body
body — verb
1. to make an idea, feeling, or quality take clear shape in a person, object, perfo
to make an idea, feeling, or quality take clear shape in a person, object, performance, or piece of work.
The bronze statue bodies the town's grief after the mine disaster.
body + abstract noun in monument context
In her final speech, Priya bodied years of anger and patience.
body + abstract feeling through speech
The architect bodied hope into the school with bright open rooms.
body + abstract noun + into + design
At the memorial, the dance bodied the family's hope of return.
body + abstract noun in performance context
The mural bodies the workers' pride in bright blocks of color.
body + abstract noun + in + artistic form
- body grief in stone
- body hope into a design
- body an idea in words
- body anger in a speech
- be bodied in glass and steel
- embody
the closest and more usual formal verb for showing an idea in a person or thing
- express
broader and more everyday; it does not always suggest visible form
- represent
can be more symbolic and less vivid than 'body'
- give shape to
stresses making something abstract more concrete
Grammar Patterns
body + abstract noun
body + abstract noun + in + material/object/work
body + abstract noun + into + place/design/work
Usage Note
Mostly literary or used in criticism. The object is usually an abstract noun such as grief, hope, or anger, and the verb often adds 'in' or 'into' before the thing that gives that idea visible form.
Common Mistakes
body — noun
1. all the physical parts of someone or of an animal, taken together.
all the physical parts of someone or of an animal, taken together.
After the race, Ravi washed his whole body in cold water.
whole body for the full physical form
Mud covered the dog's body after it rolled beside the river.
The nurse checked Hana's body for burns after the kitchen fire.
body in a medical check
A red rash spread across the baby's body during the night.
- whole body
- wash your body
- body temperature
- body hair
2. the central section of a living thing, apart from the head and often apart from
the central section of a living thing, apart from the head and often apart from the limbs.
The doll's body was soft, but its head and hands were plastic.
contrasts body with head and hands
Anya sewed the teddy bear's body before adding the head and legs.
The armour covered the knight's body, but his arms stayed bare.
body excluding the arms
Only the body of the statue survived the fire in the museum.
- upper body
- lower body
- body of the statue
- body of the doll
Usage Note
Common when the head or limbs are mentioned separately, especially with toys, statues, or anatomy descriptions.
3. the remains of a person or animal after death.
the remains of a person or animal after death.
Police found the body near the old bridge at sunrise.
body meaning a dead person
The hospital released the body to Mei's family that evening.
Snow covered the climber's body before the rescue team arrived.
A white sheet lay over the body in the small room.
common scene: body under a sheet
- find a body
- identify the body
- recover the body
- body under a sheet
Usage Note
Often used in police, hospital, and news contexts. In more respectful writing, people may prefer 'remains' or 'the deceased' instead.
4. the outer metal part of a vehicle, not the engine or wheels.
the outer metal part of a vehicle, not the engine or wheels.
Salt from winter roads had damaged the truck's body.
vehicle body = outer shell
Workers painted the plane's body bright yellow for the air show.
A long dent ran along the left side of the car's body.
damage shown on the body of a car
The van's body was solid, but the engine was gone.
- car body
- plane body
- paint the body
- dent the body
Usage Note
Usually appears in repair, painting, or design talk about vehicles.
5. a person, especially when people are being counted for work or some other purpos
a person, especially when people are being counted for work or some other purpose.
We need two more bodies to move the piano safely downstairs.
bodies = people available to help
The store needed an extra body during the holiday rush.
Only a few bodies stayed to stack chairs after the concert.
bodies = people available to help after an event
The coach sent fresh bodies onto the court after halftime.
- extra body
- fresh bodies
- not a single body
Usage Note
Often used when counting people needed for a task. It can sound impersonal, so ordinary 'person' is safer in neutral speech.
6. a close-fitting woman's top that also fastens underneath between the legs.
a close-fitting woman's top that also fastens underneath between the legs.
Priya wore a black body under her skirt for dance class.
body as a women's bodysuit
The shop displayed lace bodies beside bras, silk shirts, and belts.
A cream body looked smoother than a blouse under the jacket.
worn smoothly under other clothes
The costume designer chose a silver body for the circus act.
- lace body
- black body
- wear a body
- body under a skirt
Usage Note
In modern everyday English, 'bodysuit' is often clearer than the shorter fashion-shop word 'body'.
7. an organized set of people treated as one unit because they act, decide, or work
an organized set of people treated as one unit because they act, decide, or work together.
The student body voted for longer library hours on Friday.
student body for all students as one group
An international body sent doctors to the island after the storm.
The board entered the hall in a body after lunch.
phrase: in a body = together as a group
A medical body warned parents about fake online treatments.
- student body
- governing body
- professional body
- international body
- organization
broader and not always treated as a single decision-making group
- association
often a formal membership group
- committee
usually a smaller group with a specific task
- individual
stresses one person acting alone rather than as part of a group
Grammar Patterns
body of + people
in a body
Usage Note
Often modified by words such as student, governing, or international. The phrase in a body means together in an official group, not separately.
8. a substantial amount of things, ideas, or information seen together as one whole
a substantial amount of things, ideas, or information seen together as one whole.
