Meaning of book In English

• 0 a written text that can be published in printed or electronic form:

  • Have you read any good books recently?

  • He has a new book out (= published).

  • She wrote a book on car maintenance.

  • a hardback/paperback book

  • I took a book with me to read on the plane.

  • He writes all his expenses in a little book he carries with him.

  • the book of Job

• 1 a number of one type of thing fastened together flat inside a cover:

  • a book of stamps/tickets/matches

• 2 the written records of money that a business has spent or received:

  • At the end of the year, the accountant goes over (= checks) the books.

  • Running a school is much more of a business than it used to be, - by law we have to balance our books.

  • They've already opened/started a book on the result of the next World Cup.

• 3 to arrange to have a seat, room, performer, etc. at a particular time in the future:

  • [ + two objects ] I've booked us two tickets to see "Carmen"/I've booked two tickets for us to see "Carmen".

  • She'd booked a table for four at their favourite restaurant.

  • Will booked a seat on the evening flight to Los Angeles.

  • We were advised to book early if we wanted to get a room.

  • They booked a jazz band for their wedding.

  • The hotel/restaurant/theatre is fully booked (up) (= all the rooms/tables/tickets have been taken).

  • I'd like to go but I'm booked up (= I have arranged to do other things) until the weekend.

• 4 If a police officer, referee, etc. books someone, they write down the person's name in an official record because they have done something wrong:

  • A football player who is booked twice in a game is sent off the field.

  • My grandmother was booked for speeding last week.

• 5 an object consisting of a number of pages of text or pictures fastened together along one edge and fixed inside two covers:

  • The artist’s sketch books filled several shelves.

  • a book of matches/stamps

• 6 to arrange to have the use of a seat, room, etc. at a particular time in the future:

  • [ T ] Our travel agent booked us on a flight to Paris.

  • [ T ] They booked the Rolling Stones for two concerts in New York.

• 7 to officially accuse someone of a crime:

  • Detectives booked him for resisting arrest.

• 8 a set of pages in a cover that you read or write in:

  • book about/on sth She is author of three books about criminal procedure.

  • The company publishes an extensive range of books.

  • children's/reference/self-help books

  • an address book

• 9 the written records of money that a business has spent or received:

  • At the end of the year, the accountant goes over the books.

  • John kept the books and helped her run her business.

• 10 to do something exactly as the rules tells you:

  • My lawyer always goes strictly by the book.

  • This is a private deal - we don't have to do everything by the book.

• 11 employed by a company or officially belonging to an organization:

  • There are 256 people on the books at the cement works.

  • Carla is on the books of a modelling agency.

• 12 to arrange a place on a flight, a room in a hotel, a ticket for an event, etc. for a particular time in the future:

  • Because tickets are limited, you have to book early.

  • book a flight/holiday/show When he tried to book a flight home to Australia, his credit card was refused.

  • book a table/room/seat.

  • book an appointment/meeting If you want to see Ms. Smith you'll have to book an appointment.

  • book sth for sth It's the day we have provisionally booked for the launch of the new media website.

• 13 to make a record of something in a company's accounts:

  • The loss would have been much larger had they not booked an £8m profit from property sales.

  • book sth in sth Jarvis expects to be able to book some or all of that figure in the current year's accounts.