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• ben
  ben

  noun

  the inner or back room of a two-room cottage, especially when used as a combined parlor and bedroom.
• Ben
  Ben

  noun

  a first name, form of Benjamin.

ben

¹ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

1. the inner or back room of a two-room cottage, especially when used as a combined parlor and bedroom.

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adverb

1. within; inside.

adjective

1. inside; inner.

ben ² American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

1. the seed of a tropical tree, Moringa pterygosperma, that yields an oil ben oil used in manufacturing cosmetics and lubricating delicate machinery.

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ben ³ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

Scot., Irish.

1. a mountain peak; high hill.

   Ben Nevis.

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ben ⁴ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

Also Ben

1. son of (used especially in Hebrew and Arabic names).

   Moses ben Maimon.

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Ben ⁵ American  

[ben] / bɛn /

noun

1. a first name, form of Benjamin.

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ben ¹ British  

/ bɛn /

noun

1. an inner room in a house or cottage

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preposition

1. in; within; inside; into the inner part (of a house)

adjective

1. inner

ben ² British  

/ bɛn /

noun

1. any of several Asiatic trees of the genus Moringa , esp M. oleifera of Arabia and India, whose seeds yield oil of ben , used in manufacturing perfumes and cosmetics, lubricating delicate machinery, etc: family Moringaceae

2. the seed of such a tree

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ben ³ British  

/ bɛn /

noun

1. a mountain peak (esp in place names)

   Ben Lomond

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Etymology

Origin of ben¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (Scots); as adverb, an unexplained variant of late Middle English bin, Middle English binne, Old English binnan “within” (cognate with Old Frisian binna, Middle Dutch, German binnen ), equivalent to bi- “near, around” + innan “within”; see origin at be-, in

Origin of ben²

First recorded in 1550–60; from Arabic bān, the name of the tree

Origin of ben³

First recorded in 1780–90; from Scots Gaelic, Irish beann “peak”

Origin of ben⁴

From Hebrew bēn, Arabic bin “son”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ben Ben

According to the people familiar with the internal discussions, the goal for the envoy, Qiu Xiaoqi, was to secure what Beijing calls ji ben pan—the “strategic foundation” of China’s Latin America influence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

The new venture is "exciting" and "I feel like they're making noma more accessible," Stephen Velasco, an American who has ben living in Copenhagen for 32 years, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

Moussi leads the Free Constitutional Party and is a supporter of late president Zine El Abidine ben Ali who was toppled by mass protests in 2011.

From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2023

The family of the man who died have ben informed.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2023

Twas he had driven them forth at first, without his killing e’er a one of them, and he himself was ben the castle at the very time.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

It was set up by the former defence secretary, Ben Wallace, in the wake of allegations first reported by BBC Panorama, in 2022.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ben Dixon, a Douglas Elliman agent in New York City and the Hamptons, said today he is much more willing to tell an owner to consider not selling at all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Nothing’s conclusive until it’s randomized,” said Ben Hirsh, director of preventive cardiology at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

During a panel discussion later in the event, the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Ben Ashwell asked Simile co-founder and CEO Joon Sung Park if we’re all going to die because of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Ben certainly isn’t perfect—we all know he has a nasty temper.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy