befit
Americanverb (used with object)
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befits,
present (3rd person singular)
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befitted,
past participle, past
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befitting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
befitsimple
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befitssimple
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have befittedperfect
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has befittedperfect
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am befittingprogressive
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are befittingprogressive
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is befittingprogressive
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have been befittingperfect progressive
-
has been befittingperfect progressive
Past
-
befittedsimple
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had befittedperfect
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was befittingprogressive
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were befittingprogressive
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had been befittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of befit
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at be-, fit 1
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:
The glitzy Sphere suits Las Vegas; a new football arena along classical lines would befit Washington, which Frederick Douglass praised for “its lofty domes and stately pillars.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Loose curls stand atop his head, messy enough to be neat, neat enough to befit a titan of industry.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2024
Ralph Fiennes’ version befit a consummate actor who’d long cherished T.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023
The accessibility and variety befit the only publicly owned major professional sports franchise in North America.
From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2022
As befit his rank and station, Quentyn Martell had been given quarters within the Great Pyramid, two levels down—a handsome suite of rooms with its own privy and walled terrace.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
As befits a campaign that has gone badly astray, injuries have played a key part.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
The answer is evasive but also magnanimous, as befits Mr. Youngkin’s personality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
Status quo defenders say the ultralow pay befits a citizen legislature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
The recital acted like a religious experience in which a rarefied atmosphere befits radiance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026
They were dressed in black, silent and dry-eyed, as befits the norms of sadness in a country accustomed to the dignity of grief.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
She began with an incisive reading of Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra, keeping her conducting elegantly restrained, even economized — gestures that befitted this sharply angled, brief set.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
Devin looked far from the days where his cheeks were bone thin at weigh-ins and he befitted the stare of the undead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
Apart from Serena Williams' farewell, this was the biggest blockbuster of the tournament so far and a match-up between two entertaining players which would have befitted the latter stages.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2022
The Pegu Club project befitted the family’s East-meets-West positioning and the optimism of a country newly engaging with the world.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2021
Also Doctor Watson says about Sherlock Holmes His mind... was busy in endeavouring to frame some scheme into which all these strange and apparently disconnected episodes could befitted.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
Decked out in specially-made commemorative kit, Fabian Hurzeler's side produced a performance befitting the occasion.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The crowd participated too Friday, giving Tucker ovations more befitting a hitter on a heater than one on ice each time he stepped to the plate, where he put up a fight all night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
A devout Christian, Beshara expressed hope that she and her colleagues would lead "a legislative revolution befitting Syria" that would bring all citizens safety after more than 13 years of war.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Everything about the SpaceX IPO was befitting of Elon Musk’s original goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
After sprucing it up a little, Mr. Clem advertised a drawing in the paper “for a name more befitting this fine, refurbished, modern establishment.”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
