body

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> Synonyms brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, heft [archaic], main, mass, staple, weight Related Words 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 Antonyms accessory (also accessary), 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> Synonyms mass Related Words 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> Synonyms bloc, block, faction, coalition, party, sect, set, side, wingRelated Words 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> Synonyms gang, bunch, circle, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, klatch (also klatsch), lot, network, pack, ring, setRelated Words charmed circle, elite, in-group; closed shop; club, college, fellowship, guild (also gild), league, organization, society; camp, faction, sect, side, tribe; mess, squad; brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority; commune; alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, unionNear Antonyms loner; individualist

5 a member of the human race <the most intelligent body in this entire place> Synonyms baby, being, bird, bod [British], human, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wightRelated Words hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebodyNear Antonyms 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> Synonyms array, band, batch, battery, group, boodle, bunch, cluster, clutch, consort, constellation, crop, grouping, huddle, knot, lot, parcel, party, passelRelated Words assembly, collective, congregation, gathering, muster, organization; circle, clan, clique, coterie, fellowship, gang, ring, round, set; faction, guild (also gild), order, school, sect; brigade, crew, outfit, phalanx, platoon, posse, task force, team; alliance, bloc, coalition, confederacy, confederation, federation, league, union; battalion, squadron; bevy, brood, coveyNear Antonyms individual, single