be
verb (used without object)
to exist or live.
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be ing.
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:
“When I beat him, I’ll be one of the greats in this division, and then the next challenger will come and try to take the belt from me,” Van said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
While it would be terrific to liken her fate to that of Deborah Vance on “Hacks,” at least Jean Smart’s diva got a Vegas rebirth.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The reserve's expansion provides public footpaths over the new land, so visitors will be able to explore different trails, the trust said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Black smoke could be seen at King Khalid International Airport, in the latest escalation in the attacks targeting the kingdom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
As long as people don’t notice she’s sick, Father Monaghan should be able to protect her.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Now it’s time for our students to help set the standard. Arrive early. Be loud. Be relentless. We can’t wait to see a sea of Bruin Blue at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Be prepared to pay out of pocket: With most pet insurance, you pay the vet before seeking reimbursement from your insurer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Be direct, says Jason Wenk, founder and CEO of Altruist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
It all related to that appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2002.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
“There are many souls on the other side. Many more than are on this one. Not all of them wish to speak. Not all wish to be silent. Be careful who you wake.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Neradol D is a viscous liquid, measuring about 33° Bé., which is similar to extracts of natural tannins.
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
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 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
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
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
A little more, Davos Seaworth be- seeched the Warrior, bring her around a little more, show me her broadside.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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
The semiconductor-heavy AEX was flat, as BE Semiconductor dropped 2.9% though other AI-linked stocks edged higher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Shares of BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, are up 5.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Album cuts like “$T. LOSER” and “WHAT IS IT LIKE, TO BE LIKED?” find Slayyyter caught up comparing herself to other artists.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
YOU HAD TO BE HERE: The location for the World Cup host committee in this country’s largest city?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 1994
They were hanging the family motto her dad had years ago stenciled onto scrap wood: LIVE, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, BLESS, AND DON’T BE SORRY.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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
The same result was obtained on adding sufficient sodium sulphate to the above mixture of phenolsulphonic acid and formaldehyde to raise the density from 2º-3º Bé.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
“I am just a D-lister . . . but I have been under more pressure than Ed Sheeran,” she said.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
He told me he is not seeing other people, and neither am I. Every year he goes to Mexico for six months.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
I am thinking about where my daughter might go to college, not preschool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"I am really proud to be a woman working in this industry, showing that things have changed, but it's fair to say that there is still work to do."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
I am sad I will not be there to see it in person, but I shall always be with you in spirit.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
And yet she has a gift for making politics relatable without enraging rhetoric since, as she points out, political figures are celebrities too.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
She continued: "We are also still keen to hear from anyone who may have been in Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday 13 September around 8.20pm, or saw her in McDonald's at that time."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“We are not seeing lots of inflationary pressure outside of these supply shocks.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Your daughters are at Dowlatabad Prison. You can book an appointment to see them,” the caller told her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
For some, the guerrillas—who are meant to protect the people from invaders—are a frightening force themselves.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“I see incredible fights in the flyweight division. And I think this Saturday, with my fight against Joshua Van in the main event here in Los Angeles, is very special.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“The only way I know that is it doesn’t get like a gazillion views, but I’m in the Daily Mail and Page Six pretty much every two weeks,” she noted.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
His biggest challenge as leader is approaching, and when all is said and done next year, he desperately needs something to show for it.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“The drive is always the same,” Pantoja said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Her two-year stay stretched into nearly a decade, and her future is uncertain, but Joey is a fighter.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
He recalled that it was the first city he visited when he arrived in the United States in 2014 and that, back then, he slept in a gym.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The donation was made by trust supporter David Aldred.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
First Warsh gave a big speech at the end of August signaling he was unhappy about stubbornly high inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
She rode competitively and trained them, a passion she was turning into a profession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Others say Phineas was sitting on a rock ledge above the hole, holding the iron loosely between his knees.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Maybe I’m imagining things, but considering that the performances of both teams were equally awful, everyone is really blasting the Chargers while making lots of excuses for the Rams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
A column of black smoke has been seen near Riyadh's international airport hours after air raid alerts were issued in the Saudi capital.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The cost of goods, meanwhile, has settled down after a big pop when the tariffs were first put in place.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Rahimi sisters were among 16 defendants detained over their alleged role in the unrest around Shohada Square in Isfahan earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
From that day on, they were virtually inseparable.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Even if Evans does not get an opportunity to construct Version 2.0 of the Expos, life has been good since McCourt sent him packing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
People like it, she says, because they feel like they’ve been invited over to her house.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
In an apology, first issued on Friday, Converse said the photo had been removed from its social media channels and it was working to remove it elsewhere.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Labor costs are muted and have not been a big contributor to rising prices since the pandemic.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
For this reason, the treatment of lepers has historically been brutal in many parts of the world.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Some trees succumbed to insects after being weakened by drought.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
I spoke recently with Jefferson Kelley, an Ohio father of three, one of them being 20-year-old sailor Jackson Kelley, who serves on the Lincoln.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Public footpaths and a scheme to slow the flow of the river in heavy rainfall are being planned.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Commercial tracking firms generally indicate lower oil flows through the strait, though their estimates are complicated by vessels operating with their transponders switched off and making other hard-to-track movements to avoid being attacked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
He thinks he’s being generous enough by letting me be part of a swim club in that area.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
