become
Americanverb (used without object)
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to come, change, or grow to be (as specified).
He became tired.
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to come into being.
verb (used with object)
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to be attractive on; befit in appearance; look well on.
That gown becomes you.
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to be suitable or necessary to the dignity, situation, or responsibility of.
conduct that becomes an officer.
idioms
verb
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(copula) to come to be; develop or grow into
he became a monster
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(foll by of; usually used in a question) to fall to or be the lot (of); happen (to)
what became of him?
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(tr) (of clothes, etc) to enhance the appearance of (someone); suit
that dress becomes you
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(tr) to be appropriate; befit
it ill becomes you to complain
Etymology
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
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.
Private-equity firms have been snapping up Japanese assets as corporations in the country become more open to foreign partners.
At the end of that season, they became the first brothers to play each other in a Super Bowl and appeared on the Saturday Night Live comedy show.
From BBC
The visitors need to avoid defeat in one of the final two matches to prevent becoming the fourth England team to lose 5-0 in this country.
From BBC
First introduced to England in the 1500s, the birds gradually gained in popularity to become a must on the dinner tables of London's wealthy.
From BBC
The peptide was drawn to damaged parts of the brain because it is attracted to a protein that becomes unusually abundant in injured tissue after trauma.
From Science Daily
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.
