be
verb (used without object)
to exist or live.
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:
“Nobody wants to be in that position. I’ve been in that position.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
He was the first Japanese American to be a head coach in college basketball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Under the plain text of the Video Privacy Protection Act, Salazar should be able to hold Paramount liable for its disclosure of his video history.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
Or, if you just can’t wait that long, I saw a listing you might be interested in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
On lucky days when water is available, it must be boiled first, so that it doesn’t make the prisoners sick.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Be a CEO and cut the guy loose!
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Be available “around-the-clock,” including nights and weekends if needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"My motto is: Be healthy, be happy, be kind."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Be specific with where you offer the items you no longer want, whether it is for sale or to donate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 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
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
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
The partly neutralised 2° Bé. solution of this product yielded a reddish-grey coloured leather, the qualities of which were very similar to that yielded by Neradol D. 3.
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
Neradol D is a viscous liquid, measuring about 33° Bé., which is similar to extracts of natural tannins.
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 may also guide below consensus," Stallard said.
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
The words be- come an undercurrent in my life, like music that sticks in your head, a constant background to every thought.
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
BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, is down 8.2% following a stock rating downgrade from UBS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, is down 1.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 1994
DO NOT BE AFRAID, Pet replied, and then it turned to Hibiscus and the rest of its wings snapped out into fullness.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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
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
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
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
Bé, who thoroughly understood the case, warmly argued also in favor of a reversal, and in glowing terms pictured the court scene and the misunderstanding of the jury.
From The Awakening The Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy, Count
It’s been another busy week of news, and I, for one, am ready to take a breather.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I really am struggling to this day to understand exactly what I experienced in this,” Fielder admitted during a post-screening Q&A at Telluride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
But one foreign attendee voiced concerns, telling AFP in English: "I am really hoping Rwanda is not chewing what it cannot swallow."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
And here’s one rarely considered thought: What am I going to do about my mailing address and phone number?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
While I’m devastated to lose Gran, I know that if she can’t see the truth about who he is and who I am, then, sad to say, it’s her loss.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
ROS are a type of free radical, a broad term for one class of unstable, high-energy molecules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Chaparral are adapted to fire every 30 to 130 years — not every eight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
I’m sure there are Dodgers fans unhappy about losing to the Brewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
It’s the reason they are often used for packaging, and why they so stubbornly resist biodegradation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
And there are many powerful men with their eyes on the island nation’s abundance of raw materials.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Everything we do is a Band-Aid, and comes with different price tags and lifespans.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The Brewers are an exceptional young team and Father Time is undefeated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Along the entire coast, public infrastructure that we all benefit from is under threat, including roadways, parks and railroad tracks, and that’s where any public investment ought to go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The playoffs are about which team is playing its best this time of year, and right now it’s the Brewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
But if she’s going to succeed in her adopted country—one for which she played such a pivotal wartime role—she’ll have to remind them who she is.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The coast wasn’t being saved, it was being reclaimed by the sea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
What was revealed was quite surprising, which is that it’s actually not willpower that’s doing most of the work.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
“I was like, ‘Hey, what do I need to know about him?’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
“I was able to get the ball rolling and show what I can do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Jones said war was coming, and traveling to Southeast Asia would be dangerous.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Those five weeks in Indy were seriously big for me, big for my career,” Grupe said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Because the wheels were not secured with chocks, and no breakaway cables were attached, there was nothing preventing the vehicle from rolling backwards when it was lowered on to the skates.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Ninety percent of those particles were small enough to qualify as nanoplastics, which are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and be absorbed into human cells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Food samples were later found to contain lead 2,000 times in excess of China's national safety limit.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
John Early, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, arrived at Carville in 1918, when patients were treated as prisoners and pariahs rather than people who needed medical care.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Some low-lying communities have been warned for years to prepare for rising sea levels, Ainsworth said, but have put off the inevitable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
But let’s talk about willpower because so many of us understand that that has been part of our success, that we have done that before.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
"There are so many people in my life, friends and people that I've worked with that I wouldn't have been able to do this without," he continued.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Indonesia said Saturday it had been using dry ice at one of South Sumatra province's main airports in an attempt to disperse the haze.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
All along, the sandy-haired man has been signaling he wants a duel—him versus Caesar—but not a fair duel.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“It is cool being next to the other bigger lots like Sony and Amazon, only because it’s inspiring,” Tepper said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Tonga combined classy attacking play with staunch defence, mixed with a pinch of luck - while being cheered on by a ferociously partisan crowd in Perth - to cause a major upset.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
It highlighted oil-importing low-income countries not exposed to the boom in artificial intelligence investment as being the most vulnerable.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
After being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, the richest team in baseball must confront its own advancing age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"You make me very proud. You are capable of being a good governor, not of one but of many islands."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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