Body — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈbä-dē/

Meaning & Definition of Body

Body (noun)

  1. the main part of a plant or animal body especially as distinguished from limbs and head, trunk
  2. the main, central, or principal part
  3. the nave of a church

Body (verb)

  1. to give form or shape to, embody
  2. represent, symbolize —usually used with forth
  3. to use one's body to forcefully block or move (an opposing player) —often used with up

Body (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts

    "the body of the novel was quite good, even if the beginning was a bit slow"

    similar: brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, heft (archaic), main, mass, staple, weight
    related: majority, aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole, bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence, root, soul, stuff, substance, center, heart, hub, kernel, middle, nucleus, nut, seat, affair, argument, burden, crux, focus, gist, nub, pitch, point, purport, matter, motif, subject, text, theme, topic
    near: accessory, adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot, component, constituent, element, ingredient, division, part, piece, section, segment, angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side

  2. a distinct and separate portion of matter

    "to the early explorers the Atlantic was a gigantic and forbidding body of water"

    similar: mass
    related: aggregate, amount, bulk, quantity, quantum, volume, item, object, thing, material, stuff, substance, entirety, totality, whole

  3. a group of people acting together within a larger group

    "feared that there was a body of extremists within the labor union"

    similar: bloc, block, coalition, faction, party, sect, set, side, wing
    related: splinter, split, crew, gang, pack, team, denomination, persuasion, schism, scission, caucus, movement

  4. a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially

    "a hangout where, it seems, much of the student body can be found on a Saturday night"

    similar: bunch, circle, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, gang, klatch, lot, network, pack, ring, set
    related: charmed circle, elite, in-group, closed shop, club, college, fellowship, guild, league, organization, society, camp, faction, sect, side, tribe, mess, squad, brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority, commune, alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, union
    near: loner, individualist

  5. a member of the human race

    "the most intelligent body in this entire place"

    similar: baby, being, bird, bod (British), character, cookie, creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight, son of man
    related: hominid, homo, humanoid, brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor, celebrity, personality, self, somebody
    near: animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

  6. a usually small number of persons considered as a unit

    "a body of security men accompany the president at all times"

    similar: array, band, batch, battery, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, crop, group, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passel, the whole kit and caboodle
    related: assembly, collective, congregation, gathering, muster, organization, circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set, faction, guild, order, school, sect, brigade, crew, outfit, phalanx, platoon, posse, task force, team, alliance, bloc, coalition, confederacy, confederation, federation, league, union, battalion, squadron, bevy, brood, covey
    near: individual, single

Body (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to represent in visible form

    "abstract sculpture that bodies forth the artist's aesthetic of minimalism"

    similar: embody, epitomize, express, externalize, incarnate, incorporate, instantiate, manifest, materialize, personalize, personify, substantiate
    related: actualize, concretize, realize, exemplify, illustrate, image, objectify, symbolize, typify

Related Entry: Body language (noun)

Body language is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body language, not for body.

  1. movements or positions of the body that express a person's thoughts or feelings

    "We could tell from his body language that he was nervous."

    similar: attention, attitude, carriage, poise, posture, stance, station, pose, seat, bearing, behavior, conduct, demeanor, deportment, air, presence, aspect, look, mien

Related Entry: Body bag (noun)

Body bag is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body bag, not for body.

  1. as in box, coffin

    similar: bier, box, casket, coffin, pall, sarcophagus, charnel, crypt, sepulchre, sepulture, tomb, vault, urn

Related Entry: Body bags (noun)

Body bags is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body bags, not for body.

  1. as in boxes, coffins

    similar: biers, boxes, caskets, coffins, palls, sarcophagi, charnels, crypts, sepulchres, sepultures, tombs, vaults, urns

Related Entry: Body blow (noun)

Body blow is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body blow, not for body.

  1. as in right, rabbit punch

    similar: hand, kick, knee, left, one-two, rabbit punch, right, right-hander, roundhouse, shiver, sidewinder, sucker punch, swing, uppercut, counter, counterblow, counterpunch, counterstroke, cruncher, kayo, knockdown, knockout, KO, bang, bash, bat, beat, belt, biff, blow, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip, clout, crack, cuff, dab, douse (British), fillip, hack, haymaker, hit, hook, knock, larrup (dialect), lash, lick, pelt, pick, plump, poke, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smash, sock, spank, stinger, stripe, stroke, swat, swipe, switch, thud, thump, thwack, wallop, welt, whack, wham, whop, bastinado, battering, beating, bludgeoning, clobbering, cudgeling, drubbing, hammering, lambasting, licking, pasting, pounding, pummeling, thrashing, flogging, walloping, whip, whipping

Related Entry: Body blows (noun)

Body blows is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body blows, not for body.

