SB
Abbreviation with 11 meanings
| Stands for | Southbound |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 11 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Government & Politics, Sports, Medical, Science & Engineering, Writing & Everyday, Education & Academia, Military |
| Also written | Sb, sb |
SB has 11 meanings. The most common are Southbound (direction) and Senate Bill (political); it can also stand for Stolen base, Super Bowl, Small bowel, Antimony and Somebody, plus 4 more listed below.
Meanings of SB at a glance
| # | SB stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southbound | Geography & Places › Direction |
| 2 | Senate Bill | Government & Politics › Political |
| 3 | Stolen base | Sports › Baseball |
| 4 | Super Bowl | Sports › American Football |
| 5 | Small bowel | Medical › Anatomy |
| 6 | Antimony | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
| 7 | Somebody | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
| 8 | Scientiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Science) | Education & Academia › Degree |
| 9 | Special Warfare Boat Operator | Military › US Navy and Coast Guard Rating |
| 10 | Season's best | Sports › Other Sports |
| 11 | Solomon Islands | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Southbound
Geography & Places · Direction Abbreviations
Shorthand for southbound traffic, used on road signs, traffic apps and transit maps, as in US-101 SB.
Example: SB 405 is moving slowly from the Getty Center to LAX.
In California SB also abbreviates Senate Bill and Santa Barbara, so headlines can be ambiguous.
2. Senate Bill
Government & Politics · Political Abbreviations
Prefix for bills introduced in a state senate, followed by a number, as in "SB 8" or "S.B. 202". Numbering often restarts with each legislative session, and some states write the prefix with periods.
Example: Georgia's SB 202 overhauled absentee voting rules in 2021.
State senate bill numbers often become shorthand for major laws, such as Texas SB 8, the 2021 abortion law enforced through private lawsuits. In the US Congress, Senate bills use the prefix "S." rather than SB. California has a Senate and an Assembly, so its bills carry either SB or AB.
3. Stolen base
Sports · Baseball Abbreviations
Base gained by a runner who advances without the help of a hit, walk or error, usually by running as the pitcher delivers. SB totals measure speed and baserunning aggression.
Example: Acuna's 73 SB in 2023 made him the first 40-70 player in history.
Rickey Henderson holds the career record (1,406) and the modern single-season mark (130 in 1982). Larger bases and limits on pickoff attempts, introduced in 2023, sharply increased steals across MLB. In football headlines SB means Super Bowl.
4. Super Bowl
Sports · American Football Abbreviations
Championship game of the NFL, played in February between the AFC and NFC champions and identified by Roman numerals, such as Super Bowl LIX. Headlines and social media often shorten it to SB plus the numeral.
Example: Philadelphia's defense dominated SB LIX, beating Kansas City 40-22.
First played on January 15, 1967, as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game; Lamar Hunt suggested the name after his children's Super Ball toy. Roman numerals have been used since Super Bowl V, except for Super Bowl 50 in 2016. The winner receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. In baseball box scores SB means stolen base.
5. Small bowel
Medical · Anatomy Abbreviations
The small intestine, several meters long, running from the pylorus to the ileocecal valve and made up of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Most nutrient absorption happens here, and SB obstruction, usually from adhesions after previous surgery, is a common surgical emergency.
Example: CT: dilated SB loops with a transition point in the right lower quadrant.
Capsule endoscopy and balloon-assisted enteroscopy reach parts of the SB beyond standard endoscopes. Loss of long segments leads to short bowel syndrome and may require intestinal rehabilitation or parenteral nutrition. In pediatrics and neurology SB can mean spina bifida.
6. Antimony (Sb)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
A brittle, silvery metalloid with atomic number 51, antimony is mostly used as antimony trioxide in flame retardants for plastics and textiles. It also hardens the lead grids of car batteries and catalyzes the production of PET plastic; its sulfide mineral, stibnite, was used as kohl eye makeup in ancient Egypt.
Example: The flame-retardant formulation pairs a brominated additive with Sb oxide as a synergist.
The symbol comes from Latin stibium, the classical name for stibnite. The word antimony appears in medieval Latin as antimonium, of uncertain origin; the popular story that it means "monk-killer" is a folk etymology. Antimony compounds were used for centuries as emetics, and some are still used to treat the parasitic disease leishmaniasis.
7. Somebody (sb)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Stands in for any person in learner's dictionaries and phrase books, showing where a noun or pronoun goes in a pattern such as "remind sb of sth." It is especially common in British learner's dictionaries.
Example: remind sb of sth: to make someone think of a person, place or event from the past
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary uses sb and sth throughout its verb patterns, and some dictionaries write sb/sth when either a person or a thing fits. Learners sometimes copy these abbreviations into essays by mistake, where the full words are needed. Variants include s.o. and smb.
8. Scientiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Science)
Education & Academia · Degree Abbreviations
Latin-order Bachelor of Science used by MIT and by Harvard for its engineering and applied science concentrations. Brown University uses the related form ScB for its science bachelor's degrees.
Example: She earned an SB in computer science and engineering from MIT in 2019.
Written S.B. in older documents. The degree is equivalent to a BS everywhere; the letter order simply follows the Latin "Scientiae Baccalaureus". MIT's matching master's degree is the SM, and its transcripts and alumni directories use these forms rather than BS and MS.
9. Special Warfare Boat Operator
Military · US Navy and Coast Guard Rating Abbreviations
Enlisted rating for Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC), who drive and fight high-speed boats that insert and extract SEALs and other special operators along coasts and rivers.
Example: SB2 Dunn drove the combatant craft through heavy seas to recover the SEAL team.
The rating dates from 2006. SWCC candidates complete a selection and training pipeline at Coronado, California, separate from SEAL training. Their boats include the Combatant Craft Assault and Special Operations Craft-Riverine, and crews specialize in navigation, weapons and engineering.
10. Season's best
Sports · Other Sports Abbreviations
Athlete's best performance in an event during the current season, marked SB in results. It shows form without implying a lifetime best.
Example: She ran an SB of 49.8 to win the 400-meter heat comfortably.
World Athletics results use SB alongside PB, NR, AR, WR and other record notations. A performance that is a PB is not usually marked SB as well. In baseball SB means stolen base, and in football headlines Super Bowl.
11. Solomon Islands
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Pacific nation of nearly 1,000 islands with Honiara on Guadalcanal as its capital and SLB as its alpha-3 code. Guadalcanal was the site of a major World War II campaign in 1942 and 1943.
Example: Logging exports from SB go mainly to China.
Solomon Islands Pijin is the most widely spoken language. The country switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the PRC in 2019.
Related abbreviations
More direction abbreviations
- NNE – North-northeast
- NNW – North-northwest
- NW – Northwest
- S – South
- SE – Southeast
- SSE – South-southeast
- SSW – South-southwest
- SW – Southwest
See all 23 direction abbreviations →
More political abbreviations
- S.Con.Res. – Senate Concurrent Resolution
- S.J.Res. – Senate Joint Resolution
- S.Res. – Senate Resolution
- SASC – Senate Armed Services Committee
- SCOTUS – Supreme Court of the United States
- Sen. – Senator
- SFRC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- SG – Solicitor General
See all 91 political abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.