being

[bee-ing]

noun

1. the fact of existing; existence (as opposed to nonexistence).

2. conscious, mortal existence; life.

   Our being is as an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night.

3. substance or nature.

   of such a being as to arouse fear.

4. something that exists.

   inanimate beings.

5. a living thing.

   strange, exotic beings that live in the depths of the sea.

6. a human being; person.

   the most beautiful being you could imagine.

7. (initial capital letter),  God.

8. Philosophy.

   1. that which has actuality either materially or in idea.

   2. absolute existence in a complete or perfect state, lacking no essential characteristic; essence.

conjunction

1. Nonstandard.,  since; because; considering that (often followed by as, as how, orthat ).

   Being it's midnight, let's go home.

   Being as how you cooked supper, I'll do the dishes.

being

/ ˈbiːɪŋ /

noun

1. the state or fact of existing; existence

2. essential nature; self

   she put her whole being into the part

3. something that exists or is thought to exist, esp something that cannot be assigned to any category

   a being from outer space

4. a person; human being

5. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality Compare becoming

Other Word Forms

• nonbeing noun
• superbeing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of being¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; be + -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see for the moment (time being); other things being equal.

Example Sentences

The TMO told the referee to stay with her original decision but after being able to watch further replays, Davidson decided to reverse her initial verdict and ruled the ball was held up.

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“An institution like the Rand Club not being around—it would be like London without Buckingham Palace,” Thompson said.

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"Alternatively, the distribution of radio galaxies itself may be less uniform than we have believed. In either case, our current models are being put to the test."

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As well as being used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Volkel Air Base hosts a US Air Force squadron as part of Nato.

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If they don't, they will be 2-0 down and on the way to being defined as the same as all the other England teams hammered in Australia in the past 14 years.

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