A body of evidence linked the fire to faulty kitchen wiring.
collocation: body of evidence
The museum holds a large body of letters from the war.
Years of travel gave Priya a body of stories for her book.
The team collected a body of data from village health clinics.
body of data for a collected set
- body of evidence
- body of research
- body of data
- body of work
- collection
more general and common in everyday speech
- mass
stresses size more than organization
- bulk
often emphasizes most of something rather than a gathered set
- trickle
suggests only a very small amount arriving slowly
Grammar Patterns
body of + evidence/data/work
Usage Note
Usually follows of and names material gathered or viewed together, especially evidence, research, data, or work. Distinguish from noun/9 WATER AREA, which refers only to water.
9. a wide stretch of water considered as one natural area.
a wide stretch of water considered as one natural area.
Fishing boats crossed the body of water before sunrise.
collocation: body of water
A narrow road divides the two bodies of water.
Fog covered the body of water behind the hotel at dawn.
From the hill, Noa saw one body of water after another.
repeated natural areas: bodies of water
- large body of water
- body of water
- cross a body of water
- bodies of water
- stretch of water
a close everyday equivalent
- expanse
more literary and stresses width
- waters
often used in plural for an area of sea or lake
Grammar Patterns
body of water
Usage Note
Most often appears in geography, travel, or news writing. Unlike noun/8 LARGE QUANTITY, this sense is limited to lakes, seas, and other stretches of water.
10. the central section of a text, building, vehicle, or similar thing, not the begi
the central section of a text, building, vehicle, or similar thing, not the beginning, ending, or extra material.
The body of the email explained why the meeting moved.
body of a text = main written part
Guests waited in the body of the church during the storm.
Most facts appear in the body of the report, not the notes.
contrast with notes outside the main section
The editor cut two pages from the body of the article.
- body of the report
- body of the church
- body of the bus
- main body
Grammar Patterns
body of + report/building/vehicle
Usage Note
Usually followed by of and the thing named: the body of a report, church, or bus. Distinguish from noun/8 LARGE QUANTITY, which means a collected set rather than a central part.
11. a single piece of matter with its own shape, separate from what is around it.
a single piece of matter with its own shape, separate from what is around it.
Astronomers found a rocky body near the edge of the solar system.
celestial body in science writing
Under the microscope, the salt crystal formed a body with six sharp sides.
Before the physics test, the scanner measured each solid body on the tray.
solid body as a distinct object
A round iron body cooled on the workshop floor after the pour.
- celestial body
- solid body
- rocky body
- metal body
Grammar Patterns
solid body
celestial body
Usage Note
Mostly appears in science or technical writing, often with words such as celestial, solid, metal, or crystal. In everyday speech, people usually choose object or mass instead.
12. a full, thick, healthy quality in a drink, food, or someone's hair.
a full, thick, healthy quality in a drink, food, or someone's hair.
This red wine has more body after an hour in the glass.
body in tasting for a fuller drink
The soup gained body when Yara added cream and beans.
After the haircut, Lea's hair still had plenty of body.
body for thick, full hair
Dry winter air took the body out of Omar's curls.
- full body
- more body
- gain body
- hair with body
- thinness
suggests weak flavor or flat hair
Usage Note
Common with wine, soup, and hair. The word points to pleasing fullness, not simply physical weight or size.
body and soul
idiomUsing all of your effort and attention.
Mina threw herself body and soul into her new job.
Did Brian really commit body and soul to the project?
To have enough money to buy basic things like food and clothes.
Diego works two jobs just to keep body and soul together.
Can you keep body and soul together on such a low salary?
To not have any of a particular quality.
Sara doesn't have a lazy bone in her body.
Does he have a mean bone in his body?
over my dead body
idiomUsed to express strong opposition to something.
You will sell this house over my dead body.
Over my dead body will they build a factory here.
sell your body
idiomTo have sex for money.
Aiden was desperate enough to sell his body for cash.
Did she really sell her body to pay the rent?
Word family
- bodilyadjectiveC1
- bodilyadverbC1
- embodyverbC1
- embodiedadjectiveC1
- embodimentnounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
At noun/1, 'body' is the broad everyday word for the physical whole of a person or animal. 'Figure' more often points to outward shape and appearance, especially when someone looks slim, tall, or graceful. 'Physique' is more formal and usually suggests build, strength, or fitness. 'Frame' focuses on size and structure, often with adjectives like 'small' or 'thin'. 'Form' is the least anatomical of the group and is common in literary or technical writing when shape matters more than flesh or bones. So you can wash your body, admire someone's figure, build a strong physique, describe a child's narrow frame, or notice a dark form in the doorway.
Common collocations
Phrases
- the body of something
- a body of water / evidence / work
Prepositions
- body of + noun
Etymology
'Body' comes from Old English 'bodig', which already referred to a person's or animal's physical frame and could also mean the main part of something. It is related to Old High German 'botah', but its earlier history is uncertain. From that central idea of a physical mass or main structure, English later developed senses such as 'dead person', 'person', 'organized group', 'main section', and 'a body of water or evidence'. The verb grew from the noun and means giving an idea or quality a concrete form.