become

[bih-kuhm]

See more synonyms for become on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), be·came, be·come, be·com·ing.

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

verb (used with object), be·came, be·come, be·com·ing.

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

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

Origin of become

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for becomes

come, convert, incline, shift, metamorphose, mature, wax, accord, augment, fit, display, flatter, enrich, ornament, embellish, agree, suit, harmonize, garnish, heighten

Examples from the Web for becomes

Contemporary Examples of becomes

I think if you keep trying to do things the same way it becomes diminishing returns.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
Selma becomes a biopic in which the hero shines while those who worked beside him are overlooked or relegated to the sidelines.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’
Gary May
January 2, 2015
So working with the militants in order to deliver aid “becomes a requirement,” she said.
ISIS Fight Has a Spy Shortage, Intel Chair Says
Kimberly Dozier
January 2, 2015
King Lear becomes Lear texting “okay who wants a kingdom,” to which Goneril replies “me me I do.”
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?
Jennie Yabroff
December 23, 2014
In her struggle to find her daughter, Esther becomes one of the founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF
Jason Berry
December 21, 2014

Historical Examples of becomes

Perhaps it is in this last that it becomes our most pernicious enemy.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
It now becomes my aim today to lay siege to this town and capture it.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
Clerk or no, you have acted this day as becomes a true knight.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
The messenger, too, who lends himself to her humour now becomes a proper man.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
Otherwise the chance of over-shooting--always great--becomes prohibitive.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for becomes

become

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

(copula) to come to be; develop or grow intohe 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); suitthat dress becomes you
(tr) to be appropriate; befitit ill becomes you to complain

Word Origin for 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

Word Origin and History for becomes

become

Old English becuman "happen, come about," also "meet with, arrive," from Proto-Germanic *bikweman "become" (cf. Dutch bekomen, Old High German biqueman "obtain," German bekommen, Gothic biquiman). A compound of be- and come; it drove out Old English weorðan. Meaning "to look well" is early 14c., from earlier sense of "to agree with, be fitting" (early 13c.).

Idioms and Phrases with becomes

become

In addition to the idiom beginning with become

become of

, also see idioms beginning with