Showing results for "being"

• present participle of be.

being

American  

[bee-ing] / ˈbi ɪŋ /

noun

• beings
  plural

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.

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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

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being Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonbeing
  noun
• superbeing
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• beings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of being

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

Explanation

A being is any living creature, from a person to a bug. Being also refers to the state of existing. "To be, or not to be" — that is the question when you're talking about being. Things that exist are in a state of being: this meaning of being is a little vague, but it has to do with the way things are alive and real. The other meaning is easier: beings are living things. Every person is a being, and so is every animal. Beings are no longer in a state of being when they're dead.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

being beings

“I think, like the best offensive players in the league — Luka being probably one of the best — change pace so well,” Thybulle said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Today's result will also determine the composition of the Senate from February 2027 onwards, as 54 of the Senate's 81 seats are being contested, representing two-thirds of the chamber.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

"The risk of not being first is high," Clayton told the Journal.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

She accused them of rape only after being disinvited from the fraternity’s Halloween party.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

My brother makes a joke about me being bad at cooking.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

"Why is it that human beings don't have the right to challenge these things?"

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

"Yes, football is our passion, but we are normal human beings as well and maybe that's something the world doesn't always see."

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Since the 1980s, psychologist and MIT professor Sherry Turkle has been warning that modern technology is scrambling our ability to live in the real world and feel empathy for fellow human beings.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

We as human beings identify with celebrities who have nothing to do with us, but these parasocial relationships can be very bad for our wealth.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The moral law applies to rational, language-using creatures, and the law of nature binds all human beings by virtue of their capacity to recognize that there are moral obligations that are common to them all.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton