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:
It’s chance to help children succeed who might otherwise be limited by circumstances outside their control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
She added: "I've always landed a job in 10 applications, so to be nearing 100 is completely out of this world."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
After playing together for just one half during the preseason, Kessler and Doncic said there would be an acclamation period during the regular season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I have lost track of the number of people who have told me they have applied for hundreds of jobs, only to be met with rejection after rejection.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
"Benevolence" cannot be seen on the outside of the brain.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
“Be humble. Be a good teammate. Be a leader, not a follower,” JT said when asked what he tells Christian and Weston.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 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 aware, though: A lot of people might find it tough to do DIY installation of a window-based heat pump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
"My motto is: Be healthy, be happy, be kind."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Yah! There shall be no helping any water monsters tonight! Or any other night for that matter! Be gone!”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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
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 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
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 smallfolk were hiding themselves be- ’ hind closed shutters and barred doors as if that would keep them safe.
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 Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, is down 1.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
BE Semiconductor Industries, the Dutch supplier of semiconductor assembly equipment, is up 0.4%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Bloom Energy BE -11.34%decrease; down pointing triangle raised its fiscal 2026 revenue and adjusted earnings per share guidance, as second quarter sales and profit climbed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
YOU HAD TO BE HERE: A Brazilian woman walked into an ice cream store in Los Gatos one hot day and ordered a beer.
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
N/10 NaOH and a piece of bated calf skin was then introduced into a solution measuring about 2° Bé.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
"At the time I backed off because who am I to stop a victim of a crime like that from being supported by the officer?"
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
But I am an apple-picking person, and my Dad was an apple-picking person, and I think he understood even then that some things are worth risking an eye for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
On the day AFP visited the school, air raid alerts rang out five times between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
He’s a much more aggressive investor than I am.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
“And where am I going, that I should need to be replaced?”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Just over half of children eligible for the grade level are enrolled in TK, according to 2025 data, falling short of state projections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
He describes the current situation as an "AI war", with candidates "resorting to AI to bolster their applications" while "employers are dealing with huge amounts of applications".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
His 10 dunks are the most for a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I want to find out how fair AI recruitment tools being used to help decide our futures really are - and what happens when we click "apply".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
There are high-rise offices and impressive, colorful buildings, like the Metropolitan Theater, Crystal Arcade, and Jai Alai Building, a sports complex that is considered the finest art deco building in Asia.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
For some of the other children, she’s still teaching the basics of how a classroom works: paying attention for five to 10 minutes, and which way is up and down on a piece of paper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"I would definitely go back and ask for a human to look at my application and if it is a 'no', that's fine, but feedback helps me as a jobseeker."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
But the study is “proof of concept” that TK and preschool can contribute to lasting benefits when it works alongside the broader school experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
He adds this is a problem because recruiters are seeing all CVs look the same because "they're all written by AI, or polished by AI".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
She is elected president of the student council.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Doncic, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, understood it was more than just Kessler being 7-foot-2.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
It was the first time he remembered to hold the microphone at a formal Lakers news conference without being prompted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"It was quite scary, we've survived a lot of storms but that particular storm we underestimated how bad it was going to be," Job said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The organization was desperate to pair Doncic with a rim-running, lob-catching center to maximize the star guard’s offensive capabilities as he enters the prime of his career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Captain Colayco was instrumental in the February 1945 liberation of Santo Tomas, where he once served on the faculty.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
His 12 made field goals without a miss were the most by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Cutting-edge AI models, such as those from US giants OpenAI and Google, were used by Wiz and other groups to uncover PHP's weak spots in August.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
More than half a dozen TV cameras were lined up at the back of the room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Libyan officials were reported as saying the women would be handed over to authorities in their respective countries after necessary procedures were completed.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Some of them were sick, injured, or both.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“I wish I could say I’ve always been comfortable with it, but I haven’t,” Kessler said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Dartmouth Food Festival has also been impacted by the storm with organisers pushing some events planned for Friday back to Saturday morning.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, denies the allegations but previously said that some of Lula's campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
"A lot of them have been automatically rejected within 24 to 36 hours."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Caribbean island of Cuba, which had also been colonized by the Spanish, was fighting for independence from Spain.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Beginning his first full season in Los Angeles after being acquired from Cleveland in a trade for James Harden in February, Garland led the Clippers with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting and four assists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
I want to find out how fair AI recruitment tools being used to help decide our futures really are - and what happens when we click "apply".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
A shark that became a viral sensation after getting stuck in a South Korean canal returned hours after being coaxed out, authorities said on Thursday, prompting another attempt to guide it back to the sea.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I could imagine that the likelihood of going to college increases, and I could also imagine that the quality of college also improves because college readiness is being affected by these investments,” Johnson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 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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