become
Americanverb (used without object)
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to come, change, or grow to be (as specified).
He became tired.
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to come into being.
verb (used with object)
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to be attractive on; befit in appearance; look well on.
That gown becomes you.
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to be suitable or necessary to the dignity, situation, or responsibility of.
conduct that becomes an officer.
idioms
verb
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(copula) to come to be; develop or grow into
he became a monster
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(foll by of; usually used in a question) to fall to or be the lot (of); happen (to)
what became of him?
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(tr) (of clothes, etc) to enhance the appearance of (someone); suit
that dress becomes you
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(tr) to be appropriate; befit
it ill becomes you to complain
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has becomeperfect 3rd person singular
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have becomeperfect
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am becomingprogressive 1st person singular
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is becomingprogressive 3rd person singular
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becomessingular 3rd person
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are becomingprogressive
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have been becomingperfect progressive
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becomingparticiple
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has been becomingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had becomeperfect
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becomeparticiple
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had been becomingperfect progressive
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was becomingprogressive singular
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becamesimple
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were becomingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of become
First recorded before 900; Middle English becumen, Old English becuman “to come about, happen”; cognate with Dutch bekomen, German bekommen, Gothic biqiman. See be-, come
Explanation
To become is to evolve, change into, or emerge as something. A fertilized egg will hatch and the tiny chick will become a full-grown chicken. When you become angrier and angrier watching the TV news, you begin to feel a certain way. Likewise, when Pinocchio the wooden puppet becomes a real boy in the fairy tale, he changes from toy to human. The word become can also mean "learn how to be" or "be qualified for," as when you dream that some day you'll become an astronaut. The Old English becuman has these meanings, and also "meet with" or "arrive."
Vocabulary lists containing become
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Puts give investors the right to sell shares at a certain preset price and become more valuable as the underlying stock’s price decreases, so they are used by investors betting stocks will go down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
The charity is hopeful in the future the treatment will become available to even more prostate cancer patients.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
A new study led by researchers at Curtin University offers fresh insight into one of Stonehenge's most enduring mysteries: how a massive stone made its way across Britain to become part of the famous monument.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Eras don’t end for him so much as become transition points.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
One day, he decided to become a knight, for he wanted to right all that was wrong in the world, and punish evil.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
