are
1 Americanverb
noun
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of are1
First recorded before 900; Middle English aren, are, arn, Old English (Northumbrian) aron; cognate with Old Norse eru, 3rd person plural; replacing Old English bēoth, sind; cf. art 2
Origin of are2
First recorded in 1810–20; from French, from Latin ārea “vacant piece of level ground, open space in a town, threshing floor”; see area
Explanation
Are is the plural of "is" and "am," a form of the most common verb "be." He is going, but we are going. Are is also used with you, as in, "Are you going to the movies?" In English, the forms of be break down like this: "I am; you are; he is; we are; they are; you (more than one of you) are." Are, of course, is only used when you are talking about things that are happening now. When they already happened, the word is were: we are here now, but we were there yesterday. Are is also a metric measurement equal to 100 square meters, but the unit is rarely used these days.
Vocabulary lists containing are
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.
These specialized cells are essential to adaptive immunity because they help recognize and destroy infected cells.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026
“It’s when you go to a nice restaurant, like with a beautiful view, and there are heart emojis floating above your heads.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
School children are taking part in an event aimed at inspiring climate action, to coincide with the COP31 international climate conference in Turkey.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
In Denmark, patients generally contribute toward the cost of GLP-1 injections, although government subsidies are available for diabetes treatment.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026
It’s unknown how many of these papers were printed during this time, but there are at least fifty documented publications.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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