  1. as in rights, rabbit punches

    similar: hands, kicks, knees, lefts, one-twos, rabbit punches, right-handers, rights, roundhouses, shivers, sidewinders, sucker punches, swings, uppercuts, counterblows, counterpunches, counters, counterstrokes, crunchers, kayos, knockdowns, knockouts, KOs, bangs, bashes, bats, beats, belts, biffs, blows, bops, boxes, buffets, busts, chops, claps, clips, clouts, cracks, cuffs, dabs, douses (British), fillips, hacks, haymakers, hits, hooks, knocks, larrups (dialect), lashes, licks, pelts, picks, plumps, pokes, pounds, punches, raps, slams, slaps, slugs, smacks, smashes, socks, spanks, stingers, stripes, strokes, swats, swipes, switches, thuds, thumps, thwacks, wallops, welts, whacks, whams, whops, bastinadoes, batterings, beatings, drubbings, lickings, pastings, thrashings, wallopings, whippings, whips

Related Entry: Body mechanics (noun)

Body mechanics is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body mechanics, not for body.

  1. as in gymnastics, athletics

    similar: aerobics, athletics, bodybuilding, calisthenics, gymnastics, isometrics, plyometrics, slimnastics, weight lifting, activity, conditioning, exercise, exertion, training, warm-up, workout, toning, trimming, physical therapy

Related Entry: Body languages (noun)

Body languages is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for body languages, not for body.

  1. movements or positions of the body that express a person's thoughts or feelings

    "We could tell from his body language that he was nervous."

    similar: attentions, attitudes, carriages, poises, postures, stances, stations, poses, seats, bearings, behaviors, conducts, demeanors, deportments, airs, presences, aspects, looks, miens

Related Entry: Dead (adjective)

Dead is a different word from Body. The synonyms below are for dead, not for body.

  1. no longer living

    "I inherited this heirloom from my dead great-grandfather"

    similar: asleep, breathless, cold, deceased, defunct, demised, departed, fallen, gone, late, lifeless, low, bitten the dust
    related: extinct, dying, fading, moribund, stillborn, finished, lapsed, terminated, inanimate, insensate, nonliving
    opposite: alive, animate, breathing, going, live, living, quick
    near: animated, dynamic, lively, thriving, vibrant, vital, vivacious, active, functioning, operative, running

  2. lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation

    "the store is often dead after 4:00 p.m."

    similar: comatose, sleepy, slow
    related: lethargic, sluggish, torpid, dormant, fallow, free, idle, inactive, inert, inoperative, latent, off, vacant
    opposite: alive, animated, astir, bustling, busy, buzzing, flourishing, humming, lively, thriving, vibrant
    near: abounding, overflowing, swarming, teeming, thronging

  3. depleted in strength, energy, or freshness

    "a long day of traveling left them just dead"

    similar: all in, aweary (archaic), beat, beaten, bleary, burned-out, bushed, done, drained, exhausted, fatigued, jaded, knackered (British), limp, logy, played out, pooped (slang), prostrate, spent, tapped out, tired, tuckered (out), washed-out, wearied, weary, wiped out, worn, worn-out, worn to a frazzle
    related: overfatigued, overtaxed, overworked, broken-down, run-down, debilitated, enervate, enervated, enfeebled, sapped, weakened, drowsy, heavy, sleepy, lethargic, sluggish
    opposite: unwearied
    near: fresh, refreshed, rejuvenated, relaxed, rested, revitalized, active, energetic, invigorated, peppy, strengthened, strong, tireless, vitalized, weariless

  4. having no exceptions or restrictions

    "there was a dead silence following that incredibly moving performance"

    similar: absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming (chiefly British), bodacious (Southern & Midland), categorical, clean, complete, consummate, crashing, damn, damned, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
    related: authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable, constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting, extreme, unrestricted, confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate, extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
    near: doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

  5. lacking in sensation or feeling

    "my foot was dead after I absentmindedly sat on it for an hour"

    similar: asleep, benumbed, insensitive, numb, numbed, torpid, unfeeling
    related: chilled, nipped, anesthetized, cocainized, deadened, drugged, stupefied, blunted, dulled, obtunded, insensible, senseless, unconscious, inanimate, insensate
    opposite: feeling, sensible, sensitive
    near: awake

  6. no longer existing

    "the dead Babylonian culture"

    similar: bygone, bypast, defunct, departed, done, expired, extinct, gone, nonextant, vanished
    related: nonexistent, dying, faded, moribund, collapsed, fallen, overthrown, antiquated, dated, obsolete, passé, finished, lapsed, terminated, lost, missing
    opposite: alive, existent, existing, extant, living
    near: active, dynamic, thriving, vibrant

