become

[ bih-kuhm ]

See synonyms for: become became becomes becoming on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),be·came

[bih-keym], /bɪˈkeɪm/, be·come, be·com·ing

[bih-kuhm-ing]. /bɪˈkʌm ɪŋ/.

to come, change, or grow to be (as specified): He became tired.
to come into being.

verb (used with object),be·came

[bih-keym], /bɪˈkeɪm/, be·come, be·com·ing

[bih-kuhm-ing]. /bɪˈkʌm ɪŋ/.

to be attractive on; befit in appearance; look well on: That gown becomes you.
to be suitable or necessary to the dignity, situation, or responsibility of: conduct that becomes an officer.

Idioms about become

become of, to happen to; be the fate of: What will become of him?

Origin of become

First recorded before 900; Middle English becumen, Old English becuman “to come about, happen”; cognate with Dutch bekomen, German bekommen, Gothic biqiman. See be-, come

Words Nearby become

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use become in a sentence

In the last year, her fusion exercise class has attracted a cult following and become de rigueur among the celebrity set.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The more we appease, the more we indulge, the more emboldened the enemies of freedom become.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Spouting off against police online has become criminalized in recent weeks.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Many of those who have become cops in New York seem to have ceased to address such minor offenses over the past few days.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown | Michael Daly | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Lucas said that he himself nonetheless hopes to become a cop.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown | Michael Daly | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST

It will be a busy session; and I want to see if I can't become a useful public man.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
My son,” said Grabantak one evening to Chingatok, “if we are henceforth to live in peace, why not unite and become one nation?
The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne
You will follow the suite of my daughter to Spain, and you will become the bosom Counsellor of the wife of your Prince?
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
The children of sinners become children of abominations, and they that converse near the houses of the ungodly.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
I shall soon depart, and practise no more; and my time will become my own—still my own, by no means yours.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for become

become

/ (bɪˈkʌm) /

verb-comes, -coming, -came or -come (mainly intr)

(copula) to come to be; develop or grow into: he became a monster
(foll by of; usually used in a question) to fall to or be the lot (of); happen (to): what became of him?

(tr) (of clothes, etc) to enhance the appearance of (someone); suit: that dress becomes you
(tr) to be appropriate; befit: it ill becomes you to complain

Origin of become

Old English becuman to happen; related to Old High German biqueman to come to, Gothic biquiman to appear suddenly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with become

become

In addition to the idiom beginning with become

become of

, also see idioms beginning with

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