Meaning & use
BMP
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Meanings
abbreviationcomputing
A computer file format for storing pictures, in which the color of each tiny dot is recorded separately.
Grammar: Used like a noun or before another noun: save it as BMP, a BMP file.
Patterns
- save something as BMP
- a BMP file
- convert something to BMP
- open a BMP
The logo was saved as a BMP, so the file was much larger than the same picture as a JPEG.
Most photo viewers can open a BMP without any extra software.
He exported the chart to BMP and then pasted it into the report.
abbreviationmedicalspecialist
A medical test that measures how well the kidneys are working and how much calcium and phosphate are in the blood.
Grammar: Used as a noun in medical writing: a BMP, the BMP results.
Patterns
- order a BMP
- a BMP test
- BMP results
The doctor ordered a BMP to check the patient's kidney function.
Her BMP results showed that her calcium level was slightly high.
A basic BMP is often part of a routine blood test in hospital.
Common combinations
- a BMP file
- A BMP file keeps every pixel, which is why it takes up so much space.
- save something as BMP
- Save the picture as BMP if you need to edit it again later.
- convert something to BMP
- The program can convert a PNG to BMP in a few seconds.
- BMP format
- Scanners often produce images in BMP format by default.
- a BMP image
- The old website used large BMP images, so the pages loaded slowly.
- BMP results
- The nurse explained the BMP results to the patient in simple words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bitmap
- The full word behind the letters BMP; use 'bitmap' when you are speaking generally about this kind of image, and BMP when you mean the file format itself.
- image file
- A general term for any picture file, such as JPEG, PNG or BMP, so it is wider and less exact than BMP.
Word family
- bitmap noun
- A picture stored as a grid of separate colored dots; BMP is short for this word.
Commonly confused: BMP or JPEG? BMP or BPM?
BMP vs JPEG
Another image format, but JPEG throws away some detail to make the file smaller, while BMP keeps the picture exactly as it is.
BMP vs BPM
These letters look similar but BPM means 'beats per minute' in music, so do not mix the two up.
Practice
Which sentence uses BMP correctly?
Choose one answer.
BMP names a file format, so it follows 'as a' or comes before 'file'. Option 1 fits that pattern; option 2 adds a meaning that does not belong, option 3 uses it as a verb, which it is not, and option 4 uses comparison grammar that makes no sense here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “BMP”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.