  7. not being in a state of use, activity, or employment

    "local coal mines that have been dead for years"

    similar: dormant, fallow, free, idle, inactive, inert, inoperative, latent, off, unused, vacant, at rest, on the shelf, out of commission
    related: abeyant, arrested, interrupted, suspended, unoccupied, asleep, comatose, lifeless, moribund, quiescent, sleepy, inoperable, unusable, unworkable, useless, dull, slow
    opposite: active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, going, living, on, operating, operative, running, working
    near: functional, operable, operational, workable, assiduous, industrious, sedulous, energetic, vigorous, feasible, practical, usable, useful, viable

  8. of, relating to, or suggestive of death

    "fell into a dead faint upon hearing the news"

    similar: deadly, deathly, mortal, mortuary
    related: cadaverous, ghostlike, ghostly, phantom, spectral, inactive, inert, inoperative, lifeless, quiescent, still, macabre, baleful, fatal, fateful, fell, killer, lethal, murderous, pestilent
    near: active, alive, animate, breathing, live, living, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, lively, peppy, perky, pert, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vigorous, vital, vivacious, zippy, able-bodied, chipper, fit, hale, healthy, hearty, robust, sound, well, whole, wholesome

  9. facing certain defeat, disaster, or death

    "if we don't finish this project on time, we're dead"

    similar: done, done for, doomed, finished, kaput, ruined, sunk
    related: endangered, imperiled

  10. lacking in taste or flavor

    "from the first sip I could tell that the wine hadn't aged well and was pretty much dead"

    similar: flat, flavorless, insipid, savorless, tasteless, unsavory
    related: bland, dilute, thin, watery, weak, plain, unflavored
    opposite: flavorful, flavorsome, sapid, savory, tasteful, tasty
    near: disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, sickening, unappetizing, unpalatable, cloying, mawkish, appetizing, delectable, delicious, palatable, toothsome, keen, piquant, seasoned, spicy, flavored, heavy, rich

  11. producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation

    "the dead wastes of the far country to the west"

    similar: barren, bony, desolate, hardscrabble, impoverished, infertile, poor, stark, unfertile, unproductive, waste
    related: bleak, inhospitable, lifeless, uncultivable, untillable, bankrupted, consumed, debilitated, depleted, diminished, drained, dried-up, enfeebled, exhausted, expended, lessened, reduced, spent, used up, arid, desert, droughty, dry, rainless, sere, thirsty, waterless, baked, dehydrated, parched, sunbaked
    opposite: fertile, fruitful, lush, luxuriant, productive, rich
    near: arable, tillable, green, sylvan, verdant

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Body

The most common words with a similar meaning to Body:

Archaic: heft
British: bod
brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, main, mass, staple, weight, bloc, block, coalition, faction, party, sect, set, side, wing, bunch, circle, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, gang, klatch, lot, network, pack, ring, baby, being, bird, character, cookie, creature

Related Words for Body

majority, aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole, bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence, root, stuff, substance, center, heart, hub, kernel, middle, nucleus, nut, seat, affair

Near Antonyms of Body

accessory, adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot, component, constituent, element, ingredient, division, part, piece, section, segment, angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side, loner, individualist, animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter, individual, single

Word Forms of Body

Inflections: bodies, bodied, bodying

Origin & Etymology of Body

Middle English, from Old English bodig; akin to Old High German boteh corpse

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Body

Words & Phrases Containing Body

body bag, body blow, body camera, body cavity, body-centered, body check, body clock, body corporate

Frequently Asked Questions about Body

What does "Body" mean?

"Body" means the main part of a plant or animal body especially as distinguished from limbs and head, trunk. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: the main part of a plant or animal body especially as distinguished from limbs and head, trunk. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Body"?

Other words for "Body" include brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, heft, main and mass. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Body" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Body"?

There are 223 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Body". Common alternatives include brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, heft, main, mass, staple and weight.

How do you use "Body" in a sentence?

Examples of "Body" in a sentence: "the body of the novel was quite good, even if the beginning was a bit slow"; "to the early explorers the Atlantic was a gigantic and forbidding body of water"; "feared that there was a body of extremists within the labor union".

Is "Body" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Body" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Body" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Body" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Body"?

"Body" is pronounced /ˈbä-dē/.

What is the origin of the word "Body"?

"Body" comes from Middle English, from Old English bodig; akin to Old High German boteh corpse. First known use: before 12th century.