be
verb (used without object)
to exist or live.
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be
1 American
[bee, bi]
/ bi, bɪ /
verb (used without object)
-
am,
present (1st person singular)
-
are,
present (2nd person singular), present (plural)
-
is,
present (3rd person singular)
-
was,
past (1st person), past (1st & 3rd person singular)
-
were,
past (2nd person singular), past (plural), past subjunctive
-
been,
past participle
-
being
present participle
-
to exist or live.
Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.
-
to take place; happen; occur.
The wedding was last week.
-
to occupy a place or position.
The book is on the table.
-
to continue or remain as before.
Let things be.
-
to belong; attend; befall.
May good fortune be with you.
-
(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject).
Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.
-
(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences).
Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.
auxiliary verb
-
am,
present (1st person singular)
-
are,
present (2nd person singular), present (plural)
-
is,
present (3rd person singular)
-
was,
past (1st person), past (1st & 3rd person singular)
-
were,
past (2nd person singular), past (plural), past subjunctive, past (2nd person singular), past (plural)
-
been,
past participle
-
being
present participle
-
(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense).
I am waiting.
-
(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action).
She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.
-
(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice).
The date was fixed. It must be done.
-
(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense).
He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.
verb (used with object)
-
am,
present (1st person singular)
-
are,
present (plural), present (2nd person singular)
-
is,
present (3rd person singular)
-
was,
past (1st person), past (1st & 3rd person singular)
-
were
past (2nd person singular), past (plural)
Be
2
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
Bé.
3
American
abbreviation
B/E
4
American
Or
b.e.
be-
5
American
B.E.
6
American
abbreviation
-
Bachelor of Education.
-
Bachelor of Engineering.
-
Bank of England.
-
bill of exchange.
-
Board of Education.
be
1
British
/ biː, bɪ /
verb
-
to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; live
I think, therefore I am
not all that is can be understood
-
(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; go
have you been to Spain?
-
to take place; occur
my birthday was last Thursday
-
(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity ( John is a man; John is a musician ) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute ( honey is sweet; Susan is angry ). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time ( Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday )
-
(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tense
the man is running
-
(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive ones
a good film is being shown on television tonight
I am done
-
(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligation
the president is to arrive at 9.30
you are not to leave before I say so
-
(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or come
the last train is gone
-
the facts concerning (something) are of no importance
be-
2
British
prefix
-
(from nouns) to surround completely; cover on all sides
befog
-
(from nouns) to affect completely or excessively
bedazzle
-
(from nouns) to consider as or cause to be
befool
befriend
-
(from nouns) to provide or cover with
bejewel
-
(from verbs) at, for, against, on, or over
bewail
berate
BE
3
British
abbreviation
-
bill of exchange
-
(in the US) Board of Education
-
Bachelor of Education
-
Bachelor of Engineering
Bé
4
British
abbreviation
Be
5
British
symbol
B/E
6
British
abbreviation
be
7
British
abbreviation
be
Idioms
Grammar
See me.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
amsimple
-
aresimple
-
issimple
-
have beenperfect
-
has beenperfect
-
am beingprogressive
-
are beingprogressive
-
is beingprogressive
-
have been beingperfect progressive
-
has been beingperfect progressive
Past
-
wassimple
-
weresimple
-
had beenperfect
-
was beingprogressive
-
were beingprogressive
-
had been beingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of be1
First recorded before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon “to be” (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom “(I) am,” Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa “reside,” Latin fuī “(I) have been,“ Greek phy- “grow, become,” Old Irish boí “(he) was,” Sanskrit bhávati “(he) becomes, is,” Lithuanian búti “to be,” Old Church Slavonic byti, Persian būdan “to be”); see am, is, are 1, was, were
Origin of be-5
Middle English, Old English, unstressed form of bī by
Explanation
To be is to exist, or to take place. As Hamlet best put it: "To be or not to be, that is the question." The verb be is one of the most frequently used words in English, and it often takes the form of am, are, were, or was. When you make plans to meet someone later, you could say, "I'll be on the steps in front of the library," and when you talk about your goals, you might confess, "I want to be a movie star." It's a verb with a complicated history, stemming mainly from the Old English bēon, "be, exist, or happen."
Vocabulary lists containing be
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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.
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Above 10° Bé. the effect is more that of an acid with concentrations below 10° Bé.—the only ones of technical importance—however, no ill-effects may be observed.
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Neradol D is a viscous liquid, measuring about 33° Bé., which is similar to extracts of natural tannins.
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Such experiments may be done, for instance, by preparing 2° Bé. solutions of each extract and then mixing them in proportions of, say, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, etc.
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The same result was obtained by first half neutralising the phenolsulphonic acid and then adding sulphited quebracho extract till a 5° Bé. solution was obtained.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
The solution is then evaporated, the residue dissolved in 600 c.c. hot water, and the chromium precipitated with a 40° Bé. solution of caustic soda.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
Khoury’s father, Amin J. Khoury, founded Wellington, Florida-based B/E Aerospace, an aircraft cabin interiors maker that was bought in 2017 for more than $6 billion.
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Rockwell Collins, a longtime supplier of radio and flight displays to Boeing, last year bought B/E Aerospace, the largest cabin-equipment supplier.
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“In today’s environment, the goal is to fit as many seats in the cabin as possible,” said Tom Plant, the general manager for seating products at B/E Aerospace, one of the top airplane seat makers.
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Offering participants a discreet way to alert the moderator to their discomfort- for example by giving them remote buttons they can use to 'bring the researcher in' if need be- may be effective.
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Buteglute has given him his chance to be- to be- the most famous-ah- to do a good thing.
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My original encounter from the store got in line for her pic next, then be- came the photographer for the rest of the meet-and-greet.
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The thriller is adapted from a book of the same name by B.E.
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It also features five commissions from the WNO: Atlanta composer B.E.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2022
Instead it was his father who did the talking, saying that the man had gone to St. Xavier’s, and then B.E.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment BE Semiconductor Industries is up 2.2%.
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BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, is down 1.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
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YOU HAD TO BE HERE: A local activist hung a “Save Bosnia” sign in the stands during the opening game here between Mexico and Norway.
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They were hanging the family motto her dad had years ago stenciled onto scrap wood: LIVE, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, BLESS, AND DON’T BE SORRY.
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A purely Neradol D tanned leather may be produced by immersing a bated pelt, free from lime, in a 2° Bé.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
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