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:
Why it’s worth seeing: “La Bola Negra” is a throwback to the kind of emotional film Hollywood now rarely takes a risk on—that’s why it’s destined to be in Oscar contention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
What to know: Two couples’ lives are messily intertwined when one—a wealthy woman with an even wealthier husband—taps the other—a laid-off laborer and his wife—to be the subjects of a documentary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
His earlier work showed that the products of fructose metabolism can be exploited by cancer cells to promote their growth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
He deserves to be in any team of the week.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
If you have a weak organ, it will be small and you'll have a dip or depression in your skull.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
It’s where Dakota Johnson apparently lives while going through her post-college identity crisis in the 2010s breakup movie How to Be Single.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Be bullies on the field. Be dominant. Take play by play. Just play hard. That’s who we are.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Be careful: Long-term care costs are often deductible above a threshold of 7.5% of adjusted gross income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The festival has programmed a documentary made entirely with AI -- "Be Brave" from Italian director Francesco Carrozzini, which centres on the founder of jeans brand Diesel, Renzo Rosso.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Be sure to order a weekly news-box subscription!
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
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
Neradol D is a viscous liquid, measuring about 33° Bé., which is similar to extracts of natural tannins.
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 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
He declined to reveal lavatory dimensions and added, in an email, that “there is currently only one supplier for lavs across all models of the 737 — B/E Aerospace.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2016
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 $1 billion non-discretionary consumables business.
From Reuters ● Oct. 18, 2010
What rotten luck for you that “The Grapes of Wrath” should not only have come out be- fore your book was submitted but should have so swept the country!
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2024
Offering participants a discreet way to alert the moderator to their discomfort- for example by giving them remote buttons they can use to 'bring the researcher in' if need be- may be effective.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2023
Buteglute has given him his chance to be- to be- the most famous-ah- to do a good thing.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 20, 2023
My original encounter from the store got in line for her pic next, then be- came the photographer for the rest of the meet-and-greet.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 22, 2019
A little more, Davos Seaworth be- seeched the Warrior, bring her around a little more, show me her broadside.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Earlier Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said air defence systems had been in action around a Kerch shipyard named after B.E.
From Reuters ● Nov. 4, 2023
"It was back in 2019 and I was sitting in my box room at home, quietly sulking and downloading application forms for jobs in PR," said the 48-year-old, who writes under the pen name B.E.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2023
The thriller is adapted from a book of the same name by B.E.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
It also features five commissions from the WNO: Atlanta composer B.E.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2022
Instead it was his father who did the talking, saying that the man had gone to St. Xavier’s, and then B.E.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
BE Semiconductor stock tumbled after a report said that some of the Dutch group’s main customers are delaying uptake of its advanced hybrid bonding technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Album cuts like “$T. LOSER” and “WHAT IS IT LIKE, TO BE LIKED?” find Slayyyter caught up comparing herself to other artists.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
The tech-heavy Dutch AEX fell 0.3% as consumer-facing stocks slid, though BE Semiconductor rose 1.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 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
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
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 listened to Wolf with a sad face, drawing garlands on a piece of paper which lay before him.
From The Awakening The Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy, Count
I do not think I am an outlier.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
After a paper test showing "positive results indicating the spread of volcanic ash in the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport area" the transport ministry extended the suspension to 9:30 am.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
That his residency now dwarfs, in sheer scale, the fight-night masculinity the same building helped crown is not a coincidence I am willing to let pass quietly.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
"I am 24 and on the up and up and up. I am not afraid of the other girls," said Hunt.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“I am glad to know,” he said, “that the study of art has not been neglected.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Investors are closely watching crude oil prices and bond yields as well as developments in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
What to know: Two couples’ lives are messily intertwined when one—a wealthy woman with an even wealthier husband—taps the other—a laid-off laborer and his wife—to be the subjects of a documentary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Here are the best options to keep you satiated through Thanksgiving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Breast tumors are complex environments made up of many different kinds of cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Because Japan and Germany are allies, Japan periodically sends prisoners to live with German families, who are sometimes called “sponsors.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
We get back to that question, which is worse: China or AI data centers?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
August CPI data, due this Friday, is a “crucial input” into the Fed’s September decision,” the team says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
A hotter-than-expected jobs report is sending U.S. stocks and short-term bond prices lower, as traders boost bets on a rate hike from the Federal Reserve this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Patti, the Michael and Tana Powell Professor of Chemistry, in Art & Sciences, and of genetics and medicine, at WashU Medicine, has previously investigated what happens when fructose is processed by the liver.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
There is a grand foyer with sixteen hand-blown crystal chandeliers, red carpeting, and enormous corridors that are more than sixty feet high.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Written by Tarantino, the movie was directed by Pitt’s frequent collaborator, David Fincher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Higher tyrosine levels were associated with shorter life expectancy in men, while no significant effect was detected in women.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
One was a magnitude 3.5, the other a magnitude 2.6.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
You did not have to join too many dots to work out the point Zelensky was making.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
"I thought he was deceived," Dr. Williams writes in his notes.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The strongest benefits were seen among participants who received more structured guidance, including regular coaching and support.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
"Academi Adra were offering courses, and almost 16 weeks of work experience and at the end they decided to keep me on as a labourer. I did that for a year," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Voters who thought they were getting change when they elected him in 2025 are disappointed, leaving his approval rating in the pits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Early Sunday morning the National Weather Service said that “flooding of lots, parks and roads with only isolated road closures” were expected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
It was an unmanageable situation, but the Daughters of Charity were relentless in their efforts to make Carville a clean, respectable, and renowned site for the treatment of leprosy.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Why it’s worth seeing: Pattinson has been on an incredible run this year, with strong performances in “The Drama” and “The Odyssey.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The researchers saw this pattern in both aggressive forms of breast cancer and slower-developing classes - an unexpected result because quiescence had previously been linked more closely with slower-growing disease.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Witkoff insisted progress had been made and the ingredients for a settlement were there.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“There’s been a large surf already with reports of 10-foot waves at Zuma Beach,” Gomberg said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
“This is a good idea. I’ve been alone for a while now… It’s not wrong to want a personal life. Why should this be a big deal? It’s not…” Dad says, answering his own question.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Key to lofty valuations being assigned to the likes of Anthropic and OpenAI is the assumption of massive growth—growth that can only occur if more data centers are opened to build and fuel AI’s expanse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Patti described sorbitol as being essentially "one transformation away from fructose," meaning the body can convert it into a closely related form that may produce similar effects.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Easy to see why the Everton fans reacted so fiercely to the prospect of him being sold.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“If you’re being invited to a red carpet, you wouldn’t show up in jeans,” 2023 U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
But the more I recall about the exchange, the more I remember being in full-blown debate mode.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
