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to body

to body

4 9.9
To give a physical form to an idea or feeling
  • verb
  • /ˈbɑːdi/
  • Archaic
translation icon : encarnar
  • "It was a form of God, a mirror of creative imagination," and in it God beheld and might "body forth images of his thought." (n72)
  • to body forth

Examples

  • He'd forgotten the basic shape of his head; now it bodied forth, all presence and strength, the cranium of a hero.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Tonight, after playing all of 26 seconds in the first half, Tucker defended LeBron down the stretch and did a fantastic job bodying him.

    Blog text (13)
  • The burden for bodying forth that image rests in the subject's skill at making itself semiotically present.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The artist aimed to body his vision in a magnificent sculpture that captured the essence of beauty.

  • The novel's themes body the struggles of the human condition in an evocative and relatable manner.

  • In his speech, he tried to body the hopes of the people, transforming ideas into a tangible message.

Synonyms

to embody
vsto body
104 5.1

Show an idea, quality or feeling in a clear visible way

focuses on making it material rather than only representing it
to body forth
vsto body
  • Archaic
9.7

To show an idea or feeling in a visible way

is an older word meaning to make something truly material

Idioms

body and soul
  • Informal
9 4.5

With complete dedication and strong belief

to catch a body
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To find a dead person, often during police work or as slang for killing someone

Phrasal Verbs

to exhume the body
  • Specialized
5 8.6

Dig up a buried body to examine it

1 6.3

To ride a wave using only your body while lying on the water

to body forth
  • Archaic
9.7

To show an idea or feeling in a visible way

to embalm a body
  • Specialized
9.8

To stop a dead body from decaying by using chemicals or other methods

To have sex with someone for money

Compounds

234 1.6

A person or animal that is no longer alive

94 1.0

The parts of a person, like bones, muscles and organs

83 1.0

A part of a living body, like an arm or heart

52 2.7

The way a person moves their face, hands, and body to show feelings without words

The warmth of a person's or animal's body that shows if they are healthy

38 4.9

A large sealed bag for carrying a dead person after an accident or during war

body armor
  • Specialized
31 4.1

Clothing made of strong material that protects the body from bullets and blows

30 1.4

How heavy a person is

23 5.1

The number of people killed in a battle or attack

23 4.1

Complete collection of works a person creates, like books or paintings

23 1.0

The adult human body that has parts typical of females

22 2.2

A large area of water like a lake, river, or ocean

18 3.3

A person's thoughts and feelings about their body

A group of people or organization that manages and sets rules for an institution

14 2.8

The parts of a person you can touch, not their mind or spirit

12 1.4

The shape and parts of a woman or girl

11 3.6

The shape and build of a person's body, like thin or muscular

body politic
  • Formal
11 7.5

People of a country seen as one group under one government

11 1.6

The parts and shape of an adult man

A feeling that you are outside your body and can see it from above

9 3.2

An unpleasant smell from the body caused by sweat and germs on the skin

9 1.8

Short hair that grows on the body but not on the head, eyebrows, or eyelashes

8 4.5

An official group of people who make and change laws for a country or state

body fluid
  • Specialized
7 2.8

A liquid from the body of people and animals, for example blood, saliva or urine

celestial body
  • Specialized
5 4.4

A natural object in space like a star or planet that you can see in the sky

5 3.6

A person or animal who gives warmth and comfort by being close

body mass index
  • Specialized
4 3.2

A number that shows if a person's weight is healthy for their height

body count
  • NSFW
4 8.8

The number of people someone has had sex with

3 9.9

A person who steals dead bodies from graves to sell to medical schools for study

heavenly body
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A thing in space like a star or planet that you can see in the sky

3 1.8

A cream or light liquid you put on your skin to keep it soft

black body
  • Specialized
2 8.5

An object that absorbs all light and other kinds of radiation that hit it

2 7.3

A sudden event that causes great harm or shock to plans and feelings

2 3.4

A person or animal that is not dead

wide-body
  • Specialized
2 3.9

A large passenger plane with two aisles and a wide cabin

1 3.1

A tight, stretchy piece of clothing that covers the torso and sometimes the arms and legs

1 2.8

A person or animal with extra weight and a round shape

1 3.4

A thick cream used on the skin to make it soft and less dry

Accepting and liking all body shapes and sizes

1 6.8

A tight one-piece underwear that covers the torso and sometimes arms and legs

1 2.4

A fully grown human body after childhood

ketone body
  • Specialized
1 6.6

Small chemicals made in the liver when the body burns fat for energy

1 4.4

The temperature you measure right after waking and before you move or eat

body English
  • Jargon
1 9.0

A movement of your body after throwing or hitting a ball to change its direction

1 2.1

The distance from the head to the feet or tail of a living thing

body plethysmograph
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A medical machine with a chamber that surrounds the body to measure lung size and how well you breathe

1 9.4

A person who helps someone dress and bathe every day

body waste
  • NSFW
1 2.7

Things the body gets rid of, like urine, sweat, and feces

black-body radiation
  • Specialized
1 7.6

Light and heat given off by an object that absorbs all light, changing colour with temperature

A group that manages official tasks for a company or public service

fruiting body
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A part of some fungi and plants that makes and releases spores

1 1.3

The physical shape and parts of a man

The physical part of a person with skin, bones, and organs, not the mind or spirit

gray body
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An object that emits less light and heat than a perfect emitter at the same temperature

inclusion body
  • Specialized
1 7.6

A small part inside a cell often seen when the cell has a disease

pineal body
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A small gland in the brain that makes melatonin and helps control sleep and daily body rhythms

vitreous body
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A clear jelly that fills the space between the lens and the back of the eye

A natural way for a woman to find her fertile days by taking her temperature every morning

A natural way to avoid pregnancy by checking a woman's daily morning temperature to find days she can get pregnant

A layer like skin, fur, or clothes that covers the body

The shape, size, and strength of a person's body

body louse
  • Specialized
8.7

A small insect that lives in clothing, bites people, and can spread disease

3.2

A thick pad worn by a hockey goalkeeper to protect the body from pucks

body structure
  • Specialized
4.0

The way the parts of a living body are arranged to give it shape and help it move

body substance
  • Specialized
3.5

A part or fluid from the body used to check health, like blood

cancer body
  • Specialized
9.1

A small abnormal structure inside certain white blood cells seen in some cancers

carotid body
  • Specialized
7.2

A small group of cells near the split of the neck artery that senses blood oxygen and helps control breathing

central body
  • Specialized
8.1

Small area in a cell near the nucleus that holds centrioles and arranges tiny tubes

ciliary body
  • Specialized
9.1

Part of the eye behind the iris that changes the lens shape and makes the clear fluid inside the eye

acetone body
  • Archaic
9.7

Small chemicals made when the body breaks down fat for energy, often seen in blood or urine during diabetes

A sudden infection by the herpes virus that damages the front and side parts of the brain

9.9

A brain part that sends signals from the eyes to the back of the brain for vision

liquid body substance
  • Specialized
4.1

A fluid found in a living body, like blood or saliva

Surface Forms

body infinitive
bodied past
bodied past participle
bodying present participle
bodies third person singular

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the old verb body ('to give form') is to think of 'giving something a body'—that is, making an idea into a real, physical form.