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• be
  be

  verb (used without object)

  to exist or live.
• Be
  Be

  beryllium.
• Bé.
  Bé.

  abbreviation

  Baumé.
• B/E
  B/E

  bill of exchange.
• be-
  be-

  a native English prefix formerly used in the formation of verbs.
• B.E.
  B.E.

  abbreviation

  Bachelor of Education.
• BE
  BE

  abbreviation

  bill of exchange
• Bé
  Bé

  abbreviation

  Baumé

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

1. to exist or live.

   Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

2. to take place; happen; occur.

   The wedding was last week.

3. to occupy a place or position.

   The book is on the table.

4. to continue or remain as before.

   Let things be.

5. to belong; attend; befall.

   May good fortune be with you.

6. (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.

7. (used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences).

   Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

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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

1. (used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense).

   I am waiting.

2. (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.

3. (used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice).

   The date was fixed. It must be done.

4. (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)

1. Informal. to say, declare, think, or feel (usually used to introduce reported speech or thought).

   So I'm walking down my street yesterday, and I'm “Why is there a crowd in front of my house?”

Be ² American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. beryllium.

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Bé. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Baumé.

---

B/E ⁴ American  

Or b.e.

1. bill of exchange.

---

be- ⁵ American  

1. a native English prefix formerly used in the formation of verbs.

   become, besiege, bedaub, befriend.

---

B.E. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Education.

2. Bachelor of Engineering.

3. Bank of England.

4. bill of exchange.

5. Board of Education.

---

be ¹ British  

/ biː, bɪ /

verb

1. to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; live

   I think, therefore I am

   not all that is can be understood

2. (used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; go

   have you been to Spain?

3. to take place; occur

   my birthday was last Thursday

4. (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 )

5. (takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tense

   the man is running

6. (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

7. (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

8. (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

9. the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

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be- ² British  

prefix

1. (from nouns) to surround completely; cover on all sides

   befog

2. (from nouns) to affect completely or excessively

   bedazzle

3. (from nouns) to consider as or cause to be

   befool

   befriend

4. (from nouns) to provide or cover with

   bejewel

5. (from verbs) at, for, against, on, or over

   bewail

   berate

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BE ³ British  

abbreviation

1. bill of exchange

2. (in the US) Board of Education

3. Bachelor of Education

4. Bachelor of Engineering

---

Bé ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Baumé

---

Be ⁵ British  

symbol

1. beryllium

---

B/E ⁶ British  

abbreviation

1. bill of exchange

---

be ⁷ British  

abbreviation

1. Belgium

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be Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing be

• let be

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Grammar

See me.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• being
  present
• been
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• am
  simple
• are
  simple
• is
  simple
• have been
  perfect
• has been
  perfect
• am being
  progressive
• are being
  progressive
• is being
  progressive
• have been being
  perfect progressive
• has been being
  perfect progressive

Past

• was
  simple
• were
  simple
• had been
  perfect
• was being
  progressive
• were being
  progressive
• had been being
  perfect progressive

Future

• will be
  simple
• will have been
  perfect
• will be being
  progressive
• will have been being
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

be Be Bé. B/E be- B.E. BE Bé am are is was were been being

Job searches can be lengthy and grueling for people who are out of work and looking.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

But making his way back to the golf establishment may not be that simple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

‘AI is not a good replacement for a human being who might be able to ask you what your healthcare utilization looks like, but it can help with some basic explanations.’

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

But no one should be judged by his worst moments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The prisoners assume they will only be detained for a few weeks.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Be sure to vote and then watch the fallout, metaphorically speaking — hopefully not literally.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

On first listen, “I Must Be Dreaming” seems like the Alabama Shakes’ characteristic musical stew—bluesy garage-rock infused with touches of soul—with the addition of experimentation carried over from Ms. Howard’s solo work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Led by Brittany Howard, the reunited soul-rock band tackles love, nature and a fraying American optimism on ‘I Must Be Dreaming,’ its first album in more than a decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Be careful not to put the extinguisher in a place where it could become a dangerous flying object in an accident.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Then, bending close to his ear, she whispered, "Be brave, Dragon Hatcher. Nothing you love is ever really lost."

