being

American  

[bee-ing] / ˈbi ɪŋ /

noun

1. the fact of existing; existence (as opposed to nonexistence).

2. conscious, mortal existence; life.

   Our being is as an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night.

3. substance or nature.

   of such a being as to arouse fear.

4. something that exists.

   inanimate beings.

5. a living thing.

   strange, exotic beings that live in the depths of the sea.

6. a human being; person.

   the most beautiful being you could imagine.

7. (initial capital letter) God.

8. Philosophy.

   1. that which has actuality either materially or in idea.

   2. absolute existence in a complete or perfect state, lacking no essential characteristic; essence.

---

conjunction

1. Nonstandard. since; because; considering that (often followed by as, as how, orthat ).

   Being it's midnight, let's go home.

   Being as how you cooked supper, I'll do the dishes.

being British  

/ ˈbiːɪŋ /

noun

1. the state or fact of existing; existence

2. essential nature; self

   she put her whole being into the part

3. something that exists or is thought to exist, esp something that cannot be assigned to any category

   a being from outer space

4. a person; human being

5. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality Compare becoming

---

being Idioms  

1. see for the moment (time being); other things being equal.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonbeing noun
• superbeing noun

Etymology

Origin of being

First recorded in 1250–1300; be + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

As Chan explained, "a ton of cryptic species are being discovered left and right."

From Science Daily

Meta removed some of these pages after it was contacted by the BBC but, throughout the investigation, new pages were being created almost daily.

From BBC

"The shop was evacuated as soon as the alarm was raised, and our team are now being supported by colleagues."

From BBC

The agreement, which needs approval from a judge and came after a week of trial, would spare the concerts-and-ticketing company from the threat of its business being broken up.

From The Wall Street Journal

James Cockayne, an Australian anti-slavery official, tells us there are “concerns that the women are being accompanied by chaperones and minders from the Iranian regime who are controlling their ability to move and speak freely.”

From The Wall Street Journal