “Team BB” and created a logo with both flags.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.