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.
See Examples For:
Ethan responded: “I mean, it would be fun to date, but I’m not interested in that. I’m very happily married.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Yet there seems to be no close end to the war.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
"As life evolves and as a society we're exposed to more things to do, more ways to be engaged, there are more opportunities for unhealthy relationships develop."
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers should be L.A.’s team in this World Series because their players and ownership are heavily invested in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Joey wants to bring some form of light to them, whatever that may be.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The "Be Ready" campaign encourages households to stock up on supplies to survive for three days, including non-perishable food, bottled water, a torch, sleeping bags, and first aid items.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Be generous with napkins, too, and pro tip: tuck a bus tub — which you can buy online or from a restaurant supply store — somewhere discreet for used dishes.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Be wary of calling the number back or answering calls from unknown numbers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Be available “around-the-clock,” including nights and weekends if needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Shoot. A customer out in Rankin County has a leaky pipe. Bet it’s a depressed haint. I’m gonna go set up an appointment with these folks. Be right back.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
By using a bath composed of half-neutralised phenolsulphonic acid and quebracho extract in 7° Bé. solution, another piece of pelt was completely tanned in two days.
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
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.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
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.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
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
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.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2022
Rockwell Collins, a longtime supplier of radio and flight displays to Boeing, last year bought B/E Aerospace, the largest cabin-equipment supplier.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2018
Numerous phone calls requesting an interview with executives from B/E Aerospace, which has its headquarters in Wellington, Fla., were not returned.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2016
“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.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2013
B/E Aerospace, the world's biggest supplier of aircraft interior products, is expected to report higher quarterly results mostly in line with expectations, helped by growth in its $1 billion non-discretionary consumables business.
From Reuters ● Oct. 18, 2010
What rotten luck for you that “The Grapes of Wrath” should not only have come out be- fore your book was submitted but should have so swept the country!
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2024
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.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2023
Buteglute has given him his chance to be- to be- the most famous-ah- to do a good thing.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 20, 2023
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.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 22, 2019
It makes me feel safe, this time be- tween day and night, as though we’re floating together in an in-between place where anything is possible.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Earlier Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said air defence systems had been in action around a Kerch shipyard named after B.E.
From Reuters ● Nov. 4, 2023
"It was back in 2019 and I was sitting in my box room at home, quietly sulking and downloading application forms for jobs in PR," said the 48-year-old, who writes under the pen name B.E.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2023
The thriller is adapted from a book of the same name by B.E.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
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
Bloom Energy BE -8.70%decrease; down pointing triangle reported a higher third-quarter profit and lifted its outlook for the year, driven by demand for the company’s on-site power solutions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment BE Semiconductor Industries is up 2.2%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
BE Semiconductor shares trade 5.8% lower at 180.85 euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
YOU HAD TO BE HERE: After the June 24 game between Brazil and Sweden, a thunderstorm passed directly over the media tent as hundreds of journalists were filing their stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 1994
Steven, I respect privacy as much as the next teacher, but how private can your thoughts on this question BE?
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Bé Ù, a Vietnamese restaurant in Virgil Village, will be open Friday, but owner Uyên Lê said that’s because she does her community organizing work through the business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Last summer, Uyên Lê, owner and chef at Bé Ù Vietnamese Street Food in East Hollywood, was scraping out her Sriracha bottles and trying to ration her supply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
Bé Ù offered free meals in exchange for Huy Fong Sriracha sauce, and it got around 300 bottles during the promotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
Opened last year, Le Grand Bé is a big, splashy, four-star addition to St-Malo’s historical walled center.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2019
With the reunion of the Russian divisions at Nossi Bé, Madagascar, January 9, 1905, came news of the fall of Port Arthur.
From A History of Sea Power by William Oliver Stevens
“I am living in a nightmare I can’t wake up from. ...,” she stated on her Instagram post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
"I am being victimised here, and I need proper protection from this individual and their repeated attempts to disrupt my career" he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Is it possible to do something similar now that I am retired?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Lula "represents everything that I am," said 22-year-old Gabriela Ferreira at a leftist demonstration in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
And even though I am still messing up on the piece I’m practicing, just holding Grace makes me feel better.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The Milwaukee Brewers should be L.A.’s team in this World Series because their players and ownership are heavily invested in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
He said calorie counting apps can become "highly addictive" if you are weighing, measuring and adjusting your calorie intake.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Similar increases are likely in the next five years if AI actually delivers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Two of the shuttered cookie shops are in Southern California, in Westlake Village and Mira Mesa in San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The leaflets are then loaded on planes and dropped across the countryside, while posters— painted by some of Japan’s most talented artists—are pasted on the walls of schools, churches, and other prominent buildings.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The temporary suspension is intended to minimize the potential for widespread delays and cancellations if coastal conditions disrupt rail operations, Metrolink said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Regardless, it doesn’t appear that this 3% increase is going to bring down oil prices any time soon.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
He said: "I don't tend to look at the data as much anymore. I just accept it for what it is."
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. ... I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Everything in it is an expression of the many facets of herself, including the sides of her that most people don’t see.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But I was met with dismissive answers and no action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
His first recurring role was on “The Little People,” also known as “The Brian Keith Show,” where he played a student doctor named Ronnie Collins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
“I was interviewing for ‘The Brian Keith Show’ with Warner Brothers, and they also owned a news company that produced a lot of magazines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The practice, according to the report issued by commissioner Rob Manfred, was refined during the regular season and extended “throughout the postseason.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The priest also explains that “he indicated many instances in which he had tried to find out what she was reading and she had refused to show him the title of the book.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“My parents had always said, if we were fortunate enough to be able to watch them go to the World Series, we’re going to do everything we can to get there,” Henderson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
So we’re basically back to where things were before the fighting started.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
If talks beforehand had centred on Wade's potential march into the record books, it was typical that there were barely any chances for anyone in the first half.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Annual increases in compensation jumped to as high as 5% in 2022 — almost double the prepandemic trend — when companies were scrambling to hire people at a time of acute labor shortages.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
All these changes were brought on by a hole through a specific part of his brain.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Ethan and Hila have been together for 20 years and married for 14.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
He has been in training for the The Marathon Eryri, formerly the Snowdonia Marathon, but with a very different outlook.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“The semis have been so sensitive to the AI-infrastructure buildout,” Mike Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at wealth-management firm Glenmede, said in a phone interview Friday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
But that is democracy in action and has been since the constitutional founding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Joey has been through a lot since she held Ah Choo for the first time.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Gluesenkamp Perez, 38, who ran an auto shop with her husband before being elected to Congress, frames her mission as one built around the practical needs of her district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
He said his struggle intensified following a heart scare during a training run, which led to him being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation - a heart rhythm condition.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“But the health of the overall equity market and the health of the U.S. economy relies vitally on the artificial-intelligence industry being successful.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Investors have said there are reasons to believe that stocks can advance through the end of the year—one being the boom in third-quarter profits that American companies are expected to report in the coming weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Turning to Sancho, he said, "Forgive me, my friend, because I, being crazy, made you seem crazy too."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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