Body

/ˈbɒd.i/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Physical frame.; The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism.
  • Grammar: body is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: carcass, adamite, aeroplane, affiliation.
  • Useful contrasts: alma, appendage, atman.
  • Usage evidence: When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins.

How to use "body"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "body" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "body" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "body" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "body" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "body" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "carcass" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "body", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Physical frame.; The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism. countable

    "I saw them walking from a distance, their bodies strangely angular in the dawn light."

  2. 2
    the external structure of a vehicle wordnet
  3. 3
    Physical frame.; The fleshly or corporeal nature of a human, as opposed to the spirit or soul. countable, uncountable

    "The body is driven by desires, but the soul is at peace."

  4. 4
    a resonating chamber in a musical instrument (as the body of a violin) wordnet
  5. 5
    Physical frame.; A corpse. countable

    "Her body was found at four o’clock, just two hours after the murder."

Show 27 more definitions
  1. 6
    the property of holding together and retaining its shape wordnet
  2. 7
    Physical frame.; A person. countable, uncountable

    "Indeed, if it belonged to a poor body, it would be another thing; but so great a lady, to be sure, can never want it […]"

  3. 8
    the main mass of a thing wordnet
  4. 9
    Physical frame.; A human being, regarded as marginalized or oppressed. countable, uncountable

    "the early modern English husband not only took control over his wife's property upon marriage, he also acquired property in her body."

  5. 10
    the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being) wordnet
  6. 11
    Main section. countable, uncountable

    "(countable) A bodysuit. [from 19th c.]"

  7. 12
    a natural object consisting of a dead animal or person wordnet
  8. 13
    Main section.; The torso, the main structure of a human or animal frame excluding the extremities (limbs, head, tail). countable, uncountable

    "The boxer took a blow to the body."

  9. 14
    the body excluding the head and neck and limbs wordnet
  10. 15
    Main section.; The largest or most important part of anything, as distinct from its appendages or accessories; (of vehicles, sometimes) the outer shell (as contrasted with the frame and powertrain). countable, uncountable

    "The bumpers and front tyres were ruined, but the body of the car was in remarkable shape."

  11. 16
    the central message of a communication wordnet
  12. 17
    Main section.; The section of a dress extending from the neck to the waist, excluding the arms. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "Penny was in the scullery, pressing the body of her new dress."

  13. 18
    a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity wordnet
  14. 19
    Main section.; The content of a letter, message, or other printed or electronic document, as distinct from signatures, salutations, headers, and so on. countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    a collection of particulars considered as a system wordnet
  16. 21
    Main section.; The code of a subroutine, contrasted to its signature and parameters. countable, uncountable

    "In many programming languages, the method body is enclosed in braces."

  17. 22
    an individual 3-dimensional object that has mass and that is distinguishable from other objects wordnet
  18. 23
    Main section.; nave. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    Coherent group.; A group of people having a common purpose or opinion; a mass. countable, uncountable

    "I was escorted from the building by a body of armed security guards."

  20. 25
    Coherent group.; An organisation, company or other authoritative group. countable, uncountable

    "The local train operating company is the managing body for this section of track."

  21. 26
    Coherent group.; A unified collection of details, knowledge or information. countable, uncountable

    "We have now amassed a body of evidence which points to one conclusion."

  22. 27
    Material entity.; Any physical object or material thing. countable

    "All bodies are held together by internal forces."

  23. 28
    Material entity.; Substance; physical presence. uncountable

    "The voice had an extraordinary sadness. Pure from all body, pure from all passion, going out into the world, solitary, unanswered, breaking against rocks—so it sounded."

  24. 29
    Material entity.; Comparative viscosity, solidity or substance (in wine, colours etc.). uncountable

    "The red wine, sadly, lacked body."

  25. 30
    Material entity.; An agglomeration of some substance, especially one that would be otherwise uncountable. countable, uncountable

    "The English Channel is a body of water lying between Great Britain and France."

  26. 31
    The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated). countable, uncountable

    "a nonpareil face on an agate body"

  27. 32
    A three-dimensional object, such as a cube or cone. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To give body or shape to something. often, transitive

    "And as imagination bodies forth / The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen / Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing / A local habitation and a name."

  2. 2
    invest with or as with a body; give body to wordnet
  3. 3
    To construct the bodywork of a car.
  4. 4
    To embody. transitive

    "I don’t say, one bodies the other / One’s spiritual truth; / But I do say it’s hard to lose either, / When you have both."

  5. 5
    To murder someone. slang, transitive
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To murder someone.; To utterly defeat someone. broadly, slang, transitive

    "I keep getting bodied by kids half my age."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the nickname.
  2. 2
    Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. archaic

Synonyms

All synonyms
carcassadamiteaeroplaneaffiliationage groupaggregate

Example

"When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins."

Common questions

What does "body" mean?

Physical frame.; The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism.

What is a synonym for "body"?

Common synonyms include: carcass, adamite, aeroplane, affiliation, age group, aggregate.

How do you use "body" in a sentence?

When the body is touched, receptors in the skin send messages to the brain causing the release of chemicals such as endorphins.

How do you pronounce "body"?

Pronounced /ˈbɒd.i/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- Proto-West Germanic *bodag Old English bodiġ Middle English bodi English body From Middle English body, bodi, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodag (“body, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, observe”). Cognate with Old High German botah (“body, corpse, trunk, torso”) (whence Swabian Bottich (“body, torso”), Bavarian Bottich (“body, torso, carcass; lower part of a shirt or jacket”)).

Etymology 2

* As an English surname, from Middle English body, probably a nickname for a corpulent person; and occupational surname from Middle English bode (“messenger”) + -y (diminutive ending). Equivalent to bode (“messenger, herald”) + -y. * As a French surname, variant of Bodin. * As a Hungarian surname Bódy, variant of Bódi, Bodi.

More for "body"

Synonyms

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