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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.

The cinema icon - "BB" as she was known in her home country - acted in almost 50 films, including And God Created Woman, but retired in 1973 to devote her life to animal welfare.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Below BBB starts at BB, which is junk.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025

Credit rating firms were debating where to place the transaction within the BB to CCC range usually deemed junk bonds, according to a Bloomberg report from last month about the potential offering.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

BlackBerry BB 2.31%increase; green up pointing triangle is counting on its automotive software business to power a turnaround of the onetime smartphone pioneer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

There was a cool lake for tubing, waterskiing, and fishing; a swimming pool; crafts; even archery and BB gun ranges.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

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.