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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

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

Above 10° Bé. the effect is more that of an acid with concentrations below 10° Bé.—the only ones of technical importance—however, no ill-effects may be observed.

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

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, 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

As the Wood be- came familiar to her, she became attuned to the sounds it made: the light tread of deer, the rustling leaves, the flapping passage of night owls.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

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

The semiconductor-heavy AEX was flat, as BE Semiconductor dropped 2.9% though other AI-linked stocks edged higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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

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

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

The company history is right below the slogan: DON’T BE A FINK!

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

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

With the reunion of the Russian divisions at Nossi Bé, Madagascar, January 9, 1905, came news of the fall of Port Arthur.

From A History of Sea Power by William Oliver Stevens

“Today I am impressed by the overall performance of the economy, which appears to have strengthened,” he said, citing how well it has held up to shocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Raman said the travel agency told her its last contact with the group was at 8:18 am Nepal time, when they were travelling towards the Nepal-China border.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

She said earlier this month: "It is critical that no abuser is released in October unless I am confident that victims' safety is not being compromised."

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“I really am probably not going to get to that until this season’s done,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

"I am sorry, Sancho, that you feel I have misled you," his master told him.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

State tax records are only available months after each quarter ends.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

“Fans are clear where they want to see the best golfers competing week in and week out,” Rolapp said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But AI chatbots are more likely to suggest only certain insurers and may fail to give nuanced advice that suits an individual’s healthcare needs, new research has found.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Flock CEO Garrett Langley told the Journal that momentum is still with the company and that its audit tools are helping uncover misuse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Luckily, there are some who have not forgotten.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

One theory about the decline is that people are giving up the job hunt because of their frustrations.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Ask for a lower rate, or whether a 0% balance-transfer offer is available.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

In stark contrast, 65% think the top factor for people and groups that get ahead is that they have better opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

“Medicare is a pretty complex program. AI may be helpful on a big-picture basis, or offer the basics around open enrollment itself,” said Meredith Freed, senior policy manager with KFF’s program on Medicare policy.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

According to the rules they establish, Joey is allowed to travel to Texas—and only Texas.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Home prices have continued to rise, and the average 30-year mortgage was 6.66% on Thursday, according to Freddie Mac.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

According to his own evidence, his reptile collection was first raided when he was a boy of 14.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

For what it’s worth, you’re doing better than most Americans: The average consumer credit-card debt was $6,659, according to data from Experian.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

The republic was no more; the Roman Empire had begun.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

When he returned to Japan, he was charged with sheltering a political fugitive and arrested again.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The BLS update was derived by crosschecking prior monthly employment estimates with business tax records to get a more precise tally of how many new jobs were created.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Mr. Wells and his colleague Ross Wellington were outraged by its approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The Trojans are 35-18 through four seasons under Riley, precisely the same record they were under his predecessor, Clay Helton, through 53 games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

The first three were named Arthur, Bertha and Cristobal, and while none of them strengthened into hurricanes, they did cause damage to Florida and Texas.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Once the dogs were gone, the two emerged out of the small opening.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Affordability looks to be a key issue for voters in November’s midterm elections — just as has been the case in numerous elections of the recent past.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

The service I used all those years ago, Talkspace, recently launched an AI chatbot that’s, in part, trained on the company’s database of text messages between therapists and customers, which have been vetted and anonymized.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

For decades, homeownership has been a bedrock symbol of success.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

By age 20 he had been charged with keeping snakes without a license, and by 1984 he’d earned the name Snakeman of Redfern after police seized 50 live snakes and hundreds of frozen specimens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"I think you have been shown that the subsequent history and progress of the case only warrant us in saying that physically, the recovery was quite complete," says Dr. Harlow.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

“AI is not a good replacement for a human being who might be able to ask you what your healthcare utilization looks like, but it can help with some basic explanations,” Yaver said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

And that, for the time being, is the descriptive-yet-obscured sloppypasta.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

Dinghies arrived in British waters until late into the night on Thursday, with 494 people being brought into the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Even while AI budgets are being funded aggressively, leaders can’t yet draw a straight line to the bottom line, meaning ROI hasn’t caught up to investment, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

What with her being my mom’s best friend, you’d think she was maybe spying for my parents, but more often, her presence was like wearing a life preserver.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith