become
Americanverb (used without object)
-
becomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
became,
past
-
become,
past participle
-
becoming
present participle
-
to come, change, or grow to be (as specified).
He became tired.
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to come into being.
verb (used with object)
-
becomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
became,
past
-
become,
past participle
-
becoming
present participle
-
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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becomesimple
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becomessimple
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have becomeperfect
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has becomeperfect
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am becomingprogressive
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are becomingprogressive
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is becomingprogressive
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have been becomingperfect progressive
-
has been becomingperfect progressive
Past
-
becamesimple
-
had becomeperfect
-
was becomingprogressive
-
were becomingprogressive
-
had been becomingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Today, of course, the debate has become livelier and more immediate thanks to Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film "The Odyssey".
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Finding new markets has also become more imperative as competition among local and foreign companies intensifies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
On a night out with work friends, one said to him "don't take this the wrong way, Barry, but you've become a massive unit".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"At the same time, we see the exact opposite direction demographically" as religious Jews become a greater proportion of the population, she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The pretence of my life had to become a reality if I was to survive any of this.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
And every week, as the cafe's struggle becomes known, the queue for coffee gets longer.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
New Australian research is shedding light on why walking often becomes slower and more tiring with age.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
But it becomes much more challenging as the state gets closer to its 2045 target, when the entire grid must be clean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“If you boil it down like that,” Infante said, “the intuitive idea that, ‘Oh, zoomers just don’t want to drink,’ becomes very hard to defend.”
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Aren’t you the one who just said she should remain in custody until she becomes an adult?” she asked.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Brook had the lot after the Wellington misdemeanour became public knowledge.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hayden Panettiere, the former child actor who became a household name as an indestructible cheerleader on “Heroes” before starring as a troubled country singer on “Nashville,” has died.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Head Chef Amy Alarcon, who developed the Popeyes chicken sandwich that became a viral sensation in 2019, the revamped Whopper is now helping propel a comeback for the chain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He also became well acquainted with orthopedist Frank Jobe, the team physician.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Growing up, she became more and more fascinated with her ability.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
"I will make the most of the opportunity, whether that's becoming a better player, winning trophies, learning languages," Bronze said.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
As people around the world live longer and the proportion of older adults grows, age-related conditions such as dementia are becoming increasingly common.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Abdul El-Sayed made history this month in Michigan by becoming the first Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Released 50 years ago this month, the album broke industry sales records, becoming the best-selling debut in U.S. history at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
But walking side by side behind him now, Mutti and I could see that his wheezing was becoming worse all the time.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
